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Hammerli SP20 vs. Walther GSP Expert

4drlitnin
I'm thinking of buying either a new Hammerli SP20 or a Walther GSP Expert in .22LR. Does anyone have an opinion about which is better? Or, which one they prefer. I've never handled or shot either one. Thanks![:)]
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5 comments

Date Votes
  • perry shooter
    Hello What kind of shooting are you planing on shooting ? Both of these pistols are very good but unless you have alot of spare money my suggestion would be to shoot both if possible . Target shooting pistols need to fit the person and different people have different hand size etc. Do you live near a active nra bulls-eye club or do you plan on shooting these pistol in international style shooting.I have been shooting BULLS-EYE for over 40 years and always looked for the MAGIC 22 pistol and have owened just about every model I now use a Kart as it fits on a 1911 type frame and 2/3 of nra shooting can be with a 45 so why not have all 3 pistols with the same grip frame and trigger group.If you give me an address I might be able to give you an address of a bullseye shooter near you. "PRAISE THE HARD-BALL GUN"
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  • mpolans
    I've heard mixed reviews on the SP20. When it works, it's great...however, I've heard of a couple of instances of frame cracking. That said, I've never seen it myself. I had a Walther OSP, which is similar to a GSP, but in .22 short. It was very finicky and prone to failures to feed, failures to extract, and hammer following the bolt. Part of this can be attributable to the .22 short cartridge, which is inherently harder to make feed correctly because of its size. But the other issues were harder to forgive. I got it to work, but it was a PITA. Then again, others swear by OSPs and GSPs. FYI, Walther just debuted the GSP's successor, the SSP.

    I would also suggest you look at the Pardini SP, especially the newest versions of the SP, called the "SP New" and "SP Electronic" (electronic trigger). I have a Pardini SP and it has been the most reliable sport pistol I've shot. It's been reliable with everything from standard/target velocity ammo to the high velocity stuff (that I shouldn't be shooting in a target gun). The ejector on the Pardini SP is a prong built on to the magazine's feed lip and in some cases, this can require minor tweaking, especially if you drop the magazine. IMHO, this has given them an underserved reputation for poor reliability.

    You haven't asked about them, but stay away from the Pardini SPE (the SP's predecessor; it was prone to frame cracking, which is why the SP's frame was beefed up). Also, the Morini CM22, while receiving high marks for its trigger, accuracy and feel, has a reputation for being finicky about ammo.

    For a great Olympic class .22 sport pistol at a bargain basement price, look for an IZH-35...they're getting kind of scarce, so prices are starting to rise toward $550 or so...still half to one third the price of most other sport pistols. Walther cleaned these up, slapped on new grips, called them a KSP200 and sold them for twice the price.

    For a great forum dedicated to ISSF (Olympic style) shooting, see:
    http://www.targettalk.org/index.php
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  • 4drlitnin
    quote:Originally posted by perry shooter
    Hello What kind of shooting are you planing on shooting ? Both of these pistols are very good but unless you have alot of spare money my suggestion would be to shoot both if possible . Target shooting pistols need to fit the person and different people have different hand size etc. Do you live near a active nra bulls-eye club or do you plan on shooting these pistol in international style shooting.I have been shooting BULLS-EYE for over 40 years and always looked for the MAGIC 22 pistol and have owened just about every model I now use a Kart as it fits on a 1911 type frame and 2/3 of nra shooting can be with a 45 so why not have all 3 pistols with the same grip frame and trigger group.If you give me an address I might be able to give you an address of a bullseye shooter near you. "PRAISE THE HARD-BALL GUN"
    Thanks for the information and advice. I live in Spokane, WA. I plan to do general target shooting and hopefully bullseye this winter.
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  • perry shooter
    Hello go to top of page click on MEMBERS then search on perry shooter then click on the leftmost ICON and send me an EMAIL I will send you some names of master class shooters in your state.I have records of every shooter that has shot pistol at the national championships at CAMP PERRY from 1974 - 2005 Cheers Karl
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  • 4drlitnin
    quote:Originally posted by mpolans
    I've heard mixed reviews on the SP20. When it works, it's great...however, I've heard of a couple of instances of frame cracking. That said, I've never seen it myself. I had a Walther OSP, which is similar to a GSP, but in .22 short. It was very finicky and prone to failures to feed, failures to extract, and hammer following the bolt. Part of this can be attributable to the .22 short cartridge, which is inherently harder to make feed correctly because of its size. But the other issues were harder to forgive. I got it to work, but it was a PITA. Then again, others swear by OSPs and GSPs. FYI, Walther just debuted the GSP's successor, the SSP.

    I would also suggest you look at the Pardini SP, especially the newest versions of the SP, called the "SP New" and "SP Electronic" (electronic trigger). I have a Pardini SP and it has been the most reliable sport pistol I've shot. It's been reliable with everything from standard/target velocity ammo to the high velocity stuff (that I shouldn't be shooting in a target gun). The ejector on the Pardini SP is a prong built on to the magazine's feed lip and in some cases, this can require minor tweaking, especially if you drop the magazine. IMHO, this has given them an underserved reputation for poor reliability.

    You haven't asked about them, but stay away from the Pardini SPE (the SP's predecessor; it was prone to frame cracking, which is why the SP's frame was beefed up). Also, the Morini CM22, while receiving high marks for its trigger, accuracy and feel, has a reputation for being finicky about ammo.

    For a great Olympic class .22 sport pistol at a bargain basement price, look for an IZH-35...they're getting kind of scarce, so prices are starting to rise toward $550 or so...still half to one third the price of most other sport pistols. Walther cleaned these up, slapped on new grips, called them a KSP200 and sold them for twice the price.

    For a great forum dedicated to ISSF (Olympic style) shooting, see:
    http://www.targettalk.org/index.php

    Thanks a lot for the advice. I really appreciate it!
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