Which Would You Carry: SW99 in 40, SW99 in 9, or.....???

Redcoat3340

Redcoat3340

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So I just got two good deals on SW99s, one in .40 and the other in 9mm.
Both guns are great. Outstanding. Excellent triggers in both DA & SA, I really like the decocker (and long DA pull) for carry.
Both are about the same size as my Beretta PX4 9mm compact and both carry well (albeit not quite as well as my CS9 or CS45).
And I shoot them about the same, so accuracy isn't an issue.

So which one would you carry? (Logic says the .40 and dump the 9mm. But the 9 is such a nice gun (it's actually not a S&W but a Magnum Research version of the SW99/Walther P99) that I'm loath to sell it...and except for a 9mm Shield EZ there's nothing else on my wish list right now. (Although pressed I'm sure I could find something of interest, say a 2 or 3" .357?)

And to compound my "dilema" I've been fortunate to accumulate a few other carryable pistols: a 3914, 6909, Walther PPS, Sig compact 250 in 9 & 40, and a 4513TSW. And a 380 Shield EZ.

I can't conceive selling any of them...but it seems wasteful to just have then sitting in the safe. I do rotate through them, but I'd probably be smarter to focus on fewer guns and get more proficient with them than to carry five or six different ones.

So I'm wondering how other folks might handle too much of a good thing?
 
Do whatever you want to do. I have many carryable guns. 365, M&P 9C, HK VP9, RIA 1911, Glock 17, LCP, and several revolvers including my 3" 686+. But the 365 gets the nod every day. For me it's just right and it's instinctive. The others get taken out for range trips. But so does my 6" Model 17 .22. It's not a shame for it to sit in the safe until it's time comes. Same with the others. That said, they're your guns not mine. And if it scratches an itch you've had for something else, then maybe sell one. With 2 of basically the same gun, I might use the sale of one to afford a better example of another gun I wanted. Good luck with your choice.
 
Sounds like you have an MR9, correct? Great gun, but do you have a holster for it? It’s probably easier to find holsters for the SW99 or the OG Walther P99, and since they all have slightly different shapes a holster for one may not fit another.

Ultimately there’s no bad choice here, just preference of what caliber you like and what ergonomics you like better. I like 9mm more than .40, but .40 is ok too. I don’t think you can go wrong either way.
 
Redcoat3340 said:
I can't conceive selling any of them...
Click to expand...

So don't.

Redcoat3340 said:
but it seems wasteful to just have then sitting in the safe.
Click to expand...

No such thing as too much of a good thing. Apparently you don't need the cash they represent and it's unlikely they'll ever go down in value.

Pick a couple for your "carry rotation" and change it up over time.

My only thought on which to carry would be that I'd tend towards the most easily replaceable firearms. You list a number of guns I wouldn't want to lose to an evidence room.
 
I have a full size Walther P99 in.40 that I really like. It's an absolute laser for me.
The front sight was falling off when I got it new to me, so I replaced both front and rear. I'm not crazy about the rear sight though. It is too easy to bump out of alignment so it's just a range toy.

I wish I had purchased 10 8 sights for it before they discontinued them. I have them on one 1911 and my G20.
 
Keep one and carry. Having both is not a problem. If your wife is giving you a hard time explain in Minute Detail what the differences are. After a few minutes of that she will walk off saying what ever. then your good to go.
 
SW99 in .40 or 9 : My story

Nice find Redcoat !! I was at my LGS this summer, and one of the clerks let me know that they got in a used SW99... they know that I like the 1-3rd gen SW pistols, but I was curious about it so I went home and did my research. I called the store and had them hold it for me for another inspection. Went in the next day and asked to see all it came with. The barely used SW99 Had original blue plastic box docs and lock, backstraps, and wow, another barrel in 40 Cal, with 2 10 rd 9mm mags, and 3 10 rd .40 cal mags...WOW! I was not looking for another caliber but it was a bonus...all for $475.00 cash !! Took the sw99 to my range, Shot about 50 rds of 9 mm, then switched the barrel (same guide rod and spring) to .40 cal and man, for my first time shooting .40 (2nd actually first time was with a friends compact Kahr .40 which was horrible to shoot) what a great round .40 is, and the sw99 is incredibly accurate with either caliber 40 being a little snappier but not much. I carry it with the .40 cal barrel, and extra mag...on my hip as we speak. So glad to have this piece of history and even happier that it is a fantastic shooter and looks awesome. As far as carry, I rotate all my pistols which vary from my SW1911TA, 4506, 4 different 59 series, to my cs9 cs45 and sig365xl (which I bought originally for my edc). Carry what is comfy for you, I enjoy carrying them all even if some are more bulky than others... ENJOY your SW99 and don't sell it !!
 
I envy your collection. I wouldn't part with any of them. Too many nice guns have passed through my hands that I traded off thinking, "I'll get another one some other time", then they dry up and I can't find one anywhere.
The Sig 250's are the only ones I would let go of. I had a 9mm and never did like it much.
All the crazy politics we have in this country now, I'm hanging on to what I've got.
 
The P99 is a great design. The SW versions were just as good and offered more variety. In addition to 9 and 40 offered by Walther S&W added 45ACP as an option. That is the only version I do not have. Lovely weapons, easy shooters, accurate, great triggers (best of any polymer weapon I have ever shot), etc.
 

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Dump the 40, keep the 9. 40 is dead, & at work we’re buying plenty of 40’s from LE departments that are dumping them, & going with 9’s. Two extra rounds in a mag too. It seems you have more 9’s than 40’s, so just stick with one caliber, 9. GARY.
 
I’ve had my sw99 in .40 for 20 years ish now? A good gun for sure has served me well in some idpa and steel challenge when I was younger. I used to carry it quite a bit but have moved on. I do trust it and have it staged around the house now and then if I feel the need. By todays standards the plastic trigger feels cheap. I paid more for the gun new back in 2002ish than it’s worth on todays market, so I figure I’ll only lose money if I sell it on todays market.

As far as dumping a .40 for a 9 you have multiples of? No chance, consolidation is for suckers, diversification rules IMO.
 
I’ll take the .40 S&W over the 9mm any day. I like the 9mm, but the .40 is a better choice, for me. .40 S&W dead….not by a long shot!
 
Just a little update on this thread: Since I started it I picked up a .40 SW99 compact, which takes "short" mags and accepts the larger ones as well. That's now in the rotation as well, which kinda makes my Sig 320, 40 subcompact "surplus."
And, truth be told, I'm kinda casually looking for a 99 in .45. Why not own the whole set? (Now, if they had one in .380....!)
 
Redcoat3340 said:
Just a little update on this thread: Since I started it I picked up a .40 SW99 compact, which takes "short" mags and accepts the larger ones as well. That's now in the rotation as well, which kinda makes my Sig 320, 40 subcompact "surplus."
And, truth be told, I'm kinda casually looking for a 99 in .45. Why not own the whole set? (Now, if they had one in .380....!)
Click to expand...

It's a disease, I tell ya!:D
 
I had Walther P99s in 9 and 40 and the SW45 (which was never a Walther). Disposed of the 9 and 45 but the Walther (German made in toto) in 0.40 is still going strong. The early SW99s if I remember correctly had "issues" mainly their finish standards were nothing like their German forebears. Dave_n
 
If you were to part with the Magnum Research, the Walther P99 crowd shows interest in them to complete collections. They use the same mags and holsters normally interchange. SW99 compacts are definitely harder to find than the full size, that was a good find.
 
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