Walther KKW
- Category
- Rifle
- Barrel
- 660 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.60 kg
- Introduced
- 1938
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Walther KKW (Kleinkaliber Wehrsportgewehr, or small-caliber military sport rifle) is a single-shot bolt-action training rifle chambered in .22 Long Rifle. Produced by Carl Walther from 1938 to the end of the Second World War, it was patterned closely on the Mauser Karabiner 98k, sharing its overall dimensions, two-barrel-band stock, tangent rear sight graduated to 200 metres, and an 'H'-style bayonet lug. Developed from Germany's earlier DSM-34 marksmanship program, the KKW improved on its predecessor by matching the handling and appearance of the issue service rifle far more closely, allowing recruits and Hitler Youth members to train economically on rimfire ammunition.
Because the post-WWI Treaty of Versailles restricted German military weapons production, .22 rimfire trainers like the KKW let the Reich quietly maintain a marksmanship base; cadets drilled with a rifle that looked, balanced and bayonet-fixed almost exactly like the Karabiner 98k they would later carry into the field.
The KKW was also produced under licence by other German makers including Gustloff-Werke, ERMA and BSW; Walther-marked examples are among the scarcest, with fewer than roughly 6,000 made.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Carl Walther GmbH
- Category
- Rifle
- Country
- Germany
- Status
- Discontinued
- Produced
- 1938 to 1945
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 660 mm
- Overall length
- 1000 mm
- Weight, empty
- 3.60 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Bolt action
- Firing mechanism
- Striker fired
- Trigger
- Single action
- Capacity
- 1
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 330 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 141 J
- Effective range
- 100 m
- Maximum range
- 200 m
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
K98 pattern stock
Bayonet lug
Tangent rear sight
Two barrel bands
Cleaning rod
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 215 .22 Long Rifle rifles | 3.60 kg | 2.61 kg | Heavier than about 80% |
| Overall lengthAmong 207 .22 Long Rifle rifles | 1000 mm | 1016 mm | Shorter than about 60% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 228 .22 Long Rifle rifles | 660 mm | 547 mm | Longer than about 90% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 231 .22 Long Rifle rifles | 1 | 6 | Holds fewer rounds than about 90% |
Answers
Questions about the Walther KKW
How much does the Walther KKW weigh?
The Walther KKW weighs 3.60 kg (7.94 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Walther KKW?
The Walther KKW is chambered in .22 Long Rifle.
How many rounds does the Walther KKW hold?
The Walther KKW holds 1 rounds.
How long is the Walther KKW?
The Walther KKW is 1000 mm (39.4 in) long overall, with a 660 mm (26.0 in) barrel.
Who makes the Walther KKW?
The Walther KKW is made by Carl Walther GmbH (Germany). It was designed by Carl Walther.
When was the Walther KKW introduced?
The Walther KKW was introduced in 1938 and discontinued in 1945.
How does the Walther KKW operate?
The Walther KKW uses a bolt action, and its firing mechanism is striker fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- Wehrmacht
- 1938
- Hitler Youth
- 1938
Provenance
Confidence in this record
72%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/walther-kkw' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "walther-kkw", "name": "Walther KKW", "manufacturer": { "id": "walther", "name": "Carl Walther GmbH", "countryCode": "DE", "foundedYear": 1886, "website": "https://www.carl-walther.de", "logoUrl": null, "description": "German manufacturer of sporting, competition, and defense firearms. Founded in 1886, Carl Walther is known for precision weapons technology.", "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:40", "updatedAt": "2026-02-18 03:40:48", "version": "d65d37557d49efec8a72ef6019ef9e5cab9430c505d88b909eaad72b3bf3cfb3" }, "category": { "id": "rifle", "name": "Rifle", "description": "Long-barreled firearms designed for accurate shooting" }, "country_of_origin": "DE", "year_introduced": 1938, "barrel_length_mm": 660, "weight_empty_g": 3600, "action_type": "bolt_action"}