Introduction and Rifle review no. 1
Posted: Sun Mar 09, 2008 5:19 am
Hi guys I am new here. My real name is Vikram and I live in Chicago. My hobbies and sports include sky diving, speed skating and airgunning. I love driving my BMW//M3 E46 really fast but get ticketed a lot 
I started shooting about 12 years ago as a 10m guy but once the sport of field target appeared on the scene, it was all over. I loved it so much that now 95% of all my matches are field target and rest, 10meter.
This seems like a great forum and I hope my stay will be a positive experience for me as well as you.
I will take this opportunity to write reviews on my rifles. These reports are an outcome of extensive experience with them. These reviews have also been published in many US and other forums. I hope you will enjoy them.
WALTHER LG300ft DOMINATOR REVIEW
After quite a bit of silhouette shooting with the Anschultz 58.14 MSR, I got really interested in the air rifle FT competition. While HFT was fun, the precision part was missing. I needed something that could be as precise as a 10 meter match PCP, so I turned to the people who do nothing but that.
I ordered two rifles known to be the best rifles in the world of FT. The Walther LG300 Dominator and the Steyr LG110 FT. Steyr won't be there for another three months, but Champions Choice had 2 Brand new Walther Dominators left so I bought one. It arrived in three days.
Upon opening the Walther hard plastic case, I was looking at something that was oozing quality from its pores. Here the Diff between the Air Wolf and the competition became really apparent.
Every part of the WD is made up of very high quality material. The stock is aircraft grade distortion free aluminium and the air cylinder is steel. the grip, forearm, handstop and cheek piece are made up of laminated birch wood impregnated with anti-allergy solutions so your skin won't even itch while shooting, no kidding. The 19.26 inch barrel is ideal to give ample long distance velocity. The Rifle is built like a tank. Solid. The muzzle brake is fully functional and the entire action block and barrel sleeve are finished in top quality anodized finish which is scratch resistant in the real sense. This is the quality that I was crying for during the entire Air Wolf review.
The rifle is very slim and a joy to handle. The grip, the butt plate, the cheek piece are fully adjustable any which way you want. The barrel jacket is fixed very strongly to the barrel housing and the whole structure is very rigid, like a BMW. The barrel is a free floating super match choked walther barrel.
The action is to die for, spring loaded side lever and is sturdy like a
bank vault, reminds me of my Sako TRG22. Loading is a joy and very predictable all the time. The laminated wood is just beautiful. The cylinder has a airguage built in and is good for 300bar (4351psi). It gives you 200 Shots at full power of 15.5.lb/ft. on 300 bar and 100 on 200bar. Choice is yours. The WD is nothing but walther's lg300 10 meter supermatch rifle
with a lot more power and a bigger air cylinder and a brand new valve.
So you can expect 10 meter Olympic grade accuracy at 50 meters.
TEST
I started with mounting the award winning Barska 6-24x60mm mildot IR scope. This is a huge sucker. Very bright and clear optics. The optics are of the same quality as the bushnell 4200 elite. Used to cost $600, but now is $310 max. So shop around. It is my guarantee that this scope will blow you away. My $1600 Zeiss Diavari is only slightly better at dusk. It is waterproof and fog proof and is designed to be used in extreme heat
and cold conditions. It has more features than many expensive scopes. Since it is a 1000yrd scope the click adjustments are more than your fingers can take. I know it's an overkill, but it is a superb target scope. So I selected it.
I used extra heavy H&N bcuda match 10.5gr pellets for the test. The velocity rated between 835 to 854 for the 1st 50 shots and then I gave up. Not that good. Then, I adjusted the hammer spring to about 850 fps and the rifle became monotonously consistant. Average v-spread was +/- 4fps. The velocity is adjustable to 900fps but I wanted ultimate accuracy so brought it down to 850fps.
At a 50 yard outdoor range in southern Illinois, with little wind, the rifle took very little to zero-in. Once that was accomplished, I glued a 1" piece of cardboard with a .75" circle drawn on it, to a wooden plate and set the target at the 50 yard marking on the ground. I sat down on the ground FT style and placed the elevator block attached to the rifle on my left knee. The wind was almost non existent now. The pellets used were dry just as they came from the factory. No washing and lubricating this time. I loaded the 1st pellet. The mechanism was so smooth that I started to smile to myself. I aimed and fired and the pellet hit about a 1/4" low on the tiny circle. I was using full 24X on the scope. The circle appeared very bright and clear, not to mention, huge.
After the first pellet, reality hit. I fired 11 successive shots and 9 of them went into almost one hole which got opened very stightly. No.10 and 11 hit about 2mm to the right of the hole. I was stunned. Obviously, the reason the pellets did not hit the center of the circle is because I did not want to adjust the scope at that point when I was getting one hole shots
so I kept on firing at the same spot. The results speak for themselves. The group is easily covered with a dime with room to spare. That is Olympic accuracy. I wanted to leave on a high note and I did. Back home at the indoor range, I got consistent .25" 10 shot groups at 30 yards. Yes, 10 Shot. No Bipod or benhrest was used. Just me, standing.
The factory test target that came with the rifle showed .65 (including one flyer), 5 shot group at 50m (55yrds.) While still impressive, I think the tester was dumped by his girlfriend the day he tested this rifle
.
Now the kicker: The group, obviously would have been even tighter (imagine that) had I used match wadcutters because they make precise cuts. Now next time I will wash and lube the pellets with Napier lube. That should make it even more precise.
I am in love with this rifle because:
1. The trigger is so good, I never new such a thing could exist. It is the mechanical bliss I always wished. The AW also has a great trigger but its electronic, so it's obvious. This one is a mechanical marvel. You wanna keep on shooting just to experience it, over and over again.
2. This super comfortable rifle will wrap around you, better than your petite girlfriend.
3. Huge shot capacity. Very consistent. Ultra accurate.
4. A yardstick in quality that other high end PCP's should be measured with. Every little detail that you and I would not even look at, is perfected. It goes to show how keen germans are to make things perfect. Good enough is not acceptable.
5. Solid build, loading mechanism to die for.
6. Every thing says it is worth every hard earned penny.
If anyone should try making a rifle, it should be like this, or they should not bother.
My only complaint (if that) is that the rifle is too heavy. 13.5lbs scoped. But then I have a monster scope on it and the weight is with the elevator which is not required all the times. And, I'm not really bitching either since I am a 6.5 foot 206 lb. guy with huge shoulders and arms (and chicken legs
) so I can handle it for about 2 hrs without fatigue. After that I may need help. So, I guess the rifle could be very heavy for some during a long match. It is just like my TRG in the sense that it's like a precision sniper. If you are a sniper hunter, park it and take head shots at anything upto 55 yards. I will guarantee it. If you are a stalker, god be with you. But then I know marksmen carry 18 lbs. snipers all day long.
The rifle does not come with a moderator. So there is a myth rolling around that it is loud. That's because some people don't bother to know the little details that have a huge significance. The integrated muzzle compensator's slots on the barrel jacket are angled backwards toward the shooter. Relevance? The shooter hears a moderately loud pop because air is diverted backwards, not to the sides as is the case with multiple hole compensators. The by-standers don't hear a fraction of it. Case and point, during the FT comps the competitors complain that the steyr LG110 FT is very loud (It has no compensator.). I have never heard anyone complain about the WD during competitions.
I have known people in the club who sent their WDs to Allen Z right from Champion's Choice for accurizing, shrouds etc. They didn't even test them first. For member's reading this, based on my experience, I strongly advice against it. Don't dump more money before even giving the factory rifle a fair chance. Allen Z is a great gunsmith so utilize his services if there is a need. That's just my 2 cents. In the end it's your money. Do whatever makes you happy.
One more thing. The Domies used to be very temprature sensitive because Walther used the same regulators as in their 10m supermatch rifle. Back in 2006 based on the customer input a new regulator and a flat head valve was designed specifically for the Dominator. The original valve washer was replaced with a PTFE washer. Now, this is the most consistant rifle you can buy in the market, today. Every 50 deg Fahrenheit (10C) changes the POI by only 1/4" +/-. at 40 yrds. It is a matter of two clicks on my scope (1/8/click) to set it again. One click on 1/4" scope. That's how consistant this rifle is.
My quest for a FT super rifle is over. And that scope is something else, I tell you. You will need a scope like this to get the full accuracy of this rifle. I will cancel the steyr order on Monday. Hope you enjoyed reading this.
I started shooting about 12 years ago as a 10m guy but once the sport of field target appeared on the scene, it was all over. I loved it so much that now 95% of all my matches are field target and rest, 10meter.
This seems like a great forum and I hope my stay will be a positive experience for me as well as you.
I will take this opportunity to write reviews on my rifles. These reports are an outcome of extensive experience with them. These reviews have also been published in many US and other forums. I hope you will enjoy them.
WALTHER LG300ft DOMINATOR REVIEW
After quite a bit of silhouette shooting with the Anschultz 58.14 MSR, I got really interested in the air rifle FT competition. While HFT was fun, the precision part was missing. I needed something that could be as precise as a 10 meter match PCP, so I turned to the people who do nothing but that.
I ordered two rifles known to be the best rifles in the world of FT. The Walther LG300 Dominator and the Steyr LG110 FT. Steyr won't be there for another three months, but Champions Choice had 2 Brand new Walther Dominators left so I bought one. It arrived in three days.
Upon opening the Walther hard plastic case, I was looking at something that was oozing quality from its pores. Here the Diff between the Air Wolf and the competition became really apparent.
Every part of the WD is made up of very high quality material. The stock is aircraft grade distortion free aluminium and the air cylinder is steel. the grip, forearm, handstop and cheek piece are made up of laminated birch wood impregnated with anti-allergy solutions so your skin won't even itch while shooting, no kidding. The 19.26 inch barrel is ideal to give ample long distance velocity. The Rifle is built like a tank. Solid. The muzzle brake is fully functional and the entire action block and barrel sleeve are finished in top quality anodized finish which is scratch resistant in the real sense. This is the quality that I was crying for during the entire Air Wolf review.
The rifle is very slim and a joy to handle. The grip, the butt plate, the cheek piece are fully adjustable any which way you want. The barrel jacket is fixed very strongly to the barrel housing and the whole structure is very rigid, like a BMW. The barrel is a free floating super match choked walther barrel.
The action is to die for, spring loaded side lever and is sturdy like a
bank vault, reminds me of my Sako TRG22. Loading is a joy and very predictable all the time. The laminated wood is just beautiful. The cylinder has a airguage built in and is good for 300bar (4351psi). It gives you 200 Shots at full power of 15.5.lb/ft. on 300 bar and 100 on 200bar. Choice is yours. The WD is nothing but walther's lg300 10 meter supermatch rifle
with a lot more power and a bigger air cylinder and a brand new valve.
So you can expect 10 meter Olympic grade accuracy at 50 meters.
TEST
I started with mounting the award winning Barska 6-24x60mm mildot IR scope. This is a huge sucker. Very bright and clear optics. The optics are of the same quality as the bushnell 4200 elite. Used to cost $600, but now is $310 max. So shop around. It is my guarantee that this scope will blow you away. My $1600 Zeiss Diavari is only slightly better at dusk. It is waterproof and fog proof and is designed to be used in extreme heat
and cold conditions. It has more features than many expensive scopes. Since it is a 1000yrd scope the click adjustments are more than your fingers can take. I know it's an overkill, but it is a superb target scope. So I selected it.
I used extra heavy H&N bcuda match 10.5gr pellets for the test. The velocity rated between 835 to 854 for the 1st 50 shots and then I gave up. Not that good. Then, I adjusted the hammer spring to about 850 fps and the rifle became monotonously consistant. Average v-spread was +/- 4fps. The velocity is adjustable to 900fps but I wanted ultimate accuracy so brought it down to 850fps.
At a 50 yard outdoor range in southern Illinois, with little wind, the rifle took very little to zero-in. Once that was accomplished, I glued a 1" piece of cardboard with a .75" circle drawn on it, to a wooden plate and set the target at the 50 yard marking on the ground. I sat down on the ground FT style and placed the elevator block attached to the rifle on my left knee. The wind was almost non existent now. The pellets used were dry just as they came from the factory. No washing and lubricating this time. I loaded the 1st pellet. The mechanism was so smooth that I started to smile to myself. I aimed and fired and the pellet hit about a 1/4" low on the tiny circle. I was using full 24X on the scope. The circle appeared very bright and clear, not to mention, huge.
After the first pellet, reality hit. I fired 11 successive shots and 9 of them went into almost one hole which got opened very stightly. No.10 and 11 hit about 2mm to the right of the hole. I was stunned. Obviously, the reason the pellets did not hit the center of the circle is because I did not want to adjust the scope at that point when I was getting one hole shots
so I kept on firing at the same spot. The results speak for themselves. The group is easily covered with a dime with room to spare. That is Olympic accuracy. I wanted to leave on a high note and I did. Back home at the indoor range, I got consistent .25" 10 shot groups at 30 yards. Yes, 10 Shot. No Bipod or benhrest was used. Just me, standing.
The factory test target that came with the rifle showed .65 (including one flyer), 5 shot group at 50m (55yrds.) While still impressive, I think the tester was dumped by his girlfriend the day he tested this rifle
. Now the kicker: The group, obviously would have been even tighter (imagine that) had I used match wadcutters because they make precise cuts. Now next time I will wash and lube the pellets with Napier lube. That should make it even more precise.
I am in love with this rifle because:
1. The trigger is so good, I never new such a thing could exist. It is the mechanical bliss I always wished. The AW also has a great trigger but its electronic, so it's obvious. This one is a mechanical marvel. You wanna keep on shooting just to experience it, over and over again.
2. This super comfortable rifle will wrap around you, better than your petite girlfriend.
3. Huge shot capacity. Very consistent. Ultra accurate.
4. A yardstick in quality that other high end PCP's should be measured with. Every little detail that you and I would not even look at, is perfected. It goes to show how keen germans are to make things perfect. Good enough is not acceptable.
5. Solid build, loading mechanism to die for.
6. Every thing says it is worth every hard earned penny.
If anyone should try making a rifle, it should be like this, or they should not bother.
My only complaint (if that) is that the rifle is too heavy. 13.5lbs scoped. But then I have a monster scope on it and the weight is with the elevator which is not required all the times. And, I'm not really bitching either since I am a 6.5 foot 206 lb. guy with huge shoulders and arms (and chicken legs
) so I can handle it for about 2 hrs without fatigue. After that I may need help. So, I guess the rifle could be very heavy for some during a long match. It is just like my TRG in the sense that it's like a precision sniper. If you are a sniper hunter, park it and take head shots at anything upto 55 yards. I will guarantee it. If you are a stalker, god be with you. But then I know marksmen carry 18 lbs. snipers all day long. The rifle does not come with a moderator. So there is a myth rolling around that it is loud. That's because some people don't bother to know the little details that have a huge significance. The integrated muzzle compensator's slots on the barrel jacket are angled backwards toward the shooter. Relevance? The shooter hears a moderately loud pop because air is diverted backwards, not to the sides as is the case with multiple hole compensators. The by-standers don't hear a fraction of it. Case and point, during the FT comps the competitors complain that the steyr LG110 FT is very loud (It has no compensator.). I have never heard anyone complain about the WD during competitions.
I have known people in the club who sent their WDs to Allen Z right from Champion's Choice for accurizing, shrouds etc. They didn't even test them first. For member's reading this, based on my experience, I strongly advice against it. Don't dump more money before even giving the factory rifle a fair chance. Allen Z is a great gunsmith so utilize his services if there is a need. That's just my 2 cents. In the end it's your money. Do whatever makes you happy.
One more thing. The Domies used to be very temprature sensitive because Walther used the same regulators as in their 10m supermatch rifle. Back in 2006 based on the customer input a new regulator and a flat head valve was designed specifically for the Dominator. The original valve washer was replaced with a PTFE washer. Now, this is the most consistant rifle you can buy in the market, today. Every 50 deg Fahrenheit (10C) changes the POI by only 1/4" +/-. at 40 yrds. It is a matter of two clicks on my scope (1/8/click) to set it again. One click on 1/4" scope. That's how consistant this rifle is.
My quest for a FT super rifle is over. And that scope is something else, I tell you. You will need a scope like this to get the full accuracy of this rifle. I will cancel the steyr order on Monday. Hope you enjoyed reading this.