[Nocturnal]

Well, I guess I found out why my slide wouldn't always lock open on the last round today. Or at least I think it may have something to do with it:

As you can see the spring is resting on the fram instead of the slide lock. It won't reach all the way to the indent indicated with the red arrow. Indicated by the green arrow is some wear on the frame. I popped the spring back in its place and everything seems to work fine.

At the same time I can see why the slide doesn't always lock back on an empty mag. When inserting an empty mag in a stripped gun you can see that the slide lock spring easily wins over the magspring that pushes up the follower which in turn pushes up the lock.

Anyone see anything here I should worry about? Thanks!

 

[Hal8000]

Being my P99’s are 9mm’s, I’m sure there are some differences, but my spring looks a lot different than yours.  It’s shorter and is bent into a circle at the end.
Your spring looks like it’s been straightened out at the end to me.  Plus, mine is angled down onto the slide release. Yours is up higher…

Not knowing the difference in how the 9mm and the .40 is made, take my observations with a BIG grain of salt…

 

[P88]

What is the date code on your P99? It looks like you have one of the old springs that did have some problems. You should probably call S&W and either get a new spring or send it back to have it replaced. It is fairly easy to replace. I did it on one of mine that was dated 1998.

 

[Nocturnal]

As you can see in my sig it's a 2004. Is that specific enough? My serial starts with FAA. Thanks for the reply.

 

[Navy87Guy]

Wow...that really is different than the set up on my P99 AS 9mm. Maybe the .40 requires a heavier spring. I took a picture of mine (sorry...a little blurry) and it's definitely thinner and shaped differently.

Curiouser and curiouser....

Jim

 

[Nocturnal]

Thanks for the pic Navyguy. At least it shows that on the 9mm the spring isn't stuck in that indent either so that's probably not needed on the 40 then.

I'll take another look tonight and see if the slide can move at all with that spring on top of the frame. It seems that with the slide on the frame the spring can't pop out.

 

[Hal8000]

My spring looks just like Navy87Guy's....

 

[wwsnyder]

Mine is a 2003 .40S&W P99.

 

[Nocturnal]

Looks like the only difference is the lack on an indent in your slide stop (red arrow near mine).

 

[wwsnyder]

Yes but the spring probably doesn't have to reach the indent. It does seem that your spring has the tendency to push towrd the outside of the frame. See how it has rounded off the frane edge where mine is still a sharp edge. I only have a hundred or so rounds through it though.

 

[Nocturnal]

Indeed the difference is significant. Mine has seen about 1000 rounds.

 

[kearsage]

Check the Walther FAQ, Section IX, Question 20 for information on the different springs.

http://www.praxagora.com/lunde/WaltherP99FAQ/

 

[Nocturnal]

Direct link:

http://www.praxagora.com/lunde/WaltherP99FAQ/IX/20.html

Looks like I have the correct one but it's not working right.

 

[wwsnyder]

Do you think your overall plastic frame wear is excessive? I expected the P99 design to be tough.

 

[Nocturnal]

I'm certainly not impressed right now.

 

[Stoping Power]

im learnig a lot about springs in the walter p99

 

[LongRange]

I purchsed my "03" P99 two months ago in a .40 and my spring looks the same as Nocturnal's. Mine rest down on the slide release but does not fit into the notch there. I have put around 500 rounds through the pistol and have had no abnormal wear, I am not sure why yours is wearing like that or why the spring wants to ride ont he frame.