TargetTalk

Hello, my name is Chantal and I'm from the Netherlands (so excuse me for my bad english).
I have a question. I'm a competitive shooter and I just changed from airpistol back to .22, because I can't handle my Steyr LP10 (to big, even with a special trigger and custom made Rink grip). And besides I'm growing in the .22 scene.
Now I'm shooting with a hämmerli 280 and it just fits my hand. My wapen starts to give trouble, I think it's getting to old, so now I'm looking for a new wapen. I'm thinking about a Walther SSP or a Hämmerli SP 20 RRS.
My main discipline is now sportspistol, but I'm also shooting militair rapid fire. I wonder wich one of those wapens would be the right choice, or maybe you can reccomend me another wapen. I like the weight and the balance of my Hämmerli 280. I'm nog that fond of Walther, because I've had to much trouble with my Walter LP 300. The triggerweight kept changeing. But I think I would like the weigt (970gram) of het Walther SSP.
Besides there is a problem with my hand, it is really tiny and my fingers and my trigger finger is really short. I have problems with every single wapen, so I know I need another custom made grip.
Who can advise me to find a perfect new wapen???

Thanks for reading/ answering my story.

Greetz Chantal

My advice will be to try the Morini CM22RF

Kent

I must agree the CM 22 is a likley your best bet.

The Feinwerkbau looks quite small but I don't know if that's just my perception of it. Might be worth taking a look at it though.

Rob.

If you like the 280, the SP20 should be pretty similar. Bit more rake in the grip, but same trigger and similar balance. SSP could work, too - saw pics of Dorisuren Munkbayar shooting a SSP, and she has tiny hands. If you like the 280, IMHO the CM22 has too much rake in the grip, and if you go for a more upright position on the CM22, you're miles away from the barrel axis. AW93 could be a bit difficult, as the magazine in the grip makes it somewhat deeper than most other pistols. A good way to go could be a almost new, last series 280 - they are getting available quite cheap on egun. Another alternative could be the Pardini - frame a bit on the wide side, but otherwise quite short.

SSP has also a quite raked grip unless you buy the special more vertical grip from Rink (Rink has two types of grips for the SSP: one with the same raske as the original one and one less raked for "old" GSP shooters).

The problem with both SSP and SP20 is that both now "benefit" from the same Walther service.

If you are from the Netherlands and are from the south, you can go to the Belgian Walther importer bvba Franck in Lommel (a couple of km from the border, near Eindhoven), you will have the opportunity to try the SSP there. He is also used to sell weapons to Dutch people, he now how to do the paperwork.

I am afraid that the Pardini won't fit since it is quite heavy, this one has also a raked grip. The RF version is even heavier.

But I am not sure that the rake is an issue since you also shoot AP.

Concerning the rake of the CM22M RF, it is similar to the one of the LP10 and shouldn't be very different from the rake of the LP300.

About weight, my CM22M RF without additional weights but with a Rink large thick laminated grip (laminated is slightly heavier than normal wood, a smaller grip size will definetely reduce the weight) is around 900g and the weigth can even be reduced by removing the mounting rail for the additional weights (useless if you do not mount any additional weights). It is the lowest weight RF pistol on the market.

Last point: the CM22M RF has a wondefull trigger !

As said by Tycho, with your small hands problem, you should avoid any pistol with a magazine in the grip like the AW93 or IZH35.

If a used gun is an option you can buy a Unique DES96.

Kent

Reinhamre wrote:If a used gun is an option you can buy a Unique DES96.

Kent

If you have one for sale, Kent, I'm interested.

Sorry, sold it last year and bought a CM22RF.
Why? Rear sight too low (or front sight too high) the sightline was too long with the rear sight up in 45 degrees :-) I almost always have to cut of my front sight 2 mm.

DES96 is very nice in small hands and is the only gun where I have had 3 x 50 points in a row. :-)

Kent

Thank's for all your answers. I have a new question, I don't exactly understand what you mean with rake grip.
When I'm thinking about a LP10, LP300 or GSP Expert I have the feeling it means that it's harder to lift the front sights of the wapen to get it in line with the rear sights. If that's true I don't think I would like to have a weapen with a rake grip.
I really like the hämmerli 280, but I also shot some good results with an unique des 69 when I started shooting a couple years ago. But I'm thinking about buying a new weapen, because I shoot a lot, and with a used weapen I can't be sure if it can handle a lot more shots.
So that propably means the best choise might be a Walther SSP with a 'normal' Rink grip. If Dorisuren Munkbayar can hold this weapen, I can propably hold it too. Or is it for the other weapens also possible to order a les rake grip?
The tip to test al SSP in Belgian can be very usefull. I think it's about a 2 hours drive, so that's worth it.
Next week I have a competition in Germany, so I hope it's possible to hold a few of the weapens you advised.

Greetz Chantal

U hebt Pm

harten11 wrote:Thank's for all your answers. I have a new question, I don't exactly understand what you mean with rake grip.

We are talking bout the angle between the barrel and the grip. With a 90 degre angle the grip is vertical.

Some pistols have a grip more vertical = closer to 90 degre: GSP expert, FWB AW93, IZH35, Hammerli 280, 208... It is also the case for most big bore defense/police pistols like the colt 1911.

Match pistols, especially the modern european ones, have a less vertical grip = angle much bigger than 90 degre, this is called a raked grip. It is the case with most modern air pistols like the LP10 and also the modern standard pistols like the Morini CM22M and Walther SSP. Free pistols and especially the Hammerli have an even less vertical grip = extreme rake.

With the first category, when you aim at the target, your wrist/hand is more or less aligned with your fore arm. When the grip become more and more raked - less and less vertical you have to turn/break your wrist down to have the barrel aiming at the traget.

With a raked grip, when the rake is adjusted for your wrist/arm morphology, you do not need to make any effort in your wrist to have the pistol aiming at the target.

Hope these explanations are clear enough.

Abour small hands shooters, Wenjun Guo uses a CM22M.