First of all I know too little about the P99 to make a decent decision.  Obviously Walther doesn't make junk, and I've examined the P99 closely and like it quite a bit.  It seems to fit fine, and all the features are excellent.  Price is not a problem, as it's not inexpensive, but it's probably worth the price.

The problem is no one near-by, nor any of the ranges, have one that I can try out.  I've shot Pony_Driver's P22, which was cool, and the general layout was fine, but it's a 22 and I want a 9mm.

So what's the 9mm like in terms of shooting.  Accuracy? Follow up shots? Ease of use of the controls in acutal firing? Weight in CCW? etc.

This would be a CCW pistol.  

Ross

Ross-

I own a P-99 in 9mm, and am quite happy with it.  It's accurate, and reliable.  Recoil is not an issue.  The trigger may require some adjustment on your part.  (The standard P-99 has a SA/DA trigger.)  The P-99 should make an excellent carry gun-it's light, and easily concealable.  If you have any questions, head over to these sites:


(A Walther P-99 discussion board)
www.gothammarketing.com/ikon/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?s=a0b2889b98173a9fccd2b531bdb720fa;act=SF;f=1;st=0

(A P-99 FAQ)
www.praxagora.com/lunde/WaltherP99FAQ/

I also have a P22 and love it as a cheap shooting training pistol. As far as the P99 I have shot it an like it also. Some say the newer ones partially made by S&W aren't of the same quality as the originals. The gun may be on the large side for CCW. Maybe you are a large person and that isn't an issue for you. Personally if I am going to carry a pistol of that size I would prefer more than 10 rounds. Currently I carry an H&K P7 or a Glock 26. I have standardized all of my pistols except for my .22's on the 9mm round. Normal FMJ ammo is significantly cheaper than other calibers and good deals are out there for Gold Dot for defense. I try to buy in bulk when possible. The 9mm is great to shoot as the recoil is typically less than others allowing for quicker follow up shots. Pistols are defensive in nature, and I believe a 9mm is more than enought for me to defend myself with especially with some of the excellent ammo available like Gold Dot, HydraShok, and Winchester SXT.

Good luck on your purchase.

There are pre-ban magazines available for the 9mm P-99.  You'll pay a premium for these, and their legality is somewhat questionable.  If you go this route, you will up your capacity from 10+1 to 16+1.  That's pretty damn good...

I looked at both the S&W version and the Walther version side by side, and I like the Walther better.  I can't put my finger on it, but the S&W just felt "odd".  The Walther didn't.

Currently I carry a Colt Detective Special revolver, which oddly enough is similar in size to the P99 due to the cylinder bulge.  Girp profile is different, and something to consider, but I carried a P228 for a pretty long time before that and that gun isn't any smaller than the P99.  I've carried my P7M8 a couple of times, but I'd need a different holster for it.  It's also has a bit more steel in it's construction.

I've heard about the trigger being different.  How different is it?  Is it unique to itself, or just similar to other stirker fired guns like a Glock, Spring XD, etc?

Lastly, what's the deal on "quick action" vs not?

Ross

Ross-

Check the P-99 FAQ that I linked to on my first post on this thread.  The Quick Action trigger (QA) is said to be similar to the Glock trigger, with a more consistent trigger pulls compared to the standard P-99 trigger.  I'm not entirely sure how the standard P-99 trigger compares to other striker-fired pistols because I haven't fired the other pistols...

The standard trigger is pretty good, and it improves as the pistol is broken in.  In double action mode, it's a fairly long, and safe pull.  In single action mode, the very first pull has a trigger safety-once it is disengaged, the trigger operates like a standard SA trigger.  

I just bought a P99 today and ran 100 rnds. through it and all I have to say is Hot-Damm.

The only problem is the 10 rnd. mags. but I will take care of that WECSOG style.

If you were not aware, P88 compact mags work nicely.  Also, there were indeed a number of legal P99 mags.  The pistol was developed long before its release in 1999 and there were copies out there for evaluation purposes.  Those copies needed high capacity magazines.  Just how many legal preban mags are out there, well nobody knows.  With luck come September 13, 2004 it will be a moot issue.

Ross I am having the same dilemma.  I am turning 21 shortly and want a Walther P99 as my first pistol but haven't been able to fire one yet.  Oh well, I am probably going to buy it anyway.

Search for a guy named Robert Johnson.  He sells hi-caps for 70 bucks, with pre-ban patent numbers on them.

I went and looked at some yesterday.  They had a S&W99 in 9mm, another in .45, and the Walther in 9 and 40.  They were all nice guns.  I've pretty much decided on the 9mm though, and it has an OD green frame, so at least it's different than black.  Now I just have to figure out how to afford it.

Ross

By MaineAR:

The gun may be on the large side for CCW.

I would disagree with this statement.  The P99 is just about identical in size to a Glock19 which is fairly concealable.  Though certainly not as concealable as a G26.

I think the Walther P99 is a great gun, especially if you enjoy shooting Glocks (which I do.)  The trigger takes some getting use to, but once you've done that, it's a great gun.

Quoted: I went and looked at some yesterday.  They had a S&W99 in 9mm, another in .45, and the Walther in 9 and 40.  They were all nice guns.  I've pretty much decided on the 9mm though, and it has an OD green frame, so at least it's different than black.  Now I just have to figure out how to afford it. Ross

Ask the shop if they have a layaway plan :)

I have a P99 and love it. The first time I took it out I just shot better with it than a few other handguns I've had a while. It just seemed natural.

Once in a while I'll decock it and forget to re-cock it (by pulling the slide back a fraction of an inch), but still hit what I'm aiming at in double action mode. I do hope the trigger "breaks in" like my USP .45 did, but if I still hit what I'm aiming at, but don't quite enjoy the trigger feel, oh well. ;)

Like HiramRanger said, P88 mags fit. They don't hang out of the bottom as much as beretta 92 mags do, but do hang out a wee bit. The base is at the same angle as the grip though, so it doesn't look quite as out of place as the 92 mags.

Hi, I've ad the G19 and the XD9mm and now the P99.  The G19 carries IWB just a tad easier then the P99 but not noticeable unless you got them both to try.  I just don't like the G19 finger groves or the grip angle. But it is a hell of a pistol for carry. thin, hi cap, light and reliable.
 The SZ XD9mm is reliable and accurate and has the best trigger of any auto going except a nice 1911.  But it's thicker slide felt top heavy to me and could tell it was thicker when carrying IWB. And it's grip angle is straighter like the 1911.
 The P99 has an adjustable grip to fit alot of different hand sizes. I's thin so it carry nice and the rounded backstrap prints very little on a T shirt. The trigger does get smoother and at 2000 rnds mine is very very nice.  And 70 bucks for a new 16rnd full metal factory mag is preaty good.  My G19 would only feed full metal lined mags reliablely. Try buying some of the drop free G19 mags. they run about 115 if ya can find them.
 Shooting the P99 is very much like shooting the G19. recoil is gentle and repeatable very very fast.  Trigger reset from SA is very short and fast.
 Also the P99 has 2nd strike ability, which I like. And dry fireing practice, well its shoot da and shoot da and shoot da.  With the G19 or the XD it's shoot an rack the slide shoot and rack the slide. That gets old for me.
 Right ow their all within a few dollars of each other and very few shooters who shoot the P99 a couple hundred rnds don't like em.  Mine has a great natural aim for me anyways. If you like the G19 chances are igh you'll love the P99.  And most holster makes offer a P99 setup now.
 And I will be getting another as a backup.

I have one in 40 cal and it is my favorate carry gun. It rocks! Very comfy and I love it's look. 100% reliable for me so far with around 450rds or so of cheap winchester target ammo.

SorryOciffer

what size groups are you guys getting at 25 yards?

Quoted: what size groups are you guys getting at 25 yards?

Hard to say... at 25 yards a 16 round mag pretty much tears the 9 and 10 ring out of a small target.  I'm sure that is a cut-out, obviously not every bit of paper in that area has been shot out, but there is usually a big ragged hole where there used to be a nice pretty target.  My HS2000 groups tighter, and my Sig P226 pretty much matches the P99 in performance - of course that is with a custom trigger job on the P226.

You won't be disappointed with the P99.

ALRIGHT either there's somthing wrong with me or there is somthing wrong with my gun.
I picked up my P99 about a month ago. I've gone shooting 5 times and put 100-150 rnds through it each time. The first three times I wasn't hitting the target at 25 yards so I switched out the front sight from #4 to #3. The last two times I went shooting I was hitting all over the bottom 1/4 of the target.

Is there somthing wrong with my gun or do I just suck at shooting?

any help would be greatly appreciated.

Quoted: ALRIGHT either there's somthing wrong with me or there is somthing wrong with my gun. I picked up my P99 about a month ago. I've gone shooting 5 times and put 100-150 rnds through it each time. The first three times I wasn't hitting the target at 25 yards so I switched out the front sight from #4 to #3. The last two times I went shooting I was hitting all over the bottom 1/4 of the target. Is there somthing wrong with my gun or do I just suck at shooting? any help would be greatly appreciated.

I am by no means an expert, so just use anything I say as things to consider, until someone who knows what they are talking about chimes in here ;)

First of all, perhaps you should try a shorter range to start out with. Just see what you can do at 25 or 50 feet.

Are you using the center dot to line up with the target, or maybe using the edge of the blade?

Are you flinching at all? I don't think you would be all over the bottom if you were, but low and left(IIRC). If you *are* flinching, I believe one of the methods to help cure that is to get some snap caps and have them randomly inserted throughout the mag, mixed with the live rounds.

You might get more/better feedback if you ask in the general handguns forum, instead of in the Walther forum. Sorry I can't really help much.