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First impressions:
The
Steyr LG100 is a completely new rifle in all respects, not just a make-over of
the LG10. The action, frame assembly, trigger, stock and barrel are all new. It
is a side-lever operated bolt which, unlike the LG10 will accept a scope nicely.
The bolt contains the same recoil absorbing mechanism that was first introduced
in the LG10.....a very valuable feature to the top level competitor. The front and rear sights are the same
and they have retained the feature that rotates the rear sight.....another good
feature. The LG100 is quite light, about 9lb.,12oz compared to the 10 and a half
pound LG10. Weights can be added to the barrel, under the forend wood and in the
cheekpiece to balance the rifle and bring it up to ISSF weight.
At this writing we have seen only ten test groups. the ten shot groups are all only slightly larger than pellet diameter and all were shot with JSB 4.49 dia. pellets. We hear that world champion Thomas Farnik of Austria is now shooting the LG100 along with some of his comrads.
The most obvious new feature is the capability of removing the barrel extension and the buttstock quickly and easily. This is not something that will get you points but it is a very valuable feature for those who are going to travel. It will not only make life travelling a lot nicer but it will reduce the possibility of a broken stock by the airlines. The detachable bloop-tube is a push-fit onto the barrel and has a spring loaded bayonet type lock. It requires only a push and quarter turn to lock the barrel tube in place [same for removal]. The front sight automatically goes into vertical position and we could not detect any movement after it was attached. It is quick and foolproof, indeed. The detachable butt stock is removable by simply turning a lever. It is a cam-locking arrangement that is secure and again we could not detect any slop in the fitting. There is a screw adjustment that will compensate for wear or slack in the cam action. One should not worry about either of these connections to become loose. The broken down rifle can be packed into a case only 26" long. Both hard and soft factory cases are available at extra cost.
The cheekpiece is infinitely adjustable and is ambidextrous.....the only difference in left or right hand rifle is the pistol grip which is interchangable. Buttstock castoff can be adjusted from full left to full right, a very usefull feature that is not usually possible on wood stock rifles. The all metal buttplate is also infinitely adjustable.
The pistol grip concept is a dream come true....now you can have not only complete adjustment of the trigger but also complete positioning of the pistol grip as it relates to the trigger. The pistol grip can be moved left-right, fore-aft and can be rotated relative to the trigger. It is available in three sizes and in left hand. The forend wood slides on a standard dovetail milled right into the aluminum frame. It can be moved in all directions or removed for prone shooting. The standard Steyr handstop will fit the rail. The two part trigger shoe is completely adjustable and has not changed from the LG10. The trigger can be set to dry fire without the use of tools .The silver colored portion of the frame at the rear is a plastic shroud which also forms the trigger guard. It is removable by a single screw to expose the trigger mechanism for cleaning and inspection.
The aluminum cylinder [one only supplied] weighs only 15oz.. It takes about two hundred strokes with a handpump to fill from empty, much less, of course, to only top up a partly emptied cylinder. The cylinder has a built-in gauge on the end and you dont have to remove the cylinder to see the air level. Max. fill is 200bar.
Vibration tests;
The firm of Karl Wernigg, a private laboratory tested the LG100 along with
the other three popular match rifles. The tests were to find which one produced
the lowest barrel vibrations caused by the shot release. The Seyr shows the
lowest barrel vibrations [about half of the others]. This is a result of the
shock reducing mechanism inside the bolt of the rifle. The results also show a
very short lock-time and, most interestingly, the pellet is shown to exit the
muzzle exactly at the zero point of vibration. We will be pleased to send you a
copy of this report.
Downsides;
The only possible downsides that we could see at first inspection are as
follows:
1. The movable parts do not have indexing scales or marks to re-establish or to record settings on the adjustments. The rifle is designed for single position shooting and therefore these indexing marks are not so important. Still, in my opinion, it would be nice to have them.
2. The plastic trigger guard has a little "spring" in it which may not feel good to one who
3. Some very sharp pins on the metal buttplate will give a super grip on the jacket but will probably chew up the shoulder pads big time.
This new rifle seems to have all of the important technical features available to-day and then some.....I predict that it will have a significant presence on the international firing line over the next year or so. Watch for it!!
The STEYR LG100FT [field target model]
The field target version is essentially the same rifle as above but without the barrel shroud [bloop tube], without the micrometer sights and with some internal changes to the valving mechanism to produce much higher velocities.
The FT model is available in your choice of two velocities, 24 joules [989fps.] or 16 joules [787fps.]. test groups are excellent, they are literally one hole not much greater than pellet diameter at 10m. The 30m. test groups that we have seen are about .20" center to center. Using the out-of-the-box 24 joule rifle we hear that velocities around 900 fps. are recorded using Crossman 10.5g heavies. Energy is 18.6 ft. lbs. Expect at least 70 shots with this combination.
