Walther rotex rm8

Buddy-bottlefed, pre-charged pneumatics hold great appeal for many, and it was Theoben’s Rapid 7 that started the trend, way back in 1990.

Utilising a relatively compact compressed air bottle as part of the forend gives a unique look, but a large shot count is also often the result. The Walther brand, built by Umarex in Germany, has earned a reputation for quality over many years, but their foray into the buddy bottle sector, has been a while coming.

The Rotex RM8 offers an unregulated compressed air design, with a 200cc bottle at its heart, and an 8-shot rotary magazine, neatly installed in the breech block. A 2-stage trigger, muzzle weight, and that stylish woodwork, all help the cause, so I was eager to handle the newcomer, and see whether it was as handy as its spec list would suggest.

Hints Of…

One glance at that super-swish fully ambidextrous sporter stock, and it’s not hard to see where some of the RM8’s inspiration has come from; and given the recent success of BSA’s R10 MK2, who can blame the designers, for borrowing a detail or two. That swell across the forend is very similar, and the sporter stock in general is a great piece of work.

Fashioned from pleasantly grained beech and finished in medium brown lacquer, those shapely contours and finely checkered panels are accentuated nicely. Styling is, of course, a matter of taste, and the scalloped away underside of the butt and raised sides of the forend will inevitably divide opinion. As for the drop down grip and thumb shelf, I think the designers deserve unanimous praise. As mentioned, the design is technically ambidextrous, yet pleasantly angular raised cheekpieces help eye-scope alignment, and overcome any cry of ‘compromise’.

Checkering is laser-applied throughout, and particularly well executed being both satisfyingly precise and deeply cut. The full wrap-around panel covering almost the entire underside of the forend looks excellent, and with an integral pressure gauge and valve inlet neatly recessed at the base, there’s an air of refinement throughout. Wood to metal fit is incredibly precise too, so tolerances are up there for sure.

Given the RM8’s remit of compact sporter, the matt finish applied to the breech block, and trigger guard is probably an advantage. The barrel (19.7 inches in length) and muzzle weight are both treated to traditional chemical blueing, and the contrast overall works well, although it has to be noted that the knurled screw-fit cap at the muzzle didn’t sit exactly even on my test gun, which surprised me given Walther’s usual attention to detail and this gun’s otherwise excellent standard of finish!

Air Time

Getting air into the system is nice and easy, since the 200cc buddy bottle stays in situ. Instead, the probe adaptor supplied is just inserted into the inlet hole under the action. The Walther can then be filled to the prescribed 232bar. One criticism concerns the fact that no valve cover is supplied, to cover the inlet hole, which is daft in my book, given how inexpensive, yet hugely beneficial this could prove to be.

Next up we need to fill the rotary magazine by pushing all eight pellets head first into their respective chambers. Walther incorporate an unusually chunky rubber band around the magazine, with the result that the drum shouldn’t be too pellet fussy. With this operation complete, pull back the bolt, then the magazine retaining catch (just beneath the bolt), and push the mag into the breech block housing from the left side.

I found by far the slickest route to closing and readying the bolt was just to push the bolt home, which actually picks up and carries the retaining catch with it. This seemed slightly smoother than trying to close the catch first. Subsequent cycling of the bolt, rearwards, then forwards again, indexes the following shot. Operation overall was good, but I did find the bolt a little sticky occasionally, and this magazine system isn’t the smoothest out there.

Range Feedback

Handling the Rotex RM8 proved an enjoyable experience, courtesy in no small part, to its fine balance and that curvaceous stock. Just letting the trigger hand wrap around that target grip, and feel the thumb relax into the dedicated shelf, can only help trigger control and overall feel. On that note, the trigger here, despite being fitted with a plastic blade and having a small amount of creep in the setup, couldn’t fail to impress. The blade itself is broad, and the final release modest and predictable. A manual re-settable safety sits to the rear of the breech block, using identical parts from Walther’s Air Magnum range, and as such, does an excellent job when and if called upon.

Having to grip the cold steel of the air bottle occasionally as an extended kneeling stance is adopted still grates with me when using this style of gun. However, I appreciate that an army of buddy bottle fans exist, with no such reservations.

Given the Rotex RM8 is a PCP, I would fit a silencer every time, in place of the muzzle weight, which is just that, being a hollow slide-on tube. Rapidly expanding air from a pre-charged pneumatic invariably creates muzzle blast, and a simple expansion chamber would kill it in an instant. That said, this Walther did not prove as noisy as some un-silenced PCP’s of this type.

Using Daystate Rangemaster Li pellets, I clocked energy over the chronograph at 11.3ft/ lbs to start, with an average recorded of 10.8ft/lbs over the first 72 shots, using Daystate Rangemaster Li ammunition. Consistency over this string was pretty good too, with a total spread of 25fps.Bear in mind that the RM8’s action isn’t regulated then these figures have to be regarded as very respectable.

As usual, with a buddy bottle on board, there’s a higher shot count to be had if such a close band of consistent shots aren’t important, and I clocked around 115 in all before energies were really tailing off. This may be some way off the claimed shot count of 150 to 180 from the manufacturers, but in my book, does it really matter? Let’s face it, 70 odd shots are ample, for pretty much any intended outing in any case; be that hunting or informal target shooting. Accuracy wise, over my test 30 yard range, the Rotex RM8 gave a good account of itself, with a variety of pellets. Usual suspects from JSB – Air Arms Diabolo Field in this case, printed half inch c-t-c clusters, and Daystate Rangemaster Li’s matched those shot for shot.

Conclusion

Walther’s Rotex RM8 is a worthy addition to their line-up, and with a retail price of sub-£420, it certainly looks great value for money.It feels really solid and handles very well indeed. Whether it has enough originality to compete with several other more established models of course remains to be seen, but as RRPs continue to climb, it has to be one of the cheapest buddy bottle models available. As such, it earns a place on any short list for a stylish, general purpose PCP sporter.

PRICE: £419.99 inc. mag, muzzle weight and adapter
CONTACT:  Armex 0121 643 4900 www.armex.co.uk