Home >> Collecting >> Gun Collecting

Differences in a Walther P99 & SW99

Smith and Wesson entered into an agreement to distribute Walther Pistols worldwide in 1999. The Smith and Wesson SW99 is a clone of the versatile Walther P99 pistol. Both have the same design and many of the same features. At a glance the two pistols appear identical, but several differences set the pistols apart in style and function.

Slide Serrations
- Slide serrations are thin vertical grooves cut in the side of the slide to improve a shooter's grip when manipulating the slide. The P99 has serrations behind the chamber that are cut from the top of the slide down to the frame on both sides. The SW99 has serrations behind the chamber as well, but it also has serrations on the front end of the slide, above the accessory rail. The SW99 serrations run only halfway up from the bottom of the slide.
Backstrap
- The back end of the grip on the SW99 can be removed and replaced with a smaller or larger backstrap to fit the hand of the shooter. The P99 does not have a removable backstrap; this was one of the improvements Smith &Wesson made to the Walther design.
Trigger Guard
- The SW99 has a smooth trigger guard that is oval-shaped. The P99 trigger guard has serrations on the front, and it is more squared at the bottom than the SW99.
Safe-fire Trigger
- The P99 has a safe-fire trigger that cannot be pulled unless the trigger safety is first depressed. A similar type of safety can be found on Glock pistols. The SW99 has only a standard safety.

Gun Collecting