Walther KK300 Anatomic: Lightweight?

[geo]

I'm thinking of possibly upgrading my Anschutz 1907 to a KK300 Anatomic in order to do 3 position shooting.

Does anyone have thoughts on the lightweight model versus the standard model? I think the difference is 5900 grams to 6240. I'm trim, but not small: 6'0" and 170lbs.

For standing, will the lightweight version help with fatigue? For prone, will the standard weight help with stability? Unfortunately there is nowhere I can play with the two versions... plus I'm left-handed so that makes things even tougher to demo.

Thanks!

-George

[Thedrifter]

well consider this, you can all ways add weight. it is more difficult to remove weight.


However, I have found that the rifles from the factory are balanced well. My preference is to use a heavier rifle. but I am not the greatest of 3-P shooters. I hope that someone more experienced can give you a better answer.

Cam

[Johan_85]

I have a KK300 Alutec with the lightweight barrel and I would choose it again if I should buy another one. I like the lighter weight in standing and I have weights on my buttplate to shift the balance point towards me even more.

I've started using a MEC strike extension tube in prone and kneeling and it makes the balance in those positions better for me.

I'm slim, 183cm and about 66-68kg.

[RobinC]

Both my wife and I use the KK300 light barrel and they are beautifully ballanced, I'm also aware of several top class shooters who use them.

[rayjay]

A LH KK300 wood stock rifle just sold on GB for $1350.

[DLS]

There are so many variables and tastes that it's hard to nail down an answer to this, but for me and shooting standing make mine heavy!

Inertia.

An object at rest tends to stay at rest ... so the heavier the rifle the less it will move due to your body's movement. You do, of course, have to be able to hold up the gun, but in an Olympic style stance that should not really be a problem if you are using proper bone support.

My AR service rifle that I use for across the course shooting weighs almost 20 pounds due to lead being stuffed into every available orifice. I do this (and other highpower shooters) to make it more stable in standing as to reduce recoil during the rapid fire strings.

The added weight really solidifies the gun in standing. When I shoot my LG210 it seems to want to dance and whip around so much more than the heavy service rifle.

Of course, you only shoot 22 shots in the standing stage of highpower, so fatigue is not as much of a factor than when shooting a 10m match, and that needs to be considered.

Additionally most Olympic style shooting does not require dealing with the wind. In highpower the wind buffeting the body is a real concern in standing, much more so than wind drift on the bullet (only shooting at 200 yards with a 3" X-ring and a 7" 10-ring). So the mass of the rifle helps to dampen not only the shooters induced movement, but the movement induced on the shooter due to conditions.

Having said all of this ... even for indoor shooting I prefer as heavy a rifle as I can get.

YMMV!

[BigAl]

I have a heavy barreled rifle, an Anschutz 1813, that I used to shoot 3P with. If I were going with buying a rifle now I would go with one with a shorter lighter barrel, even if I had to add a tube to get the sight radius back to "standard". You can always add weight to the rifle, but loosing it is much harder. The trend seems to be towards moving weight back from the muzzle of the rifle, even if you do not move the CG back that far. It is a lot harder to balance out a long thick barrel as you are limited to how far back you can add weight. My wood stocked 1813 weighs about 13 Lbs with sights, but without any additional weight added to it, so it's quite hard to move the CG back very much, adding the palm rest takes you to close to the 8Kg (16 ish pound) weight limit for free rifle so adding more weight for balance may not be possible.

Alan

[Dave IRL]

Out of curiosity, for those with the lightweight barrels, how well do they perform when testing ammunition? It's a very limited sample size, but the 1907s I've seen tested have broadly not performed as well as the 1913s. Now, this may not be indicative of a trend, so I'd be curious to see whether other manufacturers' lighter barrels are as good as the heavier ones.

[redschietti]

The ladies have an even harder time keeping the wt under

[adrianS]

I have the standard weight Anatomic.. balanced a few cms ahead of my support hand, with a few lbs of weights on the rear, my rifle comes out to 15.6lbs and its perfect for me, and going through 40 shots isn't bad at all. I'm 5'7", 150lbs btw.

With the lightweight I'm actually kind of curious how a bloop might affect the thinner barrel's tune when testing.

[RobinC]

Out of curiosity, for those with the lightweight barrels, how well do they perform when testing ammunition? .

The light KK300? Shoots superbly, we do not ammo test but my wife is averageing 590+ English Match, using RWS R50.

[geo]

Thanks everyone!

Anyone try them both out before deciding? Fortunately (or unfortunately), everyone loves the rifle, standard or lightweight. Would love a definitive answer, but it looks like people love the rifle regardless of which one they got.

Is there a definitive list of who is shooting what for the pros? I'd love to see if the majority of the pros have gone with standard or lightweight.

Thanks!

[RobStubbs]

Things like balance and 'feel' are very indicidual things. You can only get an initial impression by holding a gun, you only really know how it works for you a few months down the line, when you have individually set it up and optimised it.

Not sure what to suggest other than spending some time and money travelling to somewhere that you can get to take a look and hold both models.

Rob.

[geo]

Yea... unfortunately that would be Germany. Maybe. And like you said, it takes months of using it to figure it out sometimes.

Maybe I'll just get what's available in lefty here in the States (not a ton of inventory) and learn to thrive with it. I doubt if I'm not shooting X's it will be a direct result in the 1/3 of a kg in weight difference.

[adrianS]

Were just talking weight and balance here. You shoot a 1907, correct? Does the rifle's weight and balance fit you well? Your rifle is the lightweight version of the 1913. I believe the weights for a wood stocked std rifle and the precise stocked one are 4.8kg and 5.6kg, respectively. Depending on how you balance your rifle for standing, I can help you match a similar balance point with my std weight Anatomic. Then with the weight number I give you, you can attach temporary weights onto your rifle to match it, while keeping its balance. Then go dryfire a 40 shot course standing, and see if you like it. If it's too heavy, go for the lightweight version.

[geo]

adrianS -

I'd love to do that comparison. Genius. Can you give me a weight with sights for your rig as well as the balance point? That would really help me figure out what would work best by mimicking those stats on my current rig.

Thanks!

[adrianS]

I can help you with a weight.. But it would be beneficial for you to give me the balance point you set your rifle at, from a fixed reference point like the center of your rifle's grip. Once you give me that, I can balance my rifle to the exact point you describe, and I can get you a number.

[Bntarrw]

My son is shooting a standard barrel, and then the following year the light weight barrel came out. His scores in prone and kneeling are in the high 90's but he struggles a little in offhand. I was looking into trying to find a LT barrel and where we could buy one and who could change it??

[Tim S]

I don't think Walther will sell you just the barrel. It's worth asking, but generally the German makers only seem to sell the complete barrel/action.

[bpscCheney]

If I remember right, they are required by law to sell at the minimum a barreled action.