Originally Posted by
fcat
Eric,
Can't comment on the LP5 as I haven't tried it - I suspect it's off the product list and replaced by the LP50? I had a look at the FWB P44 which is simlar to the P10. Very nice indeed but a touch more expensive without any very obvious benefits. The shop didn't have a P58 in stock but at some £1300 it had rather ruled itself out. The Morini 162E with the electronic trigger was facinating but being a bit of a luddite, I feel pistols should be examples of precision mechanical engineering and I can't quite get on with using electonics. Pure prejudice I know. So back to Steyr and some comments and initial impressions.
The single shot LP10 & the 5 shot LP50 are, not surprisingly, very similar in many respects. Same range of grips, same adjustability, same sights, etc. The LP50 is slightly heavier by about 90gm but that extra weight - presumably associated with the magazine mechanism - is not really noticeable in any absolute sense and doesn't feel like it has altered the balance of the pistol significantly. (OK, my hands and arms were supplied by JCB, other more sensibly proportioned shooters may have the finesse to be able to appreciate the difference !)
The LP10 has a very smooth breech loading mechanism with a left hand side lever. This could be comfortably operated with my left hand without altering my right hand grip. The pellet has to be inserted into the barrel which is slightly fiddly rather than dropped into a tray/channel and having it pushed into the barrel by closing the breech.
The LP50 has a 5 shot magazine ( single shot and blank mags for rapid test firing are extras at around £30 a pop!). The magazine cannot be inserted or ejected unless the pistol is cocked. This is done by grasping a pair of latches, one on either side (just above the trigger on the main body) and sliding the pair back using finger and thumb on left hand. More pressure than you might think is required to do this but the actual movement is no more than a 1mm. This action is no where near as "natural" as the LP10 or other single shot pistols but is not a big deal if you can count - after each shot the mechanism is automatically cocked, so after 5 shots the mag is empty but the mech is cocked - eject the mag, refill it, slot it back in and away you go without having to re-cock it. If you pull the trigger a 6th time, there is a dry fire click (no air is used) and the pistol will need to be cocked again before the mag can be ejected. The mag is inserted from the left against a light spring and clicks home very positively. Following each shot, it clicks back out to the left to present the next pellet in the breech. I thought this "click through" might produce a slight twitch but I couldn't really detect anything. On completion the mag naturally ejects into your left hand when you press the release switch. Neat.
Using the single shot mag, which is a requirement for standard 10m precision shooting, is more of a bother on a per shot basis. Again, you should only need to cock the pistol once during the entire session but ejecting the mag, loading a pellet, then re-inserting the mag is always going to be a bit more effort than using a conventional single shot mechanism. I find I have to put the pistol down as I need two hands to load the magazine; maybe with practice I can do it all one-handed. Due to asymmetric channel/machining, the mag can only be inserted the correct way round but it is quite easy in the heat of the moment to load the pellet into mag from the wrong side...
However while the LP50 might be slightly compromised as a single shot pistol, it is superb in 5 shot mode. It is fast, slick and oh so easy to get through loads of pellets and air. Compared to the old gas-ram FWB that I've used before, there is almost no kick at all and it has instantly reduced the semi-random scatter that used to be so evident in my shooting. I haven't tried playing with the trigger which appears to have more adjustment options than I've had hot dinners... First I'll get used to the pistol, then set it correctly for 500gm and only then will I try meddling. Certainly out of the box, the trigger feels light and clean. Similarly I won't play yet with small additional weights that can be slotted down either side of the barrel housing. The only thing I may change in the near future is the grip. Currently its a "large" but I may exchange that for "XL"...
In summary, for actual single shot competition, I would speculate that the LP10 is a fraction better than the LP50 as it is slightly less bother to operate but that is all and that may diminish with familiarity. Clearly for any form of rapid fire/multi-shot competition, the LP50 is the only option. To me, the LP50 is better for practice as you can take advantage of the 5 shot mag to remain focused on shooting for longer. For any sort of beer can battering, inappropriate as it may be, the LP50 is hugely impressive. You pays your money and takes your choice. Certainly no regrets so far.
If anyone is interested, I'll post some more comments when I've had the chance to use the pistol a bit more.