Walther P99 problems

[Ahhnuld]

I recently bought a Walther P99 Military model, and found that it suffered from a terrible slide lock issue, where the slide lock engages for no apparrant reason in the middle of shooting through a full clip. Mine would do this 3 times a clip. When I started asking questions as to why this would happen on a German made product, I found out that it was common in the 40cal models. I then found out on this forum, that Walther USA ala S&W, manufactured the entire top end of the pistol at some point to "assist" with demand that Walther Germany was not able to meet, thus resulting in a hybrid S&W/Walther.

It is my opinion that Walther USA deceitfully manufactured these slides and barrels, since there is NO MARKING whatsoever on any of the parts denoting "Made in USA", etc. The only way one would know, is to look for the Eagle proofhaus stamp on the rear of the slide. Naturally, I am not willing to pay a fair amount of money for a hybrid, I wanted a German made gun, and found that another member, sports2themax, had a similar issue back in April where Kurt Hindle of Walther agreed to replace his gun with a German model. Mr Hindle was not kind enough to allow me the same priviledge. Needless to say, I am through with Walther. I traded it in for a Beretta Cougar 8040 that has performed flawlessly in the past 300 rounds, as well as better in handling than the P99. It also clearly states on the slide that it is made in Italy. For some this may not bother, But I expect this kind of deception from S&W, and would never have considered that Walther would allow such practices to take place, much less not stand behind their products to make right what should be done. I would strongly encourage anyone considering a Walther to take note of their practice in marketing, as you never know what you might get the next time around. I choose to continue my support for H&K, which I have 3 and would bet my life on any of them. I have attached a text document with my several emails back and forth with Kurt Hindle for your reading pleasure, so that you can make up your own mind about this matter. Feel free to email me or ask questions.

 

[P99]

Ahhnuld ,

I'm sorry to hear about your problems with the P99. I recently had a bad experience with Walther USA and Kurt Hindle himself also. I've been an avid Walther fan for quite a few years now and he and one other rep from WaltherUSA brought me to the brink of selling my whole collection of Walther's. But, Germany somehow got wind of how I was treated and had Earl from Earl's Repair Service call me. The first words out of Earl's mouth to me were: "Germany would sincerely like to appologize for the way you've been treated and have asked me to make it up to you". That said a lot to me! That Walther Germany really cares about its customers and wants everyone to be happy with their product. Needless to say Earl has been very helpful and has satisfied my requests. He has restored my faith in Walther and I will continue to buy their products. Needless to say I didn't have a problem with a gun malfunctioning, I was trying to order a special product when all this happened to me. WaltherUSA refused me, but Earl's Repair went out of their way to have a happy customer.

From Kurt's letter, it almost sounded like he was going to help you. I think if you pushed him a little more he probably would have traded it out for you. Or maybe Earl's would have helped you out.

I'm sorry to hear about your bad luck with the P99. My first P99 had the same problem, but it went away after 100 rounds and a good cleaning. I now have 6 P99's and they all perform excellent!

P99

 

[Ahhnuld]

Help from Kurt Hindle

You may be right, perhaps with enough complaining he might have done what I asked. Considering that I was explicit about my request twice, I felt that was more than enough, especially since he is familiar with this type of complaint. I fully expect to be treated this way from a American auto manufacturer, but certainly not from any German company, especially Walther.

 

[buzz_knox]

Does Earl sell German Walthers? I've thought of getting one but the idea of getting it through a Smith dealer disgusts me.

 

[Dr Heckel]

Yes, Earls does sell German Walthers. If you were thinking of getting a P99, you would be lucky (refering only to the odds) if you didnt get a German made version. Only 3000 SW made P99s are out there, which Im sure is a small percentage.