TargetTalk

I need a new air rifle for a collegiate shooter and would be interested in reading about various opinions on the 3 common brands, FWB, Anschutz, and Walther especially as it relates to their top of the line models.

Walthers blow regulators, FWB's blow absorbers and Anschutz blow seals in general. Just getting that out of the way!

I find anschutz air rifles bulky, poorly balanced. The sidelever (I'd imagine) would be very nice for prone, and they seem easy to service.

FWB's are my choice, better balanced (still front heavy on my 700 Alu), feel nicer IMO and the stock setup is great. Cheekpiece and buttplate LOP easily adjustable without tools.

Walthers have perfect balance, and a unique feel. I'm not a fan of the barrel shroud as it feels a little cheap. However it comes standard with one of the best buttplates, grip swivels on a ball joint, and the trigger is very crisp and clean.

Top shooters from all over use those top three brands, have the shooter try all three brands from other college shooters if possible. The three all feel very different, they should know what they like fairly quickly.

Take this for what it is worth, from a guy who isn't a very good shooter who happens to shoot with very good shooters...

I've seen shooters with smaller/thinner body types sort of gravitate to Walther, LG300 and 400s. Also well represented here for teens or thinner shooters are Tesro air rifles.

I've seen shooters with husky builds and tall shooters gravitate to FWB, mostly 700s, although some shooters are using FWB 603 side cockers as well.

Shooters of all body types with various Anschutz rifles, the ones used here in Germany tend to be bulkier than Walther or FWB offerings but are very popular with older shooters.

There are definitely exceptions to these trends I've observed, but I hope this is helpful in matching a rifle to your shooter.

Jimro

Since your thinking collegiate that would omit 3-P air, so I wouldn't be to concerned about prone (from other respondents), just standing only. It is really Ford, Chevy and Dodge on this, and there are alot of good strings in the search that cover alot of the arguments for and against. I wouldn't throw out Pardini or Steyr just because they're not in the big 3. Also I'd stray away from body type analysis seeing how FWB dominates womens world cups finals...not a road I would go down but that comes from20 years of marriage.

Best advice is to try them out and see what feels right. All of them are highly adjustable to body types and in all honesty you'll never be just out of the box ready, there's always customizing that occurs. Grind here, tape weights on there, etc. Our club has a variety of all the big names and athletes just gravitate to what feels best, or perhaps psychologically what shot the best string that day.

There is some advocating against the FWB 800 - I think it comes from being too adjustable. Most the concerns I've heard revolve around moving from a 700 to an 800, playing with all the settings and shot scores decline. Sometimes simpler is better. Personally we've had good luck with 800's but we dont ultra modify them just because we can.

The Walther LG400 has been gaining traction and the reviews in general have been positive. I know several OTC resident who have made the transition to the LG400.

I like the LG400, and prefer the feel of the Alutec over the wood of the Anatomic. I've pretty much always shot Anschutz in smallbore, since 1978. But as pretty much everyone else has said you need to at least hold, and preferably shoot, as many of the offerings as possible. I also don't think it makes much (any) difference which one you pick. A good shooter should be able to shoot any of them well, once they have set it up to fit them correctly. Saying that using the gun they like the best will probably give them the confidence needed to extract the very best.

Alan

Walthers blowing regs is ooooooooooooooooooooold news. That was with the old reg, which has been replaced years and years ago.
I have 2 walthers with the new reg. Have 1 of them for years now. Always pressurised. Never had 1 issue whatsoever

I once felt all big brands. The Walther was best to my liking (best to hold still).
But its very personal.
Wouldnt skip any of the other brands btw, they're great too: Steyr, Tesro, etc

Do not forget about the Steyr LG110 that our host Pilkguns sells. I shot an Anschutz 2002CA for many years in an aluminum stock. I bought the Steyr and it just never felt as comfortable as the Anschutz but I kept shooting the Steyr because I liked the trigger better. Picked up the 2002CA a few weeks ago to take a few shots. Now the 2002CA feels uncomfortable and the Steyr feels great.

Ahhh! The shooter is still most important. Just yesterday a good shooter pulled an old co2 gun out of the basement that he hadnt seen in years.. Won the state championship..

Thanks to every body for your ideas. A few observations about the buying process as I dig deeper.

As to why I limited it to the Big Three. Why reinvent the wheel? These three air rifles have decades of history of success, they are what most people shoot and therefore there is availability of parts, accessories, repair, resale, ect.

Another problem is availability. Anschutz has announced a new model but has not imported any yet. None will be in the country until at least January. Somebody suggested Steyr and Tesro. I have never heard of Tesro and I cant find anyone in America who sells them. There is a difference in putting a product in your catalog and actually selling it. Because of the new Anschutz model there are is only one 9003 in the country for sale and it is a demo. There are no Steyrs for sale even at Pilkguns. Champions Choice has Walther and FWB (according to their web site) but no Anschutz. Champion Shooters only sells Anschutz and has none in stock.

Tesro is a newer brand, hasn't yet made inroads into the US, but you can get them in Canada. I know that Steyr imports have been wonky in the past, have no clue how they are now. Honestly if you want a Tesro, buying from Canada when the exchange rate is favorable would be a nice discount, if such is possible in your situation.

But, you really can't go wrong with any of the big three. If I were going to get a match rifle from the list, it would probably be a used FWB700 or an Anschutz, as I'm a tall guy with broad chest, and the muzzle heavy FWB match rifle balance is better for me as a shooter. I added 240 grams of weight to the muzzle of my Hammerli AR20 to make it balance more like a FWB800 that a fellow club member let me shoot. But until I can get much better as a shooter the AR20 is a better rifle than I am a marksman.

Any of the big three will let you modify the dimensions and center of gravity so that you can fit the rifle to you, so pick one and enjoy.

Jimro

If you are looking for Tesro in Usa and Canada check out www.tesro.ca.
Like mentioned before the exchange rates makes everything from Canada and candy of a discount on such a premium product.