[dbranger94]

I was wanting to know if anyone has tried the DPX ammo in their P99. The reason I'm asking is because it is listed as a 140gr +P load on their site. I regularly carry and fire their 135gr Personal Protection load and Federal's 135gr as well. Thought I might order a box, but I don't want a KB! Thanks.

 

[toeball]

I generally stick to 127 grain +P for the velocity. I've poped a few to make sure they work well, but they feel the same as the Blazer 115 so that's what I practice with

 

[dbranger94]

My bad, I guess I should have been more clear. My P99 is a 40S&W. Not that it pertains to the question much, since the question really was if you can shoot +P in a P99. I really like my fingers attached(to my hand, not as a necklace).

 

[sniper350]

The P-99 can handle +p ammo............but I would not feed it a steady diet of that round.

Used as carry ammo should be fine.......... fire a magazine or two to learn the recoil..........but I would practice with standard pressure ammo, if shooting thousands of rounds.

JF.

 

[TAZ]

I would be very careful with +P ammo in a 40 cal. My recently bought P99 exhibits case bulge at the feed ramp with standard ammo. I do not believe that the P99 has a fully supported chamber.

 

[sniper350]

Yes, the Walther does have a fully supported chamber......unlike the Glock !

If you are showing casing bulge.........I would get that gun looked at immediately.

This is one reason I caution owners NOT to polish their feed ramps unless they know what they are doing. You can easily polish too much or too high into the chamber area...thus exposing the cartridge.

To be clear Walther DOES NOT recommend +p ammo to be fired from their pistols........but they are protecting themselves from lawsuits from someone getting hurt from using ammo outside Normal Pressures. But this gun is built solid and has a safety factor built into the weapon so it can handle that occassional round that is loaded hot.

I personally don't see a need to use +p ammo in the .40 cal cartridge. This cartridge is hot enough as it is loaded by most manufacturers. Terminal ballistics of this round are excellent and comes from the loaded down 10mm round that the FBI introduced. S&W saw what the FBI was doing with the 10mm cartridge........and decided to mass produce that load & shorten the casing--- and called it the S&W .40 -sorry for the history lesson -smile-

JF

 

[jehzsa]

S&W .40= short & weak .40

 

[stdrtf13]

Negative, Jehzsa.
.40 S&W= .40 Swift & Wicked.

 

[dbranger94]

Actually, on the topic of the feed ramp, I contacted Walther USA (aka S&W) about that very issue several months ago.  My cases were also bulged and I was concerned.  The guy on the phone said that I could send him a few samples if I wished, but not to worry too much about it.  He said that it was very common for some bulge with that gun/round (P99/40S&W).  So, I've not worried about it.  Although reloading is out of the question.

But don't take my word for it, if there are any questions about your gun you should always ask a pro.

 

[stunksinatl]

Ditto,

My .40 P99 also exhibits that slight bulge near the case head. My fired cartridge from the factory also exhibits that phenomenon.

Doesn't seem like it would be a problem, tho. My friend's SIG also does it to a degree (also a .40).

-stunks

 

[sniper350]

Owners reporting case bulging....any chance of taking a photo and putting it up on this forum ??

Just so I am understanding what you are seeing..........you are reporting a bulge in the casing's wall closest to the primer ??

I have just examined three spent shell casing from my P-99 .40 cal
2 were brass casings.......and one was nickel clad. All three cartridges were made by Speer. NONE of these casings show any signs of bulging.

The only deformity in each of the casings.....is a small flat spot at the front rim caused by ejection.

I am pretty sure the Walther has a fully "supported" chamber, so I am trying to figure out how the bulge happens.

I would be glad to mail these spent shell casings to anyone having the problem so they can compare them---- I feel the casings should look like these, from a Walther with a properly cut barrel.

JF

 

[stunksinatl]

Sniper,

I looked at my spent casing again, and although it is deformed near the case head (end with primer), I'm not sure that it is deformed enough to be able to capture in a picture.  You really have to handle it, and see it edge on.

I will note, however, that the bulge appears to be completely around the cartridge, and not just on one side (like you see with a GLOCK, and its unsupported chamber).  I guess that's why it doesn't really bother me, it just looks like the case swelled a bit.

Perhaps "bulge" was the wrong word...

They still, however, are noticably fatter toward the rim-end of the case, strange...

-stunks

P.S. I thought it was interesting, my fired case was a "Geco"
P.P.S. I'd like to take you up on that offer to compare casings, Sniper, lemme know.

 

[sniper350]

Stunksinatl,
Thanks for taking the time to explain in more detail what you are seeing.

Now, I think we are getting somewhere......... If I understand you description....the casing swells a little and you are able to notice this because the extreme rear of the casing near the primer does not. If this is true than all is well !!!

If the opposite was the case....... the casing swells at the rear most section near the primer and the rest of the shell casing remains prestine.........then you have a problem.

If I have understood what you are telling me........... it is perfectly normal for the entire shell casing to swell a little upon firing. The tolarence in the chamber can not be so tight that the shell will not extract after firing. Also the manufacturer of the gun has to account for different ammo specs. Maybe more importanly is the fact that the shell does not load straight into the chamber. It enters the chamber at an angle, guided by the feed ramp. So because of this, the chamber must be cut sort of oblong at the chamber mouth. All of these factors adds to the slop found in each barrel chamber.

Be gald to send you the spent casings...........just PM me with the address you want the shells to go.........and I will get them off to you.

JF.

 

[andrespeng]

What about P99 9mm? can I use +p ammo like Cor-Bom?

 

[toeball]

You can occasionally, but don't do it constantly. The second post was about 9mm because I didn't realize the thread was supposed to be about the .40 cal.

 

[TAZ]

sniper,

What I am seeing on my P99 is as follows. Looking at the spent case from the side I can feel and if I look hard I can see that the OD of the case before reaching the extractor rim has expanded a bit. When I put it back into the chamber, I must orient the cartridge with this "bulge" pointing down toward the feed ramp. This is a new gun that has had no work done on it what so ever. I didnt think about checking it vs. the factory case that was in the box. I will do that tonight when I get home. The "bulge" is not much, but you can feel it. It is similar to any casing I get from my G19, which is why I was not overly concerned. I can try to post some pics is anyone can host them. I dont have the ability to host.

 

[sniper350]

Taz,

It sounds like you have something different than shell casing "swell".............because your deformity is near the rear of the shell.

Yes, I would expect these results that you have described from a Glock because the chamber in that gun is not fully supported { not sure about newer models}

But the Walther has a fully supported chamber......

Try this: Completely Remove the barrel from your Walther, Now CAREFULLY insert a live round into the chamber or barrel.
Now closely examine the rear of the shell casing to see how much and if any shell casing wall is exposed. Look at the feed ramp.......you should see the shell's rim that contains the primer and the tinniest bit of the shell's shoulder...less than 1/32". Now......can you imagine the case bulging in that tiny area

Just for fun...............do the same thing with your Glock and compare the amount of exposed shell casing.

Let us know what you find..............


JF.

 

[dbranger94]

I have a perfect picture! If someone knows how to put it on the board I'll send it to them.

 

[stunksinatl]

You can get free image hosting at imageshack.us, try it!

-stunks

P.S. we look forward to your picture!

 

[TAZ]

Got a chance to do some more investigating after getting home from work and getting the baby put to bed. The cases that I fired match the case supplied by Walther, so my fear of having been sold a used gun as new is gone. I took some measurements of a series of fired cases with a micrometer. Here are the results:

Over all length: Average .8347 Factory .8345
OD at base of case: Average .4192 Factory .4170
OD where taper into extractor ridge begins: Average .4215 Factory .4200
OD at case end (bullet end): Average .4225 Factory .4230
Distance to "bulge" from bullet end: Average .5538 Factory .5450 This measurement was eyeballed so accuracy is obviously not as good as others.
Max "bulge" OD: Average .4348 Factory .4340

When I try to replace the spent case into the chamber I have to orient it so that the bulge center is located at approximately 5 O'clock. Feed ramp is at 6 and barrel hood at 12.

As for the fully supported chamber, when I place a case into the chamber and seat it fully till the rim bottoms out, the feed ramp leaves about .010"-.020" of unsupported brass in front of the extractor channel. When the round comes back even with the end of the barrel hood as it would sit while being fired I can see maybe .050" of unsupported brass, so its not truly a fully supported chamber.

I am not sure if .010" of "bulge" is enough to freak about, but I may call SW and ask a few questions just in case.