It was about time: Carl Walther presented its previous top air rifle, the LG400, at the 2010 World Championships in Munich. A long 13 years since then is more than a generation in top-class sport, even if there have always been improvements to details such as the LG400 Monotec. Here is a brief introduction to its successor, the Walther LG500 itec.
Like its predecessors, the new LG500 itec from Carl Walther comes with a 300-bar airi cylinder under the barrel, but now installed vibration-free. The "Biometric Trigger electronic BTe" is a key feature: integrated into the grip, the electronic trigger can be optimally positioned for the first time. The loading recess has also been enlarged and moved back – many shooters rest the rifle on a side-mounted tripod after each shot and can now reach the loading recess more easily. Medium-Coarse Bowl Liner
Powered by a battery that can be recharged via mini-USB from any PC or charger, more than 5,000 shots are possible with a full battery according to the factory – charging time for 100 shots (i.e. in a serious competition) only requires one minute, 90 minutes for a full battery. After just over 20 minutes of inactivity, the electronics switch off automatically. For dry-fire training, which all top shooters now do regularly at home, the rocker switch on the left under the loading recess must be switched (when the trigger is cocked).
In the loading port, which allows the safe insertion of a diabolo even with large fingers, a red signal ring can be seen after closing the cocked action, which indicates readiness to fire – this is also new.
The Walther Stability & Response System (SRS) brings unrivalled stability to the Walther LG500 itec air rifle, resulting in optimal shooter response and reduced vibration. Thanks to the adaptive inline impulse equaliser and vibration-minimised loading mechanics, shooters experience the delicate feedback required to optimise accuracy for a personal "recoil feeling". The pneumatically driven absorber further enhances the rifle’s performance, delivering the ultimate shooting experience, with every shot fired. The system that sometimes oscillates underneath the diopter in the LG400 Monotec is now mounted stably in the stock of the LG500. The barrel and stock are connected by two widely spaced interfaces, one of which is the now wider receiver, while the other interface is located at the front, just before the end of the steel receiver, as in the LG400 Monotec.
The buttstock can also be finely adjusted in all areas using adjusting screws when the gun is in the shooting position. The metal butt plate and the forend raiser block have been adapted to the new adjustment system, and there is still enough space under the buttstock to prevent a broad chest from touching the gun. Thanks to the new grip design and a much shorter buttstock, even smaller shooters should always be able to reach the grip and trigger as desired. Flat "balancers" can be attached to the fore-end, as well as under the cheek piece or in front of the buttplate, so that the LG500 itec can be individually balanced.
The new Visionic sight has low set controls for elevation and windage on both sides and a V-shaped "emergency rear sight" on the upper edge for rapid target acquisition. This improves the sense of balance and reduces fluctuations. The sight slide is guided with repeatable accuracy by a high-precision ball bearing parallel guide.
The Walther LG500 itec will replace the LG400 sometime next year. However, a good 20(!) different versions are currently still listed on the Walther website, from the match model with aluminum stock to the Anatomic laminated wood version and the benchrest models, up to the field target and junior rifles. It can also be assumed that the LG500 itec will gradually be presented in variants for different purposes. Perhaps also in other colors – but these are already being supplied by the in-house tuning workshop, the Walther Meister Manufaktur, for an additional charge.
The new high-tech LG500 itec model naturally has its price: with an electronic BTe trigger, the RRP is 5,698 euros. However, there is also a version with a mechanical trigger, conventionally connected to the action: the Walther LG500 itec M costs €4,749. The external dimensions and the adjustment options on the stock as well as the Visionic match diopter are identical, and the mechanical trigger has already helped its human users win medals in countless competitions.
With the brand new LG500 itec, especially in the electronic version, Walther has succeeded in creating a technical and aesthetic masterpiece. The integral itec system and the Stability & Response System (SRS) in conjunction with the Accuracy Control System (ACS) and the innovative Visionic match diopter guarantee consistently excellent shooting performance with optimum feedback.
Special website for the Walther LG500 itec with lots of technical information
Test of the Visionic diode on the Walther LG500 itec by master trainer Heinz Reinkemeier
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