Sometimes partnerships can bring the best out of us. Like the partnership of peanut butter and chocolate to make Reeses or my fan fiction with Robocop and Judge Dredd partnering up.
Occasionally, partnerships happen between gun companies to create better weapons.
Smith and Wesson and Walther are excellent examples of two companies coming together for mutual benefit. S&W became Walther’s primary importer of German-made firearms in the United States.
Walther produced several rimfire guns for S&W, and S&W manufactured American-made PPKs. They even partnered up to create a unique firearm.
Well, unique-ish…
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Enter the Smith and Wesson SW99
I say this gun is “unique-ish” because it’s essentially a Walther P99 with some S&W work done to it. Walther produced the frame, and S&W made the slide and barrel.
Like the P99, it is a striker-fired, polymer-frame pistol with a DA/SA action and manual decocker. Walther’s Anti-Stress two-stage trigger was used, as was the P99’s paddle-style trigger guard magazine release.
It’s an odd gun, but a nice one. The double and single-action triggers are both fantastic, with smooth pulls and a short, positive reset. S&W also increased the capacity of the 9mm version by one, bringing it to 16 total.
Overall it’s a well-thought-out design and is a duty-ready gun.
Why Partner Up?
It was the late 90s, and Glock ruled the roost. Everyone was trying to play catch up with the polymer frame wonder that was Glock.
S&W went as far as basically copying the Glock design with the Sigma series, which got them sued by Glock. Sprinkle in an out-of-court settlement, and S&W seemed to have soured on polymer frames and striker-fired mechanisms — at least for a few years.
In 1999 the S&W 3rd gen guns were ending their life cycles. The market for metal-framed DA/SA guns was drying up.
Instead of developing their own plastic fantastic, they teamed up with Walther, who had a proven design in the P99 but lacked a significant American market share.
S&W wanted to recapture law enforcement markets with the SW99. They had long held much of that market with their revolvers but were quickly losing sales as more departments adopted Glock pistols.
The SW99 presented an easy entry into the polymer-framed market.
The SW99 featured replaceable backstraps, which was a unique feature for the time.
A .45 ACP variant was also produced — a caliber that was never available in the P99. S&W made numerous variants, including a DAO-only model, a single action-only model, and a compact version.
Did It Succeed?
How do we define success? Did the SW99 take over the market? Sadly, no.
Only a few police departments picked the gun up, the most notable being the New Jersey State Police. Civilian market sales proved to be mediocre at best.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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The SW99 was an oddball in the market, and the gun industry rarely rewards oddballs. Striker-fired guns with a DA/SA system, a decocking button on the top of the slide, and a European-style magazine release weren’t too popular.
The death blow to the SW99 came in 2005 when S&W released their M&P series of automatic pistols. These pistols became the hit S&W always wanted. They went for a more standard approach to the polymer frame, striker-fired guns this time around.
Sadly, standard is what people wanted, and the M&P series remains the mainstay of S&W’s police and civilian market today.
In 2012 S&W and Walther broke up, but it was amicable. They went separate ways, and there was no bad blood situation by any means.
Final Thoughts
Even today, SW99 pistols remain relatively inexpensive, with most used copies ranging from roughly $350 to $500.
It’s a great pistol and is one of my hipster go-to options for concealed carry. With the future of the Walther P99 in limbo, the SW99 is an excellent alternative for someone looking for something different without paying for the Walther name.
Do any of you have experience with the SW99? Let us know in the comments below! Interested in the SW99’s parent gun? Check out our article about What Happened to the Walther P99.
14 Leave a Reply
The .40 SW-99 was my first semi-auto. I also own a 9mm. Both are great shooters and the 9mm is my primary home defense weapon. I have purchased P99 mags and they work great in both calibers. I've run every cheap ammo available over the years and they've thrown it all downrange without incident. This firearm may not be popular but I have no complaints about either of mine.
How do I find extra clips for my S&W 99?
Love the gun but need extra clips.
Mark C
Gunmag Warehouse is my suggestion. Last time I checked, they had some. Thanks for reading!
Proof that even a great gun is prey to consumer foolishness
I love my SW99 in .40. Have had it since 2006 and it was my first cc gun. I bought it because I wanted a P99 and discovered the SW99 was basically identical yet with a few S&W improvements.. I will admit the .40 is snappy like usual but the trigger setup is great. I also have the talon wrap around grips which help with control. Never has a single failure in operation while shooting. The only problem is as I have gotten older, the curve of the backstraps hurt my hand when shooting the .40, and I use the small backstrap. Sucks having a bit of arthritis and this is the only gun that does that to me.. :(...I dont carry it near as much as I used too. Have never had a problem with the backstraps "crumbling" as some have encountered. Even with the hurt in my hands, I would buy a 9mm if I could find one...
I love my SW99C .40! An aggravation has been finding parts & accessories. I'd like another pinkie extender plate for the one of four magazines that only has the flat plate. This week when I pulled the pistol out of an IWB holster at the end of the day, the backstrap on the grip crumbled into dozens of pieces. Gunsmiths don't want to touch it, so I ordered a couple backstraps from Walther Arms for a P99C; crossing my fingers and hoping they will fit. I'm wondering if I should have bought all the backstraps they had, because I have no idea what caused the original backstrap to suddenly fail without warning. When those parts arrive, I'll have to figure out how to remove the roll pin and put it back without destroying the new backstrap. I'd love to add laser sights, but how do I find something that fits? Any solutions, ideas and/or suggestions are welcomed.
I’m looking for a replacement backstrap myself. As far as laser I have a crimson trace that fits well
Sw99 was my first pistol. I have owned it since 2012. I was cleaning it up and removed the roll pins as the had some surface rust and thought I would clean the backstrap when it crumbled in my hand. Let me now if the p99 works for you. I have a crimson trace laser that fits well and has ambidextrous buttons
Did the parts work on the backstrap?
Mine has crumbled also, use in LEO position, I retired in 2014.Pruchased the S&W99.45cal in 2001.
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I have a SW99 .40 and love it. It fits my hand well, aims naturally, and has a superb trigger. (I took a concealed carry gun class and the instructors examined my SW99, when they handed it back one of them smiled and "I like that a lot, really nice trigger!"
I have a SW99 .40 and love it. It fits my hand well, aims naturally, and has a superb trigger. (I took a concealed carry gun class and the instructors examined my SW99, when they handed it back one of them smiled and "I like that a lot, really nice trigger!"
I still have my SW99 that I bought from a Washington State Trooper about 14 years ago. It shoots VERY WELL. I plan on keeping it until die. It is better than ANY GLOCK piece of junk out here on the market today. And I have two GLOCK junk guns. One is a .45 and the other is a 9mm. After firing, the all three, the SW99 is a far superior to those junky Glocks.
I've had a SW99 in .40 for ten or twelve years now. Never had any issues and I shoot it well. It fits my hand well and I really like the DA/SA trigger and decocker. Since it has no external safety I like the ability to chamber a round and carry in DA. My dad is a retired officer and shoots extremely well. He has shot mine once and I forgot to tell him about the trigger. He put his first round in the bullseye in DA and then put a hole in the target hanger while resetting his finger since it switched to SA.