Why does my new p99 say smith and wesson?
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pryan205 is correct. The white S&W markings on the slide of your gun are the importer marks. S&W did not make any part of your pistol. I really wish they would put "Walther USA" or something else on but, oh well.
FYI.....the .40 cals that had the slide made by S&W were a limited run I believe to help Walther keep up with the demand at the time. All of the current models are 100% Walther.
FYI.....the .40 cals that had the slide made by S&W were a limited run I believe to help Walther keep up with the demand at the time. All of the current models are 100% Walther.
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Not so says Earl.
The .40S&W caliber P99 slides and barrels bearing the Walther banner are purportedly made by S&W.
Proof marks are being forged since they mean nothing in the US, (except to those of us here).
This is what Earl told me about three or so weeks ago.
If you notice on Earl's site, there are no .40S&W caliber P99's for sale.
Why Walther is doing this in partner with S&W is beyond me. It would be tough to prove since they look just as they are supposed to. But, Earl told me that if you scrape a bit of the finish off on the inside of the slides of one of the .40's, you will likely find that the slide is stainless steel...and Walther has never made any firearm from stainless steel.
The .40S&W caliber P99 slides and barrels bearing the Walther banner are purportedly made by S&W.
Proof marks are being forged since they mean nothing in the US, (except to those of us here).
This is what Earl told me about three or so weeks ago.
If you notice on Earl's site, there are no .40S&W caliber P99's for sale.
Why Walther is doing this in partner with S&W is beyond me. It would be tough to prove since they look just as they are supposed to. But, Earl told me that if you scrape a bit of the finish off on the inside of the slides of one of the .40's, you will likely find that the slide is stainless steel...and Walther has never made any firearm from stainless steel.
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I'm just going by what Earl told me over the phone.
The first indication that Earl had of this problem was a repair that was needed by a police officer on his .40 P99. Earl was going to replace the barrel, and the replacement would not fit into the slide. The slide was out of spec in relation to the barrel made by Walther. Walther is not known for their shoddy machining tolerances. If this slide had been made by Walther, the barrel should have dropped right in.
After checking out the slide further, he found it was made of SS and obviously made by S&W. He can still import the .40S&W, but he does so only with the LE mags, and he does not import these regularly.
The first indication that Earl had of this problem was a repair that was needed by a police officer on his .40 P99. Earl was going to replace the barrel, and the replacement would not fit into the slide. The slide was out of spec in relation to the barrel made by Walther. Walther is not known for their shoddy machining tolerances. If this slide had been made by Walther, the barrel should have dropped right in.
After checking out the slide further, he found it was made of SS and obviously made by S&W. He can still import the .40S&W, but he does so only with the LE mags, and he does not import these regularly.
Are there any other P99 .40 owners suprised? confused? Is it possible they would forge the 'german proof' markings to make consumers think they were buying something that was not genuinely made in Germany? I did my research before buy my P99 and made sure the markings were there to indicate a genuine product expecting the same quality and material that would come with those proof markings.
Don't get me wrong, I really like the gun a lot and it won't change my opinion of it's reliability and performance but I if this is correct, I would still feel like I get exactly paid for or thought I was getting??
Don't get me wrong, I really like the gun a lot and it won't change my opinion of it's reliability and performance but I if this is correct, I would still feel like I get exactly paid for or thought I was getting??
Are there any other P99 .40 owners suprised? confused? Is it possible they would forge the 'german proof' markings to make consumers think they were buying something that was not genuinely made in Germany? I did my research before buying my P99 and made sure the markings were there to indicate a genuine product expecting the same quality and material that would come with those proof markings.
Don't get me wrong, I really like my gun a lot and it won't change my opinion of it's reliability and performance but I if this is correct, I would still feel like I was "NOT" get exactly paid for or thought I was getting??"
correction... 'not'
Don't get me wrong, I really like my gun a lot and it won't change my opinion of it's reliability and performance but I if this is correct, I would still feel like I was "NOT" get exactly paid for or thought I was getting??"
correction... 'not'
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All I know is what Earl told me. It would not be difficult to forge the German proof mark. All you have to do is create the die.
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I'd take what Earl says with a grain of salt. From some of the stuff he has done in the past....including non existant trigger jobs people paid for.....I sure don't trust him. If this IS the case (forging of proof marks) that is some BS.....that means they are knowingly duping the entire market. Anyone try contacting Walther Germany to see what they say about this? I'm sure they would be very interested to know what Earl is saying about them.
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I just thought of something else to add.....
The whole thing doesn't make much sense. The frame still has proofs on it. So....are they also forging these proofs? If not....then why would Walther Germany go to the trouble of building a gun....having it nitro proofed....taking off the slide and barrel.....sending the frame to the US.....and having S&W put one of the slides and barrels they made on? Doesn't make sense.
The whole thing doesn't make much sense. The frame still has proofs on it. So....are they also forging these proofs? If not....then why would Walther Germany go to the trouble of building a gun....having it nitro proofed....taking off the slide and barrel.....sending the frame to the US.....and having S&W put one of the slides and barrels they made on? Doesn't make sense.
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Doesn't make any sense to me either and I don't know whether to believe it or not.
Walther still makes the frames and it would be easy to proof frames using a single test slide and barrel before shipping frames to the States.
I have never wanted a .40 P99, so I don't have to play this guessing game, but I stopped carrying the .40 P99 in the store until I can get the straight poop on this. I don't know if the truth will ever come out.
If the truth is being stretched, I'd sure like to know why. I don't know what Earl would have to gain by lying since he doesn't regularly sell the .40 P99. I know that he used to, and then dropped it from the web site.
Not likely to get a straight answer from Walther either...if any answer at all.
SIG-Sauer got caught doing something similar. They were still roll-marking many of the models with "MADE IN GERMANY" but there were no proof marks or datecodes on the slides or barrels. They were making them in New Hampshire. The only part of the pistol made in Germany was the frame.
Now, the frames are marked "Frame made in Germany" and the slides are absent of any reference to being made there.
Walther still makes the frames and it would be easy to proof frames using a single test slide and barrel before shipping frames to the States.
I have never wanted a .40 P99, so I don't have to play this guessing game, but I stopped carrying the .40 P99 in the store until I can get the straight poop on this. I don't know if the truth will ever come out.
If the truth is being stretched, I'd sure like to know why. I don't know what Earl would have to gain by lying since he doesn't regularly sell the .40 P99. I know that he used to, and then dropped it from the web site.
Not likely to get a straight answer from Walther either...if any answer at all.
SIG-Sauer got caught doing something similar. They were still roll-marking many of the models with "MADE IN GERMANY" but there were no proof marks or datecodes on the slides or barrels. They were making them in New Hampshire. The only part of the pistol made in Germany was the frame.
Now, the frames are marked "Frame made in Germany" and the slides are absent of any reference to being made there.
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Maybe he is still bitter about being dropped as the US importer? Maybe he can't get .40's with any regularity and that's why they aren't on his site? Maybe he invented this story to try and steer people away from the .40 and buy a 9mm from him instead? Devil's advocate here....[b said:
As you said.....we may never know what the true story is.
I may email Walther myself and see what their official stance is on this. Guess it will boil down to who you believe....Earl or Walther.
I tend to agree with M700,
Earl has lost all credibility with me. Is he knowledgeable about the P99? Yes. Is he rude and condescending? Yes. Considering the fact that I've caught him in multiple lies, I wouldn't trust that guy as far as I could throw him. It really is no wonder Walther dropped him from importer status.
As far as Walther Germany is concerned, I had some issues with the finish on one of my P99's. The CEO of Walther emailed me personally with his apologies and remedied the situation immediately. They also faxed me blue prints of the barrel design regarding some questions I had about the barrel crown.
It's kind of weird having a representative from Walther Germany calling you at 1:00am (PST) to talk to you about your P99 but it also demonstrates the distance they go to make sure one customer is satisfied.
It's an easy call for me.
CK
Earl has lost all credibility with me. Is he knowledgeable about the P99? Yes. Is he rude and condescending? Yes. Considering the fact that I've caught him in multiple lies, I wouldn't trust that guy as far as I could throw him. It really is no wonder Walther dropped him from importer status.
As far as Walther Germany is concerned, I had some issues with the finish on one of my P99's. The CEO of Walther emailed me personally with his apologies and remedied the situation immediately. They also faxed me blue prints of the barrel design regarding some questions I had about the barrel crown.
It's kind of weird having a representative from Walther Germany calling you at 1:00am (PST) to talk to you about your P99 but it also demonstrates the distance they go to make sure one customer is satisfied.
It's an easy call for me.
CK
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I sent an inquiry as well with a link back to this thread. I received the same reply as kearsage.
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