[Ron]

I have about 600 rounds through my P99c. I had one failure to fire during the first 50 rounds, with the round firing on he second pull. Everything has been flawless since until today. I shot 50 rounds and had two failures to fire,both times the rounds again discharged on the second pulls. The guys who work at the range looked at my gun and said it was because the gun was very dry. Does that make sense? Should I be concerned, and if so, what do you suggest I do? It is my main carry gun, so this is a bit of a concern to me if it reflects a problem with the gun.

And, by the way, I was using range ammo, which I have to buy from them. No choice, if I want to practice at a range.

Thanks.

Ron

 

[ammo two]

If you have the ability to do so, I recommend buying some factory ammo and going to another range. My guess would is that you will find that it is the ammo. I have had the same issue with some reloads I have bought.

I have about 600 rounds through my P99c. I had one failure to fire during the first 50 rounds, with the round firing on he second pull. Everything has been flawless since until today. I shot 50 rounds and had two failures to fire,both times the rounds again discharged on the second pulls. The guys who work at the range looked at my gun and said it was because the gun was very dry. Does that make sense? Should I be concerned, and if so, what do you suggest I do? It is my main carry gun, so this is a bit of a concern to me if it reflects a problem with the gun.

And, by the way, I was using range ammo, which I have to buy from them. No choice, if I want to practice at a range.

Thanks.

Ron

 

[sniper350]

I will assume the comment about the gun "being Dry" referred to the lubrication of the rail system or general lubrication appearance of the entire pistol.............

None of which has anything to do with the striker assembly ..... as that should never be oiled.

Since the weapon fired on the second pull of the trigger ......the Slide must have been in the proper battery........so the Slide is closing as required even if the rail system looks dry. I would recommend you using a good firearms "grease" for the rail system to prevent the weapon from becoming "dry" ......... which can be very dangerous with a CCW weapon or one used for self- defense.

What you need to do is ....when the weapon miss fires .......... STOP ......and remove the chambered round. Examination of this cartridge primer will tell you if the striker is issuing "Light Strikes" OR the round's primer might be defective.

If the primer looks like it has been hit good ......... then chances are you are dealing with some defective primers.

If the primer shows evidence of a light strike ..........then you may want to dissassemble the striker assembly to clean the channel OR return the weapon to Walther America for service. Your Call.

JF.

 

[SELFDEFENSE]

I would make a special trip somewhere to shoot where I could use factory ammo. If there are no misfires, I would not worry. If there are misfires, then I would pursue fixes to the gun; especially if it has the possibility of being used for self defense.

 

[Ron]

I would make a special trip somewhere to shoot where I could use factory ammo. If there are no misfires, I would not worry. If there are misfires, then I would pursue fixes to the gun; especially if it has the possibility of being used for self defense.

Actually, this summer while in Michigan I put 200 rounds through it using Winchester WB from Walmart, without any problems. On all three of my failures to fire, I was using range ammo bought from the same range.

I think what I will do is go to an outdoor range a bit further from me, but where I can use my own ammo and try putting another 200 rounds of Winchester WB through the gun and see what happens. If I don't experience any similar problem then I guess that I can assume it was the ammo, and not my gun.

Thanks for the input guys. Really appreciate the good advice.

Ron

 

[Ron]

I will assume the comment about the gun "being Dry" referred to the lubrication of the rail system or general lubrication appearance of the entire pistol.............

None of which has anything to do with the striker assembly ..... as that should never be oiled.

Since the weapon fired on the second pull of the trigger ......the Slide must have been in the proper battery........so the Slide is closing as required even if the rail system looks dry. I would recommend you using a good firearms "grease" for the rail system to prevent the weapon from becoming "dry" ......... which can be very dangerous with a CCW weapon or one used for self- defense.

What you need to do is ....when the weapon miss fires .......... STOP ......and remove the chambered round. Examination of this cartridge primer will tell you if the striker is issuing "Light Strikes" OR the round's primer might be defective.

If the primer looks like it has been hit good ......... then chances are you are dealing with some defective primers.

If the primer shows evidence of a light strike ..........then you may want to dissassemble the striker assembly to clean the channel OR return the weapon to Walther America for service. Your Call.

JF.

What they did was have me rack the slide and looked so I assume that it was the general lubrication appearance of the gun.

I have been using break Free CLP to lubricate the gun, including the rail system. Any other suggestions?

I will certainly take your suggestion about examing the cartridge primer if I experience any further FTF. As I mentioned in another post, I am going to an outdoor range where I can use my own ammo and put 200 rounds of Winchester WB through the gun. Hopefully, I want have any further problems.

Thanks.

Ron

 

[SELFDEFENSE]

I use BreakFree on my Glocks (pretty dry), Steyr (moderate), and Colt 1991 (slobbery hound wet) with no problems.

 

[thorn]

I always use CLP for lubrication, and in 2 years haven't ever had a problem. I don't think your striking issue has *anything* to do with a "dry gun"... it's ever related directly to poor ammo, or there's a problem within the striker channel or with the striker itself.

thorn

 

[Soybomb]

As the others said the striker channel should be dry anyway so really your choice of lube isn't going to be the problem. I suspect it'll work great at the other ranger with winchester ammo.

 

[InfernoMDM]

I ran my gun bone dry for about 1000 rounds for a bit of a test. I mean dry so the metal had that grey look. Worked fine. I think he has shit ammo. If you go to that range ask around to see if anyone else has that issue.

Better yet when you have a failure to fire, don't pull the trigger but wait 30 seconds then rack the slide and see if the bullet has a dimple on the primer. If there is then it probably isn't your firearm. Compare it to other rounds that shot.

 

[MGMike]

What you need to do is ....when the weapon miss fires .......... STOP ......and remove the chambered round. Examination of this cartridge primer will tell you if the striker is issuing "Light Strikes" OR the round's primer might be defective.

JF.

EXCELLENT advice.

M

 

[WaltherP99man]

Actually, this summer while in Michigan I put 200 rounds through it using Winchester WB from Walmart, without any problems. On all three of my failures to fire, I was using range ammo bought from the same range.

Ron

I think that statement right there is your clue. I would suspect "hard" or otherwise defective primers from their ammo first. For safety's sake it couldn't hurt to make sure the striker and its channel are clean(crud build up could slow the striker) and the spring is OK. But I'm leaning towards the range ammo.

 

[Ron]

I think that statement right there is your clue. I would suspect "hard" or otherwise defective primers from their ammo first. For safety's sake it couldn't hurt to make sure the striker and its channel are clean(crud build up could slow the striker) and the spring is OK. But I'm leaning towards the range ammo.

That sonds like good advice,but I don't know how to check the striker to see if it is clean, other, of course, then sending it back to Walther.
which I am not inclined to do at this point. Any advice?

Ron

 

[Pitmaster]

That sonds like good advice,but I don't know how to check the striker to see if it is clean, other, of course, then sending it back to Walther.
which I am not inclined to do at this point. Any advice?

Ron

Check out Thorn's video on Liveleak. You shouldn't have any problem after watching it and following the instructions.

 

[WaltherP99man]

What Pitmaster said.

That will let you visually inspect the striker and spring assembly for any gunk. Then look in the channel in the slide for any signs of crud buildup. A quick wipe with a q-tip should be all that is needed if you see anything in the channel.

 

[Ron]

Check out Thorn's video on Liveleak. You shouldn't have any problem after watching it and following the instructions.

OK, I watched Thorn's video, and believe I can handle getting the striker out and checking the spring and channel. Will do that tomorrow and let you know what I found.

I really appreciate your help on this, and Thorn for taking the time to make that video.

Ron

 

[MGMike]

It certainly can't hurt to clean out the striker hole, but if you are still getting misfires, do what sniper350 suggested.

Bear in mind, however, that you can't directly compare a misfired indent with a fired one. An indent of about .015" is sufficient to fire a good primer, assuming it is fully seated in the case. A fired case may show more or less than that, depending on several variables that you can only establish for a given ammunition in a given gun.

M

 

[kraigster414]

I ran my gun bone dry for about 1000 rounds for a bit of a test. I mean dry so the metal had that grey look. Worked fine. I think he has shit ammo. If you go to that range ask around to see if anyone else has that issue.

Better yet when you have a failure to fire, don't pull the trigger but wait 30 seconds then rack the slide and see if the bullet has a dimple on the primer. If there is then it probably isn't your firearm. Compare it to other rounds that shot.

Wow, I don't know why anyone would intentionally run a gun bone dry to prove a point. It's a recipe for failures in more than a few gun to say nothing of the accelerated wear incurred. I think a $600 +/- piece of merchandise deserves better.

All guns should be lubed, some more, some less. More during the initial break in period when parts have yet to "gel." During the first couple hundred rounds, I rely on a light viscosity grease vs. oil - I am a big fan of Brian Enos' Slide Glide Lite but there are others.

 

[Ron]

It certainly can't hurt to clean out the striker hole, but if you are still getting misfires, do what sniper350 suggested.

Bear in mind, however, that you can't directly compare a misfired indent with a fired one. An indent of about .015" is sufficient to fire a good primer, assuming it is fully seated in the case. A fired case may show more or less than that, depending on several variables that you can only establish for a given ammunition in a given gun.

M

So then what is the point of ejecting the round that misfired and inspecting it? What I am going to do is to check the striker, as suggested, then put another 150 to 200 rounds through the gun of WWB. If I continue to have misfires I will call Walther and send it back. If after the 200 rounds or so I have no misfires, I will assume it was the range ammo.

Much thanks again for all your help.

Ron

 

[MGMike]

So then what is the point of ejecting the round that misfired and inspecting it?

Ron

The point is that if you find a very shallow indent --let's say less than .015"--you have narrowed down the cause. Either the striker is not delivering a good impact to the primer, or its delivery is being expended in whacking the slide back to battery.

To isolate the latter, check the slide between shots to make sure it is fully closed. If it isn't, something is retarding its full return to the firing position. Might be lubrication, or some mechanical impedance.

Remember that a sound diagnosis is worth a hundred remedies.

M