Posted: 6/27/2003 9:45:32 AM EDT
| Anyone got any opinions on one? I am well familiar with the line in general, just wondering about the .45 in particular. |
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In the photos of them I have seen, it appears that the extractor is either cast or MIM. The slide also appears to be cast, for what it's worth. My local gun shop also has one but I have learned that buying S&W autos new is a good way to lose money. Their resale value is for shit. |
So out of dozens of models, they hit upon two that are worthwhile? |
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I got a chance to handle one yesterday at the gun store. It felt pretty good in the hand with one exception. Since I like to take a high grip, the sharp edge under the trigger guard where the mag release rides would irritate my finger in short order. I think this is also the case with the Walther P99. I didn't think much of the trigger either. A squeaky, gritty mess in "DA" mode. I hate to say it but I prefer even the Glock trigger to this one. Aside from that, it was nice to see a metal mag with no "Clinton spacer" riveted to the bottom. If you are no fan of the Glock .45's, this one might be an acceptable substitute. Personally I believe I will wait for the .45 XD this fall. |
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[fingers in ears]Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na[/fingers in ears]
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I've owned one of the Smith and Walther 99/40's for about three years now and I LOVE THIS THING. I have ran several different types of ammo through it and NEVER had a single jam. And I've even tried to limp wrist jam it, just to see if it had that Glockcentric problem. Truth is it's just as reliable as my Glock 21 if not more so. I've replaced the factory sights with PT Nitesites (three dot, green front/orange rear.) The Ergonomics of the Smith and Wather 99/40 are in my humble opinion, the best of all the polymer framed pistols out there and this includes the H&K USP's and the SIG Pro's. The machine work on the Stainless Steel S&W slide is just as clean as H&K or SIG and the Dupont Melonite finish on mine does not even show holster wear on the edges after three years of constant abuse. (Wish I could say the same for my Glock, but it just would'nt be so.) If you want a lighle eye opener, just run a search on Dupont Melonite and read the specs on this stuff. Melonite is the toughest finish Smith has ever put to metal on one of it's pistols and it works. In fact H&K's new 2000 pistol will incorperate differnt sized pop-out and replace grip panels that look so much like the ones found on the 99's, that one can only assume that H&K knew a winning design feature when they saw it. A lot of people do not like the trigger on both the original Walther 99 or the S&W 99's, but I have found that the theory behind the Walther designed trigger is quite sound and simply requires training with the weapon once you actualy own one. Most of the people that diss the 99 trigger only picked it up and snapped it a couple of times down at the gun store and found that it took a little more training and thought than their 1911 or Glock (Hows that saying go," The glock is a great gun to go to the police academy with, because it's idiot proof enough for rookie's.) The S&W 99 on the other had is built for the officer that has spent a little more time behind the trigger (Lots of different triggers.) and can chew gum and shoot at the same time. In the S&W 99 series pistols, Smith has produced a world class combat semi-auto that is every bit as good as any of the Euro polymer guns. |