Walther P99: 9mm vs .40 S&W
- Thread starter AlexM105
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Don't know about HK but
I don't know much about the HK, however, I can tell you that the Walther P99C is the best handgun I currently have and have ever owned.
I currently have, a Sig P220, Sig P226 as well as many others. I traded in my Sig P239 in .40 for the P99 in 9mm and it is the best trade I ever made, I believe the .40 P99 does have a bit more recoil, but I have never shot one.
I do really like my sig's very much, however, if I could only have 1 handgun it would be my P99. Accurate as hell, eats anything you put in it, and I have never had a malfunction of any kind with it.
Don't know about the warranty on HK, but, the Walther has a 1 year warranty and I have read on forums that several people bought used P99's with who knows how many rounds through them, had issues with them, so, they sent them to S&W for repair and ended up getting back brand new ones, how cool is that?
Good Luck,
Sigbear
I don't know much about the HK, however, I can tell you that the Walther P99C is the best handgun I currently have and have ever owned.
I currently have, a Sig P220, Sig P226 as well as many others. I traded in my Sig P239 in .40 for the P99 in 9mm and it is the best trade I ever made, I believe the .40 P99 does have a bit more recoil, but I have never shot one.
I do really like my sig's very much, however, if I could only have 1 handgun it would be my P99. Accurate as hell, eats anything you put in it, and I have never had a malfunction of any kind with it.
Don't know about the warranty on HK, but, the Walther has a 1 year warranty and I have read on forums that several people bought used P99's with who knows how many rounds through them, had issues with them, so, they sent them to S&W for repair and ended up getting back brand new ones, how cool is that?
Good Luck,
Sigbear
I Think I Just Had A Senior Moment
Sorry, don't know where the HK enered my brain, but, to answer your question again, the .40 would for sure have more felt recoil, can't say for sure if it has any more felt recoil than other polymer's, but it is a light gun.
Sigbear
Sorry, don't know where the HK enered my brain, but, to answer your question again, the .40 would for sure have more felt recoil, can't say for sure if it has any more felt recoil than other polymer's, but it is a light gun.
Sigbear
Artiz
Member
The Walther P99 is the king in 9mm, period. 
easyg
Member
No.
No.
No.
Dollar An Hour
Member
P99's are snappy for their caliber, period. The 9mm is a snappy 9mm compared to other pistols in its class.
I'd avoid it in .40. My 9mm P99 is a very nice pistol though. The AS trigger is great!
I'd avoid it in .40. My 9mm P99 is a very nice pistol though. The AS trigger is great!
nalioth
Member
I will have to contradict Dollar An Hour.
The P99 was designed in .40 and then devolved for 9mm specs.
It is a fine .40 S&W pistol and doesn't recoil much at all, imho.
The P99 was designed in .40 and then devolved for 9mm specs.
It is a fine .40 S&W pistol and doesn't recoil much at all, imho.
gtmtnbiker98
Member
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Agreed, the P99 was a 9mm designed, ported over to the .40 the same way Glock did the .40 conversion from 9mm.
searcher451
Member
I have the full-sized P99 and the compact version, both in 9mm with the AS trigger; they are wonderful handguns and frequent (and 100% reliable) range companions. I've also shot the full-sized P99 in .40 S&W and personally prefer the 9mm, although both calibers work perfectly well. The costs of ammunition alone these days made it a simple decision for me.
The decision on which caliber to get for your needs can only be answered by you, however. All else being equal, why not head to a range where both are available for rent and give them each a test-drive, then go from there?
The decision on which caliber to get for your needs can only be answered by you, however. All else being equal, why not head to a range where both are available for rent and give them each a test-drive, then go from there?
Dollar An Hour
Member
You're wrong about the 'designed as a .40' thing. It was a 9mm design and the .40 came later and has never been well-liked by the masses.
And speaking from personal experience having owned many polymer 9mm pistols, the P99 is snappier with the same ammo than anything else I've tried (Glock, Steyr, Sig, S&W, Kahr, CZ). Not necessarily a bad thing, but part of the deal with the P99.
It has a reputation of being a bit snappy for its caliber for a reason.
nalioth
Member
Well, snappy it may be.
Asking folks about "recoil" will get you a different answer from each person.
I have a P99 in .40 and have absolutely no problems at all with it.
Asking folks about "recoil" will get you a different answer from each person.
I have a P99 in .40 and have absolutely no problems at all with it.
fastbolt
Member
I carried the S&W version, the SW99, chambered in .40 S&W as an issued weapon for a few years, and I own a couple of SW99's, a standard size .40 S&W and a compact 9mm. I've been through the SW99/P99 armorer class more than a couple of times and have developed some basic familiarity with the standard models.
Good design and well-made pistols. Decent for service-type use.
The P99 series is a popular Walther product line outside the US, too, with much of Walther's production capability being focused on meeting demand outside the US for the time being (according to Walther America/S&W).
S&W is very good about taking care of Walther customers. I've heard of many instances where they handled a repair issue for a Walther customer after the Walther 1-year warranty had long since expired. (FWIW, S&W extends their regular extended warranty to purchasers of their licensed SW99/990L models, even including the Walther produced parts.)
Walther parts are sometimes a bit difficult to get, if the parts are back-ordered from Germany. I've had to wait for Walther parts from time to time.
Felt recoil? 5 folks will likely give you 5 or 6 different opinions, since at least 1 of them will change their mind from one magazine load to the next.
I happen to think the 99 series is at its best when chambered in 9mm, but I feel that way about other pistols, as well, including the Glock ... but that's nothing more than a personal opinion.
The 9mm version does offer many folks the same advantages in the way of better controllability and recoil management. I easily decided to go with the 9mm compact after handling and shooting a couple of the .40 S&W compacts.
And yes, the 99 series was originally designed around the 9mm load. When S&W and Walther started their partnership, S&W engineers suggested some changes to the frame for their licensed models, and designed their own slides & barrels. We were told they wanted to enhance functioning with the harder recoiling .40 S&W cartridge in their licensed SW99 .40 S&W, and then later revised the SW99's slide & barrel to optimize it for the lighter recoiling 9mm (according to what we were told by factory sources). In other words, they focused their efforts on the .40 S&W cartridge first for the SW99 version. The 9mm version later received some lightening cuts and other minor revisions in the slide for the 9mm cartridge.
One of the early results was S&W engineers discovering, via high-speed photography, that the magazine body & follower design in the existing .40 S&W model magazines was apparently involved in occasional premature slide stop lever engagement. This condition had apparently been reported with some early P99's chambered in .40 S&W even before S&W started making their licensed SW99 version, according to what we were told. The information was given to Walther and eventually used by Walther to have Mec-Gar revise the magazine & follower design to the present form. S&W later revised the shape of their .40 barrels to enhance unlocking/locking with regard to the clearance of the rear of the recoil spring assembly. Lots of minor changes and revisions occurred.
While I don't use my standard size .40 S&W model much, I do enjoy using the compact 9mm model for training & practice. It's become one of my favorite 9mm pistols for range use. The practical accuracy I obtain from it generally exceeds that experienced with either my G26 or 3913. For me, that's saying something.
Good design and well-made pistols. Decent for service-type use.
The P99 series is a popular Walther product line outside the US, too, with much of Walther's production capability being focused on meeting demand outside the US for the time being (according to Walther America/S&W).
S&W is very good about taking care of Walther customers. I've heard of many instances where they handled a repair issue for a Walther customer after the Walther 1-year warranty had long since expired. (FWIW, S&W extends their regular extended warranty to purchasers of their licensed SW99/990L models, even including the Walther produced parts.)
Walther parts are sometimes a bit difficult to get, if the parts are back-ordered from Germany. I've had to wait for Walther parts from time to time.
Felt recoil? 5 folks will likely give you 5 or 6 different opinions, since at least 1 of them will change their mind from one magazine load to the next.
I happen to think the 99 series is at its best when chambered in 9mm, but I feel that way about other pistols, as well, including the Glock ... but that's nothing more than a personal opinion.
The 9mm version does offer many folks the same advantages in the way of better controllability and recoil management. I easily decided to go with the 9mm compact after handling and shooting a couple of the .40 S&W compacts.
And yes, the 99 series was originally designed around the 9mm load. When S&W and Walther started their partnership, S&W engineers suggested some changes to the frame for their licensed models, and designed their own slides & barrels. We were told they wanted to enhance functioning with the harder recoiling .40 S&W cartridge in their licensed SW99 .40 S&W, and then later revised the SW99's slide & barrel to optimize it for the lighter recoiling 9mm (according to what we were told by factory sources). In other words, they focused their efforts on the .40 S&W cartridge first for the SW99 version. The 9mm version later received some lightening cuts and other minor revisions in the slide for the 9mm cartridge.
One of the early results was S&W engineers discovering, via high-speed photography, that the magazine body & follower design in the existing .40 S&W model magazines was apparently involved in occasional premature slide stop lever engagement. This condition had apparently been reported with some early P99's chambered in .40 S&W even before S&W started making their licensed SW99 version, according to what we were told. The information was given to Walther and eventually used by Walther to have Mec-Gar revise the magazine & follower design to the present form. S&W later revised the shape of their .40 barrels to enhance unlocking/locking with regard to the clearance of the rear of the recoil spring assembly. Lots of minor changes and revisions occurred.
While I don't use my standard size .40 S&W model much, I do enjoy using the compact 9mm model for training & practice. It's become one of my favorite 9mm pistols for range use. The practical accuracy I obtain from it generally exceeds that experienced with either my G26 or 3913. For me, that's saying something.
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Thanks guys.
Does anyone have a suppressor on the P99? I did a little research last night on threaded barrels and found a company called Jarvis that sells them for the P99.
http://www.jarvis-custom.com/Products/tabid/53/ctl/ProductDetail/productId/21/mid/388/Default.aspx
Are those barrels any good? I haven't found a threaded barrel for the Compact version though.
Does anyone have a suppressor on the P99? I did a little research last night on threaded barrels and found a company called Jarvis that sells them for the P99.
http://www.jarvis-custom.com/Products/tabid/53/ctl/ProductDetail/productId/21/mid/388/Default.aspx
Are those barrels any good? I haven't found a threaded barrel for the Compact version though.
GroovedG19
Member
No experience here with the .40S&W model.But my P99 in 9x19mm has been excellent in regards to accuracy, reliability, ergonomics, and overall performance.
fastbolt
Member
Depends which day you're using it ... what other pistol you just used ... your grip ... which grip insert you're using ... etc., etc.
Too subjective for a definitive statement, I'd think.
My opinion changes from one session to the next.
I've listened to different users say different things after using it on the firing line.
Too subjective for a definitive statement, I'd think.
My opinion changes from one session to the next.
I've listened to different users say different things after using it on the firing line.
Ditto.
Is it snappy? Sure, I suppose so, but I have no problems with it and can shoot quite accurately with it with very nice follow-up shots. Some people are more sensitive to snapiness than others, just like with recoil.
My P99C is a 9mm, and that's where I think that going with the Nine makes a big difference.
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