Walther P99 .40

Iwent to shoot this gun and all of a sudden it will not shoot. When I cock the gun, it cocks because when I hit the decocker on top of the slide it does the job. However, when I pull the trigger it just goes limp. I mean I hear a noise but it does not fire. Not in single or DA mode. In fact if I take the slide off and put a pencil across the frame and pull to the rear with the pencil up against the trigger bar, it will release the sear and fire

I have taken the parts out of the slide to check for anything broken or amiss and see nothing

So I am kinda at a loss on which part to go about repaing. I don't really know if this is a common problem or not with these guns. So if anyone has had the same issue I would love to know the outcome/problem.

Thank you

Jack[email protected]

Used gun?

Has the rear coil of the trigger return spring ... (long coil spring on top/right side of sear housing block, running lengthwise with frame) ... been dislodged from the notched tail of the trigger bar? Is the front coil of the spring sitting in the groove of the sear housing block? Does the spring appear damaged?

The sear housing block itself is something that Walther doesn't even want its armorers trying to "repair". It's best to leave it to a Walther trained tech to diagnose, correct or replace the assembly when a problem with the sear housing block is suspected.

If the horizontal/rightmost lever on the left side of the inside of the block (SA sear, which contains a captured spring) has fallen out of the block and been replaced incorrectly, it can cause functioning problems. The SA sear lever and its spring may fall out of the block if the block is removed from the frame and tipped onto its left side, and the little pin that holds them falls out of the block. This can also happen when spare/repair sear housing blocks are shipped inside loose plastic envelopes. BTDT.

Replacing a sear housing block in a P99 Anti-Stress (or 990DAO) requires checking the striker travel distance in DA to make sure DA light-strikes don't occur because the striker is released too soon. This corrected in older guns by using a different trigger bar guide post.

FWIW, I've heard someone online report they experienced a broken sear housing block, right down in the corner where the guide post is located. Not sure how they managed to break it ... (Over-pressure event? Prying with a screwdriver where they ought not?) ... but the housing block is plastic, and can be broken under the wrong conditions.

Obviously, there's no way to know what's happening (or not happening) with a gun by discussing it online. Especially if someone tried to tinker with the gun without knowing how to disassemble it or replace parts. It might require a trip to the new Walther Arms company, as they handle import & repair for the 99 series now.

Thanks

I will check it all out again but the striker is not being let go when you pull the trigger. It comes out of the back of the slide when the trigger is pulled, just not released. yes, it was a used gun and lord knows what its background was

Sounds as though the trigger bar isn't being cammed down to release the striker. The trigger bar guide post is what cams the rear of the trigger bar downward as the trigger is pulled.

I'd wonder if either the wrong (too short) trigger bar guide post was in the sear block, or whether it was missing (including damage to the r/f bottom corner of the sear block that holds the post).

Walther P99 Story by John Schnaitman (jackgunspics) | Photobucket

Pics of the frame with trigger pulled and not. Maybe something can be seen or lack of

Thanks

jack

Appears blurry, if you cannot see it let me know please

Thanks for trying to help Fastbolt!!

Can't tell anything from the pics. The ejector is blocking the view of the trigger bar guide.

Here are a couple pics of 99 sear blocks for the AS guns. I've circled the trigger bar guides. They're the small steel posts with the semicircular heads (facing downward) that rest against the top of the trigger bar.




If you look at the frame from the front/left, into the top of the mag well, you ought to be able to see under the right/bottom corner of the top of the sear housing block, where the trigger bar guide is located.

It will be sitting on top of the trigger bar. As the trigger bar passes under it, the angle of the trigger bar causes it to cam downward as it rubs underneath the trigger bar guide.

If it's missing, that would explain why the striker isn't being released, because the tail of the trigger bar isn't being depressed and releasing the striker.

It could be missing for a couple of reasons. The previous owner tinkered with the sear housing block, or damage occurred to that spot of the SHB and the post was broken away.

If it's present, the gun really needs to be inspected by a Walther tech to see what's happening with the firing mechanism.

If it's just missing, and the SHB hasn't been damaged, a new one of the correct size will have to be installed.

If the SHB has been damaged, a new SHB of the correct design will have to be installed and checked for function. There were subtle changes to the frames over time, and the dimensions of the SHB's changed (as you can see in the pics). The proper fit of a SHB in a particular frame, and normal function of the SHB (including checking for striker travel in DA mode), needs to be checked by someone familiar with working on them.

Thanks alot! I dont even see a post. all I know is if I pull the trigger and push the trigger bar just ever so slightly towards the center of the mag well it will fire every time. So I guess that is the problem!!

I can clearly see the whole post when the slide is off my SW9940 frame, and I look at the r/front of the sear housing block, where the trigger bar enters it. The post rests atop the rear of the trigger bar, underneath the overhanging "arm" of the upper/right corner of the SHB. A light may help see that spot, especially if the post and the trigger bar are blackened from light fouling.

If the post is actually missing, it's obviously a problem.

FWIW, the newer sear housing blocks, like for the PPQ, use a new design SHB that no longer uses a trigger bar guide post. Instead, the SBH now has an adjustable lever that serves the same function as the older style guide post. The lever can be adjusted, though, instead of having to use different height posts to achieve release of the striker at the right point in its travel. The new style of SHB can't be used in an older style frame, as the lever won't fit inside the older style frames.

If the post is missing, you probably ought to call Walther Arms and ask about the gun being inspected and repaired. Bear in mind that the standard Walther warranty for the original owner is only 1-year (although the PPQ was still limited lifetime, last I looked), though, and the SBH can be a pricey assembly (plus cost of shipping and labor).

Best to let a Walther tech handle the repair.

Fastbolt said:

the SBH can be a pricey assembly (plus cost of shipping and labor).

Best to let a Walther tech handle the repair.

Click to expand...

Seems reasonably priced to me
https://www.gunpartscorp.com/Products/1288390.htm

bigggbbruce said:

Seems reasonably priced to me
https://www.gunpartscorp.com/Products/1288390.htm

Click to expand...

I've also seen/heard of some very inexpensively priced SHB's advertised by non-factory vendors. When Walther was shipping parts to S&W's Walther America, the retail cost of the SHB was close to $100.

I don't see where the current Walther Arms company even lists spare parts for retail sale, but it might be there and I just didn't see it, I suppose. I wouldn't be surprised to learn they consider most parts to be restricted to company techs, though. (I didn't see where they even list a police armorer training program on their website, either.) I haven't needed to call and ask the new company/importer to see if I could buy parts from them (other than recoil/mag springs) as someone who has been trained as a SW99/P99 armorer a few times, back when S&W had their alliance with Carl Walther. Fortunately, I stocked up on some various parts when they were still available from S&W & their Walther America subsidiary.

I only know of one guy who tried to install one of the advertised, inexpensively priced SHB's, and he reported it didn't work in his particular gun.

There have been some subtle revisions and refinements of the 99 frames over the years. The dimensions of the SHB's have changed because of some of the changes in the frames. The SHB sleeves (hollow tube in lower end of housing) have changed in length, too.

Even if a SHB can be installed into a frame, presuming it's the right configuration (and caliber) for the particular vintage of the frame, proper functioning still has to be checked. There are different trigger bar guide posts a Walther tech (or armorer) may decide are necessary to use to obtain the desired "travel" of the striker so it's within the intended range (before release in DA & DAO mode). The striker travel may have to be reduced or increased, requiring a larger or smaller trigger bar guide post.

I've been told by a Walther tech (for the previous Walther America company) that the "standard" guide posts for the particular model (different in AS & QA models) usually provide for normal functioning in most guns, but proper function stills needs to be checked and confirmed. For example, a DA light-strike problem might (not very often) occur in an AS gun with the wrong spec post.

Naturally, as luck would have it, that happened with one of my own SW99's several years ago, and even as an armorer I had to discuss it with a Walther tech in order to identify and resolve it. It didn't happen often enough to be mentioned in the armorer classes of that time, apparently, and I had to make some calls. That gun ended up needing a different trigger bar guide post (to increase the travel before the striker was released in DA) for normal function. It's been fine for several thousand rounds since then.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that just because some of the ever-growing lineup of modular plastic pistols has resulted in more availability of some parts being available in the aftermarket sources, just being able to find/buy the parts doesn't mean they can simply be 'dropped in' any and all guns without some knowledge on the part on the owner/user regarding how to check for proper fit, operation and function.

Sometimes even in "parts is parts" guns an occasional part, or assembly, may not work as intended in one particular gun, but may work normally in any number of other guns of the same make/model. Sometimes it may take trying more than one part/assembly in a particular gun in order to find one that works according to spec in that gun.

Knowing how to check and recognize fitment and functioning problems can quickly become important in helping prevent functioning and safety issues.