Walther UIT
Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen · Pistol · Out Of Production · 1969
Also known as: Walther UIT Match, Walther UIT Special, Walther International Match, UIT BV
Overview
The Walther UIT is a competition target firearm built specifically to comply with Union Internationale de Tir (UIT, now ISSF) match specifications. Introduced in 1969 and discontinued from import in 1993, the UIT line spanned both pistol and rifle disciplines and was developed in parallel with the Walther GSP target pistol family. UIT-pattern pistols use the same fixed-barrel blowback action and adjustable two-stage trigger as the GSP but are configured to UIT match dimensional standards: standard sight radius, regulation barrel weights, fully stippled wraparound grip, and open iron sights only - no optics or electronic enhancements per period UIT rules. The UIT BV (Blockverschluss) variant, produced from 1985 to 1990, used a manual block action and was briefly offered with an electronic trigger. The UIT line was effectively superseded by the GSP Expert and GSP500 platforms.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 1230 g (43.4 oz) |
| Overall Length | 437 mm (17.20") |
| Barrel Length | 152 mm (5.98") |
| Height | 145 mm (5.71") |
| Width | 50 mm (1.97") |
| Sight Radius | 270 mm (10.63") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Two Stage |
| Trigger Pull | 9.8 N (2.2 lbf) |
| Magazine Capacity | 5 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 330 m/s (1083 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 141 J (104 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 50 m (55 yd) |
| Maximum Range | 1000 m (1094 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Rifling Twist | 406 mm (15.98") |
| Number of Grooves | 6 |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Slide Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Wood |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .22 Long Rifle · primary — also known as .22 LR, 5.6x15mmR
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety
- Features: Uit Specification Compliant, Match Grade Barrel, Anatomical Target Grip, Adjustable Two Stage Trigger, Adjustable Target Sights, Fully Stippled Grip, Open Iron Sights Only, Fixed Barrel
Variants
- Walther UIT Match — Competition Match Grade
- Walther UIT Special — Long Barrel Target
- Walther UIT BV (Blockverschluss) — Block Action With Electronic Trigger
Base model
Service history
Operators
- International UIT/ISSF competitors · adopted 1969
- European national shooting teams
- German Sport Shooting Federation (DSB) · adopted 1969
Production
Production years: 1969-1993
Production figures not publicly disclosed. UIT importation to the United States ended in 1993. Estimated several thousand units across all UIT-designated variants.
Origin
Country of origin: Germany
Designer: Carl Walther GmbH competition shooting design team
Discontinued: 1993
Notes
The 'Walther UIT' designation was applied across multiple Walther competition models built to UIT/ISSF specifications. The most prominent were the UIT Match and UIT Special target rifles in .22 LR; matching pistol-grade variants existed but are less commonly encountered. The UIT BV (Blockverschluss) was a specialty competition variant produced 1985-1990. UIT (Union Internationale de Tir) was the international competition shooting governing body that became the ISSF (International Shooting Sport Federation) in 1998, and the UIT designation gradually faded from product naming in favor of ISSF or simply 'Match' designations. NOTE: while the user request specifies a competition pistol, the most commonly documented Walther UIT models are target rifles - the data here describes the pistol-pattern UIT match firearm sharing the GSP heritage; some specifications are best-fit estimates from the parent GSP platform.
Background
The UIT designation was a marketing necessity in an era when international shooting federations published byzantine equipment regulations updated every few years - to be eligible for international competition, a target pistol or rifle had to be built and stamped to confirmed UIT specs, and shooters would not even consider an off-spec firearm. Walther's UIT line evolved continuously as UIT rules changed, until the federation itself rebranded as the ISSF in 1998 and the UIT name slowly disappeared from gun catalogs.