Target Pistol shortlist

[mrgeoff]

Think I would like 1 of the pistols below. Mainly for 10m target. Im a Left handed shooter.
Not 100% sure which one. Not really interested in all the other makes or choices at the mo.

Walther LP400 compact

For:
Mech is ambi
Has a drop in pellet tray
Looks awesome

Against:
Has some bad reviews and issues on early ones, Walther wont tell me if these have been fixed on later ones.
Big price in UK and rare, so would have to order from Germany.
Probably unable to try in the UK due to rareness

Steyr LP50 compact

For:
5 shot so dont need to worry about loading every shot cack handed.
Real good re-sale value if it dosnt turn out to be best.
Looks awesome.

Against:
Trigger not optimised for single shot (got to be 1000% better than my 920 gram Rohm single stage trigger)
Still a RH pistol / action.
Possibly unable to try in LH

Steyr LP2 (full length)

For:
Probably the ideal upgrade for me in nearly every respect.

Against:
Looks plain
Right Handed action.


I can imagine due to the high cost of these things, that the LP50 compact limits me to 2nd hand, where I would possibly consider the LP400 or the LP2 new.

Im so torn at the moment, so which would be the one to drop off the list first? Please consider that I am right handed, but shoot left handed, so the LH/RH bit is a big issue for me, as with the rifles I always load the pellet with my left hand.


Thanks.

[tufty]

Hi Geoff, bear in mind also that in a precision competition you are not allowed to use a 5 shot mag,you must use a single shot one,these are fiddly to load if you're left handed without removing it from the breach,I know,I've tried it!!

My only other advice would never buy a pistol based on its looks,I wouldn't care if my pistol looked like a bag of spanners as long as it fitted me and shot where I pointed it

Neale

[mrgeoff]

I can be fairly certain that I will never shoot outside of the local club, so 1 shot, 5 shots not sure it matters.

And for sure, for a pistol thats 1000 pounds over, looking good is very high on my list!
OK, sure, so its got to work, thats maybe the reason I havnt ordered in the Walther already.

If there was a 2nd hand LP50 compact, I would probably buy that without thinking, its the new price that puts me off a little.

[Rutty]

I can be fairly certain that I will never shoot outside of the local club, so 1 shot, 5 shots not sure it matters.

Yes it does, you can only shoot single shot; pellets loaded singly; other than those very few competitions that permit use of multi-shot air pistols. The "Conditions" for for virtually all 10 metre Air Pistol competitions will include the phrase "Pistols must comply with ISSF Rules" or something similar.

The relevant ISSF Rule states:

8.12 PISTOL SPECIFICATION TABLE
Pistol Type 1) Pistol Weight
2) Trigger Pull
Measuring
Box (mm)
Barrel Length
Sight Radius Grips Other specifications
10m Air Pistol 1) 1500 g max.
2) 500 g min.
420 x 200 x
50 Box Size Only See below
May only be loaded with one (1) pellet. Ported
barrels and perforated barrel attachments are
allowed.

It doesn't matter where you shoot, the same rules apply.

Rutty

[tufty]

Rutty is spot on(as usual) those rules apply to postal and club competitions as well as ISSF competitions.
The single shot mag on the LP50 is not that bad for a L/H shooter,it partially ejects enough for a pellet to be loaded,but as its on the left hand side,you have to cant the pistol over to reload,to be honest I've never used my LP50 for a precision match,as I only use it for standard and rapid fire,so the zero is different for me,but I've tried it in practise a few times and it's ok.

From your list,I guess your best choice would be the LP2,perhaps it's not the best looking pistol,though I can't see why that matters,I saw a 570 ex 600 shot with an LP2 last weekend so though it ain't the prettiest it does the work!!!!.......in the right hands!!!!

[tufty]

Geoff,if you can get yourself down to Surrey anytime,you are welcome to try my LP50 and Morini at my club if that helps,I know from experience how frustrating it is to find l/h guns to try out

Neale