Review of Walther LP500 Expert

[ChipEck]

I own a Steyr Evo10e and a Morini CM200 so this is what I am comparing the Walther LP500 Expert against. This is my opinion and no one is paying me a dime for this. Your mileage may very.

After well over 5,000 pellets and a ton of dry firing I am more in love with this pistol now compared to when I first got it.

Fit and finish is worlds better that my Morrini. It even has a metal trigger guard compared to the plastic one on the CM200. Fit and finish is equal to my Evo 10e.
Adjustability; against the CM200, there is no comparison. The CM200 forces you to adapt to it.
Adjustability compared to Evo 10e is almost a tie. The LP500 wins by having an ingenious three sided front sight. You can turn it to get three different front sight widths.
Balance and weight gets into personal preference, but to me there is no comparison. The LP500 feels like it is a part of my body, the sights are exceptional clear and it sits lower in my hand.
The front sight comes up more clearly and sharper (maybe because the LP500 lets me move the rear sight back an additional three inches). I do not cant the pistol, but it is nice to see that the LP500 (and the Evo 10e) can be adjusted for cant as well.
The LP500 feels so much better. Of the three, it is the only air pistol where the factory grip fit me like a glove. On both the CM200 and the Evo 10e I had to order Rink grips. The factory grips just did not fit me on the CM200 nor the Evo 10e.
The LP500 is easier to load and I swear the loading latch is on ball bearings because it is so smooth. You can feel the quality.
After all that, the LP500 is hundreds cheaper, even though the quality in the build is noticeably better compared to the CM200.

What I did not like.
I hate the gaudy "Walther" on one side and "LP500" on the other side.
I get why they use a carbon fiber air cylinder for weight, but they are more expensive than they need to be.



Chip

[Ramon OP]

What's the trigger like when dry firing? Is it exactly like live firing or it offers less resistance?

[Timberwerks]

Is the chrome Walther & LP500 made of plastic and are they stuck on? I wonder if they can be removed without damage to barrel sleeve? Also, what size grip did you order? My AP20 Pro has a medium Walther grip and fits me perfect. My Morini, Steyer & Pardini are large and fit a bit snug except for the Morini, that is a bit large.

[ChipEck]

What's the trigger like when dry firing? Is it exactly like live firing or it offers less resistance?

The trigger feels identical when dry firing. Resistance is identical. Mine has only the mechanical trigger as the electronic trigger was not yet available. That is another big advantage that I did not mention. You can quickly swap between mechanical and electronic triggers.

Chip

[ChipEck]

Is the chrome Walther & LP500 made of plastic and are they stuck on? I wonder if they can be removed without damage to barrel sleeve? Also, what size grip did you order? My AP20 Pro has a medium Walther grip and fits me perfect. My Morini, Steyer & Pardini are large and fit a bit snug except for the Morini, that is a bit large.

You might be on to something. The barrel shroud feels like metal, but the letters are attached by thin foam tape!

I always get a large Rink grip. The Walther came with a medium grip. So the Walther grip is about one size LARGER.

Chip

[Star7]

I agree that the LP500 is very well done (except the loud graphics). I note that LP400 Al cylinders can be used and wonder how much they shift
and add to the weight. They are a LOT cheaper than the C fiber.

[sal6781]

Where did you buy this and how much ?

[ChipEck]

Joe Hein
Elite Shooting Sports of Montana
(406) 625-2557
info@eliteshootingsport.com
www.eliteshootingsport.com

Paid $1,850 for the LP500 Expert. There are several models. The amazing part was I received in UNDER one week!

I cannot say enough good things about Joe.

Chip

[Star7]

I had the same experience with Joe. Same price.

It is a remarkable pistol.

[JKR]

I had the opportunity to shoot Chip's Walther just yesterday. As Star7 said, it is a remarkable pistol. Very nice handling characteristics. Great trigger. I can't say there was anything I disliked about it.

JKR

[ChipEck]

Now it is perfect. Thanks Timberwerks.

LP500.PNG

Now I have extra chrome letters. I can picture the genius marketing person at Walther who came up with the huge chrome lettering beating their head onto their desk when they see this:-) Maybe this starts a trend:-)

Chip

[Timberwerks]

That looks much better! Were the letters easy to peal off? This will be my next pistol to add to my collection. I purchased the Morini 162 first just in case they remove it from production to drive sales of the 200. And truth be told the large chrome letters also was a factor in holding off, not anymore. Thanks for the photo!

[ChipEck]

It took about 20 minutes. The letters were easy to pop off. What took the time was removing glue. I used Goo Gone to soak the glue for four minutes and rubbed hard with one of those disposable rags you can buy at Menards. Afterwards I wiped down with a water-soaked rag to get rid of any remaining Goo Gone. Now you cannot tell there were ever any butt ugly chrome letters on it.

Does this now make me a gunsmith? :-)

Since Walther lets you pick the color of the chrome letters, they should also let you pick no letters...give the customer what they want.


Chip

[Star7]

THANK YOU!
I was afraid to attack the graphics.........thanks for working this out.

[j danielsson]

The biggest reason for me not to buy one was the letters.
This might get expensive.

[ChipEck]

It is worth it.

Chip

[Jerome]

Chip, thanks for the review.

Presumably, you've not compared the LP500 with the earlier 400? Apart from an ability to add an electronic trigger, the mechanical version must be pretty much the same as the LP400?

[ChipEck]

Sorry,
I have never used the Walther LP400 so I cannot offer opinion between the two.

Chip

[serrano]

Reviving this thread. :)
How does the LP500 feel now after a few years?
Have you tried any other new guns since this was posted and can compare?

[B Lafferty]

I own a Steyr Evo10e and a Morini CM200 so this is what I am comparing the Walther LP500 Expert against. This is my opinion and no one is paying me a dime for this. Your mileage may very.

After well over 5,000 pellets and a ton of dry firing I am more in love with this pistol now compared to when I first got it.

Fit and finish is worlds better that my Morrini. It even has a metal trigger guard compared to the plastic one on the CM200. Fit and finish is equal to my Evo 10e.
Adjustability; against the CM200, there is no comparison. The CM200 forces you to adapt to it.
Adjustability compared to Evo 10e is almost a tie. The LP500 wins by having an ingenious three sided front sight. You can turn it to get three different front sight widths.
Balance and weight gets into personal preference, but to me there is no comparison. The LP500 feels like it is a part of my body, the sights are exceptional clear and it sits lower in my hand.
The front sight comes up more clearly and sharper (maybe because the LP500 lets me move the rear sight back an additional three inches). I do not cant the pistol, but it is nice to see that the LP500 (and the Evo 10e) can be adjusted for cant as well.
The LP500 feels so much better. Of the three, it is the only air pistol where the factory grip fit me like a glove. On both the CM200 and the Evo 10e I had to order Rink grips. The factory grips just did not fit me on the CM200 nor the Evo 10e.
The LP500 is easier to load and I swear the loading latch is on ball bearings because it is so smooth. You can feel the quality.
After all that, the LP500 is hundreds cheaper, even though the quality in the build is noticeably better compared to the CM200.

What I did not like.
I hate the gaudy "Walther" on one side and "LP500" on the other side.
I get why they use a carbon fiber air cylinder for weight, but they are more expensive than they need to be.



Chip

Who services Walther/Hammerli air pistols and rifles in the USA?