[KegTapper]

I recently purchased a P99 .40 QA (shooting it for the first time in a few hours actually)...I noticed that the entire slide/barrel assempty will move left and right (just a very small amount) on the frame.  I imagine that this is probably normal, but I wanted to double check with everyone first.  Thank you in advance.

PS - I'm referring to lateral movement at the front of the slide/barrel. The rear near the firing pin doesn't budge at all.

 

[stunksinatl]

Don't worry. My P99 has some play in both areas until it's loaded up, then it is as tight as could be without affecting proper functioning. Congrats, and enjoy shooting your new P99. Welcome to the family.

-stunks

 

[KegTapper]

I put 300 rounds through it yesterday, no jams, misfires, etc. One of my magazine bottoms fell out though (brand new, grrrrr!). I guess I can call Walther America to get it replaced. I was somewhat accurate, I'm just too used to the SA trigger from my friend's 1911. I did notice a few times that when I was changing magazines, just the force of inserting a new magazine was enough to have the slide-lock release activate an allow the slide to go forward automatically. Does this happen to anyone else?

 

[Ronnie151]

Mine did it a couple of times when it was new, just put in 1 round less and it didnt happen any more.

 

[Ronnie151]

Maybe you have some old magazines, the ones with the orange followers used to do that but the ones with the blue folowers arent supposed to fall apart, send it back to walters they will replace it for free.

 

[KegTapper]

It's the one with the blue follower, so it shouldn't happen. Oh well, I'm sure I can get a free replacement.

 

[InfernoMDM]

If its german built it usually releases from a good magazine wack. All the HK's I have touched do it, SIG does it. Glocks properly broken in do it.

Several gun nuts call that a mark of a good firearm, because understress your going to hit hard and wont have to fiddle with the slide release.

 

[InfernoMDM]

You can see the photo and how that part is jaming up my gun.

 

[MLB]

Welcome to the broken floorplate club. Call Walther, they'll replace the floorplates for you for free.

Regarding the slide release "feature", I respectfully disagree with Inferno on this one. The slide should not release until you release it. If it was intended to happen this way, it would be documented in the manual, and it would happen everytime you insert a magazine.

While it happens on my P99 occasionally as well, and it's not a big issue with me, I don't see it as a sign of a quality firearm, rather the opposite.

 

[sniper350]

Actually if you search the history of the p-99 when it came to the USA......... the main problem that came up was with the "slide lock back". The Germans wanted to change a small slide lock-up spring, but S&W felt they needed to mess with the Magazine. So S&W went down the long and winding road of making many changes to the magazine to try and solve the problem. They replaced the Mag. spring with a stiffer version. They changed the physical design of the Mag. follower to fit a change in the magazine lips. They indented one side to push the bullets further away from the slide release spring mechanism. On and on it went ..............and the Germans were not happy, but S&W would not listen.

So I agree with MLB........the slide should release the way it is documented in the manual. Try tapping the bottom of the magazine of a fully loaded Uzi in the cocked firing position.......and you will have bullets falling all over the floor <smile>. For this reason , I never liked the "open bolt" system. But it ( Uzi) was designed for safety while jumping from aircraft with a fully loaded weapon. With the bolt closed....the weapon can not fire.

JF