Walther Rotex RM8

With its sculpted Minelli-designed beech stock, the Walther Rotex RM8 weighs 3.6 kilos unscoped and whilst that is quite hefty for an air rifle, the balance is superbly neutral. Length is 1040mm and the scope rail is a dovetail design. There is stippling on the pistol grip and all around the forend, the under-side of which houses the pressure gauge and fill port to accept a 232 bar fill for the 200cc bottle. Shot count is a claimed 150 for .177 and 180 for .22 calibre at 12 ft. lbs. Higher powered options – 22 ft. lbs. in .22 and 17 ft. lbs. in .177 are available and will result in fewer shots. The eight shot rotary magazine is made from metal and is simple and reliable. With the bolt pulled back, it is installed from the left and held in place with a sliding retainer catch. A bolt cocks the regulated action, cycles the pellets and sets the safety catch. The Lothar Walther barrel has a sculpted muzzle weight at the front that should not be confused with a silencer. The barrel is not shrouded so you’ll probably want to fit one to the ½ inch UNF thread.

The Rotex RM8 Varmint variant has a black plastic stock that is similar in shape to the wooden stocked Rotex RM8 Classic but is distinguished by a thumbhole pistol grip design. There is stippling to aid grip for both hands as well as a short picatinny accessory rail on the underside of the forend, although attachment for a scope is via a dovetail rail. Shorter than the wooden stock RM8 at 950mm, the RM8 Varmint is heavier at nearly 3.9 kilos without a scope. The Lothar Walther barrel comes with a muzzle weight that can be removed to fit a silencer to the ½ inch UNF thread. Like other rifles in the range, the RM8 Varmint has a two-stage adjustable trigger and uses the eight-shot metal rotary magazine, which is locked into place with a retaining catch, and a bolt action to cycle pellets, cock the action and set the safety catch. The 200 cc air bottle takes a 232 bar fill via a port underneath the forend next to the pressure gauge. In 12 ft. lbs. format, the RM8 Varmint claims to deliver 150 shots in .177 and 180 in .22 calibre – a figure that is lower for higher powered variants of 17 ft. lbs. in .177 and 22 ft. lbs. in .22.

Although nearly identical to the standard RM8 Varmint, the CA version features a number of subtle but significant engineering enhancements. These include a breech receiver milled from a single piece of aluminium and a carbon fibre barrel shroud, a redesigned cocking bolt handle and an integrated picatinny scope rail. Combined, these changes result in considerable weight savings; the RM8 Varmint CA tips the scales at less than 3.2 kilos and measures 960mm. In many other aspects, the rifle is the same as others in the range, using the metal rotary magazine and sliding retainer catch arrangement, two-stage adjustable trigger, bolt action and automatic safety catch. Available in .177 and .22 but with no high power options, the 12 ft. lb. rifle delivers around 150 .177 shots and 180 .22 shots from a 232 bar fill, which is achieved by using the quick fill port underneath the stock forend. Though the carbon fibre barrel shroud reduces noise, the muzzle break on the end of the Lothar Walther barrel can be removed to allow a silencer to be fitted to the ½ inch UNF thread.

The UC, or ‘Ultra Compact’ variant is, as the name suggests, a shorter version of the Walther Rotex Varmint RM8. It shares all the same characteristics of the larger rifle – eight shot metal rotary magazine, bolt action cocking system and automatic safety. The plastic thumbhole stock is the same as well. In fact, it is only the shorter 340mm Lothar Walther barrel that is different, making the rifle just 916mm long and 3.75 kilos heavy.