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How do I find just a P99 frame?

9.7K views 14 replies 12 participants last post by  DPP21  
#1 ·
So I left my P99 in a field that was on fire, it still fires but the frame is severely damaged. I talked to Walther and they want me to buy a new gun. So can I source a frame somewhere? Or am I screwed?
 
#3 ·
This gets complicated because, according to the BATF, the frame is the gun. That might be at least one reason why the folks at Walther indicate that you should purchase another pistol, although it would be hard to make a claim that the firearm was damaged in a manner covered by a warranty.

Speaking of which, I'd sure be interested in hearing the circumstances under which you were forced to leave the pistol behind in a burning field.

I'm also amazed that the piece in question would fire at all, given the polymer construction of the frame -- or that you'd chance firing it. But that's just me. :)
 
#5 · (Edited)
I'm with Walther on this one. In the Army any fire-damaged gun we received went straight to depot and the owner was told to order a new one. We had no way to ensure the heat treatment wasn't affected by the fire so we didn't even think of trying to repair it.

I've seen what happens when a 9mm slide fails and I wouldn't take a 1 in 1000 chance of that happening to me. If there's any doubt about the integrity of the slide I'd scrap it and start over with a new gun.

Milspec
 
#6 ·
If the gun got hot enough to "severely damage" the frame, the likelihood is that the rest of the gun is toast.

My yardstick with all-metal guns is that if the springs show signs of having collapsed from heat, the heat treatment of the rest of the gun has been impaired, and it should be scrapped. With a plastic gun it's a little different due to the lower threshhold of heat damage to the frame, but since the frame is the regulated component, it's more headache and expense than it's worth to replace it. Neither S&W nor any reputable gunsmith is going to accept the liability of switching over your old (cooked) parts to a new frame.

The only part that MIGHT be a candidate for salvage would be the barrel.

M
 
#7 ·
I dropped a fullsize P99 and damaged the frame on 1 side by the rail. S&W stated that they would sell me a new gun at a discount, but they didn't have extra frames in stock.

They wanted something like $500 for it.

I just sold the damaged one at a loss, because it was my fav gun at the time, and made me sick to look at it. I then bought another one. Doing that was still cheaper than giving S&W my old gun and buying one just a few dollars cheaper (I had paid $550 for mine at the time).
 
#9 ·
I shot a rocket flare off and the parachute failed to deploy. It started a ~2 acre fire that was threatening our cabin. I took off/set down the P99 so I could run faster between the hose bib and the fire, and it spread faster than I thought. I went back for it only to realize it's been consumed.
 
#12 ·
It has been almost a year since we first heard of this. I'm curious as to what has happened in the meantime, if anything, arc12000? Are you still searching for a slide? Have you replaced the wounded P99 with another model?