Haemmerli is a Swiss company that belongs to the SIG group. The Hammerli company makes various rifles, the military rifles made by SIG are one of the finest and most accurate in cal 5.56 Swiss and in 7.62 NATO. Hammerli also makes the UIT full bore competition HAMMERLI TANNER rifles in .308 Cal (7.62 NATO). Hammerli has also started production of a MATCH AIR RIFLE in .177 cal the Model 450. This is a pneumatic single stroke match rifle with adjustable stock for U.I.T. shooting in the Olympic event of Air Rifle.
Regarding .22LR pistols, they are producing very high quality handguns that are especially designed for ISU competition (note that Haemmerli never produced guns for NRA's bullseye or metallic silhouette, however.) Haemmerli is said to be the company that produces the better and most accurate .22LR barrels. Models that are currently in use are the 208, 215 and 280. Although the 215 is not produced any more, the 208 S with an adjustable trigger tongue. It is one of the finest made most accurate .22lr pistol made. Erich Buljung of the USAMU holds the current world record in Standard Pistol with his 208. Ragnar Skanaker earlier held the world record with his 208. The 215 is essentially a 208 without the polishing and deep blueing. It has a sand blasted finish but is mechanically identical to the 215.
The 215 is probably the most popular. Its prices is around 1000$ in Switzerland. It has a barrel of 5 or 6" (can't remember), blue finish, has a wooden anatomic grip. Weight is said to be around 50 oz. (1.4 kg) but it is definitely lighter (probably around 40 oz). You can add a compensator. An upgraded version is the 215S that offers an adjustable trigger stop. I have been shooting this gun for about 6 months and it is definitely a very good precision handgun.
The 208 is a limited series. It is said to be the best .22LR pistol ever made by haemmerli. If you want one, the only thing to do is try to find somebody selling his but this is very rare and this gun is worth a lot of money. Second hand price: around 1300-1600$ in Switzerland.
The 280 is a new model, and in fact, the only model in actual production. Once again it is a very good pistol. However many people told me they like the 215 better and even some gun seller will recommend you to buy a second hand 215 than buy a 280 in their store! The gun is very big, the grip is huge. A particularity: magazine is not in the grip but in front of the trigger guard. Specs are close to other haemmerli (same weight, same barrel length). The pistol appears large but is very light as compared to a steel pistol. The 280 is reccomended for its interchangeable barrel system. The .32S&W l wadcutter barrel is used to shoot U.I.T Centre-Fire and the .22lr barrel is good for cheap practise.
Hammerli has also introduced a HI TECH Air Pistol, the Model 480. This has a cylinder wrapped in carbon fibre and is pre charged with compressed air or carbon di oxide. The last word in Air Pistols and currently has an eight month waiting list.
[Maintainer: Note that the following paragraphs are additions by Emmanual Baechler]
The Hammerli 208/215 is a descendant of the Walther Olympia that Haemmerli produced under license, after WWII, when Walther was forbidden to manufacture any firearm.
The Hammerli 280 uses the same configuration than the Walther OSP/GSP. The magazine is in front of the triggerguard and the grip can be sculpted freely. Adaptation to almost any hand is thus possible. It is also heavier near the muzzle, which helps for ISU rimfire 10 seconds strings. On the other hand, some people complained that it is not as accurate as its predecessors. A book written by the coaches of the French olympic team mentions that it is not as successful as its ancestor in high level competition. The reasons for this lack of popularity are however not mentionned.
A .32SWLW conversion is available (or a .22LR for people who bought it in .32 originally). On the other hand, there's no .22 short version yet.
The major innovation of the Haemmerli 280 is that it is the first ISU competition gun using synthetic material, i.e. carbon fibers. Haemmerli tested several guns for more than 50,000 shots and they performed flawlessly. They do also warrant all the carbon fiber pieces for 5 years, while the steel ones are warranted for a single year.
All the people using the 280 around me, at the local level, consider that it is an excellent ISU target gun. They mention however that it is quite picky about the ammunition it likes.
Hammerli is also well known for their incredible Free Pistols made for the Olympic event of Free Pistol. The model 160 is a .22 lr cal single shot pistol with a Martini Action and a free floating barrel. The trigger can be adjusted down to 5 grams!! and 50 metre 10 shot groups out of a rest are typically 1 inch!!!. The 162 is the electronic version of the 160 this has an electronic trigger working off 9 volt battery. The forend is of a carbon fibre composite and the sights are one of the best in the world.