The Walther Lever Action, Umarex’s CO2 pellet-firing homage to the Winchester Model 1894, has been in the line-up since 2002. A fresh appraisal in Airgun World gives the counter a reference for a rifle that arrives in two generations with different consumables, and for the simple service that restores one that has sat in a cabinet. Writing in Airgun World, John Milewski called it “a quality product made from wood and steel”.

Why do CO2 replicas still matter to the UK trade?

Milewski traced the market to 1997, when CO2 came “off ticket” and “UK-based airgunners could once again own CO2-powered airguns without the need for a firearm certificate”. Umarex, which owns Walther, was among the first with replica pistols that “shot pellets rather than BB/ball, which made them more consistent”, and in 2002 added the lever-action. It takes the standard Umarex eight-shot rotary magazine, a consumable the counter already stocks, and the manual’s 175 metres per second, about 574fps, was borne out on test at 576fps with .177 Excite flat heads.

Which version is on the counter, and what does it need?

Pre-2010 rifles take two 12g cartridges in a cradle behind the butt plate, pierced together, so, as Milewski wrote, “it was vital that cartridges of equal length, preferably from the same manufacturer, were used”. A mismatched pair can leave one cartridge unpierced, which is a point to make at the sale. For a short session the rifle can be charged with one full and one empty cartridge, and a lever in the cradle helps pierce them.

From 2010 the rifle was modified for a single 88g cartridge, which “resolved the issue of two different-sized 12g cartridges causing problems but meant that more expensive cartridges had to be used and a wider, more unsightly butt plate was also fitted”. An adaptor lets the 88g rifle run on two 12g cartridges, at further cost and without curing the butt plate. Milewski’s preference, “from an aesthetically pleasing and practical perspective”, is the earlier twin-12g rifle.

What should a pre-owned Walther Lever Action be checked for?

The pivoting magazine arm behind the fake loading port needs to be clean and free of debris, because a pellet can jam there when the CO2 fades and the shooter keeps going; a rod through the muzzle clears it. The more common pre-owned fault is simpler. Milewski’s own rifle, tested in 2019 and then put away, managed only 290fps on a mild August morning because it was “bone dry”. A light lube around the hammer and a few drops into the mechanism took it back to 576fps, 5.23ft/lb, and a high of 604fps with Econ II. A rifle that chronographs low on the counter may need nothing more.

His two cosmetic niggles are worth knowing when a customer asks: a discernible gap between the barrel and the dummy magazine tube, and a stock that sits higher than a Winchester’s to house the CO2, which gives the rifle “somewhat of a club-foot profile”. Neither affected function; he reported no jams or misfeeds, a 4.8lb trigger that broke cleanly, single-hole groups at 6 yards and hits on 40mm field target zones out to 20 yards.

Which variants carry a premium?

The 88g rifle has been sold blued or plated, as a shorter carbine and as “a John Wayne commemorative model with a wide-loop lever”. Milewski bought his early twin-12g blued rifle from Protek Supplies for £220, with its original illustrated carton, noting that “retaining the original box with a rifle enhances collectability”. That is the figure a pre-owned counter can put against a boxed early example in working order; the saddle ring, the ramp rearsight and the drift-adjustable foresight are the details a buyer checks are present.

What happens next?

For the counter the reading is that a 20-year-old CO2 replica remains a straightforward sale and a straightforward service: matched 12g pairs or 88g cartridges by generation, rotary magazines, and a lube before it is chronographed. John Milewski’s full test in Airgun World, with his pictures of the cradle, the loading port and the sights, is linked first below.

Useful links

Walther Lever Action review: Umarex’s CO2 Winchester 1894 revisited – John Milewski’s original feature in Airgun World, where these words first appeared, with the pictures of the CO2 cradle and the sights

Frequently asked questions

Does the Walther Lever Action need a firearm certificate?

No. It is a .177 CO2 air rifle, and John Milewski wrote that CO2 airguns came off ticket in the UK in 1997, so no certificate is needed to own one.

What CO2 does a Walther Lever Action use?

Rifles made before 2010 take two 12g cartridges of equal length behind the butt plate. From 2010 the rifle takes a single 88g cartridge, and an adaptor allows two 12g cartridges in the later rifle.

Why has a stored Walther Lever Action lost power?

A dry mechanism. Milewski’s rifle dropped to 290fps after years in storage, and a light lube around the hammer and into the action returned it to 576fps and a high of 604fps.

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