New Walther 1911...22 LR.

PICS! Don't tease us like that!!!!

I've been impatiently waiting for these to come out. Yours is the first sighting I've heard of. Hopefully more sightings and reports will start to come in.
How was the weight? Did it "feel" like a real, steel 1911? I really liked the GSG except for how light it was.

If the threads are standard size I imagine a lot of folks will put a real suppressor on that 1911 if it will cycle properly.

I tried looking for a pic on the walther website and google but came up dry. I'm dying to see what they look like.

Pics look like P22 magazines

Interesting

Wait- did it say "German Sporting Guns"? That would make the GSG imported by ATI and not the Colt/Walther/Umarex gun at all.

He did confirm that Walther made it in Germany

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For those not in the know, there is Walther in Ulm Germany, which is the real Walther factory and has been all along, and then there is the parent company Umarex which bought Walther a while back and has been abusing the Walther name ever since.

For example, Umarex makes decent airsoft guns, and brands them "Walther". They also make the low-end real guns (P22, PK380, etc) in a non-Ulm plant and slap on the Walther name. They also make the colt wannabe M4 thng in .22lr, and some other stuff that I can't remember at the moment, all marketed with a real brand name on it through licensing agreements.

So ... if it isn't Ulm, don't blame the historical and legitimate Walther at the Ulm plant, they're victims of marketing. This is not to say that the P22/PK380 aren't decent guns, they're just not made by the Ulm plant or to Ulm standards, or from Ulm materials with Ulm QA. They do benefit from getting copied ergonomics from Ulm-made guns, which is a plus for those of us who equate Walther with good ergonomics (someone in the Ulm R&D department has hands identical to mine or something).

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Now, to the UMAREX 1911, is it a clone of the GSG model, is it the GSG model with a Colt banner slapped on, is it something different, and is it compatible with other guns' magazines?
Because I might spring for it if it took a mag I already have (P22) or if someone would finally get their act together and make a compact (officer's size) 1911 in .22 cheaper than a conversion kit.

Now, to the UMAREX 1911, is it a clone of the GSG model, is it the GSG model with a Colt banner slapped on, is it something different...

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That's really where my curiosity lies with this offering. I've got a Walther P99 URM and have absolutely no qualms about their quality. My initial impressions and hopes where that this was a newly engineered platform approved under Colt license.

The compatability with "other" magazines is of interest, but not my primary concern. To the OP- the construction of the mag(s) might steer us into figuring out what your buddy has.

What I want, and am hoping for, is a .22 1911 that closely approximates the "feel in hand" of a "real steel" 1911 (this is where the GSG fell short for me), including the coveted 1911 SA trigger feel. I can deal with some feeding issues, as this is obvoiusly not am SD pistol, but a jammomatic is a no-go. I want a good trainer pistol for my 1911s, and the option to screw on my suppressor for backyard action is the driving force behind this offering for me.

That Colt has some significant differences from the GSG. Different hammer, trigger, grips, sights, magazine. But I've never handled the Colt, so I can't say any more than that.

I love my GSG.. and I'll admit it's a smiggen lighter than most 1911s, it's got a good sturdy, "real 1911" feel to it (to me). Best .22 1911 that's come along in my opinion.

Here's the GSG (just looking for an excuse to share the pics )

Interesting tid bit:
© Umarex USA • Colt® is a licensed trademark of New Colt Holding Corp.


But wait... there more. Umarex/Walther/Colt/Hk crossbreeding:

http://www.hk22rimfire.com/


Here's some other info from the Umarex USA site.
Umarex USA offers world-class products for multiple product categories including..... (edited - alot of stuff not pertanent to this thread) ..... and small bore firearms including Colt .22 Tactical Rimfire rifles and 1911 pistols, HK .22 rifles, and RWS premium .22 rimfire ammunition


And of course Umarex also makes the Walther P22 .22lr


Hopefully they stay away from the buckmark and Mk?.

Well dang . I'm really anxious to see what Umarex/Colt comes out with. They were supposed to be available starting in November and I thought you'd found the first one I'd heard of.
Most folks seem to really like their GSGs, I'll bet your friend will too. Good that you found the 1911 forum. The ATI importer posts on that thread and seems to take care of folks.

We've talked about these things in a couple other threads, but I just want to point them out here for anyone considering buying the GSG 1911 (copied from my post on another forum).

Here's a few quirks about it:
- it's picky about ammo, but in my experience, all 22 semis are. But i've had great success with Federal bulk and CCI minimags.
- The pot metal barrel bushing is garbage. A lot of people have had them break (which, if you're at a public range, likely means you lose the recoil spring too). ATI and/or GSG are starting, or planning to start, putting steel barrel bushings on them. If you get one with the cheap pot metal, though, don't fret. You have two excellent choices: 1) Contact ATI and they'll send you a steel replacement. I got a replacement in a few days for free and with zero fuss (mine never broke, by the way, i just wanted to play it safe). Or 2) you can just put any ol' 1911 barrel bushing on there. It'll fit just fine.
- The recoil cachedisk thing (or whatever they're called) that comes with it will wear out after a few thousand rounds. But a rubber washer works fine as a replacement.
- To field strip it, you have to take out a hex screw. Also (not really a quirk, just FYI) the recoil spring has a tapered end, so make reassembling, be sure you put it back with the wider end toward the muzzle.

This may sound like a lot of complaining or something - but it's not. It's easy to see the positive aspects of it just by handling one at the store.. so to be fair I want to point out some of the annoyances you won't know until after you buy it.

I (knowingly) overpaid for mine, a little over $400, on an impulse buy at a local overpriced shop. But even at the higher cost, I've found it to be worth it. Feels solid in the hands, shoots straighter than I do, great stock sights, very few failures once you find some ammo it likes. Make no mistake though - this isn't your $1000 kimber. But for a .22 range toy, it doesn't get much better.

I have heard that we may be getting them behind the tofu curtain next year, maybe. Can't wait.