Gun test: Walther Terrus Synthetic

Mark Camoccio finds a lightweight springer with impressive accuracy

How time flies! For it is now five years ago that I was lucky enough to visit the Umarex factory in Germany, to see first-hand their production facility. Umarex manufacture a vast range of airguns of all types, and also live ammo firearms, and I was privileged to get a guided tour of pretty well most of what they do.

For me, though, the highlight of the trip by some margin, was to see the production line of the then brand-new Walther LGV project, which was all about trying to produce the very best spring-piston-powered airgun available, incorporating all manner of recoil dampening features, in a bid to maximise performance. The result was an impressive airgun, for sure, but the downside is that all those internal features add weight and mass, not to mention an understandable premium on the asking price.

Super slick

Not everyone wants such sophistication in any case, a fact recognised by Walther/Umarex, and the result has been a steady flow of other models from the same stable, with somewhat simplified internals. One such model is the Walther Terrus, on test here, with the latest synthetic stock, and it’s a sleek yet relative lightweight, offering quality at a reasonable price. Everything is slimmed down, and that keeps the weight to 7.25lbs, whilst maintaining a quality feel.

To give you some idea, the Terrus’ compression cylinder is 28mm in diameter, compared to a beefy 35mm for the LGV, and yet power output is still nudging the UK legal limit. Fibre-optic, open sights, an adjustable two-stage trigger, safety catch, threaded muzzle, and that subtly moulded handle, all stacks up nicely, but this model impresses for how it goes about its duties, so let’s take a closer look.

Flowing

Walther’s synthetic stocks normally look the part, and there’s quality to the fine moulding here, with precise detail and a dense feel all playing a part. The ultra-flared fore end fills the hand in the aim, which feels great, and with a fine pattern all part of the design, it feels more like stippling to the touch. The pistol grip also gets the pattern finish and is nicely thinned down, although the reach to trigger might be a little long for some with smaller hands than mine. As for the cheek piece – to be fair, it’s designed to work with the open sights, so it is a bit of a compromise with a scope in place, but no more so than many rivals.

On the range

The Terrus gets a decent trigger – Walther dub it the ‘XT unit’ – and with a reasonably light, predictable let-off and a pleasingly broad blade, it feels subtle in operation, and well above average. Add in a super-smooth and slick firing cycle, with only modest cocking effort, and it’s difficult not to be impressed. Those fibre-optic open sights are very well made and offer a good sight picture, too, and I stuck with them initially, but I just had to see what this plucky little model could do, pushed to the limit with a scope in place.

From my favourite overarm FT position, I started with a few clearing shots, but was soon recording some astonishingly good groups, with .22 Air Arms Diabolo Field pellets. You can sometimes feel the way a slightly soft pellet just perfectly mates with the rifling, and this was one of those moments. The machining around the breech looks spot-on, but the Lothar Walther barrel obviously has to be good.

Quarter inch centre-to-centre groups, shot over 30 yards, would be good with any grade of airgun, and with chrono’ readings showing a total spread of 12fps over ten shots, equating to a ‘textbook’ 11.5 ft.lbs., the plus points were stacking up nicely.

Yes, a brilliant performance in anyone’s book, but doubly impressive, given the power-to-weight ratio and mild manners on firing. More flinch and movement on firing than the LGV admittedly, but less effort and heft overall.

Conclusion

If you’re not bothered about keeping up with current trends, then there is a beech-stocked version available, but take either option and a quality break-barrel sporter awaits. Lightweight, well built, and highly accurate on test, this has to be high on any shortlist, for a general purpose airgun; ideal for juniors and ladies, yet good enough to impress seasoned airgun fans, who appreciate quality, in a highly manageable format.

Specification

Model: Walther Terrus Synthetic

Manufacturer: Walther/Umarex

Country of origin: Germany

Type: Break-barrel, spring-powered

Calibre: .22 on test, .177 available

Weight: 7.25lbs

Overall length: 43.75 inches

Barrel length: 17.75 inches

Stock: Synthetic sporter

Trigger: 2-stage unit

Velocity: using Air Arms Diab

Field – ten shot string:

High 5726fps

Low 560

Ave 570

Spread 12fps

Energy: 11.5 ft.lbs.

Options: Beech stock version available

UK Distributor: John Rotherary (Wholesale)

Guide price: £299 (as specified)

Visit the Umarex website here.