[LoanWolf]

I recently purchased my first handgun and based on info derived from lurking in this forum, I bought a P99 9mm with the AS trigger. I'll pick it up this weekend and will put the first rounds through it shortly thereafter!
Being a newbie: Is there anything I should know or do before shooting it for the first time? I remember someone in this forum mentioning that his brandnew P99 needed a little cleaning and oiling...What ammo is recommended, I think I read to use 124gr for the first 300 rounds to help the recoil spring to break in properly?

Thanks again for all the info in this forum, it helped me greatly in making my choice!

 

[jimmythebrain]

Congratulations on the Walther P99.

I have 16 handguns now (and have owned and sold 5 others). The Walther P99 AS in 40 S&W is by far my favorite.

Some people have had problems with jamming and erratic function the first several hundred rounds with a new P99. It has been recommended to use the 124 grain bullets (for the 9 MM) as a break in.

Well, from the start, I have used the cheap 115 gr Winchester White Box stuff and have never had any problems. Just clean and lube your gun often.
I use Break Free CLP on my Walther. I have not had any problems with this all-in one product, but it is probably not "the best" at any single function that the product is supposed to perform.

The Walther is a great gun. Buy it and shoot it. The AS trigger gets smoother with use and takes some time to master. The results are well worth the time and effort though.

 

[mr. rx]

The gun does not leave the factory to be shot without being cleaned and lubed. Buy some Hoppes #9 powder solvent and use this to clean the preservative oil and junk left from manufacturing. Breakfree CLP will work fine as a lube. Both can be bought at Wal-mart. You will also need a rod and brush (9mm obviously) setup for the barrel. A boresnake is handy. CLP is nasty bad for you -- take a look at the MSDS. I highly suggest wearing gloves when cleaning a gun, but few people do. The gun needs less lube than you probably think it does.

The weight of the bullet doesn't matter for breaking the gun in. "Breaking a recoil spring in" sounds like complete BS. The recoil depends on a lot more than the bullet weight, so just buy whatever is cheap. Winchester White Box from Wal-mart works fine.

I also highly suggest finding someone who knows proper technique to teach you how to shoot from the very first time, so you don't develop any bad habits. An attentive student or knowledgeable cop is plenty. I've seen first hand the difference this can make. Much easier to learn it right from the start, than to fight with breaking bad habits. There is a difference in proper technique for target shooting and defensive shooting. Get more than one opinion on stuff.

 

[banddr2]

Sounds like someone else is addicted to quality! Enjoy.

Shoot it, and practice often grasshopper.

 

[MostlyNines]

It is not a bad idea to field strip and clean/lube your new P99, but keep in mind that you aren't the first person to shoot it -- it was test fired by Walther and whomever collected the spent shell casing. I doubt they took the time to clean it afterwards, so there will likely be a bit of powder residue inside the bore of any "factory new" Walther.

 

[InfernoMDM]

I have yet to clean a gun straight from the factory before fireing. Lubrication should be sufficent from the factory (as it was shot with lube and shouldnt be gone after just 2 shots).

Things to know about. Simple Green will clean a gun very very well, and wont hurt your walther.

SW99 magazines are identical to your P99 and about half the price. Unless your a Walther snob (which I am pretty guility of) you can use them.

With the AS trigger if you experince a Double fire/full auto shots for 2-3 rounds its probably not the gun but the short reset and poor trigger control. I experinced it(but knew what it was) and most of my friends do the same thing.

Like stated before on every striker fired pistol, do not lubricate the fireing pin channel!

Other then that enjoy the gun, and get a good holster for such as Blade-tech etc. Stay away from Fobus. I suggest a inside the waste band holster as it seems everyone migrates to them eventually(but its a matter of opinion and personal clothing).

 

[LoanWolf]

Lot's of good advice ...very helpful!
Thanks!

 

[ShipWreck]

I have yet to clean a gun straight from the factory before fireing. Lubrication should be sufficent from the factory (as it was shot with lube and shouldnt be gone after just 2 shots).

Sorry - but that is a bad idea. And, someone new to guns should not follow it.

You should ALWAYS take a new gun home and degrease and reoil it (and clean it in the process, obviously) - Do this BEFORE you shoot it the first time.

New guns don't alwayws have oil in the right spots. And, some companies use a packing type grease in the guns to prevent rust. HK does this, as does some others.

Also, in the process of cleaning - you see that nothing is wrong with the gun.

How would U like to go shoot your new gun for the 1st time - and have it jam. It would suck. Then you take it home and clean it - and it woks 100% on the second trip. But, your confidence in the gun isn't that great anymore. And, you pretty much wasted your time on that first trip, along with the ammo....

I've heard stories like that over the years many, many times.

ALWAYS clean a new gun.

 

[Jake Starr]

First handgun? Congratulations. My prediction is that it will not be your last. Just remember, never sell a Walther.

 

[LoanWolf]

First handgun? Congratulations. My prediction is that it will not be your last. Just remember, never sell a Walther.

And the slippery slope begins....

 

[thorn]

You should ALWAYS take a new gun home and degrease and reoil it (and clean it in the process, obviously) - Do this BEFORE you shoot it the first time.

Agreed.

thorn

 

[skir68]

Just shoot it....




Winchester white box...from wally-world. cheap ammo. After you shoot a few boxes, switch to blazerbrass. A little more expensive but your groups will be tighter and you will be a happy walther owner just like the rest of us!

 

[kraigster414]

"...I have yet to clean a gun straight from the factory before fireing. Lubrication should be sufficent from the factory (as it was shot with lube and shouldnt be gone after just 2 shots."

No offense but boy are we providing some bad guidance here for the new folks. Why would you want to increase your chances of malfunctions on a brand new gun (2 factory test rounds does not make for a broken-in gun) by relying on whatever oiling/lubing was done by the factory which if at all, was minimum.

Because parts are new, springs haven't taken a set, etc. you want to reduce your chance of problems on that first outing by field stripping your new gun (this will also allow you to familiarize yourself with the basic components and how to take apart and re-assemble) and cleaning/lubing all critical parts as explained by the instruction manual BEFORE head for the range. If you do experience a failure while firing, it's not because the gun was dry but more than likely the choice of ammo or limp wristing are the culprits, and you can go from there.

With the full size P99 9mm there IS a break-in period of a couple hundred rounds, at least that was true in my case and some standard pressure rounds like the 135 gr. Hydrashok may cause problems with the slide not returning to full battery and failures to fire. I highly recommend in the case of the full size 9mm P99 that the first 50-100 rounds be with +Ps. From there you can experiment with standard pressure Winchester White Box, CCI Lawman, etc. Odds are it will be smooth sailing from that point forward.

By the way, now that my gun is broken-in, I can shoot those same Hydrashoks with no problem at all.

 

[LoanWolf]

Well, I did pick it up from the store, brought it home and started to learn about it. I think you learn a lot by field stripping it, carefully cleaning it, oiling it and re-assembling it. (Almost like bonding with it ) There was quite a bit of heavy grease build-up on the rails and also the striker assembly. All clean and carefully lubricated now...I am trying to get to the range on Wednesday and will report back to the group afterwards!

Thanks for all your valuable input!!!

 

[LoanWolf]

"...I have yet to clean a gun straight from the factory before fireing. Lubrication should be sufficent from the factory (as it was shot with lube and shouldnt be gone after just 2 shots."

No offense but boy are we providing some bad guidance here for the new folks. Why would you want to increase your chances of malfunctions on a brand new gun (2 factory test rounds does not make for a broken-in gun) by relying on whatever oiling/lubing was done by the factory which if at all, was minimum.

Because parts are new, springs haven't taken a set, etc. you want to reduce your chance of problems on that first outing by field stripping your new gun (this will also allow you to familiarize yourself with the basic components and how to take apart and re-assemble) and cleaning/lubing all critical parts as explained by the instruction manual BEFORE head for the range. If you do experience a failure while firing, it's not because the gun was dry but more than likely the choice of ammo or limp wristing are the culprits, and you can go from there.

With the full size P99 9mm there IS a break-in period of a couple hundred rounds, at least that was true in my case and some standard pressure rounds like the 135 gr. Hydrashok may cause problems with the slide not returning to full battery and failures to fire. I highly recommend in the case of the full size 9mm P99 that the first 50-100 rounds be with +Ps. From there you can experiment with standard pressure Winchester White Box, CCI Lawman, etc. Odds are it will be smooth sailing from that point forward.

By the way, now that my gun is broken-in, I can shoot those same Hydrashoks with no problem at all.

Kraigster,
The manual specifically states NOT to use +Ps????

 

[kraigster414]

+P+ (double +) 9mm you do NOT want to use in your P99 on a sustained basis. A box of +P (single +) every once in a while is not going to damage your gun or result in accelerated wear and/or an early demise. Virtually every modern 9mm handgun (polymer, alloy or steel) is compatible with +P and it is what has made today's 9mm a truly effective carry/home defense caliber. Having said that for break-in in lieu of +P if you are still concerned, I would recommend 124 grain Speer Lawman. Avoid 115 grainers for the first 200 rounds or so.

 

[BaTMaN45]

Congrates on making the right choice of firearm!!! I made the same choice u did except for mine was a .40cal AS. I knew nothing about the p99, not even that its Bonds gun. This is a dumb reason, but I bought it because I previously bought a p99 pellet gun and was so impressed with its fit, feel, and quality that I had no doubt the real p99 was going to be flawless, besides, the pellet gun was made from walther themself. Gun is so perfect I've never found a reason to get another(probably sounds weird to a lot of the gun enthusiasts in here, but its true) at least not till reasently......its a walther as well....hope they get the bugs out of it before the .40cal comes.

Anyways, I've had mine since 03 and have NEVER had a problem what so ever. And good thing I got the .40cal cause I didn't think at all about "break-in" I just shot the damn thing. Flawless I tell ya.

 

[Scorpiusdeus]

Gun is so perfect I've never found a reason to get another(probably sounds weird to a lot of the gun enthusiasts in here, but its true)

I know the feeling. The P99 is actually y most recent gun, but I have to say that after handling it yesterday I am VERY impressed. If it shoot as good as it feels, my Sigs are in danger of being relegated to second place status.