P99 Mag

[SnakeEye]

I have a P99 mag from the lot that i recently bought thats different than all the others.
Its a MecGar and has the identical patent number as all my other mags,however

1st,and most disturbingly... it looks new. the plastic basplate is shiny new.
2nd, the P99 and walther logo on the baseplate face the opposite direction
3rd, It has a witness hole marked 16

all of my other 16 round mags only have witness holes to the 15th round.

 

[dreppucci007]

New design maybe? I have two original 16-round P99 mags from Walther that are Mec-Gar, and they both have 16-round witness holes. Maybe you got one like I have?

This post would probably work better in the Equipment forum.

 

[FPrice]

I had a P99 (which I sold) for which I had a mixed bag of pre-ban magazines. Some had 15-round witness holes while others had the 16-round hole. All looked brand new. Since this was during the AWB ban and none were marked, they all appeared to be pre-ban magazines. IIRC, someone said that the 16-round hole magazines were part of a Turkish (?) contract.

 

[Len-2A Training]

Moved to Firearms, Ammo & Equipment forum.

 

[cdkayak]

I had a P99 (which I sold) for which I had a mixed bag of pre-ban magazines. Some had 15-round witness holes while others had the 16-round hole. All looked brand new. Since this was during the AWB ban and none were marked, they all appeared to be pre-ban magazines. IIRC, someone said that the 16-round hole magazines were part of a Turkish (?) contract.

I think the it's the other way around, IIRC the 15s were part of a Turkish contract. The original mag capacity for the P99 9mm was 16. That has recently changed to 15 for factory mags with a slight rib up the side. There are different esplanations floating around for the change; difficulty inserting a full mag with closed slide, mag sidewalls deforming over time.

All my full capacity mags are 16 rounds (kept loaded) & I have had no problems with them.

CD

 

[SnakeEye]

i just dont want to be walking around with a newly manufactured Mag.
whic direction do the letters face on the baseplate of your 16 marked mag?

 

[cdkayak]

I'll try to remember to check them when I get home tonight.

I'll also try to post a couple of pics of any differences between the 'pre-ban' and new mags that I have.

CD

 

[Adam_MA]

When the Walther P99 was first introduced, the magazine capacities for the respective calibers were 16 (9mm) or 12 (.40 Auto) rounds. However, starting in 2004, Carl Walther has downgraded the capacities of both calibers by one round, making them hold 15 (9mm) or 11 (.40 Auto) rounds. The new 15-round 9mm magazines are easily distinguished by having the witness holes on the back of the magazine, as opposed to on both sides of the magazine for the original 16-round and so-called Turkish 15-round ones. The new 15-round 9mm magazines also have a inward-intruding rib that runs vertical on both sides of the magazine, which serves to keep the capacity at 15 rounds. Carl Walther apparently made this magazine capacity change due to the difficulty by some users to insert a full magazine into the pistol with the slide closed.

 

[SnakeEye]

New design maybe? I have two original 16-round P99 mags from Walther that are Mec-Gar, and they both have 16-round witness holes. Maybe you got one like I have?

This post would probably work better in the Equipment forum.

thats exactly what i have, its contains a black follower.
i noted that the patent number is identical to yours, the 15 and 16 witness mags all share the same number. The only difference between them is the addition of the hole and "16" marking.

 

[FPrice]

I'll try to remember to check them when I get home tonight.

I'll also try to post a couple of pics of any differences between the 'pre-ban' and new mags that I have.

CD

If it's a MecGar mag, check the base plate for a date stamp. A circle of numbers, 1-12, with a two-digit (IIRC) number inside representing the year.

 

[SnakeEye]

262 47 88 (must be the last two)
thats a very good thing to know! thx

 

[cdkayak]

I did have a chance to look at the mags. There is no difference between my unmarked pre-ban and the new mags except the LEO markings. Witness holes are all the same as well as the Patet #.

whic direction do the letters face on the baseplate of your 16 marked mag?

If I lay the mag down with the bullets pointing down and look at the baseplate. The Walther logo and P99 are both legible.

CD

ETA - Also, there are no numbers on the floorplate of the mag I brought upstairs.(LEO) I'll have to check the pre-ban another time.

 

[mark056]

No offense to anyone intended, but people wonder why I have gone back to carrying a low-capacity semi-auto or a revolver in Massachusetts ?...this topic sums it up.

Respectfully,

Mark

 

[ajw45]

Hey SnakeEye,
Is that one of the mags I sold you?

 

[SnakeEye]

Hey SnakeEye,
Is that one of the mags I sold you?

yes, i was curious as it looked so new, and the fact that we need to be some kind of manufacuring code afficionado's these days to figure out what the hell were carrying.
I think this thread llustrates just how stupid the pre/post ban requirments for mags, expecially with the 99, is just a complete farce. theres absolutely no physical or mechanical difference betwee them. On that note i think my forum signature sums up the rest.

 

[FPrice]

No offense to anyone intended, but people wonder why I have gone back to carrying a low-capacity semi-auto or a revolver in Massachusetts ?...this topic sums it up.

Respectfully,

Mark

Mark,

Hopefully no one here would take offense at another firearms owner who makes an informed decision to resist "high capapcity mania" and choose one of the many other fine firearms options.