Walthers is going head to head with Glock

V

ViLLain

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Just got word that Walthers is reducing their cost to retailer $142 dollars on P99 series pistols ($80 for S&W99). The new pricing is effective immediately. That would put the retail price for the P99 right around $499 or about $15 more than an entry level Glock ($485) pistol. Their reason for the price cut is to aggressively go after the Glock level buyer.
 
Thats good news for the overall industry, but I'd still choose Glock over Walther. Even if the Glock costed a lot more! I'm not sold on the Walther P99's reliability.
 
CZ, I don't know if you've shot a P99 yet, but I can assure you that it is entirely reliable, and a gun that I feel I can trust my life to. I have over 2000 rounds through mine, without a single problem at all. Absolutely no tweaking, twiddling or twaddling to make it work. Just feed ammo, and pull trigger... over 2000 times.

Sometimes, new products ARE all they're made out to be!!!
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I have not shot a P99, but think the ergonomics of the pistol is the best I have handled. I'm sure I'll be getting one as soon as funds allow.

Pat Brophy
 
I sold a Glock 23 to get a P99 QA.

I have no regrets. The P99 has more features than the Glock - round in chamber indicator, striker cocked indicator, decocker, three adjustable grip sizes and two different sized front sights.

It feels better in my hand and I like the trigger much better. Glocks are good but Walther is better IMHO.
 
I'm sure the price cut is to go after everybody. A new Beretta 92 is about $500 where I live. The only reason anybody would go after Glock is that they have the lion's share of the law enforcement market, and a large percentage of the private market as well. Glock just happens to be the big mountain.
The plastic frame and QA trigger doesn't make it a head to head battle.
 
Okay, now I've got a question...at $500 roughly, which is the better polymer gun? The G19, the P99, or the Springfield XD (formerly known as the HS2000)
 
The P99 is a pistol I'd like to explore more. The little I've seen of them and shot them has impressed me, but I haven't bought one yet. More importantly this move will help bring the out of control prices back into line a little. Hooray for Walther!
 
I don't want to get a flame war started, but....
I don't consider the Springfield XD/HS 2000 to be in the same class as the Glock and the Walther.
Both of them have been around for decades.

The Yugo/Hungarian or whatever has a road to travel before it gets to where the other two are.

Personally, I think the Walther is more ergonomic than the Glock.
Still, I have never considered replacing my G19 with a Walther or anything else.
For the size/wt/capacity/reliability ratio, it is hard to beat.

I feel that the overall quality of the Walther may well be equal to the Glock, but only time will tell.
It is certainly going to take more than 2000 rounds to convince me.
What little I have heard of Walther's past has been guns with hard trigger pulls and feed problems.
The P99 doesn't seem to be afflicted with these.

As I said, time will tell.........
 
If you think the HS2000 is in the same class as the super accurate Walther I suggest you take a look at the accuracy pictures in this months Guns & Ammo. They tested the HS2000 in 9mm, the .40 and the .357 sig. The groups are pretty abysmal. This seems to support the same findings last year by "Gun Tests" magazine that found much the same problem. Gun Tests attributed the lack of accuracy to a partially supported slide to frame fit. They say one picture is worth a thousand words and in this months "Guns and ammo they have three pictures of accuracy groups to look at one for the 9mm (the worst), one for the .40 S&W and one for the .357 sig caliber.

On the other hand My Walther P99 shoots almost as accurate as my High Power and it certainly outshoots my Glock 17 with ease. The great trigger pull of the Walther helps me shoot much more consistantly accurate than when I use my Glock with its very creepy trigger pull.
 
I vaguely remember paying 550 at a gun show for my NIB 9mm Walther P99 with black slide. That was when they first came out, though, and maybe they were trying to move them.
 
I'll be danged :D RSR HAS lowered their wholesale price on the P99s by about $110. Unfortunately, they don't have any in stock :mad:

Regards,
James
 
Is the P99, as sold here, 100% made and assembled in Germany? This pistol is on my "short list" and I'd prefer getting one with a German pedigree as opposed to anything that may have had S&W's hands on it ;)
 
If it's a 9mm, it's a sure bet it's 100% German. If it's a .40 (especially a military green frame), check to make sure the German proof mark is present on the right rear of the slide. If it's not, it's a S&W made slide.

I'm beginning to wonder now if Walther is trying to clear the channels of the original style accessories rail P99s, to make room for the "new and improved" SW99 type accessory rails, that will accept the Insight Tech M series lights? I have heard this rumour floating around, I guess I'll see at the Shot Show.

If that's the case, I'm going to snap up at least one more original P99 :D

Regards,
James
 
Okay, now I've got a question...at $500 roughly, which is the better polymer gun? The G19, the P99, or the Springfield XD (formerly known as the HS2000)
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Whichever one of the three you find to be the most comfortable.

All three are quality guns and it would be hard to go wrong with any of them.

That said, the XD can be had new for $400. And don't let the Gun Tests results cloud your thinking. It does say something about their integrity that they don't accept advertising. But their methodology is suspect at best. If I recall correctly, they didn't even use a Ransom Rest to test the HS. Also, this is the same publication that claimed the Makarov to be unreliable. With some truth to it, a friend once jokingly told me that the publication should be called "Group of Guys Getting Together to Shoot Guns Magazine".

On the other hand, if you go to the best source of opinion on any pistol -- the actual owners themselves -- you'll find that with few exceptions the HS2000/Springfield XD owners are tickled with the performance of their pistols. And they should be.

I refuse to own a firearm that is unreliable or inaccurate. My HS and my XD40 are neither. Of the more than fifty pistols I own or have owned, including plenty from the big name manufacturers, my HS and XD will hang with any of them and exceed many of them. There's no legitimate reason they can't be mentioned in the same breath as the Glock 19 or the Walther 99.

But again, with that said, the ultimate test is which particular pistol works best for you. I've never been able to get comfortable with the G19's grip. On the other hand, the Walther feels like it's an extension of my hand. As does the HS/XD.

I picked the one that works for me, and I recommend you do the same.

Take care. Marko
 
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