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Walther CP88 Tactical

by B.B. Pelletier

We got a question last week about the CP88. The guy asked whether it was “worth it.” I don’t know how to answer that, because I don’t have that guy’s value system memorized. The best I can do is tell you how a gun performs and let you decide whether or not it’s worth it. Today, I’ll look at the new Walther CP88 Tactical.

CP88 was the FIRST pellet gun from Umarex!
I’ll never forget when I first picked up a CP88. I said to myself, “They’re going to sell a million of these,” and I bought one of the first ones to come into the U.S. The gun is so realistic that I immediately went on a hunt for a 9mm P88 firearm to accompany it, but alas, they were already winding down production on that model.

What IS a CP88?
A CP88 is an 8-shot pellet pistol powered by CO2. It’s actually a revolver disguised to look like a semiautomatic pistol, but Umarex made the double-action trigger so light and smooth that it’s hard to tell from a real semiauto. The gun can be fired either double-action by pulling the trigger or single-action by cocking the hammer first. The gun is all metal with thin plastic grips, though walnut grips are available.

Inserting a new CO2 cartridge
Put the gun on safe. Pop the left grip panel off by pressing on the round button on the right rear of the triggerguard. You now see the cartridge in the grip frame. To release the old cartridge, pull down on what appears to be the front of the magazine lip, but it’s actually a cleverly disguised lever. If the cartridge is spent, a small amount of gas will usually exhaust; if it was full, the amount of gas will be greater. Rotate the brass wheel under the CO2 cartridge until there is enough clearance to remove the cartridge.

88-grip-lever-web
Left grip is off, and the lever is lowered. Note that the brass adjustment screw is adjusted down.

88-grip-powerlet-web
CO2 powerlet is in, adjustment screw up and lever closed. Powerlet has been pierced. Replace left grip panel and shoot.

Slip in a fresh cartridge, and rotate the brass wheel until the cartridge is snug inside the grip. DON’T OVER-TIGHTEN THIS SCREW OR THE CARTRIDGE SEAL COULD BE DAMAGED! Now, move the lever back up to the closed position. Point the gun in a direction safe to shoot, take the safety off and pull the trigger. If there is no pop, the cartridge hasn’t been pierced and you need to go through the procedure again to adjust the brass wheel tighter. When the gun fires with a pop, you are ready to load and shoot.

Loading an Umarex pistol
We also had a question about this, so I’m going to show the process in detail. First, put the gun on safe. To load a new clip, open the slide by pressing down on the latch located on the left side of the gun. The front of the slide is spring-loaded and wants to jump forward, so control it with your hand. If there is an empty clip inside, remove it. A loaded circular clip is dropped into the open pistol with the ratchet teeth to the rear. Close the slide and rotate the latch back to its starting position. The gun is now loaded.

88-slide-closed-web
First put the safety on.

88-slide-open-web
Slide catch is rotated down, and slide pops forward.

88-clip-in-web
Clip goes in opening with ratchet teeth to the rear. Close the slide and rotate the catch closed. The gun is loaded and ready to shoot.

The gun is now loaded with gas and pellets. Tomorrow I’ll shoot it for you.

author avatar
Tom Gaylord (B.B. Pelletier)
Tom Gaylord, also known as B.B. Pelletier, provides expert insights to airgunners all over the world on behalf of Pyramyd AIR. He has earned the title The Godfather of Airguns™ for his contributions to the industry, spending many years with AirForce Airguns and starting magazines dedicated to the sport such as Airgun Illustrated.

13 thoughts on “Walther CP88 Tactical”

  1. B.B.
    Nice review of the gun so far. Looking forward to more of this tommorrow as I’m an umarex pistol fan.
    I believe you’ve done a posting on the Walther CP88 before.
    Just curious, would you be doing a posting on the Walther CP99 sometime later?
    I think you’ve hit pretty much all of the Umarex pistols except for the CP99.
    Thanks,
    W.P99 fan

  2. sav300,

    I know FOR A FACT that the factory is not coming out with a big bore upgrade to the Condor. If anyone else does it, it will probably void the warranty, unless all the factory parts can be replaced and there is no evidence of going inside the powerplant.

    B.B.

  3. sav300.

    The .308 kit in that video is made by cygnusx on the talonownersgroup.com website. (I helped contribute to it). Right now its a home experiment, but soon he hopes to be offering kits.

    It shouldnt void the airforce warranty as everything is drop and in can be changed back to stock.

  4. Hi, I just got my new CP88 Competition nickel version and I noticed that the slide lever is quite hard to turn. I managed to open it but every time I do it I feel I’m going to break something. Is this normal in this model ?

    Pulsar

  5. B.B.

    Glenn from Umarex told me that it was normal at the begining and with repeated use it was going to loosen up to normal operation.

    Thanks for your help B.B.

    Pulsar

Leave a Reply to sav300 Cancel reply

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