[crazynorweegian]

I am deciding which of the P99 models to get. I am going to get an AS model, but I am divided between 9mm and .40. I have shot a 9mm p99 at the range and liked it. I have shot .40 HK, Sig, and glock and none but the glock really felt good enough to me to carry or own. I have also heard far more complaints about mechanical failure or defects with the .40 P99 models than the 9mm.

Are these stories showing a pattern of failures with the .40? Is there truth to them? I will not be able to shoot the P99 in .40 before making my purchase so is there a really big difference between the two as far as shooting is concerned?

 

[crazynorweegian]

I am deciding which of the P99 models to get. I am going to get an AS model, but I am divided between 9mm and .40. I have shot a 9mm p99 at the range and liked it. I have shot .40 HK, Sig, and glock and none but the glock really felt good enough to me to carry or own. I have also heard far more complaints about mechanical failure or defects with the .40 P99 models than the 9mm.

Are these stories showing a pattern of failures with the .40? Is there truth to them? I will not be able to shoot the P99 in .40 before making my purchase so is there a really big difference between the two as far as shooting is concerned?

So, .40 or 9mm?

 

[jenglish]

I own both calibers in the P99, and both are equally reliable, accurate, and of the high Walther standard of quality. The difference in recoil between the two calibers in the P99 (at least to me) is only slightly noticeable.

All of the problems associated with the 40SW P99 is directly related to the magazine. Walther (really its magazine manufacturer Meggar) produced a bad batch of magazine bases on the 10rd magazines that has the habit of cracking. This is rectified by simply calling Walther and they will send out new bases. The other problem was the evolution on the magazine follower. Many have noticed the different colors of followers in their magazines, this was due to a problem with premature locking of the slide stop. The current color for the follower is light blue and has been for many years (please note that the follower colors for the 9mm and 40SW differ).

Since then all of these problems have been corrected. I voted for the 9mm, not because I think it is a better pistol, but it is what I prefer to carry due the the magazine capacity, ammo availability, and cost of ammo. But in retrospect, you can not go wrong with either.

 

[Jake Starr]

I voted for the 9mm, not because I think it is a better pistol, but it is what I prefer to carry due the the magazine capacity, ammo availability, and cost of ammo.

Yes. This is why I bought my 9mm....

 

[searcher451]

Jake is right: Ammo cost and avalibility are the main reasons to get the
9mm. Interestingly, a retired state police LEO I spoke with recently (he's currently working as a federal marshal) reported that many departments are going to the .40 SW instead of the 9mm that had been standard carry for them. The logic, he said, was that the .40 packs more wallop than the 9mm, and a .45 was too much for at least some of the women officers. Personally, I wouldn't want to get in the way of either one of them -- or a .22, comes to that.

 

[MGMike]

This is another one of those "preference" questions that cannot be answered in the abstract. Since the guns are basically identical, the choice really depends on what you intend to use the gun PRIMARILY for. Sometimes deciding on the primary purpose is not an easy matter, but one should try to be realistic.

If the primary use will be to take it out to a range and shoot for enjoyment and training, and carrying as a defense weapon is secondary, then the 9mm makes perfect sense for the reasons given in the responses above.

If, on the other hand, it is primarily for defensive use, it's a no-brainer: choose power. A few rounds less magazine capacity is not a big deal. There is a REASON why the Armed Services and many large police departments want to abandon the 9mm.

M

 

[GPalmer]

I'm going to have to go with the 40 S&W on this one. The 9 mm is a fine round but the 40 S&W is better. In addition to the reasons Mike has listed, the heavier bullet will tend to deflect less when it hits bone. That is based on postings I have seen from a pathologist who does autopsies. That is ASSUMING that you are equally comfortable firing both rounds.

 

[PanaDP]

I'd say 9mm for cost and availability of ammunition. You can shoot a lot more for the same money with 9mm than almost anything else.

 

[GPalmer]

I'd say 9mm for cost and availability of ammunition. You can shoot a lot more for the same money with 9mm than almost anything else.

I actually have a P99c in 9mm I use for practice and a pair of P99c's in 40 S&W I use for carry. Works great if you're willing to make the investment!

 

[Jake Starr]

There is a REASON why the Armed Services and many large police departments want to abandon the 9mm.

While this maybe true I don't think this is the main reason for the switch as much as it appears to make sense...most military and LEOs (I say the average boots on ground guy) can't really shoot. For qualification maybe but after that the percentage of guys who are actually proficient with their handguns is very small. While it would seem to make sense to use a round, such as the 9mm that is a bit more controllable to shoot, the thinking is that if the soldier/Leo behind the gun is only going to connect with one shot, then make it as big a round as possible. I still believe that more practice with a more controllable round makes more sense than an occasional trip to the range and using a larger caliber. Now if they can shoot the largest caliber round, wrapped around the smallest platform possible, that they can comfortably and accurately shoot?then you have a winning combo

 

[crazynorweegian]

Ok, after reading your opinions on the .40 P99 I think I am going to get it. I have 9mm pistols, and the range I shoot at has a 9mm P99 that I can shoot. If I end up not liking it I can always trade it for the 9mm.

I still have quesions about the colors on the magazines. What colors should I be avoiding if I but a used .40 P99. I was aware of the 9mm colors, but someone mentioned that the colors are different in the .40.

Also, I am not clear on the proof marks. The "eagle over n" proofmark on any part of the gun means that it is made in Germany? Or does it need to be on the slide and the frame? I understand that the placement has changed over the years, but i just want to make sure I don't get an S&W gun.

 

[BreakerDave]

Since I haven't read everything that is on the net, I'm not exactly sure what stories you've heard... There was an issue with the 10 round mags for the .40 S&W model having bad base plates, but the regular full capacity mags do not have that problem. -Customer Service was replacing the base plates with no hassle. I haven't heard about that problem lately, so it may no longer be the issue it once was.

As to your basic question, I have shot the P99 in both 9mm and .40 S&W and I haven't experienced mechanical difficulty with either one. They both shoot well for stock, polymer, combat pistols. The .40 S&W model certainly has greater perceived recoil but you'd expect that when comparing the 9mm and .40 S&W. -You might want to do a search on this forum in regards to the other problems you have read about and see what people have experienced. Many times an issue someone comes up with is something that is due more to the operator than the equipment.

 

[zenner22]

I haven't heard of many, if any, problems with the P99 in either caliber. The PPK always gets mixed reviews, but the P99's seem solid. The only consistent complaint is the QA triggers being too heavy. This I can vouch for, I traded my QA for an AS and have been happy ever since!

 

[ShipWreck]

I have a few 9mm 99s. I love them.

I have shot the P99 A/S in 40 cal once - shot a mag thru one someone at the range was nice enough to let me try. It has more recoil than I care for.

 

[Nookieaki]

I have .40 magazines with Blue, Red and Orange followers. They all work fine and dandy, no problems what so ever. I don't really like the 9mm, that's why I got the .40 caliber instead. More stopping power.

 

[crazynorweegian]

I will not be able to shoot a .40 before buying one. It may sound dumb, but when you shot the .40 P99, how did it compare to other .40 like the Glock 23? I have shot that gun so it would help me to gauge the recoil.

 

[JayFrame]

Although I handle the recoil of my P99 .40 just fine, several of my friends who are members of the "Church of Glock" say there is a lot more muzzle flip with the P99 .40 than with a Glock 22 or Glock 23. I agree to a point, but they make a big deal about it.

Both the P99 and the P99c in 9mm are a pleasure to shoot.

 

[2Barrels]

There is a REASON why the Armed Services and many large police departments want to abandon the 9mm.M

The reason is (for the military) that they are limited to ball ammo. But they aren't stopping at .40; if they change it will most likely be to .45 cal. 9mm ball is just not effective; when limited to FMJ, bigger is better.

However depending on the state in which you live, we aren't limited to ball ammo for the purposes of self-defense. Today's modern hollow point bullets loaded in specialized personal defense cartridges have narrowed the gap in effectiveness between 9mm, .40 SAW and .45 ACP. Don't take my word; I am sure you know of the study produced by the FBI which supports it (http://www.firearmstactical.com/hwfe.htm) and dispels the myths of "One Shot Stopping Power." Sure, .40 is better and that's why LE is turning to it; but is it that much better to overcome the other benefits of 9mm mentioned by others in this thread?

Not to me. My personal preference is to shoot more, shoot more often to optimize the chances of my personal defense rounds hitting their target if, God forbid, I ever need to launch in self defense; 9mm affords me that. First from a cost perspective but equally important from a fatigue perspective. I enjoy a 200 round range session with the 9 much more than with a 40.

 

[MGMike]

2barrels: Your points are well taken.

They illustrate once more what I wrote in the beginning of this thread: this is not a question that can be answered in the abstract. It requires establishing a context of one's primary purpose, level of training, economic circumstances, practice regimen, tolerance to recoil, and probably a whole bunch of other considerations peculiar to the individual. In the end, everybody's got to make his own choice. There's no right or wrong answer, just opinions.

M

 

[Ogie]

It is my opinion that there is no significant difference between the 9mm and the .40 when it comes to self defense other than the increased recoil, and perhaps muzzle flash of the .40. If you put your rounds where you want them to go you will do just fine with either round.