The Electrifying Walther SSP

John Robinson The Electrifying Walther SSP I have to confess to a weakness when it comes to handguns and that is a liking for purpose-built rimfire precision target pistols and no-one can do it better than the Europeans. ermany, Switzerland, Austria, It- aly, France and Russia have completely dominated the precision paper punching market since the G1960’s when US pistol makers simply aban- doned the challenge with their only .22 of- ferings being the superannuated Colt Wood- man Target, the S&W Model 41 and the High Standard target models. Nothing much has changed in the meantime as US pistol shooters do not appear to have much interest in rimfire target pistols or the international matched in which they are used. The game changed in 1968 when Walther introduced its radical GPS Standard Pistol with it forward-located magazine and re- movable and fully adjustable trigger group. In the early 1970’s, the modular design of the GSP allowed a full kit to be offered in .22 Short for the International Rapid Fire Some of the ammo used to match and the .32 S&W Long centrefire for test the SSP – E. It shot best the International Centrefire event. with European match ammo but It says something for the GSP’s original functioned well with all types. concept and design that it is still available in upgraded form today in .22 LR and .32 S&W Long. that one shot is fired on each of five targets in The SSP also comes with high perfor- Even though Walther has its GSP, the com- timed series of 8, 6 and 4 seconds. The heavier mance target pistol features such as a posi- pany developed en even more advanced .22 recoil of the .22 LR and the lack of barrel vents tion adjustable trigger, width adjustable target autoloader in the form of its SSP, follow- that were permitted on the original Rapid Fire front sight, fully adjustable rear sight includ- ing the International Shooting Sports Federa- pistols meant that recoil control was a priority. ing rear sight notch width adjustment and tion – the international body that governs the Walther addressed these issues with a fully orthopaedic grips and three sizes for Olympic shooting sports – changing the rules completely new design – the SSP. It was back both right and left handed shooters. of the ISSF Rapid Fire match in 2005 to elimi- to the drawing boards and the result was a The SSP has established a well-deserved nate the use of the .22 Short cartridge and set target autoloader with a number of advanced reputation in international competition since the pistol specifications to match those of the features. These include its introduction, although on some forums, Standard Pistol and Sport Pistol matches. • a hammerless firing pin system to provide there were some issues with the pistol’s trigger These require the use of the .22 Long Rifle a more compact receiver and eliminate system, and after-market triggers were offered cartridge, a minimum 1000g trigger pull and the torque effect of a hammer-based fir- for the SSP by third-party suppliers. no barrel venting or muzzle brakes. ing system. The latest manifestation of the SSP is the It also rendered a lot of very good, purpose- • a pneumatic slide damping system. SSP-E, that comes with an electronic trigger designed Rapid Fire pistols and their .22 Short • a 3D adjustable grip system that has eliminated the mechanical ammunition obsolete almost overnight. • externally adjustable trigger trigger arrangement. Electronic triggers on tar- The Rapid Fire match is very demanding of • high hand position with respect to the get firearms have been around for a long time the pistol’s handling, as the match requires bore axis. and are not uncommon on bench rest rifles. APRIL/JUNE 2016 GUNS AUSTRALIA 11 1. The complete outfit includes battery 1 charger, hex spanner tool, special dismantling tools, safety flag, plastic chamber dry fire insert and extra front sight and trigger unit. 2. Top view – the front sight is mounted at the maximum allowable sight radius. Rear sight adjustments need to be done with a hex spanner. 3. O ne of the two triangular foresights supplied. Rotating these sights changes the width. 4. T he underside of the SSP – E reveals the mini-B USB charging port for the lithium ion battery. All electronic trigger adjustments are accessible externally. Hammerli’s Model 162 Free Pistol came and I put the Walther on charge for a couple hand (looking from the muzzle) cover screw with an electronic trigger. I had one of these of hours after receiving the pistol from Fron- hole, where this screw obviously needs to be Free Pistols for a while and while it handled tier Arms. The manual states that 90 min- removed prior to fitting this device. beautifully, the electronic trigger was not its utes is required for a full charge and a 1 min- Again, according the instructions, to set best feature and was not particularly reliable. ute charge is sufficient for 100 shot should the SSP up for dry firing practice, the maga- If my fading memory serves me correctly, the battery be fully discharged. A fully zine should be removed and the slide pulled there was also an air pistol that had an elec- charged battery is stated to have a capacity fully to the rear and then moved forwards tronic trigger option. of 6000 shots. into the battery position. The safety then Electronics, and particularly batteries, The comprehensive manual that comes needs to be put into the ‘S’(safe) position and have come a long way and the system used with the SSP is based on the mechanical this will engage the sear and tell the electron- on the SSP-E has incorporated the latest trigger version and a supplement is included ics that the trigger is able to be actuated. technology in this respect. that covers the unique features of the elec- Whether by accident or design, I got The main advantage of an e-trigger is that tronic trigger version. around the need for a special device to acti- there is no mechanical connection between The trigger adjustment info on the me- vate the dry-firing mechanism. In the pis- the trigger and the sear and firing pin system. chanical trigger version is quite comprehen- tol’s tool kit, a polymer chamber flag insert The trigger is simply a switch that delivers a sive and this contrasts with the relative sim- was provided. These are commonly sup- charge to a solenoid that operated the firing plicity of the electronic trigger, the plied with many autoloading rimfire hand- pin release. The e-trigger ensures wear-free adjustment instructions for which are in- guns and are design to (a) indicate that the operation and exact trigger settings for up to cluded in the supplement. chamber is empty and (b) prevent the firing 500,000 rounds, according to Walther The really novel feature of the SSP-E trig- pin from contacting the chamber wall The lithium-ion battery is built into the ger is the ability to set it up for multiple dry- when the trigger is released to unload the Walther and is charged via a Mini-B USB- firing practice which is not possible with a action. When this blue chamber flag was type connection in the frame in front of the mechanical trigger. Apart from the absence inserted in the SSP chamber, and the pro- trigger guard, with the standard USB plug at of recoil, the multiple dry firing feature al- cedure to set the action up for dry firing fol- the other end being able to be attached to lows the owner to simulate the handling and lowed, the operation of the trigger proceed- any device that can supply a charge, includ- triggering of any of the matches for which ed normally without actuating the firing ing any computer. the SSP can be used – ISSF Rapid Fire, pin/sear system. For those shooting seriously in away from Standard Pistol and Sport pistol. To fire the SSP in normal live ammo home competitions, it would be worthwhile I am not sure how the internals of the mode, it is necessary to activate the trigger having a 240V USB charging adapter of a SSP-E do this, but according to the supple- system. This is done by pulling the slide back portable charging battery pack in the shoot- mentary instructions, a special part called until it locks into the open position with no ing kit. the Dry Fire Device SSP (part number 278 magazine in the pistol. The trigger then A charging pack comes with the pistol 56 33) is available that is fitted to the right needs to be pulled back until the LED under the safety catch begins to blink. With the safety moved to ‘F’, the loaded magazine can 2 3 be inserted (it goes in from the top) and the breech can be closed by grasping the locking catches on each side of the slide and allow- ing the slide to close. The battery system on the SSP-E will shut off if the pistol is not used. The system goes 4 into standby mode for 20 minutes and the diode will flash every two seconds during this period. After another 3 minutes, the diode will flash more quickly – twice per sec- ond – for 3 minutes and then shut off. 12 GUNS AUSTRALIA APRIL/JUNE 2016 SPECS WALTHER SSP-E Manufacturer: Umaraex – Walther Model: Walther SSP- E Calibre:.22 Long Rifle Magazine: Top loading 5 shot capacity.

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