I recently bought an Erma Werke ESP 85 semi auto 5-shot .22LR pistol. It came with a .32 S+WL conversion upper receiver and was in good condition even though the gun is 18 years old. I consider it a steal at US$450 but opinions sought from fellow shooters have been varied.
One guy said that I should NOT have bought it and instead should have shelled out the extra $$$ for a Walther GSP Expert.
Another guy said that it was an EXCELLENT deal and that he was green with envy.
What do you people think? Where does this pistol stand when compared to other match guns from Walther, Pardini or Hammerli?
Erma Werke ESP 85
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Guest
I had an Erma 85 until recently. My experiences were that it is, just like the FN 150 (of which it is pretty much a copy), a very good gun to shoot with. The trigger on my gun was excellent, and it came already with Nill grips installed.
There are a few areas to watch out for, though. Noe that these observations are only from .22 versions. No experience with .32 on this gun at all.
1.) The trigger gets gritty pretty fast on some guns. Mine had no issues with this, but I heard of several people who claimed they have to clean their gun every few hundred rounds to keep the trigger smooth. Best advice here is to use some 'clean' ammo, especially when shooting .22LR. CCI or Fiocchi were pretty clean here, it seems.
2.) Trigger adjustment is far from easy. I can only say little about it, as I'm pretty much a novice when it comes to hand guns, but unless you got someone close by who knows his way around the Erma, stay away.
3.) The material used for this gun is not the best. I've personally seen some guns that developed distinct markings around the chamber (where the slide strikes against the breechface). These were, however, guns that had gone several tens of thousands of rounds. Best advice here is not to use too hot ammo. Mine worked very well with CCI SV and Fiocchi Maxac Soft.
4.) The sights are not too stable. Best not to drop it often, and the threads can wear out fast.
5.) Erma does no longer exist, and even in Germany there is only ONE supplier of spare parts ( http://www.asamnet.de/~ehrenred/ersatzt/esp85.htm ) and they are pricy! plus their stocks are dwindling...
When what I said scares you, don't be afraid. I know many people who own an Erma ESP85 and are happy with it. You have got a pretty good gun.
Looking back on it, and seeing how my Erma worked reliably all the time, I almost regret trading it in for a Feinwerkbau 93. That is, until I get mine back from the factory and it works ;)
There are a few areas to watch out for, though. Noe that these observations are only from .22 versions. No experience with .32 on this gun at all.
1.) The trigger gets gritty pretty fast on some guns. Mine had no issues with this, but I heard of several people who claimed they have to clean their gun every few hundred rounds to keep the trigger smooth. Best advice here is to use some 'clean' ammo, especially when shooting .22LR. CCI or Fiocchi were pretty clean here, it seems.
2.) Trigger adjustment is far from easy. I can only say little about it, as I'm pretty much a novice when it comes to hand guns, but unless you got someone close by who knows his way around the Erma, stay away.
3.) The material used for this gun is not the best. I've personally seen some guns that developed distinct markings around the chamber (where the slide strikes against the breechface). These were, however, guns that had gone several tens of thousands of rounds. Best advice here is not to use too hot ammo. Mine worked very well with CCI SV and Fiocchi Maxac Soft.
4.) The sights are not too stable. Best not to drop it often, and the threads can wear out fast.
5.) Erma does no longer exist, and even in Germany there is only ONE supplier of spare parts ( http://www.asamnet.de/~ehrenred/ersatzt/esp85.htm ) and they are pricy! plus their stocks are dwindling...
When what I said scares you, don't be afraid. I know many people who own an Erma ESP85 and are happy with it. You have got a pretty good gun.
Looking back on it, and seeing how my Erma worked reliably all the time, I almost regret trading it in for a Feinwerkbau 93. That is, until I get mine back from the factory and it works ;)
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Guest
Almost forgot. The price seems a bit hefty, but that may just be because it isn't seen often in the US? In Germany and Norway, at least, you can get them at pretty low prices, mostly cause they're available in greater numbers, and demand isn't that high.
The low demand stems mostly from the fact that, despite being a good gun, it can't really stand up to the 'modern' guns like the GSP & Co. Because of the high bore-line (don't really know what it's called in English), it isn't that great for rapid-fire, though I didn't mind it that much.
As far as balance goes, I liked mine, which came with the original 110 (or was it 120?) grams barrel weight. I also got an 180 grams barrel weight, but never saw the need for it...
In case you can't get hold if spare parts, I've got a few still lying around. Springs mainly.
Greetings from Norway
The low demand stems mostly from the fact that, despite being a good gun, it can't really stand up to the 'modern' guns like the GSP & Co. Because of the high bore-line (don't really know what it's called in English), it isn't that great for rapid-fire, though I didn't mind it that much.
As far as balance goes, I liked mine, which came with the original 110 (or was it 120?) grams barrel weight. I also got an 180 grams barrel weight, but never saw the need for it...
In case you can't get hold if spare parts, I've got a few still lying around. Springs mainly.
Greetings from Norway
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point&shoot
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Thu Feb 05, 2009 4:19 pm
Erma-Werke ESP85 .22LR
[quote="Anonymous"]
As far as balance goes, I liked mine, which came with the original 110 (or was it 120?) grams barrel weight. I also got an 180 grams barrel weight, but never saw the need for it...
In case you can't get hold if spare parts, I've got a few still lying around. Springs mainly.
Greetings from Norway[/quote]
Greetings everyone! I'm new here. I've been researching & contemplating buying such a semi-auto pistol. There isn't much info on this firearm, on the Internet. Does anybody know if there is a compensator at the muzzle? Thanks.
As far as balance goes, I liked mine, which came with the original 110 (or was it 120?) grams barrel weight. I also got an 180 grams barrel weight, but never saw the need for it...
In case you can't get hold if spare parts, I've got a few still lying around. Springs mainly.
Greetings from Norway[/quote]
Greetings everyone! I'm new here. I've been researching & contemplating buying such a semi-auto pistol. There isn't much info on this firearm, on the Internet. Does anybody know if there is a compensator at the muzzle? Thanks.
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ISUKevin
Re: Erma-Werke ESP85 .22LR
point&shoot wrote:Greetings everyone! I'm new here. I've been researching & contemplating buying such a semi-auto pistol. There isn't much info on this firearm, on the Internet. Does anybody know if there is a compensator at the muzzle? Thanks.Anonymous wrote:
As far as balance goes, I liked mine, which came with the original 110 (or was it 120?) grams barrel weight. I also got an 180 grams barrel weight, but never saw the need for it...
In case you can't get hold if spare parts, I've got a few still lying around. Springs mainly.
Greetings from Norway
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ISUKevin
Re: Erma-Werke ESP85 .22LR
I will buy any springs you have for the ERMA i had to have a gun smith make a part for me since i could not find a replacement.ISUKevin wrote:point&shoot wrote:Greetings everyone! I'm new here. I've been researching & contemplating buying such a semi-auto pistol. There isn't much info on this firearm, on the Internet. Does anybody know if there is a compensator at the muzzle? Thanks.Anonymous wrote:
As far as balance goes, I liked mine, which came with the original 110 (or was it 120?) grams barrel weight. I also got an 180 grams barrel weight, but never saw the need for it...
In case you can't get hold if spare parts, I've got a few still lying around. Springs mainly.
Greetings from Norway
I see the German site someone listed and will email them.
Question??
They state that they will not sell to private people in America?
How can i order anything then.
Through FFL??
Thanks
Erma 85 parts
5.) Erma does no longer exist, and even in Germany there is only ONE supplier of spare parts ( http://www.asamnet.de/~ehrenred/ersatzt/esp85.htm ) and they are pricy! plus their stocks are dwindling...
When what I said scares you, don't be afraid. I know many people who own an Erma ESP85 and are happy with it. You have got a pretty good gun.
Looking back on it, and seeing how my Erma worked reliably all the time, I almost regret trading it in for a Feinwerkbau 93. That is, until I get mine back from the factory and it works ;)[/quote]
When what I said scares you, don't be afraid. I know many people who own an Erma ESP85 and are happy with it. You have got a pretty good gun.
Looking back on it, and seeing how my Erma worked reliably all the time, I almost regret trading it in for a Feinwerkbau 93. That is, until I get mine back from the factory and it works ;)[/quote]