Walther SSP or Pardini SP?

bigred

Given it could take me the year to get the d@mn thing licenced, I figure I should start the process now (Watch out 2009 Standard Pistol Nationals!!). First question is what to get... I know RRPC has an SP and a few of the club members use it. I've also had a play with an SSP but never got to shoot it (nice gun). Setting aside the price difference, what do you think of each? I know the SSP can be a bit tough to strip but it looks like there's plenty of bits to lose out of the Pardini too

Any thoughts much appreciated.

Sparks

SSP felt very nice in the hand and had a nice trigger shoe (lovely curve on it in two axes to match the angle your finger met it at) and it felt like a good crisp trigger mechanism (well, compared to the Izzy, so does everything - I swear, I'm stripping that thing down tonight and checking it for grit and cement ). Actually, it felt better in the hand than even the AW93 did (but then, I didn't have time to adjust the AW93 much, and the SSP might feel more awkward live-firing than dry-firing).

The Pardini's got a better track record though, if only because it's been around longer. Won the US nationals a few years back at Camp Perry if I remember right.

Both will outshoot anyone in this country with ease. Think it's the age-old advice of try 'em both and go with the one that feels best to you. Or the one you can get for the better price if that's a concern

rrpc

As a Pardini owner for twelve months now, I can give you some insight into the choice.

I was originally going to get an SSP, but some comments I'd heard about the trigger and other problems put me off (along with the price). It's a pig to strip, though with practice it can get quicker, but there's an awful lot of bits :eek:. Theres talk that the earlier models were the most problematic and that the later versions are a major improvement. There certainly were horror stories where people couldn't get rid of them fast enough.

I managed to get one for a short practice some time ago and am able to give a more informed opinion on that basis. Firstly, the trigger when new is quite gritty, this is a feature with all Walthers when new, but it does improve with use, so don't be put off. The fit in my hand was extremely good and the pistol pointed very well, with near perfect sight alignment on raising.

On firing, it recoils nearly straight up the arm rather than kicking as some target pistols do, this would make it very good for RF, which I believe it was designed to do as well as SP. I'm given to understand that the Hammerli SP20RRS has the same characteristic, but it's certainly evident with the SSP. I noticed two of them in the finals of the Womens 25m pistol in Beijing, so they've certainly got the ability to get that far.

Loading and cocking are fiddly enough. The toploader requires a bit of getting used to and the cocking levers are also prone to not locking when they should. I'm surprised that Walther didn't use the same system as on the GSP here, but perhaps they ran out of steel.

They also jam and did so in the most embarrassing of circumstances (for Walther) during the aforesaid women's final.

The Pardini on the other hand has a very simple stripping procedure and can be taken apart for cleaning with one allen bolt and breaks down into four parts: the barrel and shroud, the slide, the recoil spring and rod and the frame.

The factory grips on the Pardini are not great and you would probably need to go to Rink or Nill to get a proper fit. Again maybe it's just me and others may find the factory grips fine.

Pardinis are notoriously fussy about ammo. I've settled with Eley at the moment and this seems to work well without any stovepipes (where the ejected casing jams in the action) unless the pistol is dirty in which case you'll get them with unfailing regularity. You really need to clean and oil every 60 shot match. I've noticed Ralf Schumann putting a drop of oil on the last round into the magazine on his Pardini during competition, so he gets them too :eek:

There is a new slide assembly for the SP which is supposed to be a recoil absorber, but I don't know how good it is yet. There is some talk that it will cost about €350 to have this fitted as an aftermarket addition, but obviously will be fitted as standard on new pistols.

Pricewise the Pardini is significantly cheaper than the SSP, but if it doesn't suit you then the price will not be an issue.

Until we see what the new slide does, it's hard to know which is the better. Without the slide improvement, (assuming its an improvement) the Walther would be my choice if price isn't an issue and allthe early problems have been ironed out.

As with the Carlbersg ads, its never just 'A' or 'B', there's always 'C'

The Matchguns MG2 has also received a lot of bad press in it's early incarnations, but seemingly all the early problems have been ironed out. Those who have good ones, swear by them and say that there's nothing better on the market today.

I've never seen one in the flesh, but they certainly look very futuristic indeed.




Edit: just added some comparative figures

Model|Barrel Length|Sight Radius|Weight
Pardini SP|120mm|220mm|1095g
Walther SSP|153mm|220mm|970g
Matchguns MG2|152mm|220mm|880g

bigred

Thanks for the input. Unfortunately, the ole "Try before you buy" idea doesnt work out too well in a country where there's about 5 top-end target pistols out there. I was going for the SSP because of it's design and good looks, but think the SP wins out in the price and practicality stakes.

rrpc

bigred wrote: »

Thanks for the input. Unfortunately, the ole "Try before you buy" idea doesnt work out too well in a country where there's about 5 top-end target pistols out there. I was going for the SSP because of it's design and good looks, but think the SP wins out in the price and practicality stakes.

Try and come along to the NTSA Nationals on Sunday. Pretty much everything in the country should be there, so you'd have an opportunity to have a look.

There should be Pardini's, SSP, GSP, GSP Expert, AW93, Benelli MP90 and an IZH35 at least to look at.

Jacobo who's posted here a few times has joined the club and all going well, he'll have his SP20RRS and Steyr LP10 over from Spain in the near future as well.

Kryten

Got to try out the SSP last weekend. Very impressed by the fit of the grip. The pistol in question had the small grip and it pointed completely naturally. Damn sight lighter than my GSP. Really good sights. Recoil is straight into the arm. Trigger was fabulous (to me) as I am used to the 1976 single stage trigger. If I can save my a** off despite the USC I will certainly buy one.

psf32

go for the walther as it is now supplied with cero grip

Kryten

What grip is this? Thought the protouch was good. Is this better again?

psf32

cero was the grip maker to morini and one of the best in the world, he now makes grips for walther, styer, and lots of other guns and 20 plus sizes in each hand.