Hi all
First, fair warning - there's a long, only semi-organized post ahead!
I made the trip to Baldwinsville again this year, and once again had a great time. I have to say that I find everyone there to be in high spirits when I go and the show is well run. I'm looking forward to going again next year.
This year, I came away with 3 springers, each desireable to me in a different way - a recent mfg Beeman R9 in .22, a Walther Terrus in .22 and a Haenel 303 in .177.
That, and a little siren of a PCP that coaxed some money out of my wallet but we'll just leave that aside for now....
Real life has kept me quite busy and I haven't touched an airgun since the show. Last night I was able to get about 30 minutes of open time, so I set up the chrony and tested Rifle #2 - a .22 cal wood stocked Walther Terrus.
I was loosely hoping that a .22 Terrus would turn one up sooner or later for a number of reasons:
- I have had quite good luck with my two Parrus' (Parrusi? Parrusa? Parroossesses? ha ha!) but the Parrus is "built for the bench" and all about power. I wanted to try the smaller rifle as well.
- Most reports on the Terrus have been encouraging, though there are other reports outlining some issues. I suppose this should be expected of even a German rifle built to a meet an entry level price point. You can't have it all for $200 right...?
- After years of following them from a distance, I finally was able to try a friend's tuned Terrus .22 a few weeks before the show and was very impressed with the feel of it and its exceptional firing manners, including the crisp trigger. Great little rifle, and shooting it only added to my interest.
- I was able to "try before you buy" there and found no issues with this one. The presence of the test range sure adds a huge plus to the NY show in my opinion!
- That its an early serial# gun (2016 era) seemed promising to me. No special reason why, other than my thought that Walther may have been putting in some extra resources to support the product introduction at that time.
Anyway, while making my rounds at the show, I found a seller loaded with rifles that "do it" for me. Dianas, Wiehrauchs, an FWB 300s, Brit BSAs & Webleys, etc. He turned out to be a great guy, and very grounded about what he was selling. His table was a constant pull on me throughout the show. I ended up buying two rifles from him, and this Terrus was one of them.
The Terrus is very different in many ways from the Parrus line, which I own in both calibers. I'm sure that savvy shooters would much prefer the light and handy Terrus (feels like 7 lbs to me) over the awkwardly long and heavy Parrus any day. The wooden stocked Terrus handles much better than the wooden stocked Parrus, due to its modest proportions and much lighter weight of the rifle. The wrist and forearm are both slender to me, and I can wrap my hands securely around them. Which is good because the "checkering" on the Terrus is just as useless as it is on the Parrus. Thankfully, you don't need any checkering to get a good grip on the Terrus!
Also, the textured rubber butt pad on the Terrus gives good shoulder grip, and the more I shoot springers the more I insist on grippy butt pads.
The stock styling does look a little odd to my eyes, but doesn't look bad. It feels fine and has a good comb height for 3-9/4-12 sized scopes. The bland, light wood tone doesn't look good to me, though mine seems to have darkened some with age.
My rifle came to me sans sights, and for the first time in my life I think I prefer a springer that way. This rifle looks correct without them, with its slender threaded barrel.
Those same savvy shooters would also prefer its firing cycle. The Terrus .22 is a real gentleman - capable and refined. Both rifles that I have shot have remarkably good firing cycles, and are producing notable power. Mine gave me an average of 710 fps with 14 grain Meisterkugeln tonight for 15.67 fpe, and averaged 602 fps with 17.6 Norma domes for 14.16 fpe. I have equally high hopes for FTT'S.
That's pretty darn close to what I get from my D34 & R9 in .22, but in a smaller, lighter gun. And without incurring a sharp or jumpy firing cycle either.
Cocking is satisfyingly smooth and clean, and definitely feels lighter than the 30lbs I've heard quoted. Mid 20's maybe? It seems fairly similar to my HW30, and is helped by the longish barrel. It glides silently then ends with a precise, firm-sounding click of sear engagement. But on my rifle there is a small amount of shoe drag over the spring coils when returning the barrel to battery. It is the only flaw in the cocking and firing cycles.
Lockup is excellent too, with the Goldilocks amount of force being applied by the dual chisel lock. It opens without grief, yet seems welded shut until you break it open again.
I tweaked the fork screws to optimize their snugness on the pivot block, but they were already close to perfect the way I received the rifle. The gun is tight, smooth and very pleasant to operate.
The trigger? Well, I know that many criticize it, and that there is only adjustment for 1st stage travel. However, mine is very good despite that, and I desire no changes. It's clean and the 2nd stage is short. Weight is medium. I like the generous trigger guard. Feels like a 2 lb trigger to me (it benefits from a wide trigger blade). Its probably a 3 lb trigger in actuality. It's not a match trigger, and no one should call it one. Mine could be lumped in with "target" triggers I suppose, but towards the bottom. It is, however, an excellent field trigger to me and much better than any Gamo etc trigger. It is similar in performance (but NOT in construction) to the T01 triggers on some Diana rifles that I own. It's easy to get used to, and I doubt that it will spring any surprises on me. I found it to be very consistent, and I don't think I'll be blaming any flyers on the trigger
Accuracy? Well, so far - so good! It shot well in NY when I was using the point of my elbow for a rest (not exactly optimal!). It shot around .100" at 9 yards in the basement yesterday, with sweat running into my eyes and my hand sliding off my improvised rest again and again. Quick test, hardly a good one. Looking forward to shooting at 25 yards and beyond, from a stable platform. I'm feeling confident about it too.
The rifle is about 3" longer, and a quarter pound+ heavier than an HW50, but delivers a big step in power. It's also about 1" longer but a quarter pound+ lighter than an HW95 and is very close in power output. It seems easier to cock than either HW. While is isn't as good looking, as refined or as high quality as those rifles, it is of good quality and is much less expensive.
It was definitely designed for cost efficiency & ease of manufacture/assembly though. And the compromises involved in its design mean that some people will never warm up to them. I understand that, especially when it comes from the more passionate people in our sport.
I'm guessing that Walther was looking to take some market share from the box store/Gamo/Crosman business model. Give buyers a boost up to a German made rifle without much boost in cost. Everyone loves a deal, right?
I feel that if Walther had simply come out with one model in the 18 fpe range (.22) with a better trigger and different stock styling they would likely have succeeded. They could have seriously undercut Diana & HW to appeal to a large group of people who aren't spending Diana & HW money on springers anyway. If they had, I think they'd still be selling the "Walther Raptor" or whatever they could have named it. Just my opinion though.
For me, patience has paid off. I see much more good in these rifles than bad, though I do have reservations about their durability, including the trigger unit. Those weight savings had to come from somewhere, and with the model being discontinued I don't expect there to be any support for them beyond aftermarket springs and piston seals.
That said, I have a genuinely interesting rifle to explore, that should prove to be a good choice for hunting as well. And I won't be worried about wearing some blue off it, the way I would a shiny new Weihrauch. I did throw a light 2-7x32 AO on it just to get shooting, but I think it needs more magnification so I'll be looking for a light 3-9 or 4-12 with some kind of graduated reticle.
Next up, a little report on #3, the Haenel 303.
First, fair warning - there's a long, only semi-organized post ahead!
I made the trip to Baldwinsville again this year, and once again had a great time. I have to say that I find everyone there to be in high spirits when I go and the show is well run. I'm looking forward to going again next year.
This year, I came away with 3 springers, each desireable to me in a different way - a recent mfg Beeman R9 in .22, a Walther Terrus in .22 and a Haenel 303 in .177.
That, and a little siren of a PCP that coaxed some money out of my wallet but we'll just leave that aside for now....
Real life has kept me quite busy and I haven't touched an airgun since the show. Last night I was able to get about 30 minutes of open time, so I set up the chrony and tested Rifle #2 - a .22 cal wood stocked Walther Terrus.
I was loosely hoping that a .22 Terrus would turn one up sooner or later for a number of reasons:
- I have had quite good luck with my two Parrus' (Parrusi? Parrusa? Parroossesses? ha ha!) but the Parrus is "built for the bench" and all about power. I wanted to try the smaller rifle as well.
- Most reports on the Terrus have been encouraging, though there are other reports outlining some issues. I suppose this should be expected of even a German rifle built to a meet an entry level price point. You can't have it all for $200 right...?
- After years of following them from a distance, I finally was able to try a friend's tuned Terrus .22 a few weeks before the show and was very impressed with the feel of it and its exceptional firing manners, including the crisp trigger. Great little rifle, and shooting it only added to my interest.
- I was able to "try before you buy" there and found no issues with this one. The presence of the test range sure adds a huge plus to the NY show in my opinion!
- That its an early serial# gun (2016 era) seemed promising to me. No special reason why, other than my thought that Walther may have been putting in some extra resources to support the product introduction at that time.
Anyway, while making my rounds at the show, I found a seller loaded with rifles that "do it" for me. Dianas, Wiehrauchs, an FWB 300s, Brit BSAs & Webleys, etc. He turned out to be a great guy, and very grounded about what he was selling. His table was a constant pull on me throughout the show. I ended up buying two rifles from him, and this Terrus was one of them.
The Terrus is very different in many ways from the Parrus line, which I own in both calibers. I'm sure that savvy shooters would much prefer the light and handy Terrus (feels like 7 lbs to me) over the awkwardly long and heavy Parrus any day. The wooden stocked Terrus handles much better than the wooden stocked Parrus, due to its modest proportions and much lighter weight of the rifle. The wrist and forearm are both slender to me, and I can wrap my hands securely around them. Which is good because the "checkering" on the Terrus is just as useless as it is on the Parrus. Thankfully, you don't need any checkering to get a good grip on the Terrus!
Also, the textured rubber butt pad on the Terrus gives good shoulder grip, and the more I shoot springers the more I insist on grippy butt pads.
The stock styling does look a little odd to my eyes, but doesn't look bad. It feels fine and has a good comb height for 3-9/4-12 sized scopes. The bland, light wood tone doesn't look good to me, though mine seems to have darkened some with age.
My rifle came to me sans sights, and for the first time in my life I think I prefer a springer that way. This rifle looks correct without them, with its slender threaded barrel.
Those same savvy shooters would also prefer its firing cycle. The Terrus .22 is a real gentleman - capable and refined. Both rifles that I have shot have remarkably good firing cycles, and are producing notable power. Mine gave me an average of 710 fps with 14 grain Meisterkugeln tonight for 15.67 fpe, and averaged 602 fps with 17.6 Norma domes for 14.16 fpe. I have equally high hopes for FTT'S.
That's pretty darn close to what I get from my D34 & R9 in .22, but in a smaller, lighter gun. And without incurring a sharp or jumpy firing cycle either.
Cocking is satisfyingly smooth and clean, and definitely feels lighter than the 30lbs I've heard quoted. Mid 20's maybe? It seems fairly similar to my HW30, and is helped by the longish barrel. It glides silently then ends with a precise, firm-sounding click of sear engagement. But on my rifle there is a small amount of shoe drag over the spring coils when returning the barrel to battery. It is the only flaw in the cocking and firing cycles.
Lockup is excellent too, with the Goldilocks amount of force being applied by the dual chisel lock. It opens without grief, yet seems welded shut until you break it open again.
I tweaked the fork screws to optimize their snugness on the pivot block, but they were already close to perfect the way I received the rifle. The gun is tight, smooth and very pleasant to operate.
The trigger? Well, I know that many criticize it, and that there is only adjustment for 1st stage travel. However, mine is very good despite that, and I desire no changes. It's clean and the 2nd stage is short. Weight is medium. I like the generous trigger guard. Feels like a 2 lb trigger to me (it benefits from a wide trigger blade). Its probably a 3 lb trigger in actuality. It's not a match trigger, and no one should call it one. Mine could be lumped in with "target" triggers I suppose, but towards the bottom. It is, however, an excellent field trigger to me and much better than any Gamo etc trigger. It is similar in performance (but NOT in construction) to the T01 triggers on some Diana rifles that I own. It's easy to get used to, and I doubt that it will spring any surprises on me. I found it to be very consistent, and I don't think I'll be blaming any flyers on the trigger
Accuracy? Well, so far - so good! It shot well in NY when I was using the point of my elbow for a rest (not exactly optimal!). It shot around .100" at 9 yards in the basement yesterday, with sweat running into my eyes and my hand sliding off my improvised rest again and again. Quick test, hardly a good one. Looking forward to shooting at 25 yards and beyond, from a stable platform. I'm feeling confident about it too.
The rifle is about 3" longer, and a quarter pound+ heavier than an HW50, but delivers a big step in power. It's also about 1" longer but a quarter pound+ lighter than an HW95 and is very close in power output. It seems easier to cock than either HW. While is isn't as good looking, as refined or as high quality as those rifles, it is of good quality and is much less expensive.
It was definitely designed for cost efficiency & ease of manufacture/assembly though. And the compromises involved in its design mean that some people will never warm up to them. I understand that, especially when it comes from the more passionate people in our sport.
I'm guessing that Walther was looking to take some market share from the box store/Gamo/Crosman business model. Give buyers a boost up to a German made rifle without much boost in cost. Everyone loves a deal, right?
I feel that if Walther had simply come out with one model in the 18 fpe range (.22) with a better trigger and different stock styling they would likely have succeeded. They could have seriously undercut Diana & HW to appeal to a large group of people who aren't spending Diana & HW money on springers anyway. If they had, I think they'd still be selling the "Walther Raptor" or whatever they could have named it. Just my opinion though.
For me, patience has paid off. I see much more good in these rifles than bad, though I do have reservations about their durability, including the trigger unit. Those weight savings had to come from somewhere, and with the model being discontinued I don't expect there to be any support for them beyond aftermarket springs and piston seals.
That said, I have a genuinely interesting rifle to explore, that should prove to be a good choice for hunting as well. And I won't be worried about wearing some blue off it, the way I would a shiny new Weihrauch. I did throw a light 2-7x32 AO on it just to get shooting, but I think it needs more magnification so I'll be looking for a light 3-9 or 4-12 with some kind of graduated reticle.
Next up, a little report on #3, the Haenel 303.
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