[havel1hv]

I just bought a Walther P99.  While shooting it for the first time (and playing around with it to get a feel for it), I found that when I have the gun at close to 90 degrees and load a magazine it autoloads the first bullet from the magazine.  Now granted this isn't something I do all of the time, I was just trying to see if I needed to if I could drop the mag with my shooting hand and load a fresh one in with the other.  I am not touching ANY buttons.  I physically can only reach the magazine release, so there is no way I'm hitting the slide release or anything.  I've never heard of this with any other gun and am unable to do the same thing with my husbands Springfield XD9.  It does this about 9 out of 10 times.  Both my husband and I have played with it and it does this for both of us.

Is this a bug or a "feature"?

Thanks!

Heather V. Havel
Michigan, USA

 

[ASCI White]

90 degrees which way? Pointing straight down? pointing straight up? upside down? To the left? To the right?

 

[acrashb]

Same thing happens to me once in a while if I'm slamming the mag home, which I am doing more and more now (deliberately).

I expect that the slam jostles the slide lock. Doesn't bother me.

 

[havel1hv]

ASCI White,

90 degrees as held out straight in front of me.  As if I was in a situatation that I had just emptied my mag and needed a second one NOW.  

Maybe I am slamming them in - but I've never heard of a gun doing this before - course before this I always shot a revolver....

Thank you all for your help!

Heather V. Havel
Michigan, USA

 

[Quack]

it's a feature, "combat reload"

my Glocks, HK USP and P99 have always done this.
and no i haven't been able to do it on my XD's

 

[Chocoboy]

havel / quack... can u send a pic showing how you do it? I can't seem to do it with my P99 40cal QA. Do you mean that when the slide is open and you insert a loaded mag, it automatically closes the slide and chambering a new round? Tried and tried but couldn't get it to close the slide automatically. How hard do you slam in the mag? Could you show me the right angle? Thanks in advance!

 

[banddr2]

This has occasionally happened on several guns I have had. The slide lock is not fully engaging. This is sometimes due to a dirty magazine (the inside) or a weak magazine spring or Who knows. It cannot be depended upon either way and can happen any time when you slam the loaded magazine in. Sometimes after I really clean everything really well, it still will do it. I really doubt any pistol is disigned to do this for safety reasons. Just one more good reason to alway keep the finger out of the trigger guard on reloading.

 

[Chocoboy]

banddr2... so it's actually a bug not a feature right? I guess it's a good thing that i can't seem to do it with my gun after all

thanks for the info banddr2

 

[banddr2]

Chocoboy... Yes, I have had this happen on many guns and never really knew why, and sometimes cleaning eliminated the problem and then it would occasionally come back. I was trying to remember which guns did this, and they were:

P99, Glock 23, Walther P1, Sigma, Witness, Beretta 92

Never had a 1911 do it. I remember the two Walthers doing it the most. I hope someone with more knowledge on this phenomina(sp?) could maybe shed some light on this. I always thought it was the magazine follower that just didn't quite push the slide stop up far enough, then the jar of inserting a fresh mag caused an automatic (and surprising) loading.

 

[Quack]

just slap the mag in pretty hard, and that's it.

 

[frosteemjj]

My H&K Mark 23 does this, as does my USP 40. I have never noticed any of my Walthers ( 2 P99's, a P5, and a P88) do it.

 

[dgallegos]

DANGER WILL ROBINSON!!
After reading the recents posts, I would highly advise everyone NOT to slam the mags HARD. Your mags may regret it!
I was performing the before-mentioned trick of slamming the mag to release the slide. I was able to do it once in five attempts. When the slide finally did go forward and chambered a round, it was difficult to extract the mag. I nearly barfed when I saw I fractued the mag base plate. I guess I slammed a little too hard.
Ouch, ouch, ouch!

 

[banddr2]

Ouch yes! This adds evidence that this is a quirk and not a design at all. Just always point the gun is a safe direction when reloading!!

 

[fearandloathing37]

My S&W99/.40 does this, Even without having to hold the weapon at any funky angles. I give the mag the seating slap and the slide closes and seats the first round perfectly.

It's never caused any malfunctions even in high movement use. (Shooting from barracade or barrier, Left Handed ect.)

I've seen Glocks do this as well.

Though I was having no problems with the old ones, I sent off to S&W to get the new model Mag follower (Which Smith provided, quick and for free for all of my five mags.). Even with the new followers the slide slaps closed as soon as a new mag is thrust home.

This has not proved to be a problem.

 

[gmchenry]

Mr. Gallegos, that exact same thing happened to my friend on his second trip to the range.  His .40 P99 spewed all over the range floor.  Both mag floorplates broke, without slamming them.  He contacted the good folks in Springfield and was sent 2 replacement floor plates.  According to the individual he spoke with on the phone, there was a bad run of plastic floorplates.  He received replacements in the mail and they have not exhibited the same problem after many trips to the range.

 

[Dan]

Own a P99 (9mm).

Since "day one", this has happened to my Walther.

About every 10 reloads in my individual case.

No damage at all to the mag, and no excessive slap on the mag when making the insert.

It just happens.....and has done so since the very beginning.

I would guess that the slide "hold" mechanism, (I am not a gun armorer) was inadvertantly designed, and did not allow for "slippage".

Were talking maybe thousandths of degrees of thickness, here.

I do not, for a minute, believe that the designers of this handgun had this intent in the design technology.

Dan

 

[Dan]

Sorry!

I should have said: was not designed to PREVENT "slippage"!

Dan

 

[dgallegos]

gmchenry:
Thanks for the info! I just e-mailed Walther with the problem, so I'll see what comes of it. I'll let everyone know how it goes

 

[gmchenry]

You can resolve your issue in a single toll-free phone call. You tell them the mag floorplate failed, and they will ask you for your address and mail you the replacement the same day.

800-372-6454

 

[HadEmAll]

I've got a Glock 23, a CZ 75, a Beretta 92FS, a S&W 457, a Kahr K40, a Walther P99 .40, a Browning HP .40, a Kimber .45, and have had several other S&W, Colt, Beretta, and Browning semi-autos over the last 25 years. I've NEVER had a slide close upon seating a magazine, even when I'm doing combat drills. I've also never seen in print any manufacturer claiming their pistol would do this. Something's wrong.