Houston Gun Show today - Got a new SW99

[Shipwreck]

Went to the large Houston gunshow today. I was really trying to find a green Walther P99 A/S full size. I had no luck. I found the A/S in .40 cal, a compact 9mm in A/S, and a full size QA. All were black too. I found the S&W version reduced to $439, though. It was about $100 less than the 99QA or the .40 cal A/S.

I've pushed my luck as much as I can, and I cannot find an A/S p99 w/o ordering from the net (I've had several places look - although I did recently get a compact A/S Walther). I held the .40 cal Walther P99, however, and compared it to the S&W 99. I actually prefered the grip on the Smith and Wesson. So, I went ahead and got that, at an awesome price.

I was tempted to get a Keltec folding rifle, but will get it later. Didn't want my wife to complain that I spent too much money. Also, I was all set to buy a Bersa 380 for $179. But, the S/A trigger on it was horrible. I've held them many times but never tried the trigger before.

Saw the new Beretta PX4 for as low as $419, but am not interested in getting one really.

 

[adobewalls]

Great looking pistol!

Did you by any chance see any 9mm or .40S&W magazines for the P99 at the show?

 

[Shipwreck]

Yes, I got a 16 round mag for $34 - S&W version. The Walther mag is the exact same mag with the different logo, but it was $39. So, I got the S&W one.

One other place had them for $50!!!

No one had compact mags, though.

The S&W 99 still comes with the replacable backstraps and the changable front sights. So, I am happy. Now have a compact Walther and full size S&W

 

[Shipwreck]

 

[Harold Mayo]

How are the Houston gun shows, anyway? My family and I are actually driving down to Houston today and spending most of the week house-hunting there.

 

[Shipwreck]

I haven't been since 99. But, it was nice. It is the largest in the area. I went to one in Pasadena in May or June, and it really sucked. I had a good time. I killed 3 hours there, and would have stayed longer, but I had to pick someone up at the airport.

 

[Thumper]

It was a pretty good show. I nabbed this:

 

[Shipwreck]

Wow, nice 1911!

Here is a pic from my trip to the range today. 3 in the head and one in the center

 

[MechAg94]

The show in Pasadena usually has a couple tables selling surplus ammo for decent prices. Almost always have a guy from the Beaumont area selling Wolf pretty cheap. That is the main reason I go.

Other than that, I went to the HGCA show Saturday. It was a nice show. Seemed better than it had been since they moved into the Reliant Center.

 

[StephenT]

Yes, the gun show at Reliant Park this weekend was pretty good. The Bulgarian makarovs, which used to be so plentiful and cheap, seem to have all but disappeared. Only one guy had a Bulgarian mak and was selling it for $200. I picked up a stainless Taurus 24/7 in 45ACP for a good price ($329.95+tax). I'm pretty happy with this compact gun and think it offers a lot of bang for the buck. Once I've tried it out at the range, I'm going to upgrade my bedside SW99 in 40 to this new 45ACP.

Harold -- the best gun shows in Houston seem to be the ones at Reliant Park and the George R. Brown convention center. Generally, the shows in Pasadena are much smaller, although the bargain basement vendors such as Bachman's, Walther Doc and AJC Guns have good prices on popular guns at all these shows also.

 

[RUBZERK]

How is the trigger pull on that thing ?

 

[Shipwreck]

How is the trigger pull on that thing ?

Pretty good. I really like the SA pull on these 99s. I rented 1 2x. First time, I did not like it. The second time, I took my mother shooting for the first time, and we shot my Glock 34, and I rented it again. I ended up shooting it as well as my Glock 34, and I slowly fell in love with the way the trigger works. I also had to get used to the different mag release.

I got a compact 1 week ago, and now I have the full size. My 2 fav guns

 

[Mossyrock]

I bought a 9mm SW99 last weekend after looking at them for over a year. In fact, the gun I bought sat in my dealer's case for almost that long. For the life of me, I can't figure out why. I had the choice of a Walther P99 or the SW99, and went with the S&W. For some reason, I just like the way it looks better than the Walther.

After putting 200 rounds through it, the trigger has smoothed up a lot. I have also replaced the standard S&W striker spring with a Glock standard weight striker spring. It is about 5 coild shorter than the S&W spring and replacing it seems to have smoothed and lightened the trigger considerably. I found this suggestion on the Walther Forums board. I haven't shot it with the Glock striker spring yet, so I don't know about reliability. I have read that several people have had light-strike problems with the 4 pound Glock striker spring. Once I get a chance to shoot it some more, I'll report back on the results.

And, for the record, this SW99 replaced a Glock 19. While I could appreciate it from the practical aspect, I just never warmed up to the funky grip angle.

 

[Shipwreck]

After putting 200 rounds through it, the trigger has smoothed up a lot. I have also replaced the standard S&W striker spring with a Glock standard weight striker spring. It is about 5 coild shorter than the S&W spring and replacing it seems to have smoothed and lightened the trigger considerably. I found this suggestion on the Walther Forums board. I haven't shot it with the Glock striker spring yet, so I don't know about reliability.

I read that too. The guy who did it said that he did that had several FTF with that spring. He had to pull thr trigger 2x to get some rounds to fire. I believe cutting off 1 or 2 coils worked for him, though, but he doesn't yet know the long term effects of what that might do to reliability.

 

[GunGoBoom]

Just the mere sight of lo-cap mags disgusts me.

But congrats on the gun!

 

[Shipwreck]

Well, I picked up a 16 rd mag for the gun too, that's why I have 3 mags for it now.