Walther LGR - History

History

After a long development period the Walther LGR emerged as the main rival of the successful Feinwerkbau 300(S) match air rifle series, that were powered by a spring-piston coupled with an ingenious recoil absorbing system that allowed the barrel and receiver to slide back and forth on a rail system. The complex Feinwerkbau 300(S) design had up to that moment dominated the 10 metre air rifle shooting sport.

Immediately after its introduction in 1974 the LGR broke the individual and team 10 metre air rifle world records. This record breaking made the international shooting union, known as the UIT back then, but today the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF), decide to reduce the size of the 10 metre air rifle target to its current dimensions.

Other match air rifle manufacturers reacted to the introduction of the Walther LGR by further refinement of spring piston rifles. These late spring piston era match air rifles, the Anschutz LG 380 and the Diana Model 75, were certainly of high quality and very accurate, but spring piston technology, with its complex recoil cancellation mechanisms and slow lock times, was no longer cutting edge. The competition successes of the Walther LGR forced the other match air rifle manufacturers to ultimately drop the spring-piston-powered match air rifles and move into the “recoil free” pneumatic era.

The Walther LGR kept on dominating match air rifle shooting and held many records until the introduction of the Feinwerkbau 600 series single-stroke pneumatic air rifles in 1984. The Feinwerkbau 600 was easier to cock than the Walther LGR, lessening shooter fatigue over a 60 shot match and had an even faster lock time. The LGR's successor made by Walther was the LG90 single-stroke pneumatic air rifle.