Comparing Tier One Air Rifles

[imadoctornota]

As with free rifles, there seems to be quite a bit of variation and attractive options for first-tier air rifles, including the Feinwerkbau 800x, Pardini GPR1, Anschutz 9015 ONE, Tesro RS100 Signum, Walther LG400. How would one choose between these when making a purchase? Can they be seen as comparable?

[spektr]

This is a highly personal decision. We are all assembled differently and feel things differently.
There probably isnt a wrong answer

[gstewart]

FWIW, from a pure accuracy perspective (testing in a vise) and only for Feinwerkbau 800, Walther LG400 and Anschutz 9500 as I don't have experience with the other two, all three can produce 645 decimal scores with selected pellets.

[ChickenChowda]

I can only speak on 3 of those makes from personal experience, for me I think the 800x is the best and its what I shoot now. The reason is the adjustability of the stock with the relative reliability of the action. The best ammo tests I have seen have been out of FWB's too. I have owned a 9003 which operates basically the same as the new Anschutz and I had an LG400 anatomic. I really dislike the way the action on the anschutz works, and I also really dislike the modern Anschutz stocks after playing around with both the carbon and the bronze collared one owned by teammates. I like the lg400 action a lot, but the stock just wasn't there, especially in the cheek piece department. Basically all of the Walther cheek pieces are the same regardless of stock, and they all suck imho. I'm still stuck with one on my kk500. This is how I ended up on the FWB, the walther action is better, but the fwb isn't a slouch either, and the stock more than makes up for not having a loading tray like the lg400. Its also pretty cool to adjust your trigger on the fly.
I've never heard of the tesro, but I've seen the Padini's as a few teammates have them, and I don't like them at all. I don't know for sure, but have been told, that the action makes use of permanent magnets in its function, which sounds really cool, but is actually pretty bad if you think about how much random metal dust those will collect over time. I've also seen them shoot zeros randomly (probably more of a pellet problem), and launch parts out of themselves during firing. I know a top guy who also agrees that they really aren't a very good value and wont touch them. but of course, your mileage may very. Best thing you can do is try to hold/shoot them all before you pick one.

[imadoctornota]

The 800x sounds pretty nice and I am inclined to get that in the coming months now that I am pretty serious about competing. My club’s fwb 601 works and can be accurate, but more adjustability would be nice. Having something better than a daisy 753 to dry fire with at home would also make a difference. The price of the 800x is also a lot nicer than both the walther and pardini.

[ChickenChowda]

I really like mine and they can be had cheap. And I’m also not saying the others are lesser, I just found for me, that the fwb has the best value and basically everything i was looking for. The only reason I’ve gone through so many air guns at this point, was because when i was looking at them i was looking more at the actions and their accuracy, dismissing the stock design mostly. Since then i’ve learned that the stock quality, feel, fit, and adjustability is really whats important. Like gstewart said they all are capable of high scores. Making the stocks, fit, ergonomics and adjustability what really differentiates them. Im an average height slimish 165lb guy. For me the anschutz charging handle style is not great, the anatomic stock just felt chunky and bulky, and the cheekpiece was trash. The fwb feels pretty much perfect for my position and “load in position” style of shooting. Importantly, I don’t feel like there are any adjustments missing when I'm using it.

[imadoctornota]

It is notable that many of the shooters on ISSF finals are using Walther rifles, such as the newer Monotec. Still some FWB 800x and 800 there, though. Maybe Walther LG400 is more popular for teams? They are clearly more expensive.

[ChickenChowda]

Yeah you do see them, they are quite popular rifles, and for good reason, like I said I do like the action a lot. But one thing to take note of is all though you see them in ISSF finals, its pretty common for them to have an after market or homemade cheek piece. Of course, that really doesn't matter if you like the stock one, or are okay with replacing it to get the adjustability if you need it. For me personally, I plan on building my own cheekpiece for my KK-500 as it has the same mount design as the walther air guns, its very doable. I haven't seen any fwb's with aftermarket cheekpieces, At least in my realm of shooting (USA NCAA). If you're looking for out of the box adjustability I still rank the fwb higher. The best thing to do is try and get some time with the different options, It really is all about the fit for you, and that includes thinking whatever you're buying is cool. Having a gun you like and makes you happy will probably improve your shooting leagues more than finding the "best" thing out there, buying that, and still having that Pardini sitting in the back of your head.

[spektr]

I have an 800X. If you cant get it to fit you perfectly, youre not human......
You can however, set it up far outside the template allowables as nothing
prevents it.