Walther Terrus Air Rifle Review

Introduction

The Walther Terrus is a lightweight and powerful spring-piston break-barrel air rifle. The German-made air gun comes with an ambidextrous stock and fiber optic sights. The air gun is also distinguished by its pistol grip, unique Hi-rip finish on the forearm, and a rubber recoil pad. 

Walther Terrus Specs

• Spring-piston
• Single-shot
• Break-barrel
• Adjustable rear sight
• Fixed  front sight
• Automatic safety
• Ambidextrous stock
• Dual raised cheekpieces
• Dovetail optics rail
• 32 Lbs cocking effort
• Hi-Grip finish
• Rubber recoil pad

Here is Why I Fell in Love the Walther Terrus Air Rifle:

Value for Money

The Walter Terrus air gun has a street price of about $250. For that price, you get accuracy, quality, and refined shooting experience. Given the price point, this is a rare combination of benefits. So for discerning shooters, this Terrus air rifle offers tremendous value. 

Most break-barrel air rifles whose price ranges from $240 to $260 offer a bundled scope and more power. Many of them are gas ram powered too. The downside is that many of them are difficult to shoot and come with massive felt recoil. Besides, if you’re to achieve accuracy with those bundled scopes, you’ll need to replace the optic with a higher-quality version.

High FPS is of little value if BBs can’t hit the target. What distinguishes the Walther Terrus airgun from similar priced break-barrel models is that, with the Walther Terrus, it’s easy to achieve accuracy. 

The Walther Terrus is consistent, and shooting it is a thrilling challenge. The air gun is therefore ideal for small game hunting, plinking, and informal target shooting. 

Speed and Accuracy

When I used the Walther Terrus .22 air rifle to shoot the super-light, alloy-made Gamo Raptor Platinum pellets, the peak velocity was 1,105 FPS. When I used lead pellets, I achieved the highest velocity with the 7.0 Grain RWS Hobby pellets.

The accuracy I achieved with this Walther Terrus 22 air gun using these pellets beats the levels of accuracy I have achieved with any other air rifle. Without a doubt, Terrus is an exceptionally accurate air gun. 

Walther Terrus accuracy is apparent in almost all pellets used; this is no mean feat. 

Cocking Effort and Trigger

The Walther Terrus 22 air rifle’s XT trigger delivers a clean and nice break. While it’s not the lightest trigger you’ll ever pull, it’s lighter than similarly priced air rifles.

 The Walther Terrus has 32 Lbs cocking effort. It’s quite manageable, and thus it allows you to plink and shoot casually for a long time. And when required, it delivers enough power to hunt rabbits, ducks, geese, pheasants, and other small game. 

Unlike a lot of break-barrel air rifles, the Terrus’ cocking action is quiet and smooth — this is a crucial indicator of quality construction.  

While the rifle’s safety is automatic, it’s conveniently positioned atop the compression tune. To disengage the safety, you only need to slide it forward and then shoot. 

Does it Match Maker’s Claims?

Walther Terrus’s manufacturer claims that the air rifle’s maximum velocity is 1050 FPS – achieved when alloy pellets are used in the .177 caliber. But whenever I’ve shot allowed pellets using this air gun, I’ve easily exceeded the makers claim with a velocity of 1,105 FPS.

Terrus’s makers also claim that it’s a “match trigger”, which isn’t true. The Terrus uses the XT trigger, which is serviceable and all-round excellent. The trigger’s pawls are made of extra-hard steel. They, therefore, operate without putting pressure on the other parts and thus minimize the trigger weight. The XY also allows you to adjust ‘first stage travel.’  The Walther XT trigger is undoubtedly one of the better triggers on any break-barrel air gun.

Consistency

One of the standout features of the Walther Terrus 117 is its consistency. The Terrus produces excellent accuracy with a wide range of pellets. It’s undoubtedly not pellet-picky.

Remarkably, the Terrus produces knockdown power (muzzle energy) consistently. Piston/spring air guns generally generate the highest knockdown power with lighter pellets, and then the power drops with an increase in pellet weight. 

Regardless of the pellet used, Terruss produces the same muzzle power. The average muzzle power is 13 Ft/Lbs. Even after using it with various pellets, the variation was at most 1 Ft/Lb from average. Coupled with the air rifle’s accuracy, the Walther Terrus delivers consistent performance with all types of pellets. 

The change of muzzle velocity from one shot to the other (Standard Deviation) is also remarkable– it’s 4.93 FPS on average. This FPS exceptionally for any air gun.

When it comes to trigger pull-weight, Terrus shows extreme consistency. The average pull weight is 3 Lb. Terrus showed a four oz variation from the average; this is outstanding. I can barely detect the variation when shooting the air rifle.  

 The Walther Terrus is, therefore, one of the most all-around consistent air rifles in the market today. 

Noise Level

Despite the fact that the Walther Terrus is not a silent gun, its noise level is moderate. You can, however, add an aftermarket silencer on the threaded fore of the barrel. A Knurled cover protects the threads. 

Strikingly, when shooting the Terrus, there was little spring sound. It’s a super solid thunk – this how a decent rifle should be. However, there is some little additional sound when shooting extra heavy pellets. The sound might be due to the rebounding of the piston.

Sights and Scope

The Terrus comes with a standard set of serviceable iron sights. You can adjust for elevation and windage by click-adjusting the rear sight. On the underside, the optic component of the front-side sight is unprotected. 

The front sight is made of sturdy metal, and it’s securely fastened to the barrel. I won’t want to shoot this air rifle with open sights. You need a scope to get the exceptional downrange accuracy that this airgun is capable of delivering. 

The Terrus comes with a 11mm wide pair of dovetails that are on the compression tube. They accommodate standard air gun mounts and rings.  It also has a pinhole that limits the movements that emanate from gun recoil.

Unlike with most similarly priced air rifles, with the Terrus you get to choose your scope. This is fantastic because most of the scopes that come with air rifles usually have less than ideal optics. Users are forced to replace them if they’re to have a good shooting experience.

I’ve fitted my Terrus with a 3-9 * 40AO Nikon Prostaff scope It delivers excellent contrast and sharpness. It balanced on the Terrus, and it’s not too heavy or big. I love it. You should use a sturdy, one-piece mount to attach the scope to your rifle. 

Shootability

The Terrus’s weight balances very well. It’s centered in the natural position you take when shooting. 

The stock is thin, and so it’s easy to hold it securely. The rifle’s butt pad has decent grip when placed on the shoulder. And you can naturally achieve a great cheek weld when peaking through the scope, thanks to the comb of the Terrus’s stock which comes in a fantastic height. 

The distance between the trigger and the buttpad is 14.24 inches. In my experience, this works great. Besides, Terrus’ smooth shot cycle boosts shootability further. It’s not shuddering and fierce like in many of the high-powered break-barrel air guns.  

Appearance and Finish

The bluing and metal finish of this air rifle is excellent – it’s certainly exceptional for this price point. The metal’s appearance isn’t the intense deep blue-black color and mirror finish you’ve likely seen in much more high-end air rifles. But just like in all aspects of this gun, the top-of-class quality is there, and so you won’t be disappointed.

The meshing of wood and metal is also excellent.  Besides, the wood stock has a neat shape and has small checkered areas that allow for an excellent grip. 

Overall the Walther Terrus looks sophisticated and stylish and has clean and simple lines. If the wood stock doesn’t tickle your fancy, you can opt for the other version of Terrus that has a curvier black synthetic stock. 

Buying and Owning

The Walther Terrus air rifle comes with a limited lifetime guarantee which is serviced by Umarex USA. Mainsprings, seals and other wear parts have an 18-month warranty. You’ll get an instruction manual that clearly outlines the coverage of the rifle’s functions. It’s in English only. 

The Terrus comes in a plain brown box; there is no conspicuous, colorful print. But it’s made of sturdy material, and its internal components hold the rifle in place while it’s in shipment. So if you purchase your Terrus online, it’ll likely reach your doorstep in one piece. Damage during shipment is highly unlikely; this is a significant benefit.

Walther Terrus vs RWS 34

RWS 34 Meisterschutze Pro Compact is a much pricier air rifle than the Terrus; it goes for about $300. But at that price, it doesn’t feature gas ram technology, and it delivers a lower muzzle velocity.

Performance

When it comes to knock down power (muzzle energy), unlike the Walter Terrus, which is consistent, the RWS is somewhat variable. It goes from 17.33 Ft/Lbs when shooting H&N Field Target Trophy Green alloy pellets, to 13.68 Ft/LBS when shooting JSB Exact Diabolo pellets.

The RWS 34’s pull weight is 1 Lb 6 0z, much lower than the Terrus’s 3Lb average pull weight. The RWS comes with a reputable Diana TO6 trigger, which has excellent characteristics. It matches the equally great Terrus TX trigger. 

At the 42 Lbs, the RWS’s cocking effort is heavier compared to the Terrus. The RWS is thus much more suited for small game hunting. With its heavy cocking effort, you can’t use it for plinking.

Both the Terrus and RWS are very consistent. When shooting the RWS, the standard deviation (shot-to-shot variation) was very good. When shooting the JSB Exact Diabolo and the H&N Field Target Trophy Green, it dropped below 3FPS.

The average standard deviation was 9.21 FPS. If we omit the outlying figure that came from shooting Gamo Raptor pellets, the standard deviation gets to 4.97 FPS. This a high level of consistency, but the Terrus is still much more consistent (4.93 FPS). 

Appearance

Unlike Terrus, which allows you to choose your scope, the RWS comes with a bundled scope. But the downside is that the 3-9 * 40AO RWs scope is of high quality. 

When it comes to appearance and finish, both the Walther Terrus and the RWS 34 Meisterschutze Pro Compact have an elegant and simple look.

RWS has a simple stock with no fancy shapes or checkering. This ‘old school’ look works great. The meshing of wood and metal is fantastic. But unlike the Terrus, which comes with a rubber butt pad, the RWS is fitted with a hard plastic rubber butt pad. 

The RWS 34’s metal parts are matte black; the finish looks more Parkerizing than the typical bluing. It’s a practical finish that doesn’t make strong reflections – this is ideal for a hunting air rifle. Conversely, Terrus has a blued metal finish, which is exceptional for a gun at this price range. 

Best Overall?

Both air guns (Terrus and RWS 34) have their virtues and foibles: the Walther Terrus comes out as an all-round gun ideal for small game hunting, plinking, and target shooting, while the RWS 34 Meisterschutze Pro Compact is more of a specialized small game hunting air gun. 

If you’re looking for a quality break-barrel springer that’s also reasonably priced, the Walther Terrus air rifle won’t disappoint you. 

This superbly designed air gun creates value out of quality and simplicity, instead of loading numerous frivolous and subpar features.

With the Terrus, you get accuracy for a wide range of pellets. It has a great trigger, it’s easy to cock, and it has a super-smooth shot cycle. It’s neither too heavy nor too big. And, it delivers enough power for informal target shooting, plinking, and small game hunting. 

All air rifles are not created the same, and the Terrus has real pedigree. At about $250, it presents unbelievably great value for money.