Last Updated on July 14, 2022 by Albert Smith
Spring powered airguns sell millions across the world due to their relative simplicity. At the end of the day they’re just a cylinder with a piston in them, aren’t they? Well, not this number. This is the Walther LGV series from the gun-making factories of Umarex, and it’s arguably the most sophisticated spring-powered break barrel series of this century. Let’s examine why.
- Designed with the outdoorsman in mind and was made for getting out in the woods; Features an ergonomic all-weather stock
- Stock features checkered rubber inserts for a sure grip in hot or cold, wet or dry; Fitted with a comfortable rubber recoil butt pad. Sling studs matched with an included adjustable nylon sling
- Features the Umarex exclusive integral Nucleus Rail Platform engineered to reduce scope movement and vibration, preserving its zero shot after shot; Includes 3-9x32mm adjustable objective air rifle scope
- The 5-chamber SilencAir sound dampener is permanently affixed to the air rifle to reduce down range noise and maximize stealth
- Features a TNT (Turbo Nitrogen Technology) power system
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We have three different variants of the Walther LGV. The Walther LGV Ultra has a synthetic stock. The Walther LGV Master Ultra features a wooden stock. The Walther LGV Competition Ultra features a wooden stock with an adjustable cheek piece and this is the rifle we feature in this review.
The barrel has a threaded end for the fitting of a silencer, and the barrel sports a fiber-optic iron sight and a breech lock up system that is derived from the famous classi Walther LG55 rifles of the 1960s, guns which made the company dominate professional target shooting.
This LGV is about as high-tech as air rifles go. With Walther’s SST – Super Silent Technology transforming a mass-produced airgun into one that shoots like an Olympic contender. In true German engineering fashion, many components are even manufactured with zero fit tolerances. Due to an elaborate study of pressures, temperatures, accelerations, and timing involved during the rifle’s firing cycle, Walther has developed a vibration reduction system A.K.A. VRS which results in the LGV becoming the smoothest firing production springer air rifle available today. There are even drilled air transfer holes in ideal locations inside the action in order to reduce the kickback of the shots and to allow the piston to come to rest more gently. The LGV’s roots are traced back to target shooting, but the latest models also make formidable sporters, useful against varmints such as pigeons, rats, gophers and rabbits.
Of course all this integrated tech and solid engineering comes with a weight issue The LGV is quite a heavy rifle to carry around the fields all day long. I can live with that because I have seen the benefits. Just refer to more low-tech air rifles and their clunky mechanical actions. The Walther LGV Ultra Series on the other hand feels like heaven in comparison. The mechanical actions are crisp and the cocking action is a delight. It is hard to believe that there is a main spring inside the cylinder. The gun is so smooth to cock there’s no grouching or grinding whatsoever. It moves like a hot knife through butter, almost without friction. No spring noises here. Another thing I quite like is that you have an articulated cocking arm which means is no unsightly slot underneath the fore-grip.
When you cock the rifle it slides on a synthetic spring dampened plate. A sign of the outstanding German engineering skills at play. I’d say it’s the most beautifully engineered air rifle I’ve ever tried. The main reason why: The Walther LGV’s barrel locking latch. A throwback to the original LGV rifles, this ensures the break barrel action always shots firmly into position, ensuring not only a tight air seal for maximum compression, but also increases the rifle’s ability for stable shooting
Accuracy requires consistency. The individual pellet speed of the Walther LGV vary by no more than ten feet per second or so with most ammo. It is powerful as well. With 15.9 grain Air Arms Diabolo .22 pellets averaging around 11.4 foot pounds. Napier’s 14.5 grain UPH lubricated ammo averages 11.2 foot pounds on the chronometer. But in my test it was Umarex own lightweight 13.2 grain roundheads which scored the highest power, approaching 12 foot pound.
Power is nothing without precision though, and here the Walther LGV unexpectedly scores very high. High tech tends to do that. A mass-produced air rifle it may be, but with a decent rifle scope and some calibration, you get some of the tightest groups you will ever see, limited only by your ability, and not the level of the tech.
The Walther LGV trigger is a sweet little number. Fully adjustable, it’s a two-stage construction that gives you a very manageable first stage with a definite halt to the second. There’s also a resettable safety catch situated at the rear end of the piston housing which automatically switches on when the gun is cocked.
There is a muzzle weight attached to the Ultra model certainly helps calm what little recoil there is. While the stock is synthetic on the Walther LGV Ultra, I have mixed emotions about the deluxe beech stocks on the Walther LGV Competition Ultra and the Walther LGV Master Ultra.
I do have one tiny bit of criticism with the Walther LGV Competition Ultra. while it is great to have a height adjustable cheek piece, what in my humble opinion does not work so well is the edge of it which is quite sharp and digs into your cheekbone as you take aim. But that is indeed a minor point and could, perhaps, be attributed to personal preference.
As previously mentioned, there is a dovetail mount to fit any extra sight you feel like mounting. You don’t actually need a scope though. The Walther LGV range is ready to shoot straight out of the box courtesy of its excellent fiber-optic open sights, which sports a hooded red bead at the muzzle that aligns between two green markers on the rear sight, all adjustable for windage and elevation via click stop thumb wheels.
This is of course not a cheap rifle but quality, as is well known, usually comes at a price. This is a rifle featuring the heritage of one of the most well known gun-making names on the planet. And no matter what type of shooting you favour, you’ll find the Walther LGV range the kind of rifles that you just don’t want to put down. Yes, it may be one of the most expensive spring operated air rifles on the market, but trust me, once you got one on in your hands, you’ll be happy shooting it from dawn ‘til dusk.
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