Which one Walther 99,SW 99 or beretta 96, .40 or .45 cal? please help me pick.

[BLACK Z]

Hi, I am looking at the walther 99,sw 99 or the beretta 96, in either .40 or .45 (the 96 is only a.40 I know) which one which cal and the pros and cons of each. I will get them with night sites. this is not for a duty weapon.

[dmclark]

Why these 3? I'm not excited about any of them? Do you have to select one of these for a real reason? DM

[BLACK Z]

I happen to like these ones, I am open to other suggestions with a link to picks. thanks

[dmclark]

Are you carrying it or just want it for home defense?

[MakeItHappen]

Hi, I am looking at the walther 99,sw 99 or the beretta 96, in either .40 or .45 (the 96 is only a.40 I know) which one which cal and the pros and cons of each. I will get them with night sites. this is not for a duty weapon.

hmmm, well the SW99 is a joint effort between Smith & Wesson and Walther. It's part of their "Strategic Alliance" campaign. And the walther 99 is just that, a Walther, IMHO, not to fond of any Walther

as far as Smith & Wesson, big fan of their revolvers, not pistols

as far as the beretta, I leave that up to the members who have actually shot one and are more knowledgeable than I

DM is right, what is your intended use?

[jnhdrac]

I just was issued a SW99. I would not have bought that particular gun, but I am happy enough with it since it was issued to me. I like the magazine release. It definitely takes some getting used to, but I have had several cases on my previous issue pistol (also SW) where the magazine release button had gotten pushed with the gun in the holster, meaning the magazine was unseated. I also like the decocker button on top of the slide instead of on the side of the slide.

[kennethm3]

I'm not a big fan of any of them, especially after reading a review of the Walther/S&W (same gun, different flavors but the S&W manages to fire looser groups because of sloppier manufacturing tolerances). I've carried a Beretta 96D as a duty weapon, big, heavy, accurate, but a 4000 round gun with hot loads. I have though had my eye on a 96 Elite II, a tack driver but not really a duty gun, something I want for fun. Have you looked at HKs, SIGs, Glocks?

[dmclark]

I'll be outfront here and state I don't like any of your choices. First, MakeItHappen has already hit the nail on the head regarding S&W pistols. I'm not a fan of their quality or longevity. There is a REASON that they are not issued by DEA/FBI and that's because they won't pass the tough testing required for contract purchases.

Walther and Smith are jointly producing the 99 and both have their problems. IMO, Walther is living off its old name and hasn't done anything cutting edge in decades.

The Beretta I will leave to the USBP folks on the board. Many refer to it as the "Italian Tomahawk" and the "Low Bid Gun" for DOD.

In an arena of great Sig, Glock and H&K pistols, you've got to look at some better choices. Pick a caliber you like and then we can discuss options. But do some research on all three brands. DM

[OSUAlumini]

I have to play the devil advocate. I love the Beretta. I carried a Beretta 92FS 9mm for over two and a half years and I would trade my duty SIG 229 in 40 cal. for a Beretta. ( I know sounds warped) A guy from my old agency has 96G that I shoot on a regular basis and I enjoy shooting it. I went to a mixed police academy and another agency that was there was carrying the Beretta 96D. It was DAO and it handled that hot .40S+W rounds superbly and made it feel like shooting a +P 9mm.

I am not sure what size Beretta you are looking for but the Beretta Brigadier or the Elite II are very nice.

The main problem is that they are a big and heavy duty weapon.

I am not to fond of Smith and Wesson, and I am not familiar with the Walther.

[MDFed]

No experience with the S&W. That said...

I really like the feel of the Walther P99, but it ends there. The quality just is not there.

The Beretta 96 is not a bad handgun. I have tried it out (also owned a 92) and is not too bad. It is a bit heavy, but it can shoot a fairly tight grouping. I think I still have negative feelings about Beretta after owning the worst model they ever made (9000).

Unless you realy like one of these models, I would also give Sig, HK, or Glock a try. If you like the P99, you should try the HK P2000 - you likely won't go back to the 99.

[JEL486]

I owned/carried a 92G for several years. It shot very well and never had a malfunction. I was issued the BP 96D and, while I wasn't thrilled with the trigger, it still was very reliable and accurate. I will agree with everyone else that, with all of the other choices out there you could probably come up with a better short list. If you are going to use the weapon for home defense only, go to Wal-Mart and buy an 18 or 20 inch Remington 870 or Mossberg 500 for $250. If you need a weapon to carry and this is your list, my vote goes for the Beretta. You could probably go to a local gun store and handle or even fire a wide variety of weapons. That would be a better way to select a weapon for carry.

[BLACK Z]

I own plenty of guns, 40 plus, I am looking for a new pistol ( I don't have to many) I like the look of these I am only buying to add to my collection, I use a glock 23 for duty and off duty. If any one has any pics of the above pistols please post Thanks

[BLACK Z]

Does anyone have pic's of the sig's and hk the ones that will fit in with these?

[kennethm3]

Just go the their respective websites; sigarms dot com and hkusa dot com. The models you should look at are theSIG P229 and maybe the P226 in .40. I am not a fan at all of .45 but if that is something that tickles your fancy than the SIG P220 is worth a look. I have owned both the full size HK USP and the Compact in .40S&W. If it was my money I'd take a really hard look at the HK P2000 in .40S&W. I think it is as close as you can come to the ultimate carry pistol, ampidexterous controls, can be made to fit any hand, small, smooth edges, powerful, and idiot-proof with the LEM trigger group. If you have to have a .45 HK than they have an excellent tactical model that'll leave you drooling.

[BLACK Z]

Can you explain the diffrent triggers? and what model gun is what? the one I held you could pull the trigger and it would lock back half way.