A few P99 questions.

cerberus,

Yes, near universal on a Walther forum, but you'd expect that now wouldn't you.  I've heard of but one test where the two were shot side by side, and the Walther grouped marginally better as I recall.  The rest is fodder for rants and flaming regarding which is "better."  Get the one that you like.

Not sure about the reset, I only have the AS to work with.

Regarding conversion; I haven't heard of that.  Probably since the P99 is already available in 9mm.  You could get a 9mm slide, spring, and barrel, but I imagine it would be much cheaper to just buy the 9mm version.  I do know that .357SIG conversions are available for the .40 chambering.

My chamber locks up solid, and is fully supported. The slide can move slightly on the frame.

I've heard of the SW99OL, but I can't keep up with the alphabet soup of variations, even with the Walther version.  Try this website for more info:

http://www.praxagora.com/lunde/WaltherP99FAQ/index.html

Thanks for the answers guys. After thinking about it and doing a little more research I've come to the following conclusions.

-A S&W rep told me that the 99OL is just another name for a 990.

-I'm primarily interested in the AS trigger system.

I also have the following questions.

-Is the SW99 available in AS or simply QA and DAO?

-How far is the trigger reset in the AS in both single action and double action?

Thanks guys.

PS. GREAT FAQ link!

Regarding the conversion of a .40 to a 9mm, it is possible. Bar-Sto makes a drop in barrel for the P99 .40 for conversion to 9mm. They also make one for conversion to .357 Sig. AFAIK, the barrel drops right in and you use Walther or S&W 9mm mags. I don't think any spring replacement is needed.

It's already been covered, but I think most people dislike the SW99 because A) it's a hybrid and B) it isn't as aesthetically pleasing. I doubt there are *real* differences. That said, I easily decided to go all German.

The AS trigger on the P99 is difficult to obtain with the 2005 models, simply because Smith isn't importing them anymore. There are, to my knowledge, still quite a few 03 and 04 AS models NIB sitting in gunshops and distribution warehouses. There are also some 2005 AS models showing up at gun shops, though it seems to be just a freak thing; you might get lucky and you might not.

I bought the 2005 QA. Let me just touch on something...

For the most part, I don't think trigger reset is the main reason a lot of folks dislike the QA. It seems to me that it stems from the fact that the QA is incapable of second-strike and will not fire when decocked. My best buddy has an AS and I've shot the AS and QA side by side (even at the same time) and couldn't tell much difference in trigger reset. My shot groupings were virtually identical. YMMV, of course.

I think the best advice given on gun boards is: "Try them all; see what is comfortable for you and buy that model.