Walther P99 vs. Browning Hi-Power

I guess it just depends on where your at and at which club. I haven't seen just one BHP fail, I've seen several, from different people.

My P99QA, which I've been using exclusively this year, has ran flawlessly since April. I've put over 3000 rounds through it with out cleaning it.

The year before I let my regular P99's go for over 1000 rounds before cleaning, with no problems at all.

I would have to say that in my experiences the P99 is a very reliable design.

P99
 
Ah, two of my favorite guns!!!

I use 9mm and avoid .40 since I have a .45 if I want a bigger bullet.
My favorite of the 2 would be the BHP ...However.
1. For my preferences the BHP needs custom work. Trigger, dehorning, Spegel Grips, Sights without white lines going all the way to the top edge of the sight ( I use Novak 3dot tritiums)
2.The BHP has a better trigger (custom job) and is more accurate for me than the P99 (although I suspect the wide rear notch in the sights of my P99 make it more difficult for me to maximize it's accuracy)
3. The BHP has a slimmer slide and is actually quite compact in it's own right.
4. The BHP fits me just fine and so does the P99 with the small backstrap in place.
5. Out of the box I give to edge to the P99 due to excellent trigger and relatively good sights that are adjustable.
6. The P99 is also easier to maintain.

7. For a gunfight: custom BHP
 
Man I just got my South African BHP mags from CDNN. They apparently are actually made in Argentina. Wherever they are made, they are a real bitch to load. As Atticus suggested, I have stuffed them full and now I am just waiting for them to . . . "age."
 
Let me state right now that I own both handguns.

First you will have to decide what you will use this gun most for.

Both guns are extremely accurate.

I would rate the P99 as the best of the plastic pistols hands down both in terms of personal safety (not accidentally shooting yourself) and the best in the catagory of reliability compared to the other plastic striker fired pistols. The Walther p99 has the more forceful firing pin fall by a wide margin as compared to some of the other plastic pistols. It even fires reloads with high primers with no problem and does not misfire.

It is lighter in weight than the highpower and shorter in overall length so if carrying the gun is your first priority this may be something to think about.

High Cap mags are expensive and scarce compared to the High power. Millions of high power mags are floating around at much less in cost.

Comfort in Shooting: Hands down to the High Power with its heavier weight and longer sighting radius.

Looks. The high power is rated as one of the most graceful and beautifully sculptured handguns of all time. Its machining on the original forged models (pre 1993) was something to take your breath away. Workmanship was traditional old world craftsmanship with finely fitted forged parts. Truly a work of art type of handgun with a fantastic polished blue finish. Many are now expensive collector pieces highly valued by their owners. It is definately a prestige weapon.

Trigger pull. Out of the box the Walther beats the High Power by a wide margin. The High Power must have its magazine safety removed to get a really good pull but some gunsmiths can keep the mag safety in place and reduce the pull but it will never be as light as as removing it and throwing the damn thing out the window. My T series High Powers have fantastic trigger pulls but they have not been made in many years but you can find them used at large gun shows. They are the best High Powers ever made. No price is too much to pay for a T seiries high power the prices rise every year higher and higher. Collectors often fall into an immediate dead faint whenever they see one. They were the zenith of High Power craftsmanship.

The Walthers finish is more utilitarian with some very rough machine works on the exterior surface of the slide but the finish is probably much more rust resistance than the blued finish of the average high power.

Reliablity. I have found both to be top notch.

Hitablilty. I shoot the High Power much better because of its longer sighting radius and its greater weight.

The P99's has more muzzle blast due to its shorter barrel and is more diffucult to hold steady for target work.

The P99's mag release has some sharp edges and often abrades my thumb when I shoot it but it is a minor annoyance and nothing serious. I could take a file to the sharp edgeds but I hate to file on anything without having it refinished.

Recoil and back strap. The Walther has a much more narrow backstrap and tends to be more uncomfortable to shoot over a long shooting session of say 200 or more rounds. The wide back strap of the Browning and its weight make it recoil much , much less and there is less twisting and barrel flip when firing the gun.
But if you have small hands the Walther may fit you much better and you can always change the Walther's back strap with the three backstraps that come with it so that your finger will reach the trigger easily.

It all boils down to what you are going to use it for the most.

For carry I would use the Walther and for Shooting I would take the High Power hands down. W.R.
 
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Cocked & locked BHP

The Walther P99 and BHP are two radically different pistols. The BHP is an old, traditional, all steel, SA, proven design. It is the classic 9MM combat sidearm. The P99 is a modern, polymer framed, DA, wonder pistol. WHile I don't own one, I shoot a friends P99 almost everytime we go to the range and once you get used to the trigger, it is very accurate. They are both excellent defensive firearms.

The two BHP's I have never jam or have had misfeeds or misfires. The triggers were excellent, out of the box and accuracy is superb.

All this being said, I would rather have a cocked and locked BHP than a P99 just because I think it is a simpler firearm to use.
 
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