I've never had one and am thinking maybe it's time.

Opinions one either ?

I assume they are both the same internally ?

Thanks.

Both are very excellent handguns.

Both guns will work well. The only real question is cost. In another thread, CDNN has the SW99 in .40 for $299. You probably won't find a P99 at that price. However, the P99 is still made and the SW99 isn't. If that bothers you, take that into consideration. The only other thing to look at is that the SW99 was also made in .45 and the P99 wasn't.

Either way you get a great reliable gun.

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J.D. Roy

I own both the .40 and .45 versions. Great guns and very accurate. You'll need to get used to the mag release. It is on the trigger guard and is ambidexterous.

Walther P99 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Only really shot one at a local gunrange once, seemed like a nice gun and the grip was great and almost a work of sculpture on its own, think it was an all german 9mm, square trigger guard, imported probably circa 1994, the kind Pierce Brosnan was using in Tommorow Never Dies in 97'

I did consider it as a possibile .40 cal gun at first (and as a replacment for a P38 that was stuck in repair for quite some time, not the guns fault though) as well but the modern smith and wesson connection put me off, plus I have heard of trouble with the P22, the baby p99 in .22 and the PPS (which comes in both 9mm and .40) and I was kind of worried that that might mean the P99 could have been affected as well.

I dont know if any of it is true thought but one of the people who mentioned having trouble with the p22 was the guy I now call pompus and fancy, nutinfancy on youtube, something about the trigger assembly coming apart on him but knowing him he probably did something stupid with it or he just got the 1 out of a 1000 lemon of the bunch which he's had happen to him with a ruger as well.

although considering my low opinion of the guy I guess it couldnt have happened to a nicer guy.

basically try and find the early all german ones if you can in 9mm and you'll probably have one hell of a long lasting gun on your hands, I wouldnt go for .40 though for my already previously stated reasons on the searching for a good .40 thread as the P99 is sized up to .40 not sized down, ditto with .45 acp.

although that being said it could be the exception to the rule in both .40 and .45 acp

I have both the S&W99 and Walther P99QA. They are virtual clones with the exception of the difference in triger mechanism and cosmetic differences in the slides. Both have been totally reliable with a wide variety of bullet weights and shapes and surprisingly accurate for short barreled 9mm's.

I owned a SW99 in .40 and I will say that is was a very nice weapon. It was my EDC for a long time and ate like a sumo wrestler at a buffet, meaning it ate it all. I never had a problem with it and the accuracy was great. It eventually was traded torwards a 1911.

Check out www.waltherforum.com

The P99 is highly regarded there.

I have the .40 S&W caliber version and it is, by far, the most accurate .40 that I have ever shot. Superb German engineering. Easy to field strip (like a Glock). Oh, and did I mention the accuracy? Unbelievable for a 4-inch barrel.....

spent some time shooting my buddy's new Walther PPQ a last week. i was absolutely impressed.
great ergonomics, crisp trigger, VERY accurate and ran 100% right out of the box.

I purchased a new (2010 production) German-made Walther P99AS 9x19mm. ealier this year to be used as a burn-up-cheap-nine-mil-ammo range gun. I liked the concept of the unique Anti-Stress trigger and am happy to report that it works well in practice, too. I just passed the 500 round point, a mix of 115gr. & 124gr. FMJ and JHP, standard and +P, in both the standard 15 round and factory extended "20" round (actually holds 22) magazines with ZERO problems. (I had originally been warned that some examples run better with 124 or heavier bullets, but had fine luck with the more common 115gr. stuff.)

Steve

Those German proof marks can be worth more, to some.

I bought a police trade in SW99 in .40 about a year ago and have shot the hell out if it with all manner of .40 S&W loads. Ranging from 135gr fireballs to heavy hitting 180s, mostly Federal HSTs and/or Winchester Ranger T. The thing has yet to jam! Accuracy is phenominal for a .40 or at least from what I've heard about .40 accuracy.
But what has really impressed me is how this thing shrugs off daily carry in humid environents, and general neglect! It just keeps on slinging lead and spitting brass!
It like the 3rd Generation Smith autos is a dependable weapon. One which Smith and Wesson gave up on too bloody soon! Dale

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"Long live the S&W 3rd. Gen.!"

I lusted after a Walther P99 9mm for a while---then a slightly used S&W SW99 in 45 ACP drifted by and I bought it. Fabulous pistol, frame made by Walther in Germany, top-end made by S&W here in the USA---really good shooter and Walther never came thru with their's in 45 ACP. My younger brother bought a P99 in 9mm---quality seems pretty close, but the Walther is finished just a touch better. Like 'em both, good luck picking one!

Walther has continued to develop and refine the 99 series since the time when S&W was producing their licensed versions (SW99 & SW990L) using Walther frames & parts (making only the stripped slide and barrel themselves).

While I'm an owner of a couple of the SW99's, and carried an issued SW9940 for a few years, I'd be very satisfied to own & use any of the current Walther offerings in the 99 series. I do tend to favor the Anti-Stress over the Quick Action (or even the DAO), but the new single action PPQ looks very interesting, too.

One of the nice things about the PPQ is that Walther has decided to offer American PPQ purchasers a limited lifetime warranty (instead of the usual 1-year warranty).

I also tend to favor the 99 when it's chambered in 9mm, myself.

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Ret LE Firearms inst & armorer

I have all three. The 9 and 40 are German, the 45 is only a half Teutonic. The 40 is the most accurate 40 I have used, particularly with 165 grain. The 45 only likes hardball 230s, and the 9 swallows anything. Dave_n