by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier
Walther LP2 single stroke pneumatic target pistol.
This report covers:
- The test
- H&N Finale Match Light
- Adjusted the rear sight
- Second Finale Match Light group
- The trigger
- Gamo Match
- H&N Match Green
- Sig Match Ballistic Alloy
- RWS R10 Match Pistol
- Discussion
- Summary
Today we look at the accuracy of the Walther LP2 single-stroke-pneumatic air pistol. We saw the test group that came with the pistol in Part 2. It’s serial-numbered to this pistol, so we have a good point of comparison.
You will remember that this pistol was resealed by Scott Pilkington for the velocity test in Part 2. With lightweight target pellets the pistol averages 330-350 f.p.s. That’s not blistering, but a 10-meter pistol doesn’t need to be. What it does need is a good trigger, good sights and a good ergonomic set of grips. Let’s see what this LP2 has.
The test
I shot off a sandbag rest from 10 meters with the butt of the pistol rested on the bag. Because the LP2 is pneumatic there isn’t any recoil to speak of, so a bag rest works well. I decided to shoot five-shot groups today so I can shoot more pellets. That’s my normal approach when a target gun is being tested. Also you have to remember that the LP2 needs to be pumped for every shot, so it’s a little work to shoot.
I deep-seated all pellets used in today’s test with a ballpoint pen. The seating depths differed slightly from the differing thicknesses of the pellet skirts.
H&N Finale Match Light
First I tried five H&N Finale Match Light pellets. The gun was cold when I started (room temperature, but not shot recently), so I shot 5 rounds and let them go where they wanted to. I used a 6 o’clock hold on the bull of a 10-meter pistol target. The first pellet struck right below the bull at 6 o’clock, but the next three pellets climbed into the black. Some of that is my imprecision, but I think a little could also be the new piston seal warming up. The fifth shot landed next to the first one (that’s probably me) and the 5-shot group measures 0.63-inches between centers.
Sighting-in with 5 H&N Finale Match Light pellets made this 0.63-inch group at 10 meters. I think the pellets climbed higher as the piston seal warmed up. It’s not the best group, but considering the circumstances (as in sighting-in), it isn’t too bad.
Adjusted the rear sight
After seeing this group I adjusted the rear sight up by three clicks. I will report that the LP2 rear sight has definite clicks that I like a lot. It also has something I’ve never seen before but I now want it on all my target rear sights. There is a single white dot on both sight adjustment screws that allows you to easily see that the sight has been adjusted. In a noisy room you may not be able to hear the clicks, but you should be able to see this dot every time. I like it!
That white dot at the bottom of the elevation adjustment screw tells the shooter that the sight adjustment screw has been turned. The screw head has a slot for a coin. No doubt it’s a German coin like a one pfennig coin, but an American penny or dime will also work. I used the screwdriver blade of my Swiss Army Midnight Manager knife.
Second Finale Match Light group
The second 5-shot group of Finale Match Light pellets struck the target higher and in line with the center of the bull. This group was also a little smaller — perhaps due to the piston seal being warmed up. Five H&N Finale Match Light pellets went into 0.382-inches at 10 meters. It’s a very good group, but not as small as a modern 10-meter pistol would produce.
Five H&N Finale Match Light pellets made this 0.382-inch group at 10 meters in the LP2. This is the best group of the test, but the test group that came with the pistol is less than half that size, at 0.145-inches. Old BB has a way to go to beat it.
The trigger
I can now comment on the LP2 trigger. It’s gorgeous! Stage one is smooth with a definite stop at stage 2. Stage 2 breaks cleanly. I have it set at exactly one pound which is 2 ounces too light to compete in matches, but since the LP2 isn’t competitive it doesn’t matter.
Gamo Match
The next pellet I tested was the Gamo Match. They are a budget pellet that sometimes surprise me with their accuracy. This time, though, there wasn’t a lot of joy. Five pellets landed in 0.707-inches at 10 meters. This is probably not the best pellet for this pistol.
The LP2 shot five Gamo Match pellets into 0.707-inches at 10 meters.
H&N Match Green
I shot the lead-free H&N Match Green pellet next. These weigh the same 5.25-grains as the Sig Match Ballistic Alloy pellets and H&N makes both of them, but I have found those two pellets to give widely different performance. Five of these went into 0.534-inches at 10 meters. Not bad!
The LP2 likes H&N Match Green pellets. Five went into 0.534-inches at 10 meters.
Sig Match Ballistic Alloy
Next to be tried were five Sig Match Ballistic Alloy pellets. They do resemble the H&N Match Green pellets, but they don’t perform the same, as you are about to see. From the LP2 five pellets made a group that measures 0.993-inches between centers at 10 meters. This is obviously not the right pellet for the LP2, and it is the largest group of the test.
Five Sig Match Ballistic Alloy pellets went into 0.993-inches at 10 meters.
RWS R10 Match Pistol
The last pellet I tested was the venerable RWS R10 Match Pistol pellet. At ten meters the LP2 put five of them in a group that measures 0.708-inches between centers. It surprised me because I thought the R10 would either be the best of second-best. But it ranks fourth today, by a slim margin.
The LP2 put five RWS R10 Match Pistol pellets in a 0.708-inch group at 10 meters.
Discussion
Well, that’s the test. H&N Finale Match Light pellets were the best and Sig Match Ballistic Alloy were the worst.
The pistol now has reasonable velocity for a target pistol. Scott Pilkington was able to return it to the factory spec.
The trigger is very nice. Only a modern high-end 10-meter target pistol has a better one. I would rate it as slightly better than the IZH46M trigger. This seems to be common among high-end target airguns from the 1960s. The FWB 300S trigger is also hard to beat, even today.
Summary
That’s our look at a target pistol from way back when… The Walther LP3 is more common than the 2 and probably a better air pistol to purchase. But once the valve is repaired the LP2 is a goodie!
Everyone,
We finally broke through!
My thanks to Pyramyd Air’s IT deparetment!
BB
Glad you got the IT sorted. I was worried you had (mis)adventures on your electric bike.
Have you ever tried the Daisy wadcutters?
they are now probably made by Gamo, but they may be like the SIG/HN pellets.
They come in at 7.9grains.
They seem to shoot pretty good out of a lot of my guns.
Would you like me to send you a pack?
Ian.
Ian,
I have Daisy wadcutters but I haven’t tried them. They are from two decades before Gamo bought the company. Next 10-meter pistol test if I remember.
BB
Ding ding ding!
A good shooting and compact pistol. I’d bet that the factory placed the barrel in a vise to produce the test group.
Kudos to the IT dept.
BB,
The ol’ Gal can shoot!
Many thanks to the IT dept.! 🙂
Chris
BB
Like many others I like the looks of this pistol. You don’t have time for such but I would try every promising pellet in my inventory. Next would be different ways to rest it on bag. Maybe a golf glove would ease the repeated pumping.
Glad your blog is up and running.
Deck
Deck,
I like this one, too. I like it better than the LP3 target pistol, which seems odd because I usually like 10-meter grips the best. But this one fits me quite well.
BB
BB,
Is there any option to improve the grips on this? I get that this is more of a historical piece, but I recently decided to dip my toe in the target pistol space by trying out an Air Arms Alpha, and it is amazing the difference the grips make to the ability to shoot it well.
Alan
Glad they figured it out. .382 ain’t too shabby
Rk,
I’m not complaining!
BB
B.B.
Glad you have solved the computer gremlins.
-Y
Yogi,
Some of it was on my side — a large cache and lots of cookies.
BB
BB,
It is supposed to be,… keep a large cache of ammo and eat the cookies! (sugar free, of course). 😉
Chris
Geo might know better, but that CCleaner that he recommended seems to work great for clearing out the junk. Free download and takes about 30 seconds to run each time.
Yup, I still use and recommend Ccleaner to keep the system lean and mean. I only recommend using the portable version of Ccleaner though. Ccleaner was owned by a company named Piriform from 2004 until 2017 at which time it was sold to Avast. Some say that it is not safe to use because Avast is a Chinese company. It is perfectly safe and only use the portable version and you won’t be nagged all the time. DO NOT USE THE REGISTRY CLEANER! Using that feature of the program can cause major problems.
Geo
B.B.,
Do we get a Saturday blog to make up for the lost time?
Siraniko
PS: Section Summary last sentence: “But one (once) the valve is repaired the LP2 is a goodie!”
Siraniko,
Still lookin’ out for me, my friend! 🙂
BB
B.B.,
It is my honor to be called one.
Siraniko
cannot wait to read ‘What do YOU want?: Part 2’
If people have never shot a FWB 300 they should. Not only because of experiencing the trigger.
My FWB 300 will put pcp guns in their place at 50 yards. Of course it’s got some slight modding done to it by me. 🙂
I’d love to have one, but where’re they hiding? Nobody sells one, and if they do, they ask a little fortune for it.
Fish
Well you been hang’n in the wrong places I guess.
If you get to know a few people and they like you, well you never know what could happen.
I’m from Germany. When I started shooting in 1996, the airgun clubs here had cabinets full of FWB300 and similar spring powered match guns from Anschütz, Walther, Diana, Hämmerli..the serious shooters were transitioning to single stroke Pneumatics such as the FWB601. Until the 2000s, the old springers were basically surplus to the club’s. As a young adult I thought about bulk buying and exporting to the USA. Didn’t do, and today I’m convinced I could have made a fortune.
Mel83
Never shot a FWB300 but I own the FWB300S. Accuracy is one third of an inch for 10 shots at 25 yards, sometimes better depending on wind and me. The extra velocity of the “S” helps at distance for sure.
Recently prices have climbed about 50% in the USA. Yeah you could have made a fortune!
Deck
mel,
u could be swimming in debt too; who’d wanna buy one of those while they can buy a tr5?! 🙂
Mel
I’m pretty positive you would of made money.
And the question is… where are all those 300’s at now that you are talking about.
Many were sold to hobby airgunners. Very cheap, but in the last year’s the prices have been rising constantly.
Some were neglected, rushed and were thrown away.
Mel
Glad that some got lucky to get one.
They are so rugged. They just keep on going. Very well made.
They got another thing going in Germany: they bear the “F” Mark for 7.5 joules, and can thus be purchased at the age of 18. Yet in reality, they have around 9joule. Psst don’t tell 🙂
Mel
Right the energy.
So what happens if the gun is over 7.5 joules over on your side of the world?
If the owner tuned it above 7.5 joule, he has an illegal gun at home. If the gun comes from factory over 7.5 and bears the “F”, everything is fine and legal.
Mel
Ok but what I mean is what happens if the air gun is over 7.5 joules and no fienmark.
If it is pre 1970, it is grandfathered (and highly sought after). Other than that, it is treated like a firearm, with license and registration and serial number etc
Mel
Ok.
And just thinking didn’t the FWB 300 come out in 1970. Or was it before?
The 300 was produced until 1972. The 300s until 1996.
Mel
The one I have right now is a San Rafeal 300s.
I had another. It was prettier but this one is a shooter. Its super accurate even out at distances people say they won’t do.
I have actually let it go a couple times. But never again. It’s too accurate. I have learned. It’s become my long lost buddy. Friends till the end this time around.
Good choice for a lifelong companion!
Mel
Yes sir.
GF1,
Well, I rather don’t own it than being liked by certain folks.
Fish
Well then you know what you got to do if you want one.
Or maybe you could settle for a TR5 instead. 😉
nope, my life is just fine without a fwb 300. still, i haven’t wasted a dime or a second of my time on a tr5. 😉
Fish
So sorry that you have been living life with out a FWB 300.
But how was you to know about the TR5 without reading the blog. Now all us smart people done the hard work for you. Now you get to get smart for free. I think you should feel a little guilty even. Oh wait a minute. That’s how the blog works. Free knowledge.
Maybe it’s time for some other readers besides us regulars to contribute. What you got?
life is good. my life is amazing actually. 😉
Fish
Hopefully it stays that way for you.
For some reason I get the idea your young.
Am I right. But seriously we all was once upon a time. Well you in your 70’s or 80’s yet. I’m hitting 59 this month so there”s older than me on the blog but I ain’t no spring chicken anymore. I done my fair share of dance’n in my time already. It goes by fast.
59 is young, my friend. u still have a lot of dances waiting ahead of you. this is ur time.
Fish
Hope your right.
My dad’s brother died at my age. On the other hand my dad was almost 80.
As it goes Time Will Tell.
I figure it this way if the good Lord wants me here it will be. If not so be it. There’s a reason for everything. One day we will see.
B.B.,
I tried to post this in todays blog and it moved to the weekend blog? Could have been me or there is still some site instability!
“B.B.,
Very nice shooting with the old girl!
Errata: Second to last sentence in the report introduction: “What is (it) does need is a good trigger, good sights and a good ergonomic set of grips. Let’s see what this LP2 has.
Glad you and IT got it sorted.
shootski”
shootski
“Five H&N Finale Match Light pellets made this 0.382-inch group at 10 meters in the LP2.”
B.B.,
That may not be match-grade accuracy by current standards, but that’s pretty good accuracy in my book, and good shooting on your part; it’s nice to see this gal is not just a looker, but is a shooter as well…sweet! =>
Take care & God bless,
dave
Airgun trivia: The Walther LP53 was a breakbarrel spring powered air pistol that shared many similarities with the LP2 (the compression tube was in the handle).
The movie posters for 007-from Moscow with love featured Mr. Bind holding a Walther LP53 air pistol. Depending on the source, it was either because the photographer deemed the PPK to be too small, or they forgot to bring the PPK pistol to the photo shoot.
So glad things are back to normal. Thank you to the IT crowd.
I find the differences between the SIG and H&N Greens fascinating. They look the same, weigh the same, made by the same company with the same objectives (by that I mean they’re just supposed to be a non-lead alternative to a regular pellet unlike some of the other non-lead ammunition which made great claims of amazingly high velocity and impact) but they perform so differently in the same pistol. That’s probably one of the most important things I’ve learned here – just because a certain pellet works beautifully in one gun it doesn’t guarantee that it will perform as well in another. In may case the H&N lead match pellets and the Green match pellets have been a good match for my guns.
For me that lesson along with the ones about the artillery hold and the “1911” grip have been of immense value.
Nice to see the blog back up and running and the Walther LP2 target pistol shooting well, its a win win day.
Mike
This seems like a quality airgun. Thank you for the interesting report.
The grips do look ergonomic. Seeing the velocities, it makes me want to see a single stroke pneumatic target BB pistol with a shot tube of 499 precision.
mos,
what blowguns do you use? which ones are your favorite?
MOS,
Me too! I have pitched that idea to Daisy a number of times and once to Gamo’s VP of marketing. But it takes an airgunner to get it.
BB
BB,
Your competition days are showing. I myself would have left that pistol shooting where I sighted, but you had to move it up to hit target center. 😉
That has to be some kind of trigger to be better than my Izzy.
About those Sig pellets, I know your source of information about such things is better than mine, but I received some Sig lead round nose pellets for Father’s Day that are made in Brazil.
Ian,
I have Daisy wadcutters but I haven’t tried them. They are from two decades before Gamo bought the company. Next 10-meter pistol test if I remember.
BB