Opinion on Walther Hand guns

[Kirk]

I own a Walther P99 but have had trouble finding holsters, magazines ect for it. Today I went to the Houston gun show and only 2 vendors had Walther hand guns.

Just wondering what the deal was.

[extremist]

Walther's are not very popular in the US because Walther/Umarex does very little to market them, and the importer, Smith & Wesson won't market them against their successful line of M&P Pistols.

Basically, Walther owners are aficionado's that appreciate the fine lines of the Walther P99s, PPS and P22 (not so much the PK380 ) and to find mags, holsters and such, you are going to have to shop online. The P99AS is a love/hate gun, the P99QA doesn't have as good a reset as the Glock does, the P99 DAO has a terrible trigger, and the introduction of the new PPQ has alienated a few die-hard P99 fans over at waltherforums.

The PK380 had a lot of bad reviews when it first came out, and still gets a few. The P22 has it's fans (me) and it's detractors. The PPK family had a lot of bad reviews once S&W took over manufacturing them under license and still doesn't get very favorable marks from Walther fans.

P5, P5 Compacts, P88s and P88 Compacts are strictly collector guns, as are the P1/P38 family.

Come on over to the http://www.waltherforums.com/vb/ and join your brethren for advice and such.

Best deal on mags right now seem to be the Magnum Research version.

Holsters? Well I have a Comtac from a few years back as well as a FIST holster. Both are nice.

I don't shoot my P99s as much anymore, as I favor my 1911s and for plastic, the Glocks I own.

But every once in a while I break out my P99, P99C, PPS or PK380 for a match.

Regards,
James

[CC Italian]

My brother owns a P22, it is a good gun. I have shot a PPK and PK380 and they also seemed high quality. They are now owned by S&W and I think they are and have been overpriced for years but are still a good gun. A lot of their new designs are similar to the S&Ws and the Smiths are cheaper. Also, the PPS was a cool idea but once again it was way to expensive.

[Kirk]

James,

Thanks. I register for the Walther board, looks like a ton of information.

Bob

[A-R]

I'm very impressed with my PPS 9mm. But only bought it because Glock doesn't make a single-stack 9mm. So the PPS was the closest I could get.

Not overly impressed with other Walther offerings, personally. Nothing wrong with them - P99 seems like a good gun. Just gets lost in the shuffle when EVERY manufacturer now has a line of polymer-framed guns. And no military/law enforcement presence (at least in the US that I know of) also means less supply of things like holsters etc.

Never shot a PPK. Always wanted one, but only because it's James Bond's gun. I have a list in my head of all the cool movie/TV show guns I'd buy if I won the lottery - but no plans to ever spend my own money doing so. Dirty Harry's blued S&W 29 and Vic Mackey's S&W 4506 also make the list

I really wanted to like the PK380 because it's a larger-frame .380 (compared to Kel Tec, LCP etc) that is NOT a blowback action design and thus thought it would be a good gun for my wife to learn on or to loan to female CHL students. But the lack of a decocker or slide lock really turned me off, especially for a gun I intended to use as a training tool for beginners. I don't like the idea of a beginner shooting through half a mag, then not knowing what to do with the gun when there is a round in the chamber and the hammer is back. Yes, I know the safety can be engaged, then the hammer lowered manually, but that's a lot of steps for someone who may be skittish around guns to begin with. IMHO, that's a huge mistake on Walther's part not to put the decocker on that gun. Slide lock not as big a deal, but still annoying not to have one on a nice name-brand gun.

[yerasimos]

My first handgun was an Interarms-era Walther P99, chambered in 9mm. I give kudos to their engineers for recognizing the good characteristics of the Glock and implementing some of these ideas into a Walther product. The gun was factory-proofed in Germany (proofmarks on frame, slide and barrel), which indicates attention to quality control, and the overall design is aesthetically pleasing. Furthermore, this was one of the first handguns to come with interchangeable backstraps. And for better or worse, it had the James Bond cachet.

For me, though, the gun's trigger reach was greater than optimal, hampering good marksmanship, and the DA/SA trigger pull complicated dryfire and training. Furthermore, the availability of accessories was somewhat limited.

Fast forward a few years. I first encountered Smith & Wesson's M&P handguns at the 2006 Texas CHL Forum day. My first impression of the M&P was it looked strange in comparison to Glocks and butt-ugly compared to the Walther P99. Later, I handled an M&P and observed that its fit and finish were less refined than my Walther's. However, I tried to be open-minded and thought pragmatically about what I wanted and needed from a handgun. Taking into account the lower cost, better ergonomics (including the shorter trigger reach and P99-inspired interchangeable backstraps), single trigger pull, simpler manual of arms, domestic manufacturing and comparatively widespread availability of spare parts and accessories, I switched to the butt-ugly, derivative M&P and have not looked back since, except to occasionally flirt with the idea of switching to 1911s chambered in .45 ACP. To this day I believe this was one of the best decisions I ever made.

[extremist]

They are now owned by S&W and I think they are and have been overpriced for years but are still a good gun.

No they are NOT owned by S&W. S&W is the primary US Importer and that is why you see their name stamped on each and every Walther you encounter in the US now. They are owned by the Umarex Conglomerate: http://www.carl-walther.de/index.php?co ... nternehmen" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

There have been a several importers in the past, mainly Interarms, Inc, but if you are interested in the various P99 importers (and markings) since it's introduction, you can head over to my P99 FAQ I co-authored with Ken Lunde and check it out:

http://www.gunfaqs.org/P99FAQ/index.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (Full FAQ)
http://www.gunfaqs.org/P99FAQ/IV/2.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (Import Markings Q/A)

Overpriced? Well you can blame that on the US Dollar my friend. It doesn't go so far as it used to. Exchange rates with the Euro are not that favorable. That's why H&K and Walthers cost more than S&W M&Ps.

Regards,
James

[Texas Size 11]

I have a P22 and love it. It is a great little gun to shoot. On the other hand, I don't really go all out looking for items for it since it is a more of just a plinker that I can shoot for cheap.

[Bob Wolff]

I own several P99s, use it in IDPA and 3 gun.

Just bought an IWB holster from SETH's Gun Leather with IWB magazine holder.
They were very good to deal with. Leather work is very good and holster retains weapon well and is comfortable.

http://www.sethsgunleather.com
Bob

[cougartex]

OWB holster for Walther P99.

http://www.jbpholsters.com/servlet/the- ... TER/Detail" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[alvins]

i bought a 9mm pps because i dont like glocks. the pss is a great gun and mine is very accurate unlike my fathers glock.haha

[surprise_i'm_armed]

Aren't Walthers the ones with:

1. the manual safety which is "safe" in the opposite position from most guns?

and

2. the mag release in some quirky place on the trigger guard?

SIA

[extremist]

Aren't Walthers the ones with:

1. the manual safety which is "safe" in the opposite position from most guns?

Yep, the PP/PPK series has the safety where up is fire, down is safe, just like the Armed Forces standard sidearm, the Beretta 92F. (Walther invented it in the 30s )

Some of the guns that follow this pattern besides the PP/PPK and Beretta 92F series are:

- HK 4
- HK P9S
- Walther P22
- Walther PK380
- Walther P1/P38
- S&W Classic Series 39/59/439/459, etc.
- Original Ruger P9 series.

and

2. the mag release in some quirky place on the trigger guard?

SIA

Yep, just like the H&K P7 (the first gun to have it) and most HK's now.

Something about those Germans and their efficiency

Regards,
James

[92f-fan]

I had a P22 for a short time and didn't like it
It wasn't accurate and wasn't reliable - Even for a 22
It looked cool but
It wasn't a good enough gun to occupy safe space near the Browning Buckmark so I sold it

For the cost I had higher expectations

[CC Italian]

I stand corrected, S&W is just the importer but I do know that S&W does or did make some guns that were Walthers that were made for the U.S market. Also, a few of the models for both have parts made from both companies. I don’t know which models but I do remember my gunsmith telling me that there where several guns that were joint ventures for the U.S market. I know the PPKS is or until recently was made by S&W for the Walther American market.