TargetTalk

In early 2023 I ordered a Walther KK500 through Meister Manufaktur including a few variations to the standard KK500 as recommended by the local Walther agent. The order was confirmed and a price provided. When the rifle finally arrived in New Zealand in June 2024 a number of parts needed to be replaced. That was done very quickly by Walther however two of the specific items on the order were not supplied and subsequently Walther advised they could not make them (an extended tube and cheek piece in aluminium).

In February 2025 I purchased a borescope. For a what was effectively a new barrel I was horrified to find a large area of what appears to be corrosion as indicated in the attached pictures. The affected area is only in the mid-section of the bore 265-415mm from the breech continuously through this section. The remainder of the barrel is as expected of a new rifle. Has anyone seen similar “corrosion” in their KK500.

Walther’s response to this is that “rust on the inside. This is due to climatic conditions, storage, treatment/cleaning, or the cleaning agents used. This has nothing to do with manufacturing.”

Funny that – my older Walther KK550 that I have had since 2017 is stored in exactly the same place and is cleaned in exactly the same way after shooting with the same cleaning agents as my new KK500. Walther are saying it’s not their problem and are not willing to replace the faulty barrel.

A major reason in going down Meister Manufaktur path was how pleased I was with my older KK500 and the idea of creating something even better with a bespoke rifle from Meister Manufaktur. My older KK500 was purchased with a laminated anatomic stock. Over the ensuing years the laminated stock was replaced by Walther three times due to splitting (which also happened to my team mate with the same rifle – ordered at the same time) until I finally gave up and accepted a replacement aluminium stock in March 2023. During this period I was very impressed with the service from Walther and they stood behind their product in stock replacement on each occasion.

I wonder what has happened to the customer and product support since then. After 48 years of shooting with Walther, I am very dissappointed in this KK500 Meister Manufaktur product. It is currently inferior to my older KK500, the back up support received from Walther and the Meister Maufaktur has been virtually non existent and it has certainly not been worth the very elevated price point. I should have just stuck with my 2017 KK500. My confidence and my support in the brand are at an all time low.

Very sad! For the price those rifles should be perfect in every way.
\Rick B.

That's really unfortunate; it raises concerns about the impact on shooting consistency. Nonetheless, I believe Walther is among the leading .22 rifle manufacturers. From my observations at the World Cups, only Bleiker and Grünig + Elmiger stand out as viable alternatives but are more expensive. Perhaps this explains why customer and product support has declined compared to before.

Perhaps now that they have captured the market they are willing to support only the very obvious faults.

6 out of 8 finalist in 3p men WC Munich use Walther kk500...

From my experience over many years of shooting with Walther there is no disputing the ability of these rifles at club, regional, national and international levels. Currently the rifle shoots very well and may continue to do so. However it has a defect which, aside from the immediate loss in value from the premium paid for the Meister Manufaktur, is very likely to result in further corrosion and loss of accuracy/consistency and a shorter than expected lifespan.