Walther SSP

[Ernie Rodriguez]

If anyone is seriously interested in the Walther SSP-I have a copy of the owners manual, which I can send them.Ernie.

[tseuG]

For about a year 70-pluss prototypes of the SSP have been field-tested by shooters in many countries. These guns are now called in by the factory, with comments from many test-shooters.
There have been a few minor issues about feeding some ammo types (related to the feeding ramp length and angle), and the fixing feature of the magazine in the frame. This topics will be improved when the SSP finally goes into serial production i think. Which the SSP is about to reach in near future, I have been informed.

"Heards" of shooters are seriously interested in the SSP. The order list from shooters in Germany alone is half a mile long....

Every new SSP wil arrive with its own issue of the "owners manual".

[deleted1]

Here we go again---"every gun will arrive with it's own issue of the user's manual"----This is an interesting gun, there have been zero comments posted over the year of testing. The testers must have been very carefully chosen and given tight lips orders from Ulm. I must commend Walther for their methods and avoiding the rush to produce as with the MG-2 by "Morini?". When you produce a gun being that finicky---it soon loses all the mystery and becomes a pariah in the trade---I just don't like that beginning quote. I think I will do a lot of waiting before I try the SSP---my mouth still has a bad taste from the MG-2 I purchased when it arrived stateside. Suckered once shame on you, suckered twice---shame on me.

[tseuG]

Not one year of testing, but more like two and a half, or three. The first pistols were made available to the german team of female pistolshooters well prior to the Olympics in Athens in 2004.
Some minor design changes are incorporated in the limited production run of the current "test guns".

Yes, Bob, you are right. We do not want to become "guinea-pigs" again!
Let those eager buyers that cannot wait fielttest the SSP thoroughly. Then we may eventually decide to buy.... Much smarter.

[tseuG]

[quote="Bob Riegl"] .....The testers must have been very carefully chosen and given tight lips orders from Ulm...... [quote]

No, I was never given "tight lips" from Ulm. I was one of the testers, by the way.
No, I do not have much connection to the Walther factory. I tested the gun without any bias, Bob.

[Ernie Rodriguez]

Although I have no interests in an SSP what so ever,none- the copy was sent to me by a forum member-in Europe by email.He wanted to share,with the forum,the features of this pistol and NOTHING more.

[pilkguns @home]

We have our first Visier magazine article almost ready to go on-line, and it is coincentally enough, about the SSP. mostly positive by the way, but I can tell US buyers that it will be October proabably at the earliest before any are eavailble in the US

I would not be near as concerned buying a Walther aa I would be anything from the Cesare. As I have said before, he is brilliant designer but his guns have not been engineered very good and it is for this reason that I will not sell his guns, not even used, because I cannot stand behind them like I will stand behind anything else I sell. You know, the Quality has no regrets thing.

[deleted1]

Excellent choice and well said, hail to the mighty Pilkington.

[dnovo]

No matter how well tested, I am always a bit reluctant to buy 'version 1.0' of anything, hardware or software. The Walther GSP/OSP (the latter now 'deceased' along with other 22 shorts, more the pity) have all the wrinkles well ironed out. The Feinwerkbau AW 93 is also now a 'mature' designe, and others such as the Pardini SP and the Morini CM 22 have also been around long enough that any issues have been ironed out by the 'beta testers' -- i.e., the first group of buyers. So, no matter how well tested, I would still be leary of the SSP until it had been in full production and in 'end user' hands for at least a year. I'm all for thorough testing first, but my preference is to wait for others to do it for me :-) Dave

[NotCM22owneranymore]

AW 93 is also now a 'mature' designe, and others such as the Pardini SP and the Morini CM 22 have also been around long enough that any issues have been ironed out Dave

The issues of the CM22 have been ironed out, you postulate? No, I do not agree with you at that point at all...

Rgdz,
untill recently owner of a les than satisfying CM22

[Ernie Rodriguez]

Seems to me there isn't a target pistol out there,that at one time or another in their history,hasn't had one problem or another.It is the nature of these devices and the knowledge of the shooters.Not EVERYONE has problems and not EVERY pistol has problems either.Dealer support is much more important than supposed reputation of pistol, closley followed by the shooters knowledge of pistol.Also how well maintained the pistol is -has much to do with it's functioning.There are also a few people out there who constantly whine and whine about a product,long after the dealer solved the problem by refund or exchange.It is encouraging to feel that for every one or two problems that people have with these complex devices-most of the pistols work OK. IMHO of course.Ernie

[dnovo]

AW 93 is also now a 'mature' designe, and others such as the Pardini SP and the Morini CM 22 have also been around long enough that any issues have been ironed out Dave

The issues of the CM22 have been ironed out, you postulate? No, I do not agree with you at that point at all...

Rgdz,
untill recently owner of a les than satisfying CM22

I bought my CM 22 from Don Nygord. Perhaps I got a 'good one' or perhaps he just 'tuned' his guns before he shipped them, but mine worked just fine and still does. I simply prefer my Pardini and the Feinwerkbau AW 93. Dave

[Clint]

I am awaiting the legal paperwork to pick up my SSP.
It is currently sitting at the dealer, awaiting its new home.
I ordered it in May 2005.
I picked up the owners manual to familiarise myself with the pistol before collecting it.
I must say, I am disappointed in the owners manual.
I personally think it is very vague.
It gives basic details of design, features and function.
It gives vague strip down instructions. Maybe reading it a couple of times over will make more sense.
It does not even make any attempt to recommend ammunition, ie: subsonic, target, standard, high velocity, etc.
This is my first pistol of this type (IE:Std/RF pistol)
I previously (and still) use a Browning Buckmark 5.5 Field to shoot local club events, and although this unit will accept most ammo, I favour high velocity stuff. This is mainly due to correct, unfaltering operation of the pistol with this ammo, and some of the club shoots held at my pistol club give favourable results with the higher velocity stuff, due more "hitting" power. (IE: steel targets)
My current round of choice is Winchester Power Point, a high velocity, hollow point, 40gr round. I realise the hollow point is not the favourable design for a target round, affecting its stability in flight in a target environment, but 100% accuracy is not absolutely necessary at my club events. However, I have not had a misfire/failure to eject/failure to cycle in more than 5000 rounds. Not one.
I think I'll be spending a couple of days at my club, with a whole range of available ammo to test thru my SSP, to find a standard velocity and a high velocity round that it favours.
I can use the standard velocity target round for ISSF events (Standard, Rapid Fire, etc) and the high velocity when beneficial to my club specific events..
I am really looking forward to collecting my new SSP, and sincerely hope it is everything I expect it to be.

[John Horvath]

(snip)
It does not even make any attempt to recommend ammunition, ie: subsonic, target, standard, high velocity, etc.
This is my first pistol of this type (IE:Std/RF pistol)
I previously (and still) use a Browning Buckmark 5.5 Field to shoot local club events, and although this unit will accept most ammo, I favour high velocity stuff.

High velocity ammo may be fine in a Buckmark, a Ruger MkII or similar, but most high grade European semi-auto target pistols are designed to only use standard target grade .22 ammo (i.e. sub-sonic with a solid lead bullet with no copper coating). Their slides and frames are not designed to take the speed and force which the slide will move at if you use HV ammo and you run the risk of causing serious damage to the pistol.

[Clint]

Thanks for your reply, John.
Maybe Walther should include a similar quote to yours, in their owner's manual, to alert new owners to this information.
I'm guessing that if I try HV ammo, and the pistol does suffer damage, then I can claim a warranty repair, due to none of the supplied literature warning an owner of the potential to damage the pistol/parts of, by using such ammo.
Also, with a user adjustable/tunable Pneumatic Recoil Buffer, should I not be able to "tune" the pistol to consume HV ammo, without fear of damage?