Are the S&W SW99s the same as Walther P99s?

Same except for manufacturer's marks and small stuff. If you want a German Walther P99: Earl's Repair Service is one of maybe two or three importers in the U.S. and has a fine gunshop as well. I bought a P99 there before the S&W99 showed up.

The main difference is that the P99 has a carbon steel slide and barrel that is tennifer coated. The SW99 is blackened stainless with a melonite coating.
S&W is only making the dao version of the SW99 at this point. The Walther is available in da/sa, dao or QA (quick action) which is precocked like a Glock.
As far as Earl goes a lot of Walther owners seem to have had some bad experiences with him. Also, his prices are usually quite high.
Try www.budsgunshop.com, they have the lowest prices for new P99s that I have seen on the internet.
Check out the Walther P99 FAQ

Ive held several of each.

I own a P99 so I'm biased.


The fit and finish on the SW99 just doesnt feel the same as the P99. And the slide for the SW is ugly.

P99 trumps SW99

They are almost the same. However, the Walther is the real deal and the SW is the knock-off.

The SW99 is not a knock-off. The frame is made by Walther, perhaps other parts. The slide is made by S&W. My SW99c is of excellent quality,

S&W and Walther had a partnership deal on the SW99 series, and now on the SW990 series.

"Knock-off" has a negative connotation. The SW99 series does not deserve such a label.

Only the SW99 comes in .45ACP! I'd call that an improvement, not a knock off

--wally.

S&W packages more of a variety of the design.

Here's one from the Bud's site:

Bud's prices are definitely low.

Another photo from a different site:


From the Walther site:


There are a bunch of pix on Ken Lund's site

I had an older, vanilla Walther P99 similar the middle photo, above. There were three distinctly different trigger positions on that gun: full double action, after decock, and reset. I found it confusing. The gun you handled may be an older version, too.

Never heard of any problems with Earl Sheehan. His shop is local for me and I see him at gun shows around here all the time. Pricey, yup. Connected to Walther big time.

ow I'm confused as to what's what. What I looked at today didn't look like this. It had a hinged trigger, and an all-around different look to it. And the mag release wasn't a lever like that at all, it was a button you push in, and it wasn't ambi but the guy told my you could switch it around if you were a lefty.

Click to expand...

To my knowledge there is no p99 or sw99 with a mag button release. I would guess maybe you looked at the M&P

Can anyone who has shot either the SW99 (DAO uh, O) or the P99c in 'quick action', describe the trigger pulls or shooting characteristics?

Click to expand...

quick action is a glock like trigger, dao is double action only of course, and AS (antistress) is pretty much a traditional double action trigger with the first shot being double action and the following single action

Not a problem, and probably a good thing - the M&P is a better pistol... .

HA!

M&P vs P99.


P99 wins!

Decocker, 2nd strike, easy take down, sexier.

modifiedbrowning

I'm pretty sure I've seen a S&W in DA/SA. To anwer the question, unless you're a navy SEAL and you're gonna be exposing it to salt water... Its the same thing. (If you are with "the teams" go with the Walther for its carbon steel slide) The biggest difference is that the smith says "Smith&Wesson" on the slide and it comes in .45ACP Now thats a sweet piece!!!

rbernie:

I really can't say if the Walther P99c/AS is a better pistol than the S&W MP series.. I've never held or fired an MP. I do have an excellent S&W 3913 I purchased new and it is a very good pistol. I have three J-frame S&W revolvers and I am well pleased with those also. My Airweight Bodyguard (638/wCrimson Trace Lasergrips) is IMO the perfect cc snubby..

Having said that I honestly have never owned a better all around pistol than my Walther P99c/AS. I have owned a Sig P239 since new for over a decade and thought it was just about the perfect combination for a cc compact, but the Walther is certainly equal to my all time favorite Sig, and in some ways, superior.

Everyone has different needs and expectations in a cc pistol/revolver. I'm a senior citizen, with declining vision, and less than steady hands.. My needs are absolute reliability and good accuracy at self defense range. I consider self defense range (for legal purposes) to be between 0-7 yards.. So I don't buy a cc compact pistol for long distant target shooting... I buy it to be compact, reasonably concealable, 100% reliable, and "center mass" accurate out to around 7 yards.

The target shown was shot from my first magazine shot thru my Walther P99c/AS from 5 yards.. I was just trying to see where the rounds would impact, and what adjustments I would need to make for needed corrections.. As you can see most of the rounds indeed inpacted "center mass". I shot two hands, free standing, cheap wwwb ammo.

The P99c/AS comes with an adjustable rear sight.. Four "optional" front sights are included with the pistol for elevation correction.. My pistol needed no horizontal/elevation adjustments. Additionally you have two backstrap options, and I replaced the medium with the small, and the pistol fit my hand perfectly. The pistol has the best mag. release setup I've ever seen. Each side of the lower portion of the triggerguard is a mag release lever.. It's incorporated into the trigger guard, and when I remove my index/trigger finger from the triggerguard it falls perfectly on the mag release lever.. Some folks might not like this design, I think it's great. Drop free mags. The decocker is on the upper rear left of the pistol and easily reached to depress for decocking, I like it, some don't. There is a red "cocked" indicator, and a red "round chambered" indicator.. Both features I like, some don't.

The AS trigger/striker setup is the best I've ever seen,period. You have a traditional da first round @ 8.8lbs.. The rest are SA @4.4lbs. You have a third choice of "long SA" in which you retract the slide just a bit from DA and you have a SA trigger @4.4, but with the longer DA trigger distance. The pistol has a fantastically quick reset, and 2nd strike capability.

The nearest pistol I can compare it to is the Glock 26. I had two Glock 26's in the past and IMO the Walther P99c/AS is like the Glock 26 on steriods, with all imperfections corrected.. I'm NOT knocking the Glock as I think Glocks are excellent firearms, but best used by professional leo's who train on a regular basis.. In the hands of the everyday non-profession I personally think the Glock trigger setup is a nd/ad looking to happen..

The Walther P99 series of pistols have a reputation for accuracy right out of the box, and my Walther P99c/AS certainly has been so.

I might add I can only speak for the AS trigger setup.. The other two types I'm unfamiliar with, but from what I read on various firearm forums the most favored type is indeed the AS version. I'm basically a DA/SA traditionalist, so what I prefer might not be what others would care for. I just don't care for DAO pistols.

My understanding is that the high capacity mags of the full sized P99's will work perfectly in the compacts, but 10+1 rounds of quality defense 9mm's is enough for my needs.

Again, I'm not knocking the MP as I don't know anything about it. All I can say is that for my needs the P99c/AS has exceeded my expectations and any of my friends that I let shoot it want to buy one.

Best Wishes,

J. Pomeroy

zahc:

If you don't care for the traditional DA/SA because of the "changing trigger pull" then all you do with the Walther P99c/AS is use the third option of pulling back the slide slightly (to cock) and then each round will be fired SA #4.4lbs.

When the pistol is "cocked in the long sa mode the trigger will pull back slightly and "set" at the SA position. It's a double stage trigger but if you chose you just pull the trigger and you have a 4.4lb pull.

I'm not trying to talk you into buying something you don't want or have no experience with.. I'm just saying that I've personally owned firearms for over 50 years, I've seen a lot of 9's come and go and the Walther P99c/AS is the pick of the litter for me. Before I bought my P99c/AS I would have said the Sig P239 was as good a pistol as I'd ever owned, so I'm pretty impressed with the Walther ..

I think S&W MP's have a lifetime warranty, and even the SW99 is covered by that too.. Thankfully S&W is building an excellent reputation for Customer Service, and If I were a young man worrying about "long term" warranty, then I would have bought the SW99 as opposed to the Walther P99c/AS.

But at 64 what might be my "long term" needs aren't the same as younger folks, so I encourage everyone to do what he/she thinks is right for him/her..

I think that Walther does a poor job of "selling" the P99 series of pistols in the U.S., and I can't understand why. My local dealer had to "find" mine when I was looking, as none were ever available in local gun shops for me to hold and "feel"..

You will probably run into 100 people who have MP's and are 100% satisfied with them compared to one Walther P99 owner.. I just enjoy having what "for me" seems to be a super pistol. I've always loved Walthers (I have a P1 & P5) so I got what I wanted.

Regardless of what you decide to purchase I do encourage you if you ever have the opportunity to check out the P99's, they are very good pistols.

Best Wishes,

J. Pomeroy

Sniper, S&W used to make a DA/SA SW99, afaik they only make the DAO now.

Zahc, when you load the P99 the pistol is in SA mode with the stiker fully cocked, but the trigger is in the forward DA position. A very light pull will set the trigger back to the normal SA position. This is the Anti-stress that AS stands for. When you hit the decocker the striker is uncocked and the trigger is at the heavier DA pull. If you now pull the slide back 1/8" the trigger resets to lighter SA pull but is still in the forward DA position.
Hope that makes sense.

modifiedbrowning:

Yeah.. what you said!

Best Wishes,

J. Pomeroy

PX15: Agree with you completely about the P99c AS. Truly an exceptional handgun, and unbelievably accurate for a compact. It's got to be one of the best factory SA pistol triggers in existence!

I just recently purchased a full size S&W 99 AS in 40 S&W. Can't brag on it yet, only 20 rounds down range.

James NM:

I'm always looking for my next pistol/revolver and if there is a SW99c/AS, I might start saving my play money for one..

I don't need another P99c/AS or S&W equivalent, but it would be nice to have one just to compare the differences between the two.. If any. Another thought is buying a full sized P99/AS to complement my compact...

I'm already bugging Joe at Crimson Trace to talk somebody into designing a set of their fine Crimson Trace Lasergrips for my P99c/AS, but I'm not sure the volume of P99's would warrant a set..

My Sig P239 w/Crimson Trace Lasergrips is marginally more accurate (for me) than the Walther, but I honestly think using factory sights only the Walther is the more accurate of the two..

I KNOW the trigger, mag release, slide release, decocker, "cocked" indicator, and "chamber loaded" indicator of the Walther are more to my liking. The Walther also offers two more rounds over the Sig..

That's a pretty good testamony from a guy who for the past decade thought his Sig P239 was the perfect cc compact pistol.. I STILL consider the Sig P239 to be a fantastic pistol, it's just that the whole package of the Walther P99c/AS is so perfect in the details that I have come to appreciate it beyond my wildest expectations.

Without sounding like a smart butt, I don't care who buys or likes or dislikes the Walther P99 series of pistols. You can't please all of the people all of the time, but it's hard for me to see how anyone with objectivity could handle and shoot one of these and not come away wanting one.

It seems that the AS version of the P99c is sorta difficult to come by now, so I'm very pleased I have MINE!

Best Wishes, & Happy New Year!

J. Pomeroy

Briefly - the SW99 is the exact same gun as the P99 A/S. Each is DA/SA, and it also has a 3rd option - A long SA pull for the 1st shot if U like. So, It's almost like a "triple action " gun.

There are fullsize SW99s and compact SW99s. But, they quit making the SW99 at the end of 2005.

Now, they only make the SW990L. It is the S&W clone of the QA Walther - only it has no decocker button at all. Both the QA P99 and SW990L have heavier trigger pulls.

While the Sw99 is no longer made, U can still get new ones - they are still floating around on some shelves...