TargetTalk

Looking at getting an air rifle and can not decide between Walther LG300XT and Anschutz 8002s2

ANy guidance here?

Thanks

CFS

Both these rifles are high end and both are capable of winning at the very highest level. They both however employ different loading techniques.
The Anschutz, you load the pellet directly into the barrel and the Walther you drop the pellet into the loading channel and its pushed into the barrel by a sliding probe.
The Anschutz 8002 is my favourite Anschutz model.

Its your choice really on how they feel, handle, load and adjust and of course price. Is the S-2 version of the 8002 very much more expensive than the standard 8002?

Peeps

yes get the FWB 700 and you will never look at another air rifle again. go and try one out, they are truly a piece of art and i do love mine.

Ive shot the walther and the ans 8002 and iam not that impressed with those two.

but thats just my opinion.


lax

If you can try the rifles your looking for...i got a P700 and now im thinking about trading it for an ans.. the rifle shoots fine i just hate the way it feels where as i love my ans smallbore rifle and im pretty good with it. Bottom line is you need to love the rifle you get..i dont love mine and i want to get rid of it. Find something you love and you'll never regret it.

Right about trying different stuff. They all shoot well. My daughter having shot a Steyr LG110 for a couple years, doesn't like the Anschutz, tried the Feinwerkbau AL 700, but the rifle she really likes now is the Walther Alutec LG300XT

There is a big down side to how the Walther load. Once the pellet has slid forward you can't tell if it is loaded or not. One ncaa shooter I know of twice double loaded in a match. Cost him 10 points each time. He now shoots a FWB p700.

pdeal wrote:There is a big down side to how the Walther load. Once the pellet has slid forward you can't tell if it is loaded or not. One ncaa shooter I know of twice double loaded in a match. Cost him 10 points each time. He now shoots a FWB p700.

yep, ive done that too (only once mind...)
its just something you have to get used to. now if i decide to abort the shot and want to lift the loading lever again i only lift it half way so the lever isn't locked up (or down) and the breach is still closed. this way i know that i have a pellet loaded and the rifle still cannot fire. when i do fire a shot i lift the lever fully afterwards.
i personally prefer this loading mechanism, its saves alot of fiddling with pellets. Just make sure the pellet is the right way round before you drop the lever!

I have the Anschutz 9003, and I had the Anschutz 2002CA. Both have the aluminum stock, and they feel very different to me, and not like a 1907 to me. Feel and balance are very personal things, so owning one for a month or so is the only way to know if you like it. I personally like the 9003 better than the 2002, but I may try the FWB 700 if I can spare the time. Right now I am trying to get re-accustomed to my silhouette rifles for summer fun. Certainly the silhouette rifle is a different thing than a 10M match rifle, but the 54MSR or the 1710 feels much better (in it's role as a silhouette gun) than the either Anschutz air rifle. Both silhouette rifles have a better natural "feel" than either air rifle.
As far as pellet loading, I have no experience with the Walther, but I have an Accurate Arms 400 silhouette air rifle and it has a loading tray that I prefer to the Anschutz. I wish the Anschutz had the tray like the AA400. I don't think it is a make it or break it issue, but I prefer the easier loading of the tray.
The FWB is the most popular, so I would try FWB first, then Walther, then Anschutz. Again this is all personal fit/feel preference, but based on medals and sales, FWB probably has the best fit for most people.

When i talked to Walther about their probe loading system, they pointed out that it was designed to seat the pellet mechanically in the barrel in the same position every time. It did away with inaccurate seating and the risk of skirt damage caused by finger nails that can happen with guns that need your fingers to push the pellet in.

In practice though, hand loaded air rifles such as FWB, Anschutz and Steyr still win and so the hand loading over probe loading is a bit academic. The only draw back i can see with the probe loading is accidentally putting a pellet in skirt first or loading 2 because you forgot you had loaded one already..
That's just careless and it will be the shooters fault not the system.

Peeps

All these are good rifles, but how about service?

I like Walthers, but I am missing a knob for the rear sight. I haven't been able to get it replaced. I love our FWB rifles, but it is not easy to get parts for them.

Here in the States Anschutz is easy to maintain.

Not all accessories will interchange between brands. Sights, rails, inserts.

I got a part for my walther from Champion's Choice.

I think it was the same part; the screw at the rear of rear wight base.

rifles at this level are really about what the shooter prefers. There's a world of difference in feel and nothing in performance... and that can be said even from different walther's or different anschutz's.

see if you can try before you buy.

if your having trouble getting parts for walther, email germany and see if they will stick a rocket up your rep's backside.