TargetTalk

I am in the US Army stationed in Germany (for over a year now) and still have not been able to acquire a WBK (Waffenbesitzkarte) as a Sport Shooter. As such, my Hardball pistol, my 22 target pistol, my IPSC pistol, etc, all remain locked up back in the USA.

I really want to get something that I can use to practice w/o the hassle of owning a "firearm" in Germany, and my first thought was of Steyr air pistols.

I've never competed in air pistol competition, but I was assigned a Steyr LP1 (IIRC) at the USAMU when I worked in the Operations shop for a few months in 1998. Anyway, I searched for Steyr air pistols and found the LP50, and it seems like it would be a good training tool for a Service Pistol shooter stuck in Germany to have.

Any thoughts, advice, comments?

I'd like to say money is no object, but at least in this case, the LP50 is well within my budget.

Thanks.

When legislation here in the UK caused us to lose our cartridge pistols very many of us turned to the LP5.

It's obviously not the same as cartridge shooting but the accuracy at 25m is more than adequate to provide a suitable challenge and satisfaction to the serious target shooter.

The LP50 is a good evolution.

Not as good as the real cartridge gun at 25m and not as good as a top quality single shot air pistol for the 10m slow fire events. Having said that, if circumstances dictate, it's a good all-rounder to allow you to keep shooting.

All of the above is of course from the ISSF perspective.

The LP50 should be good for one handed 'bullseye' practise, I had an LP5 which was fine for 25m.

Something else to consider might be the Walther CP88, they are 8 shot CO2 capsule powered pistols.
Quite low velocity, and not much good beyond 10m, they also seem to wear out quite fast, but they are very cheap and more suitable for the service/combat matches, not ideal but maybe better than nothing.

You can also get plenty of accesories, holsters, red dot sights etc.

James Hurr wrote:The LP50 should be good for one handed 'bullseye' practise

That's just the info I'm looking for.

Something else to consider might be the Walther CP88, they are 8 shot CO2 capsule powered pistols. Quite low velocity, and not much good beyond 10m, they also seem to wear out quite fast, but they are very cheap and more suitable for the service/combat matches, not ideal but maybe better than nothing.

Thanks for the suggestion, but a POS is not what I'm looking to buy. I'll buy the proper tool for the job, and shoot it as it's meant to be shot. I don't think I'd derive much training value from what amounts to a toy (in the US).

As long as the consensus is that the LP50 is good for keeping in training in lieu of Bullseye competition, that's good enough for me to go ahead and get one.

I have an LP50 that I have used for 10m competition and am in the process of setting it up as a training aid for BE pistol during the winter months. I have the the 3.5lb trigger and am awaiting delivery of the 45 style grips. I have used it both with the iron sights and with a red dot (the model Pilkington sells here in the U.S. has been modified to take a Weaver base ring) and it is an excellent training tool for sustained fire as well as slow fire. The trigger has a slight roll which is great for sustained fire, but not as good as the LP1 trigger for 10m AP competition. If you decide to sell it when you get back to the U.S., you should have no problem selling it.

Welcome to AP. I think you will like it.

Like Fred, I also own an LP50 which was my first of two air pistols. I've had no maintenance problems with it and am very satisfied with the quality of the gun.

I picked up the LP50 as a home training tool for other types of shooting - Bullseye in particular. I never intended to shoot air pistol competitons. So, I also purchased the 3.5 trigger and 1911 style grips and went to work. Two things happened fairly quickly:

1. I discovered that dry firing the 1911 was a far more productive bullseue training tool than was live firing the LP50. This is probably not possible for you since you and your powder guns are separated and that is unfortunate.

2. I became captivated with the air pistol discipline as an end unto itself. The LP50 served me very well in that capacity.


I purchased both my LP50 and a second air gun (Morini 162EI) from our Pilkington host and have been delighted with their level of service and knoweledgeable staff.

Good luck with your choice.

F. Paul in Denver