Walther P99 worth the price?

mr00jimbo

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After seeing the new bond film I am amazed at the beauty of this gun and its unique mag release position!
Looked into 'em, same price as a new Beretta, more than a Glock.
 
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I think P99 costs more than Beretta (basic 92FS is only $850)

I've shot a Walther and liked it better than a Glock, but bought a Steyr when I was looking for a plastic gun.
 
got a 9mm, shot winclean ammo. unfortunately I wasnt too impressed with accuracy at 25y, but it would be great for 4-15y tac shooting.
grip inserts are great, but most tac guns come with it now (I know some Beretta does), mag release was also good for me, interchaneable front sight is a +
 
I had 2 P99s..now have none.

Its an okay firearm but there are MUCH better options like a M&P, USP9, or G17.

FWIW, P99s have NO resale value.
 
If you watch the exchange forum every so often a good deal on one pops up, but I suppose that it all comes down to the question of how much is it worth to you? If you really want one, I say go for it. I’ve had nothing but positive experiences with mine, and I find that when I take new shooters out they usually shoot my P99 better than my other 9mm handguns. It’s the one gun I will never sell.
 
Can't tell you about the price, 'cause i didn't pay for mine, but i'm using the P99QA as my primary service weapon for the past 4 years. I had something like 15K rounds throught it the year i was a pistol instructor, and the only failure i experienced, except for misfires, was a broken ejector. BTW, the gun was never cleaned while i was in that posting.

To me, this is a very good combat gun. It goes bang when you press the trigger. Every time. The finish is pretty tough. Don't forget mine had to suffer winter and summer, rain and sun without decent care. It was drop on concrete, down the stairs (in training).... and still come back for more. Sometimes, i have shot 20 16 rounders clip in a row, and still no problem.

If i had the right to pick my own gun to work, it probably would not be a Walther (probably a Sig 226 or Hk USP, but again my taste), but, no matter what people say, it is a damn reliable tough gun. But it is probably not a precision pistol. For that, you should go for something else. Much more expensive than the Walther.

My 2 cents :D
 
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FWIW:

I can't speak for the full sized P99, but I do have a compact P99c/AS and it is a fantastic pistol. It has several innovations that I personally like, but some people might not care for.

I love the location of the decocker. I'm a lefty, and even for me it's very easy to use.

I love the great trigger. (striker). My P99c/AS has a 8.8lb da trigger & a 4.4lb SA trigger.. The trigger reset is VERY fast, and it was extremely accurate right out of the box. It is also 2nd strike capable. I like that too.. If you are in da mode you can retract the slide slightly and the pistol will again be SA with a long trigger "pull"..

The grip ergonomics are excellent. You have (in full size) two replaceable backstrap grip options in small and large. I think medium is standard out of the box. (I could be wrong).

The P99 has both a "cocked indicator" and red "chamber loaded" indicator.. It's very reassuring to see instantly if the pistol is cocked or uncocked, and whether there is indeed a round in the chamber.. Of course you should know that anyway, but I personally like both of the indicators.

I have mentioned before on this forum that it continually surprises me that some folks on CGN seem to knock the Walther P99 for durability and quality.. On the Walther, and other, forums in the U.S. the actual owners of the Walther P99 series of pistols seem to love them, and durability and quality are a given.

I have had a Sig P239 for over a decade, and it has always been exceedingly accurate and 100% reliable from day one. This Walther P99c/AS is as accurate as the Sig (perhaps more with just factory sights), and has a better grip, two additional rounds, and a better decocker location (for me).

The bottom line is that Walther has been making quality firearms for over a century and I think the Walther P88 has the reputation for being the best 9mm pistol ever produced.. Some H&K P7M8 folks might disagree, but that's what I've read in many places. If the P88 isn't the absolute best I'm sure it's near the top of the list.

In the past I've owned a Walther PP in 32 cal.. It was an excellent pistol, but in a moment of stupidity I sold it to buy another firearm.. I wish I had it back. At present I have a pristine Walther P1, & a Walther P5. Both are excellent, high quality firearms, and the Walther P5 is indeed exceedingly accurate.

Perhaps it's just cultural preference thing and Walther's simply aren't as appreciated as much in Canada as other places. One thing for sure, the quality and durabillity of the Walther line of pistols is not questioned by the great majority of firearm owners in the U.S.

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Guess we are just fortunate that we have options, and for those who don't care for Walthers there are a multitude of other fine pistols out there for the discriminating gun owners...

I can only speak for myself, but I love my Walther P99c/AS and hopefully in the future I will buy another just like it, or perhaps in full size.

Best Wishes,

J. Pomeroy
 
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Laserlips said:
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FWIW:

I can't speak for the full sized P99, but I do have a compact P99c/AS and it is a fantastic pistol. It has several innovations that I personally like, but some people might not care for.

I love the location of the decocker. I'm a lefty, and even for me it's very easy to use.

I love the great trigger. (striker). My P99c/AS has a 8.8lb da trigger & a 4.4lb SA trigger.. The trigger reset is VERY fast, and it was extremely accurate right out of the box. It is also 2nd strike capable. I like that too.. If you are in da mode you can retract the slide slightly and the pistol will again be SA with a long trigger "pull"..

The grip ergonomics are excellent. You have (in full size) two replaceable backstrap grip options in small and large. I think medium is standard out of the box. (I could be wrong).

The P99 has both a "cocked indicator" and red "chamber loaded" indicator.. It's very reassuring to see instantly if the pistol is cocked or uncocked, and whether there is indeed a round in the chamber.. Of course you should know that anyway, but I personally like both of the indicators.

I have mentioned before on this forum that it continually surprises me that some folks on CGN seem to knock the Walther P99 for durability and quality.. On the Walther, and other, forums in the U.S. the actual owners of the Walther P99 series of pistols seem to love them, and durability and quality are a given.

I have had a Sig P239 for over a decade, and it has always been exceedingly accurate and 100% reliable from day one. This Walther P99c/AS is as accurate as the Sig (perhaps more with just factory sights), and has a better grip, two additional rounds, and a better decocker location (for me).

The bottom line is that Walther has been making quality firearms for over a century and I think the Walther P88 has the reputation for being the best 9mm pistol ever produced.. Some H&K P7M8 folks might disagree, but that's what I've read in many places. If the P88 isn't the absolute best I'm sure it's near the top of the list.

In the past I've owned a Walther PP in 32 cal.. It was an excellent pistol, but in a moment of stupidity I sold it to buy another firearm.. I wish I had it back. At present I have a pristine Walther P1, & a Walther P5. Both are excellent, high quality firearms, and the Walther P5 is indeed exceedingly accurate.

Perhaps it's just cultural preference thing and Walther's simply aren't as appreciated as much in Canada as other places. One thing for sure, the quality and durabillity of the Walther line of pistols is not questioned by the great majority of firearm owners in the U.S.

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Guess we are just fortunate that we have options, and for those who don't care for Walthers there are a multitude of other fine pistols out there for the discriminating gun owners...

I can only speak for myself, but I love my Walther P99c/AS and hopefully in the future I will buy another just like it, or perhaps in full size.

Best Wishes,

J. Pomeroy

I hope you are not saying that the Walthers are good pistols because folks on the internet say so.
I have run half a dozen on the range, and they broke quickly. If I am paying $400 for a gun and it lasts a couple months then there is no problem. If I am paying $1000 it had better last at least a year. The Walthers have never come close. They are fragile and not worth the price premium, it is as simple as that.
 
redleg said:
I hope you are not saying that the Walthers are good pistols because folks on the internet say so.
I have run half a dozen on the range, and they broke quickly. If I am paying $400 for a gun and it lasts a couple months then there is no problem. If I am paying $1000 it had better last at least a year. The Walthers have never come close. They are fragile and not worth the price premium, it is as simple as that.


redleg: Well you know, opinions are like, well you know, and we all have one.. You are more than entitled to yours..

A question tho..

Where would you go for information on a certain pistol, or revolver you were interested in buying if not to the folks who own them? Thanks to the internet you can get insight from many people all over the civilized world, and even outside of the U.S. These opinions are from people who actually own and shoot the pistol.

I don't pay any attention to mag articles because when a company advertises in that mag I think often objectivity is compromised..

Before I purchased my Walther P99c/AS I indeed researched the web, and the only complaints I could find to speak of (outside of CGN) was of the known problem in the early full size P99's in 40 cal.(and only 40cal). There was a magazine issue with the followers, (premature slide lock) and the original black or orange followers were upgraded to the blue (dark then light) and the problem was solved. Anyone who had or has a P99 in 40 cal with the old (defective) mags could or can have them replaced with the new ones, free..

It's not as simple as "they are fragile and not worth the premium" because Walther's reputation for quality, durability and accuracy is well known. The Walther company has been making fine firearms for over a 100 years, and on this side of the pond their marketing is suspect, but in Europe and other places it is well appreciated.

Having an objective honest difference of opinions is a good thing.. An exchange of ideas is always interesting, and often one learns something in the process. Not always.

A question.. What kind of reputation does ParaOrdnance have in Canada? I only ask because you can't give them away around here.. I had a P10/45 that was basically a pos.. I paid a "premium" for it, and took a "premium" loss when I got rid of it. I couldn't trade it in to a gun shop as nobody wants them.

I think ParaOrdnance probably manufactures a very nice line of pistols. I probably got a lemon, but every manufacturer makes lemons, no matter the product. The only para I every owned ruined the line of pistols for me, just as how ever many "bad" Walther P99's you experienced ruined them for you.

When you have a moment, and if you have the interest, "google" Walther P99 and see what you come up with. Of course since you already have a clear and definite idea of the quality, or non-quality of the Walther P99's you would probably just be wasting your time, and the testamonies of those who actually own them probably wouldn't be of interest to you.

Thanks for taking the time to respond..

Best Wishes,

J. Pomeroy
 
Laserlips said:
A question.. What kind of reputation does ParaOrdnance have in Canada? I only ask because you can't give them away around here.. I had a P10/45 that was basically a pos.. I paid a "premium" for it, and took a "premium" loss when I got rid of it. I couldn't trade it in to a gun shop as nobody wants them.
Para Ordnance has a pretty crappy reputation up here as well. With regards to the P99, I can't speak from personal experience, but, like you, I did some online research when I was shopping for a plastic-fantastic pistol and I've read a number of negative things about Walther's quality and durability. I'm glad yours works well though - perhaps it is a sign that things are improving at Walther.
 
Laserlips said:
It's not as simple as "they are fragile and not worth the premium" because Walther's reputation for quality, durability and accuracy is well known.

Redleg runs a gun-rental range. He knows which guns stand up to long-term use/abuse and which don't.

If you don't run a lot of rounds through (as in concealed carry or occasional plinking), then don't worry. Otherwise pay attention to his hands-on experience.

As for reputations, they are guidelines only. Any company can, and many do, build duds. Look at the current quality problems at Mercedes.
 
acrashb said:
Redleg runs a gun-rental range. He knows which guns stand up to long-term use/abuse and which don't.

If you don't run a lot of rounds through (as in concealed carry or occasional plinking), then don't worry. Otherwise pay attention to his hands-on experience.

As for reputations, they are guidelines only. Any company can, and many do, build duds. Look at the current quality problems at Mercedes.


FWIW:

Basically I was yanking Redleg's chain when I made my response to his post.. I took exception to his simplistic judgement of the P99 and thus the tone of my post.

For example I was just "fishing" when I made the crack about the civilized world, and even "outside" the U.S. I thought for sure 100 mad Canadians would be after my butt, verbally, big time.

I have a great deal of respect for Canada, and Canadians in general.. It seems we have a lot in common, especially when you see the daily news and the "nuttiness" that is rampent elsewhere in the world.. It's none of my business what Canadian folks desire in gun control, or no gun control, so anything I comment on in that arena is just personal opinion.

Lets face it America is, was, and probably for the rest of my lifetime (I'm a senior citizen) very "gun oriented".. The 2nd Amendment of our U.S. Constitution guarantees each citizen the right to "bear arms". I don't that is true with your Constitution, (or whatever it's called).

America is without a doubt extremely violent, especially when compared to the Canadian statistics for the same crimes. But to be truthful we have many extremes in race, culture, attitudes, and it's just one facet of our "melting pot" population.

To be fair to Redleg, he could indeed be correct in the long term longevity of the Walther P99.. I just don't know, as most people I know who purchase a firearm for defense never shoot "thousands and thousands" of rounds thru them. I do know that the Walther passed all of the tests the German Government required of it, and apparently those were lengthy and complex.

It's hard for me to argue with anyone (such as Redleg) when it comes to firearms being shot in a gun rental situation. My experience is that the great majority of gun rental ranges rentals aren't precisely maintained in the same manner as you or I would keep our firearms. Redleg might take exception to that.

I doubt very seriously that I will ever fire 10,000rds. in my Walther. I have approximately 14 other pistols/revolvers that I enjoy cc and shooting, and I just don't have enough time or money to burn up thousands and thousands of rds. of ammo in them. With my personal favorite cc firearms I prefer to shoot a couple of hundred rds. to verify reliability, then I just shoot periodically for pleasure, and to rotate my self defense ammo.

By the way, the same pistol (with minor differences) is made for Smith and Wesson by Walther, it's called the SW99.. The SW99 comes with a lifetime warranty from Smith & Wesson. Smith & Wesson, surprisingly, have a wonderful reputation for quality Customer Service. Had I been concerned about the potential durability of the Walther P99 I could just have just as easily have purchased the S&W equivalent and had a lifetime warranty..

The reason I didn't do that is because I have nothing but excellent personal experience with the 4 Walthers I have owned. When I was researching the Walther P99 prior to purchase it seemed the conventional wisdom was that the Walther, entirely mfg. in Germany, was preferred over the S&W, which has some parts made here. I wasn't concerned about longevity because no one had ever made one complaint in that area in anything I could find about the P99's.. Of course human nature being what it is, basically I wanted Walther engraved on my pistol, not S&W..

I hate to get into a pissing contest with anyone, especially when my arguments are just personal opinions.. I haven't shot thousands of rds. thru any of my pistols, so a concern for long term durability eludes me..

Thanks for your reply.

Best Wishes,

J. Pomeroy
 
Hi Laserlips,

It's nice to have an American join us for chats on our forum.

One of the reasons Canadians are somewhat obsessive about gun durability is that it takes a long time for various distributor's to order parts in. So if your gun goes south it can be a long time before you can shoot it again. Due to import laws it is very difficult to ship gun to US for servicing either.

The P99 is one of the best ergonomic pistols for me...I outshot custom pistols with it. It has good accuracy and if you find the insert that fits you best you can get maximum efficiency of the inherent accuracy. However the fear of it breaking led me to sell most of my P99's, I keep one old frame one as a 'James Bond Gun' for my collection. I gravitated to 1911's which I can easily detail strip and repair...also in 9mm, the thing is a tank.

That being said I recently sold a P99 to a fellow who works in a local gunshop who is exceptionally skilled with pistols (he put 5 shots in 1 slightly elliptical hole at 15 yards with a BHP in front of my eyes). He recently converted to the P99 due to it's ergonomic efficiency and accuracy. He told me he has spoken to customers who shoot IPSC with the P99 and have very few breakages.

I've heard of range P99's breaking from more than one range owner in Alberta. I too wonder about the level of maintenance that goes into those guns as well. But for the rest of us, just getting the gun is a bit of a pain, having to order spare parts and waiting long times is just more pain than many are willing to put up with I guess.

Hey, I recently bought 2 P7M8's and love the guns. However, in the P7 forums some guys say even these have parts that break, especially post 1998 guns. That's ok...I also ordered various springs and key parts that break.

It is a shame about the walther p99, if they had designed to to be more robust it could have ousted Glock.
 
BKP99:

Thanks for your response.

I forget that parts availability and other such problems regarding firearms are so different in Canada than it is in the U.S. I guess I would be more concerned about "durability" too if I knew getting a broken pistol fixed would be a big deal.

As I mentioned previously I've simply never had a pistol or revolver of any quality break down.. Never had a part fail... I'll certainly qualify that by saying I also never have shot thousands and thousands of rounds of ammo thru any of my particular firearms either.

I guess the pistol I've shot the most would be my Sig P239. I bought the Sig new over ten years ago. I've shot what for me would be a considerable number of rounds thru it (9MM) and up to this minute it has never failed in any way. It was very accurate from day one, (so accurate I in fact sold two Glock 26's I had at the time) and the only negative I ever found with it was the factory grips were a bit iffy.. I replace them with rubber Hogues, reversed the mag release (I'm a lefty) and started shooting.

I'm a senior citizen and in the last few years my vision has declined along with my hand steadiness so I put a set of Crimson Trace Lasergrips on it, and now it's a "tack driver" at self defense range again. I don't know what kind of reputation Crimson Trace has in Canada, but I have a set on a J-frame snubby, and the Sig, and they are fantastic. When you can put the red laser dot on something you can shortly thereafter place a hole in that same spot if you so chose.

I don't shoot further out because I can't see well further out, and for cc purposes self defense range is where I need accuracy.. Beyond self defense range I can run in the other direction.

I don't know the reputation of Sig in Canada either. But, I have it in my mind that the Sig would be just like the "energizer bunny" and keep on functioning perfectly thru however many thousand rounds of 9mm ammo I could afford to run thru it.

The Walther P99c/AS is the ONLY pistol I've ever had that is equal to, and in some respects exceed the Sig P239. I'm not saying I think it will "outlast" a Sig in a durability contest, but it has so many "nice" things about it that I prefer over the Sig P239. The Walther P99c/AS is definitely as accurate, perhaps even more so, with factory sights..

The Crimson Trace lasergrips enable the Sig to beat the Walther in accuracy head to head, by a slim margin.. I shot them "head to head" just to see. The Criimson Trace laser dot can be seen even in daylight conditions at self defense range, so it would always be potentially a bit more accurate than the Walther..

In fact I have five "preferred" concealed carry firearms.. For conditions where wardrobe, weather, etc. allow I like the Sig P239, Walther P99c/AS, or when in a revolver mood my S&W Airweight Bodyguard (also w/CT grips). Other times I have a North American Arms Guardian 32cal, and a KelTec P32. Both of the last two pistols can be worn safely concealed almost anywhere other than a nude beach.

And I don't frequent nude beaches as naked old people aren't pretty anyplace, much less a public beach. :D

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I hate it for you folks that most of you cannot own and enjoy compact pistols and snubby revolvers and such. I have derived considerable pleasure over my 5 decades of firearms ownership with just such firearms.

One Canadian gentleman even responded to another post of mine with pictures of his Colt Detective special but said when he dies it cannot be passed down to his heirs, but must be sold or destroyed.. That sucks.

Anyway, all of my personal opinions are just that, personal opinions. I have been fortunate in that the firearms I own have been reliable and never having the need, desire, or interest in shooting thousands and thousands of rounds thru them I just never found out the point where they would fail..

Of course everything will fail if you use it long enough (my short term memory for example), I just have never been a marathon shooter, so the point regarding individual firearm durability was moot.

Thanks for letting me ramble, and I appreciate the response. Oh yeah, congratulations on the P7M8's.. I know they have are fantastic pistols and I would love to have one, but they are simply too expensive for my old retired pay grade. I had to "settle" for a (German Govt. surplus) Walther P5 which has a very good reputation, but not up to the quality and reputation of the H&K's..

Best Wishes,

J. Pomeroy

P.S. if "redleg" reads this, I apologize to him for my earlier "testy" response. After I had my daily fiber, zoloft, and took a nice senior citizen nap I realized I was arguing a subject I knew nothing about.. (long term durability of the Walther P99 pistol).

I DO know about the "short term" tho - it's EXCELLENT! :dancingbanana:
 
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Don't worry I don't take anything on the internet personally. And usually I believe even less of it.
One thing that constantly amazes me is that Walther has such a great reputation for firearms. My experience with the P38/P1 is not positive they are exceptionally fragile guns. Yet most people treat them like they are about one of the best service pistols ever made. The P22 and P99 seem to follow the same lead. I know that Walther does have some great guns out there, and I used a GSP in competition for years and loved it. But they have produced dogs too. Sorry but that is just the way it is.
As to maintenence, all the guns on the range receive the same amount of care. So if one gun lasts longer than another it is not because it was pampered it is because it is more durable.
 
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