P99 and +P+'s, OK?

[Rockets]

Is the P99 9mm rated for +p+ ammo?

Thanks,

Rockets.....

[Xander27z]

i was looking at the Speer Gold Dot 124 gr. +P ammo yesterday and was wondering the same thing.... ;Q

[wwsnyder]

According to the manual "no".

http://www.gunpix.com/gallery/Handguns/Semi-Autos/p99_ammo.JPG

Actually this seems to say, do not use handloads loaded to +P levels.

The SW99 manual has a note in it not to use +P ammo in certain revolvers made prior to 1958. Nothing specific to SW99. However +P+ should not be used in any S&W firearm.

[Mnukedude]

Originally posted by wwsnyder
According to the manual "no".

http://www.gunpix.com/gallery/Handguns/Semi-Autos/p99_ammo.JPG

Actually this seems to say, do not use handloads loaded to +P levels.

The SW99 manual has a note in it not to use +P ammo in certain revolvers made prior to 1958. Nothing specific to SW99. However +P+ should not be used in any S&W firearm.

I was talking to a guy at S&W on Friday about this. In both our opinions, it seems clear that you should not load P-99's with +P loads, according to the instructions. On the other hand, the P-99 was originally designed for German police duty use, and half of any agencies that still use 9mm pistols will want to use a +P loading. Also, the pistol is available in .40SW, which easily puts as much pressure on a pistol as any 9mm+P load ever could. I can't believe Walther would build a modern pistol for this cartridge without taking this into account. The guy I was talking to couldn't believe it either, so he gave me the name of a guy who will be in to work at S&W on Monday who knows more about the weapon"s design, and he recommended I ask him. He agreed that while the instructions alone are pretty clear on the issue, this is still somewhat confusing because it is so unbelievable. He figures it may be an overkill attempt by the company to merely avoid liability issues, or that was his best guess.

[scatman]

Not being able to run +p ammo is a huge downside to this pistol design. I did not realize that when I purchased my P99.

[atlp99]

almost all european 9mm pistols are designed around the nato loading, which is closest to 124 grain +p. +p should be fine in a p99, mine has over 1000 rounds of 124+p and around 5000 rounds of non +p 115 grain with no problems.

[Mnukedude]

Originally posted by atlp99
almost all european 9mm pistols are designed around the nato loading, which is closest to 124 grain +p. +p should be fine in a p99, mine has over 1000 rounds of 124+p and around 5000 rounds of non +p 115 grain with no problems.

What you say makes sense. I tried calling the guy whose number I was given today, but only got his answering machine. I'll have to try again later.

[Mnukedude]

Okay guys, finally some word. To begin with, I called Ian Stafford at Smith & Wesson at 1-800-331-0852 ext 255, and continued to get his answering machine. (Fine, he's a busy man, I can live with that), I left a message yesterday and got a call back late yesterday afternoon from one of his people. (Actually he called earlier, and we had to play phone tag for a couple hours) I should have taken down his name, but I didn't (my credibility rating is now ;C ). Anyway, what I was told was that the concern over +P ammo as it relates to the P-99 is that a steady diet of +P could eventually warp the slide rails in the frame or tear them out. It isn't guarenteed to happen, but is a risk. He told me that +P is okay for use as a carry load in P-99's, that it should be able to handle the occasional beating of +P, but one shouldn't shoot this stuff day in and day out. I asked him about .40SW P-99's, and how they could handle that round (being that .40SW is by nature a "+P" round). He said I was correct, that .40SW does put a similar pounding on the P-99 to what +P 9mm would do. He doesn't know for sure (he wasn't an engineer on the design team) but he guesses that the .40SW frame rails may be reinforced, but he wasn't 100% on that. As far as I know, the frames for both weapons are identical. The only difference in the frame is the ejector. Still this explanation doesn't thoroughly explain why you can shoot .40SW at all in a P-99 (as the .40 ones would have to live on a steady diet of high pressure ammo). Although he did say if anyone offers .40SW+P ammo (georgia arms does), absolutely keep it away from you pistol.

Final analysis: Yes, you can shoot +P in your 9mm P-99, but do it only to rotate your carry ammo, and stick with the standard pressure stuff the rest of the time.

[Rockets]

Thanks all and sorry for the late thank you. I thought it should take +P’s at the least and I am sure it will speed up the wear on the gun so it’s a carry load. (Any +P is going to wear on a gun more than standard loads, it’s just a given) I will do as Mnukedude states as I do with my Glock 17, just empty out the old defense mag at the end of the season and maybe a mag during the season just to make sure I can shoot well with them. I shall do the same with the P99. Frankly there is no reason to blow Corbons downrange as practice ammo anyway other than a mag or two a year.

If the P99 is designed for Nato specs then the +P+’s that I have that gun tests report as an equal to a mid range 357 load fall right about at the Nato pressure ceiling for a 9mm. I’m not going to try it nor am I recommending anyone else does but I bet the gun can take it if not done often. But I won’t bet blowing up my gun or harming myself so it’s a bet in theory, not a bet I would take.

Once again thanks.


Rockets Out….

[russelldehart]

The warning was probably the product of S&W's legal department trying to head-off a lawsuit. You can count on some candidate for the Darwin awards to load a round to unsafe pressure levels with catastrophic results and he (or his widow) will try to collect from "the man" for his own stupidity.