P99 unpopular?

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Ragnar Danneskjold

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I am looking to buy a Walther P99. I live in Michigan, and I called 5 guns stores within 1.5 hours drive of me, 3 Gander Mountains, a Bass Pro/Outdoor World and the only Cabela's in Michigan. None of them have a single one of any kind in stock. One store clerk even told me that he head Walther had discontinued making the P99.

All of the reviews I have read of the P99 are positive, and from the ones I have held, they feel absolutely great. Are they that unpopular? I ended up having to get one off the Buds guns website.
 
P99 are not at all unpopular just very bad marketing. I have three and would not trade them for anything.
 
I don't think they're unpopular, but I do think there was some sort of hiccup with their importation through S&W that coincided mysteriously with the launch of the M&P.
 
They just don't have the marketing machine that other brands have. It doesn't help any that they were also released as the "SW99," which had a lot of people thinking Sigma. Doesn't help any that the American distributor is S&W, who is also a competitor, as previous have pointed out.

I consider my P99 to be my "first" gun, since I sold the Glock 23 I had before it. Getting rid of that Glock 23 and getting the P99 was one of the best choices I have ever made. Nearly everyone I've known that has tried the P99 (this includes posts on the internet) agrees that it is the best option for 9mm in its class (size, price, etc.)
 
There is only one store in my area that can still order them...everybody else says we have no idea of when we will get more in. I was bummed that I couldn't order through my usual gun shop.
 
There are a few Walther P99 fans around, but I would say that they simply aren't common, only one shop in my semi-local area carries the Walther, and they also carry just about every gun company.

Other then that, often if you ask they can be ordered. That's how I got mine.

Anyways I would guess in my local area there are about 4-5 people including me that have P99's, compare that to one of the other German gun company Hk which there are probably about 8-9 of us (including myself again). Glocks of course are everywhere, we have a lot of Sig fans, but is because of our steel shooters, where our top shooters shoot Sig.

Edit: Bud's Gun Shop and Gun Broker are your friends:
http://www.budsgunshop.com/catalog/index.php/cPath/55
Just order it and have it transfered locally.
 
P99

Have mine for eight years now,18 round mag from Europe(15s availible stateside) makes it a great combat weapon.Performance is outstanding .Good enough for Mr.Bond now that he "had" his PPK retired by the (agency) he works for.S&W bought the U.S. rights to squash it and market their M&P as said before. I believe that idea.
 
Yes - Bud's is a sponsor at my Fn Forum - and if U contact Turbozag on my site, he might be able to hook ya up.

Walther USA (aka S&W) does a crappy job at marketing. But the gun is truely awesome. My all time fav gun. I gave up spending tons of cash on 1911s after finding my P99 A/S - I shoot the gun just as well or better than a 1911.
 
That's really kind of strange, because I remember that just a few years ago P99's were everywhere, and in different variations as well. I remember some with OD frames and others with tan frames; a couple of different action types, plus the smaller compact models. It does seem a little bit more than coincidental that they're all gone now when they had been in abundance a short while ago.
 
I think their price has something to do with the scarcity -- they are pretty expensive compared to Glocks, CZ's, Berettas and other S&W's (like the M&P).

Jim
 
Back around the end of last year there was a bunch of them around here (Atlanta), lots of new and used. Then they just dried up. Getting my P99 and SW99 was easy. By the time I got to my P99C late spring Walthers were few and far in between. Now I'm starting to see them again.

There's lots of M&Ps around, I can tell you that.
 
Yep, Glad I got my P99 AS 9mm and SW99c 9mm in the last year or so. They are great guns. I hope the Walther P99s don't disappear here in the U.S. in the next few years, which would be a shame.
 
It's a good gun, just nowhere near the support as some other makes and models probably because it has had near zero marketing. If you like it enough, buy one, but I think you can do much better with some other gun simply because they do have a broader market and backing.

It's a shame, but that's just the way it is.
 
they probably thought by having bond using it in the film was a great marketing idea.
Click to expand...

It is, but they have to do some marketing to exploit it.
 
The P99AS is still on my purchase list, despite the Stoeger Cougar I just picked up. My first interest in this hangun came from the Anime "Noir", which not only had a decent story and action set-up, but the producers put incredible detail into the firearms in the show, down to the Walther emblem on the handgrip of one lead character's P99. If I can find a decent screen shot of the gun, I'll post it.

After feeling the real thing, I knew it was a must-have, and could see why they (and Brosnan) chose it.

I found a few, but need to update my capture tech to get them, and get my friend to host them.
 
Smith and Wesson no longer lists the p99 on thier website. they only list the SW99 ( six of one, 1/2 dozen of the other) but it seems the P99 has been assimulated. il ask next time im there

* its listed but its a dead link
 
I want a Walther P99 A/S myself and a compact one to match it. I remember when they had a Titanuim one, an OD one, a tan one, and numerous different models. I was not a fan so much as I am now.

Are there any differences in the SMith and Wesson versions and the Walther ones? Specifically in 9mm?
 
I think they suffering from a marketing mistake. Whatever oddball relationship exists between Wather and S&W vis a vis the S&W99/P99 is bad enough (they're both offering the same gun), and now S&W seems to have dropped much of their support for the S&W99, since they now have three polymer duty guns in their lineup (Sigma, M&P, S&W99).

Personally, I don't think they need to go that route, since they have all the bases covered this way (S&W99 as a DA/SA, M&P as a striker/DAO gun, Sigma as a bargain basement entry level gun), but they seem to be leaving the S&W99 hanging. Personally, I'd drop the Sigma like nuclear waste if I had to cut one, but that's me.

I'm not a P99/S&W99 fan, but it is a good gun.

Mike
 
Don't give up on the P99. It is an excellent design and and great gun. Very accurate with a good trigger in the AS model. Try gunsamerica if the other online sources can't produce. I think P99 is the best of the tupperware, including H&K.
 
Personally, I'd drop the Sigma like nuclear waste if I had to cut one, but that's me.
Click to expand...
Coronach- I've heard it is one of their #1 sellers right now, if not THE #1. I doubt it'll be dropped any time soon. It is their bread n' butter.
 
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