TargetTalk

I just bought a Walther LP400 Compact for my son and had a chance to compare it to my Morini 162EI. The Walther trigger is ...well, different, the second stage feels like a very short roll, similar to "roll triggers" typically found on Bullseye 1911s. I can't say it's bad, it is just something one has to get used to. The Morini trigger is electronic, it is very crisp.
The balance of Walther is actually a bit better, it is not as front heavy as Morini. And I like the Walther grip better, I guess it would feel more comfortable for shooters with small hands.
The downside of Walther being lighter than Morini is that it wobbles more.
The sights are very good, just as good as Morini, although adjustments require using allen wrenches.

Just my 2c.

The second stage roll you are referring too can be removed by adjusting the sear in order to provide a crisp release.

Read that morini is a more forgiving ap .can some one elaborate,thanks

glr1 wrote:Read that morini is a more forgiving ap .can some one elaborate,thanks

It means that somebody likes it better. Haven't you figured it out yet? These threads inevitably become the blind men and the elephant.

"I like AP X because my bad shots are 8's and don't stray into the 7 ring."

"I like AP Y because my good shots are really deep 10's."

"I like AP Z because the forward weight balance makes it more steady in my hand."

"I like AP Q because the weight sits nicely right above my trigger finger."

"I like AP J because...."

"I like AP K because...."

The problem is that there are subtle ergonomic issues that nobody understands. I have a Pardini SP .22 and a Benelli MP90S. After lending the MP90S to my daughter to shoot, I tried for years to shoot the Pardini as well as I could with the Benelli. I tried to match the grips, the balance, the trigger etc. No matter what, I never felt the Pardini shot as well FOR ME. I bought a 2nd Benelli, and immediately added about 5 points to my NRA bullseye scores (270 went up to 275). I could easily shoot 290's or better if I wasn't old, wobbly and with a few bad habits (i.e. it's not the pistol holding me back). The Benelli really does feel more "forgiving" of those bad habits. If I get a little too aggressive on the trigger, I still get 8's or 9's instead of 7's. I have no idea why.

There are lots of people who shoot ancient TOZ free pistols because they are "more forgiving". Nobody knows why. The Morini 162 is a pretty old design these days, but still appears in the medal count at major world events despite not having a counter-recoil system & other modern features.

Unfortunately, there really is no way to tell in advance how a given pistol will perform for YOU. At a minimum, you need to hold one and see how it feels. To really tell for sure, you need to shoot each one a while and see how it performs in YOUR hand. What works well for somebody else in largely meaningless. It also depends on the level that you shoot at. If you aren't shooting better than 550 in air pistol, you probably have technique issues that will overwhelm minor ergonomic differences between pistols. Once you get up above 570, subtle effects may become more important. A LOT of the difference will be the grip design, and in theory, that can be fixed, but it can take a long time to get right. If you find a grip that really suits you on a particular brand of pistol, that may be the key difference. I tried 3 different grips on my Pardini (including the same manufacturer that Benelli uses), and the one I settled on still doesn't feel as good as the Benelli factory grip.

A top world class shooter could probably shoot 580 or better with just about anything. You see some of them shooting different pistols from year to year, possibly depending only on sponsorship deals. At some level, it's not what you CAN shoot well, it's what is easy for you to shoot well. That's where the subtleties come in.

Gwhite, I think you have it exactly right.

A good excuse to buy three or four guns and go for it!

A good excuse to buy three or four guns and go for it!

I agree with that !

As Gwhite pointed out there is no best pistol for everyone, only a pistol that for no sensible reason will suit an individual's needs.

William illustrated how listening to various owners only gives an insight into why they feel their choice is best, and finally Rover has given us a reason to buy more guns.

In the end it makes no sense to buy by looks or reasons others have bought brand a or b, but finding a way to test as many pistols as possible in order to find the brand that gives the best result for us, hoping to find that elusive "forgiving" factor that we are all searching for.

It goes without saying that coaching and training are still at the top of the list.

deadeyedick wrote: It goes without saying that coaching and training are still at the top of the list.

To underscore this point: Years ago (1980) a fellow named Don Hamilton was shooting at a local 50 foot indoor free pistol match. He was shooting a Hammerli 162 which has an electronic trigger. I think he was less than half way through when his trigger died. He pulled his S&W Model 41 out of his gun box, and finished the match with that. He not only won the match, but the range record he set (558) still stands.

therider wrote:have you got a second question? :-)
there is no competition at all!!
how many professionals shoot Lp400? has it ever won any competition?

Isakov, he even won the WCF 2015 with it. And he's constantly in the medals throughout the years and beats the usual crowd consisting 60%+ from Steyrs.

Zongliang Tan shot LP400 (he doesn't compete since 2012 for some reason, the last year he competed, he took WCF silver with LP400 and WC gold in Milan)

GUO shot LP400 shortly (and as I remember won something with it around 2012)

considering how little LP400 is seen, it has won more than it's fair share. I've never shot one, but it should be noted that Walther makes very good air rifles (LG400) with similar tech, and the current world record for air rifle was set with Walther.

Walther is very popular in Germany, while you will almost never see a Morini.

Not only that, LP300 XT, the previous version, won a whole lot of medals (Ekimov, Zlatic etc)

//ok I see others even posted pictures, my answer wasn't necessary. I'll have a chance to ask someone to test their LP400 in 3 days and I can compare it with my Steyr

With all that said, you should only buy pistol you can easily get parts for!!! I don't know about Florida and US in general.

Don't think about absorber, vents, they're useless, people shot better scores with LP1. All that matters is it fits you (trigger/grip/balance), and you have spare parts near by, somebody who can repair it, just in case, the rest is nonsense.

"the rest is nonsense."

Seems plain enough to me.

It is not realistic for me to buy all the ap,I am concern about spare parts as I have now a walther lp .201 ,that is a disadvantage for walther since the have changed their pcp cylinder thread and size,not making the cylinder for the 201 and worse nobody reap is them due to their age .the morini and the styer still use the same pcp cylinder, I have owned a lp1 before it was nice but the lp201 shot better for me,the Morini I have not held or shot,I shot at 95-94 percent when I practice ,the thing is I participate in other shooting event,play a lot of golf now with my son,ride bike,crossfit,and don't shoot all the time like most of most of you guys and I appreciate all the good input

If you are in the US, Pilkguns (our host) can maintain & service both Morinis and Steyrs. Steyr actually has some wonderful videos so you can do a lot of basic repairs yourself.

Support for Walthers in the US is spotty, partly because they constantly change their designs & don't tend to support older pistols well. I had a couple Walthers early on (an LP-3 & a CP-1), but eventually getting even simple replacement seal kits became nearly impossible. With the 10 year cylinder rule in effect, you need to buy a pistol that will be well supported for the long run, and not made obsolete by design changes, especially in the cylinder interface.

Yes, lots of people have said that the LP400 grip is too skinny. After initial reservations, I'm now very pleased with the design, and how well it fits my hand.

In order to maintain consistent trigger weight; adjusting first and second stages, including the sear, will need quite a bit of experimentation though. My sear is adjusted to 1/6 turn at the moment, and seems perfect for me.

Even though mine is a very light carbon version, I don't detect very much muzzle flip at all, which surprised me. Also, it's a faster and smaller arch of movement (wobble) than a heavier pistol. Theoretically more accurate than a heavier pistol, but be prepared for punishment if you don't focus on the basics. It's not particularly forgiving, and takes no prisoners.

The morini is a superior pistol.. 2nd only to a Steyr!

therider wrote:have you got a second question? :-)
how many professionals shoot Lp400? has it ever won any competition?

Vladimir Isakov won the 2015 WC final...which was LP400's maiden international victory. There is hardly anyone using it.

"maiden"

see my post above, in 2012 Zonglian won a WC with it and took silver in WC Finals. He doesn't compete since 2012. You can find those videos on the internet.

I had a chance to hold a LP400, the grip is thin (which doesnt' matter, I had to modify them on all pistols). The trigger felt rubbery. I actually liked it. Nice is also how close it was placed to the barrel line, an improvement over LP300. Morini's trigger is way way down there, not as bad as Pardini though. But to conclude my opinion about this pistol I'd need to shoot it for a few sessions which I don't think will ever happen in the near future.

hundert wrote:"maiden"

see my post above, in 2012 Zonglian won a WC with it and took silver in WC Finals. He doesn't compete since 2012. You can find those videos on the internet.

my bad.

As for Tan, he was 41 when he made it to his last Olympic, so it was time to retire. Think about it, he has been competing for 27 years since age 14, ...that's a long time. He actually thought about retiring as early as after the Athens Olympics. I have a autograph photograph of him shooting free pistol.
He is using a Steyr here.

he switched from LP10 to LP400
Here's his 1st place with it WC Milan 2012
Here's his 2nd place in WC Final 2012
Here's him taking the 2nd place WC Munich 2012

He dominated 2012 with a LP400. Also took 5th in WC London 2012. I'm not sure people on here understand the performance needed make it into the finals on all the ISSF events he took part in. Those who don't know, you first need to pass qualification, become top 8 in score, before you can shoot the World Cup, the PDF list of participants and their score for each event can be found online, there are a 100 people you compete against, and each time he reached the top 8 need to participate in final, you need to have shot 70% of your shots in the 10 to make it.

He stopped competing after that unfortunately. This should though give you enough confidence that you can win anything with LP400.

Gwhite wrote:Support for Walthers in the US is spotty, partly because they constantly change their designs & don't tend to support older pistols well.

I bought a used LP400 and it had the paperclip trigger spring and a cylinder leak. Sent it to Walther USA and the trigger was upgraded to latest spec and cylinder was replaced with new all free of charge. Turn around time was quick.

hundert wrote:...This should though give you enough confidence that you can win anything with LP400.

No, all it shows is that one of the world's great shooters can win with just about anything.