Sweet sw99 compact

[Jaegermeister]

Just got an SW99 compact for off-duty use. My regular duty weapon is an HK USP .45f in a Bianchi Accumold Elite rig. I have been carrying the USP off duty, but during warm weather (summer) it has been nearly impossible sans geeky fanny pack.

I had been looking at an HK P2000sk, but I have yet to see one in person, and no way am I going to order an $800 pistol sight unseen. I also had been looking at the "real deal" Walther P99c, but there is absolutely NO ADVANTAGE over the SW99c. Take this from an HK USP owner, people who insist the Walther is better are simply being gun snobs (most likely overweight, nontactical, Internet arm-chair/gun shop commandos.)

My local police supply store is a regional S&W dealer and I picked it up for $450. Pretty good deal on a great little gun. Lifetime warranty too. The SW99 compact is just a hair larger than a Glock 26. The big thing for me is that both of my pistols have similar mag releases mounted on the trigger guard. Decocking is a simple reach of the thumb. I got the traditional DA/SA model in 9mm. The decock is in a somewhat different place than the USP, but both are natural for me.

I took a very close look at the inside of the SW99 when I got it home and cleaned it for the first time. The frame seems to be of a very high quality polymer and there are no rough or unfinished areas to be found. The real surprise was how well the blackened stainless steel slide and barrel looked. There are absolutely no tool marks or flaws inside nor outside. The rifling in the barrel looks sharp with distinct lands and grooves. Also, the frame-to-slide fit is very tight with little to no vertical play.

The trigger was a little stiff but very smooth. I have shot 100 rounds so far, and am off to the range right now with another 150. I was using Winchester WB bulk ammo and the break-in period has been perfect. Accuracy was better than my excellent Ruger P-95. I'm still better with my USP .45f, but that is a big, stable platform with a longer sight radius.

I think more people should consider the SW99 compact as a CCW gun. It is still a chopped pistol and not a pocket gun. However, it is very rounded and extremely ergonomic. The Walther P99c has a useless accessory rail for a mini tac light. (I use the Surefire technique of strobing with a handheld light in low-light building searches such as burglar alarms.)

I have killed way too many hours on the Web. looking for holsters for this gun. I have a Desantis Insider that is supposed to be a low mount IWB. It is too low and does not make for comfort nor an easy draw. I have on order a Bianchi No. 5 black widow holster in dress brown with the matching belt and cuff/mag holster for court and a future detective assignment.

Does anybody know of a good IWB holster that will work? Really like the Galco Summer Comfort, but they only list it for the Glock. FIST and Don Hume have some good looking ones as well, but you have to have them custom made.
I also really like the Bianchi Model 100 Professional IWB, but that is only made for the Glock. I think the size 10A is listed for a Glock 26 and for the SW CS9, anybody know what else will work?

I guess the DA/SA SW99s are soon to be extinct, except for LE orders. That new Lightning (Quick Action DAO) trigger is supposed to replace it. I understand some of the early SW99 compacts had feeding issues, but I read at the SW forum that barrels were changed slightly. My brand-new pistol is one I will trust my life with using either the Speer Gold Dot 124 gr. plus P or the new Hornady TAP rounds (We have to provide our own ammo on secondary weapons.)

I'm off to shoot at a 24-hour indoor range. (Yeah, it's midnight here, but I work Watch III and have the night off)

 

[Jaegermeister]

sw99 smoothes out

Trigger is getting smoother only after a few hundred rounds. I tried the curved pinkie rest vs. the flat mags and both are easy to use. the curved ones feel more secure while holding onto the gun, but with a good two-hand hold the flat ones work well also.

I've still been trying to find holsters for the sw99 compact. Bianchi makes an accumold belt slide in black nylon, I'll probably grab one of those for being active such as riding bike because it has a thumb strap.

I may have to go the custom route to have an IWB made.

Anybody else here shoot an SW99 full or compact?

 

[Jaegermeister]

Here is a try of a photo

Seven yards slow fire the first target!!!!!!!!!

Meprolight night sights are on the way, should be here on the 18th. Found a Desantis paddle The Jackal Paddle holster, a Bianchi No.5 belt slide on the way. I have a Desantis IWB called the Insider that is way too low for comfort. I'm going to take it to a shoe repair place to have the clip mounted at a custom height and angle for a few bucks.

 

[P95Carry]

IIRC mine was similar price range - I like this piece a lot and find it very accurate for such a short barrel. My only compaint is re the ergonomics - the mag release takes getting used to as does the decocker.

Otherwise, an excellent small 9mm ... and tho the pic doesn't show it - I most often have mags in use with the extension ... somewhere for the pinky!! It's almost small enough for pocket use, in a large pocket.

Oh and - I fitted the larger rear palm swell piece too.

 

[fastbolt]

I also bought a SW99 Compact 9mm recently. I've been carrying a standard (full size) SW99 .40 S&W as one of my issued service weapons for a couple of years. I occasionally carried a similar, personally owned standard SW99 .40 S&W before that, although I generally began to prefer carrying a slightly smaller weapon off duty, at least in most warm weather situations ... such as a 6906, 3913, CS9, CS45, 4513TSW, G26 or a G27, to name a few.

The new SW99 Compact has been a fine, accurate & reliable pistol. Everything I've come to expect from the S&W version of the 99 design. I've only had the time to fire a little more than 1000 rounds through mine, comprised mostly of Winchester 147gr Personal Protection, but also including some 127gr +P+ T-Series ... and I've been very satisfied with it. It also took somewhere over about 400+ rounds before the trigger started feeling smooth.

I also ordered the TDA (DA/SA) version, and I was told that mine was one of the last such models being sent out. I recently test-fired one of the SW990L .40 S&W standard size pistols, and I simply don't care for the new Lightning model. The trigger stroke is reasonably light, smooth and short ... but the trigger reset is much too long for my personal taste. Much. I don't anticipate ever buying one ...

My new SW99 Compact is probably going to be the cause of most of my other compact (and subcompact) pistols spending much more time in the safe on my own time ... although it still won't be able to 'replace' my 642 for those circumstances when I want something more 'concealable' than my SW99 Compact.

For the time being, I went with one of the OWB DeSantis holsters being marketed by S&W, since it'll fit both my standard & Compact SW99's. I no longer care for IWB holsters for any of my pistols/revolvers.

I used many different models from many different makers over the first 15-odd years of my job, but not quite 10 years ago I decided they no longer gave me the comfort I desired for long days. Getting in & out of my plainclothes car 10-16 hours a day just started to make my remaining IWB holsters a real pain by the end of the day. Rides of more than an hour on my motorcycle started to be uncomfortable with a couple of my IWB holsters, on my days off, too.

I think one of the best IWB holsters I've ever owned was an early production Milt Sparks Executive (Companion), back when it had more leather surrounding the holster 'pocket'. The additional leather seemed to better stabilize the holstered pistol (such as an all-steel Colt), 'forming' itself to a larger area of my hip, and it simply 'felt better' throughout a long day and evening. The wider spread of the leather somehow didn't dig into the same pressure points on my hip the same way the later versions seemed to do. I had an early version for a Colt pistol, and I made the mistake of loaning it to a friend that works for the state, until he could get one of his own. (At that time I wasn't really carrying my Colt all that often off duty.) He liked it so much that he eventually talked me out of it, and when I decided to order another one to replace it, I discovered they'd changed the pattern. The newer one has less leather surrounding the holster pocket, and has just never felt as comfortable or as stable as the earlier model. Probably costs less to make, though, since it uses less leather ...

Different strokes, though ...

The SW99 Compact TDA is a great compact pistol. I happen to think the 99 design is probably at its best when chambered in 9mm.

I've got to say, though, that if I'd waited a little longer, until only the SW990L Lightning models were being sold, I'd have ended up simply staying with my 3913, CS9 & G26 for my off duty 9mm pistols. I hope Walther and S&W know what they're doing, shifting emphasis away from the TDA models ... and I'm glad I already own the SW99 TDA's I wanted. (The SW99 .45 was simply too large for my tastes, although a nice pistol on the range. I'll get a new full size Colt 1911 for those days when I want to carry a full size .45 again ).

Like I said, different strokes ...

 

[LynnMassGuy]

I have one and I love it. Dillon makes a great holster for it. http://dillonprecision.com/template/p.cfm?maj=20&min=0&dyn=1&
That's what I use. The trigger smooths out with dry firing.

Regards
John