Current Value on a SW 990L 40 Caliber
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They were built by Walther for Smith & Wesson, it's basically a Walther P99.
If I remember it correctly, this was a transitional pistol done because S&W first plastic frame pistol too close a copy of a Glock, and Glock sued them over copyright infringement.
Smith & Wesson lost, but needed a pistol to sell while they developed the M&P line.
Or so I have been told.
As for me, I dislike plastic pistols, but that is me, and many people own and shoot them so they must work.
If you like it, it should be a well made one, take it out and blast away.
If I remember it correctly, this was a transitional pistol done because S&W first plastic frame pistol too close a copy of a Glock, and Glock sued them over copyright infringement.
Smith & Wesson lost, but needed a pistol to sell while they developed the M&P line.
Or so I have been told.
As for me, I dislike plastic pistols, but that is me, and many people own and shoot them so they must work.
If you like it, it should be a well made one, take it out and blast away.
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ColbyBruce
Member
There is a nice used one with the box (black, not matte stainless) in a LGS for $400.00.
grcoffman104
Member
I saw a report that smith no longer warntees the smith logo ed Walthers? Having no dog in this fight don't want to crack wise.
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That really is not a issue with me , I have owned many s&w firearms and never had any reason to send 1 in for any kind of service, when this pistol was new its was well over 500 bucks , you had 2 great companies that produced this pistol so warranty is not an issue to me, Thanks for your input
mrchuck
Member
I own and shoot a SW40c which was the "copied Glock" that Glock sued S&W over,,, and Glock won this lawsuit 100% and just about put S&W out of business.
It shoots perfect and was always a reliable duty firearm!
It shoots perfect and was always a reliable duty firearm!
Fastbolt
Member
Man, lots of weird rumors always seem to surface about the Glock v. S&W disagreement when the original Sigma was developed. Suffice to say that S&W wasn't almost put out of business. The financial settlement amount was never publicly released, but listening to the unofficial comments made by S&W people thereafter, it was more about the company agreeing to change part of the (Glock) design in their Sigma, than about any significant financial settlement. Remember, it was a settlement, not an "award", too, as the civil case didn't go to trial.
Anyway, the SW990L is a different gun than the SW990 (or the Walther P990, or P99DAO, as it was later renamed).
The SW990L is essentially a S&W version of the Walther P99 QA (Quick Action), but with a significant difference.
While the P99 QA has a small striker "field-stripping button" (releases the pre-cocked striker, for disassembly), S&W engineers (for whatever reason) decided to have their QA-type action 990L lack the decocking button, which meant the trigger would have to be pulled on an empty chamber in order to field-strip the pistol. (This was like field-stripping their Sigma.)
They made another odd variation, the SW99NJ, but that was only at the request of the agency, and reportedly against the recommendation of S&W engineers, but that's another story.
In a SW99/P99 armorer class, just prior to the release of the SW990L, as I recall, we were told the company was considering naming their new 990L the 990 "Lightning", because of it's "quick" trigger. ("Lightning" being close to the "Quick" of the P99's Quick Action, perhaps?) Anyhow, once the model was out, I never heard it called anything but the SW990L. Rumor or water-cooler talk before the release, maybe? Dunno.
Now, while the SW990 ("True" DAO, meaning no pre-cock condition) was mentioned in the armorer classes and the owner manuals, I never saw one. It almost seemed like the company had some tentative plans to make a licensed copy of the DAO version, but didn't take it to full production? Again, dunno, and it was never really explained in the armorer recert classes.
I didn't care for the SW990L, myself, as the trigger was only a little lighter than DA trigger of the standard SW99 (essentially the Walther AS, or Anti-Stress mode), and heavier than the SA trigger of the AS mode models. It had a longer mechanical trigger reset/recovery than the SA mode of the standard model, too. I always preferred the standard (AS) mode, which is why I own a SW9940 and a SW999c, myself.
Anyway, the SW990L is a different gun than the SW990 (or the Walther P990, or P99DAO, as it was later renamed).
The SW990L is essentially a S&W version of the Walther P99 QA (Quick Action), but with a significant difference.
While the P99 QA has a small striker "field-stripping button" (releases the pre-cocked striker, for disassembly), S&W engineers (for whatever reason) decided to have their QA-type action 990L lack the decocking button, which meant the trigger would have to be pulled on an empty chamber in order to field-strip the pistol. (This was like field-stripping their Sigma.)
They made another odd variation, the SW99NJ, but that was only at the request of the agency, and reportedly against the recommendation of S&W engineers, but that's another story.
In a SW99/P99 armorer class, just prior to the release of the SW990L, as I recall, we were told the company was considering naming their new 990L the 990 "Lightning", because of it's "quick" trigger. ("Lightning" being close to the "Quick" of the P99's Quick Action, perhaps?) Anyhow, once the model was out, I never heard it called anything but the SW990L. Rumor or water-cooler talk before the release, maybe? Dunno.
Now, while the SW990 ("True" DAO, meaning no pre-cock condition) was mentioned in the armorer classes and the owner manuals, I never saw one. It almost seemed like the company had some tentative plans to make a licensed copy of the DAO version, but didn't take it to full production? Again, dunno, and it was never really explained in the armorer recert classes.
I didn't care for the SW990L, myself, as the trigger was only a little lighter than DA trigger of the standard SW99 (essentially the Walther AS, or Anti-Stress mode), and heavier than the SA trigger of the AS mode models. It had a longer mechanical trigger reset/recovery than the SA mode of the standard model, too. I always preferred the standard (AS) mode, which is why I own a SW9940 and a SW999c, myself.
I Totally agree with your comments on this pistol , could this be why it did not become a big hit for Smith and was discontinued, I know in 1990 it had a high selling price.Man, lots of weird rumors always seem to surface about the Glock v. S&W disagreement when the original Sigma was developed. Suffice to say that S&W wasn't almost put out of business. The financial settlement amount was never publicly released, but listening to the unofficial comments made by S&W people thereafter, it was more about the company agreeing to change part of the (Glock) design in their Sigma, than about any significant financial settlement. Remember, it was a settlement, not an "award", too, as the civil case didn't go to trial.
Anyway, the SW990L is a different gun than the SW990 (or the Walther P990, or P99DAO, as it was later renamed).
The SW990L is essentially a S&W version of the Walther P99 QA (Quick Action), but with a significant difference.
While the P99 QA has a small striker "field-stripping button" (releases the pre-cocked striker, for disassembly), S&W engineers (for whatever reason) decided to have their QA-type action 990L lack the decocking button, which meant the trigger would have to be pulled on an empty chamber in order to field-strip the pistol. (This was like field-stripping their Sigma.)
They made another odd variation, the SW99NJ, but that was only at the request of the agency, and reportedly against the recommendation of S&W engineers, but that's another story.
In a SW99/P99 armorer class, just prior to the release of the SW990L, as I recall, we were told the company was considering naming their new 990L the 990 "Lightning", because of it's "quick" trigger. ("Lightning" being close to the "Quick" of the P99's Quick Action, perhaps?) Anyhow, once the model was out, I never heard it called anything but the SW990L. Rumor or water-cooler talk before the release, maybe? Dunno.
Now, while the SW990 ("True" DAO, meaning no pre-cock condition) was mentioned in the armorer classes and the owner manuals, I never saw one. It almost seemed like the company had some tentative plans to make a licensed copy of the DAO version, but didn't take it to full production? Again, dunno, and it was never really explained in the armorer recert classes.
I didn't care for the SW990L, myself, as the trigger was only a little lighter than DA trigger of the standard SW99 (essentially the Walther AS, or Anti-Stress mode), and heavier than the SA trigger of the AS mode models. It had a longer mechanical trigger reset/recovery than the SA mode of the standard model, too. I always preferred the standard (AS) mode, which is why I own a SW9940 and a SW999c, myself.
Fastbolt
Member
The SW99 did well enough for the company, and the eventual replacement, the 990L, did okay (I'm told), but they had to rely on getting everything except the stripped slide and barrel from Walther.
Also, from what I was told now and again, Walther was never really all that interested in supporting a lot of American advertising for their own P99 series, which probably didn't help the licensed version being made by S&W.
It's little wonder S&W eventually decided to create the M&P pistol project.
At one point I was told that a rumor at the company indicated they might be willing to continue making the SW99/990L series as a mid-range plastic pistol (with the Sigma remaining as the budget line and the M&P as the flagship), but that obviously didn't work out.
Instead, the SD pistol line was an interesting surprise, being positioned between the Sigma and the M&P. I never really learned much about the SD, though. When I asked about an armorer class for it one time, I was told the SD had only been planned for commercial sales, and not for LE/Gov use, so an armorer class wasn't planned for it. Then, the SD and Sigma lines were eventually sort of rolled into one less costly line for commercial sales.
All this information is great , but what is the current Blue Book Value on the sw990L
Fastbolt
Member
No idea. Used guns generally lose value pretty quickly, and plastic ones probably more quickly than all-metal ones. (Try trading in your prized little-used Glock at an annual Glock Days sales event, and see what they offer for it.
)While knowing the original MSRP probably makes some people feel like they have a frame of reference, a used gun is probably worth no more than the "general market" is willing to pay for it in any geographical location.
I can't remember what I paid for my SW99's back about 2000-'02ish, brand new (under the former armorer purchase program), but I think it was less than $400 each. I can still buy a brand new G26 or G43 for a little under $400 to $425 (my last G26 was $389, in 2010), and a Shield 9 for about the same price, (last I looked), so I'd not pay close to that for a LNIB SW99 (but that's me).
Still looking for someone to give me the current Blue Book Value listing on price , it seams to be the bible most look at and than offer a percentage off that.No idea. Used guns generally lose value pretty quickly, and plastic ones probably more quickly than all-metal ones. (Try trading in your prized little-used Glock at an annual Glock Days sales event, and see what they offer for it.
While knowing the original MSRP probably makes some people feel like they have a frame of reference, a used gun is probably worth no more than the "general market" is willing to pay for it in any geographical location.
I can't remember what I paid for my SW99's back about 2000-'02ish, brand new (under the former armorer purchase program), but I think it was less than $400 each. I can still buy a brand new G26 or G43 for a little under $400 to $425 (my last G26 was $389, in 2010), and a Shield 9 for about the same price, (last I looked), so I'd not pay close to that for a LNIB SW99 (but that's me).
Fastbolt
Member
Looks like you can find out for $2.95 ...
Blue Book of Gun Values - SMITH & WESSON PISTOLS: SEMI-AUTO, CENTERFIRE MODEL SW990L
How badly do you want to know? Also, will it really matter if the local seller wants less, or more, for the particular gun being sold? What's it worth, to you, to own one? After all, it's not like S&W is making more of them.
Blue Book of Gun Values - SMITH & WESSON PISTOLS: SEMI-AUTO, CENTERFIRE MODEL SW990L
How badly do you want to know? Also, will it really matter if the local seller wants less, or more, for the particular gun being sold? What's it worth, to you, to own one? After all, it's not like S&W is making more of them.
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Well I called my local Gander MT. told them what I had and asked them if they could look up the value at 100% on this pistol , he was very nice and told me at 100% it showed 610 dollars, With that information I listed the gun on my local Armslist for 575 dollars , Within 2 hours got 3 calls on the gun , Sold it for 550 cash , Maybe this will offers others another avenue to look at other than a Forum , Have a Good Day , I Did.
Fastbolt
Member
Glad it worked out for you. It makes a lot of sense that a sporting goods store that sold/bought guns would keep a book like that, since they're in that business and would need to know that info.
5Wire
Member
MODEL SW990L
9mm Para., .40 S&W, or .45 ACP cal., DAO, SFO, 9 (.45 ACP cal. only), 10 (all cals. except .45 ACP), 12 (.40 S&W cal.) or 16 (9mm Para.) shot mag., similar to the Walther P99, black polymer frame with black stainless Melonite slide and barrel, 4 (9mm Para. cal. only), 4 1/8 (.40 S&W cal. only), or 4.25 (.45 ACP cal. only) in. barrel, black finish, approx. 25 oz. Mfg. 2005-2006.
Value: Grading
$610: 100%
$515: 98%
$450: 95%
$400: 90%
$350: 80%
$300: 70%
$275: 60%
Last MSR was $729.
Add $44 for .45 ACP cal.
from: Blue Book of Gun Values
The online subscription is inexpensive and easy to use, I totally reccomend it.
9mm Para., .40 S&W, or .45 ACP cal., DAO, SFO, 9 (.45 ACP cal. only), 10 (all cals. except .45 ACP), 12 (.40 S&W cal.) or 16 (9mm Para.) shot mag., similar to the Walther P99, black polymer frame with black stainless Melonite slide and barrel, 4 (9mm Para. cal. only), 4 1/8 (.40 S&W cal. only), or 4.25 (.45 ACP cal. only) in. barrel, black finish, approx. 25 oz. Mfg. 2005-2006.
Value: Grading
$610: 100%
$515: 98%
$450: 95%
$400: 90%
$350: 80%
$300: 70%
$275: 60%
Last MSR was $729.
Add $44 for .45 ACP cal.
from: Blue Book of Gun Values
The online subscription is inexpensive and easy to use, I totally reccomend it.
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