Walther Terrus

Walther’s LGV project, to design the most efficient production spring powered airgun available, caused quite a fanfare at its launch, with many pundits, including myself, singing its praises to the hilt. Internal dampening devices, eliminating the majority of metal to metal contact, was part of the deal, along with measures to combat torque and spring resonance. It all worked a treat, and largely achieved what it set out to do, with the result that the LGV range, not to mention the LGU under-lever version, now join the elite band of specialist spring guns, that push the boundaries of performance to the limit.

Hold on a minute though; for there’s another model in the Walther product lineup that seems to have well and truly gone under the radar. Overshadowed by its bigger, brasher stable mates perhaps, but the Walther Terrus deserves its moment in the spotlight. As with most guns these days, there’s a synthetic stocked version available, but on test here is the beech stocked model; and a sleek little number it is too.

The Terrus is a slimmed down break-barrel, spring piston powered airgun, designed to be a relative lightweight yet deliver power near to the UK legal limit. Compare the stats and you’ll begin to get the general idea. The Terrus’s compression cylinder is 28mm in diameter, against a whopping 35mm for the LGV. In terms of weight, the Terrus tips the scales at a highly manageable 7.25lbs, whilst the LGV Master, for example hefts to the tune of 9.2lbs!

Timber

An ultra-thinned down beech stock contributes to that lowly weight figure, and it’s even finished in a highly distinctive light tan, that allows the natural beauty of the grain to show through; bucking the industry trend for ‘medium brown lacquer’ so often encountered. Laser-cut checkering aids grip and looks okay here, but it is cut a little shallow. More importantly, the forend is nicely shaped for a comfortable hold, and the grip is again pleasantly thinned down.

Negatives would have to conclude that the cheekpiece, whilst spot-on for the open sights, is just a little low for scope alignment; whilst the rubber pad is of the ultra-hard variety! My initial reaction was to start whingeing that I’d like to see a beefier mid-section of wood, yet I can appreciate that the configuration as its stands, is ideal for smaller hands, who may otherwise struggle with the dimensions. Think of the LGV range as adult-only, whilst this Terrus caters for shooters of slighter build.

In practise, to be fair, (and having now shot it extensively) the Terrus is well-equipped to appeal across the board, and any analysis of its features, soon reveals a highly capable gun built to do a serious job.

Specification & Build

Open sights come as standard here, and since they’re of the fibre optic variety, fully adjustable, and formed from metal castings, the end result is particularly pleasing. Green elements form the rear ‘notch’, whilst the ramped fore-sight contains a red element. The resultant sight picture is excellent, adding further versatility to this gun’s remit.

As a break barrel springer, it’s reassuring to see such chunky adjustable cross bolts either side of the breech jaws; to adjust and take up slack, should it ever arrive in the future. The breech area itself is precisely machined, and a sturdy spring loaded detent is further evidence that the Terrus is nothing if not built to last. Wood to metal fit is excellent throughout, whilst the finely polished, chemically blued barrel and cylinder, are a credit to the production processes.

Walther supply these rifles with a knurled cap that just unscrews at the muzzle to allow for a silencer or other fitting to be screwed into place. I didn’t bother, since at almost 18 inches, the barrel is already full-length and silencers are nowhere near as effective on spring guns as they are when fitted to PCPs. What I’m trying to say is… it doesn’t need it!

Performance & Feel

With a Hawke Airmax EV 4-12x40 scope firmly locked onto the dovetails, it was time to take to the range, and see just what the sleek Terrus was made of. First observation concerns the cocking stroke. Breaking the breech open proved a little stubborn, and I soon realised that the best route was a sharp tap across the knee to loosen the lock-up. Once free, the cocking stroke itself was smooth and fairly easy, accompanied by a satisfying crunch at the end of the stroke as sears and piston engaged.

Walther fit the XT trigger unit to these rifles (as opposed to the XM unit for the LGV range), and it really does impress. Much fuss has been made about the UK bound LGV featuring metal trigger blades, and I concur that this is preferable in theory. That said, the plastic blade fitted to the Terrus is just beautifully shaped, being perfectly broad, and gently curved. This has the effect of spreading the pull pressure evenly over the pad of the fore-finger. Couple this with a perfectly weighted mechanism, and a light release, and we’re talking a quality trigger here, whichever way you look at it.

Good triggers aid accuracy, and with the Terrus also exhibiting a super-slick firing cycle, the end result was looking promising. A few shots to clear the action, and familiarise myself, shooting from my favoured over-the-arm FT stance, and down to business. .22 Air Arms Diabolo Field pellets felt a perfect match with the rifling, and the resultant quarterinch c-t-c groups, recorded over 30 yards, left a smug grin on my face. Chronograph figures revealed a total spread of 14fps over 10 shots, and a textbook energy readout of 11.7ft/lbs. All in all, rather impressive, but it’s the way that the Terrus gets there that intrigues.

Whilst the internals are much simplified when compared to the LGV, calming devices such as a spring guide, still feature, and the end result is a most pleasing airgun to shoot, which frankly belies its power output.

Power to weight ratio, is the governing factor here, and I was expecting much more kick and harsh characteristics, from such a seemingly slender power plant.

Conclusion

All airguns are not equal, and this brand has real pedigree. Serious accuracy awaits anyone prepared to put in the time and, in short, Walther/ Umarex deserve much credit for the Terrus. At a little over the £200 mark, it represents astoundingly good value for money for those looking for a high-quality, lightweight sporter. If my test model is anything to go by, the Terrus would also make a great spring gun option for Hunter Field Target, which given the demands of this highly competitive discipline, is real praise indeed.