Break Barrel New Beeman R7.177

[sandog]

For maybe 2 years now I've been wanting to get an Hw30 after hearing so much good about them, but I've been distracted by new PCPs and Co2 guns.
Had I known what I was missing, I'd have not waited so long.

My previous break barrel rifles were "magnum" ones, not great for a springer newbie.
A Diana 48 years ago, more recently a Hatsan 95 and a Springfield .22 M1A underlever.
All were big and heavy, and the last two were no more accurate than a couple BB rifles I have.

I like the stock better on the Beemans so I bought an R7.
Been shooting it for an hour each morning, some groups then some plinking.
I'm just about thru the first tin of pellets.

I still like using iron sights on ocassion but it has to be a peep rear, even then some mild 1.5x safety glasses help.
I put the irons away for now as the front sight ghost in the scope was bugging me.

I was scope rich a couple months ago but sold several that I wasn't using.
I happened to see a Beeman 2-7x AO for sale the next town over.
Nice scope, except for the numbers on the parallax scale not jiving with the actual distance. If shooting at 15 yards, I set the objective ring for 25 and the image is parallax free.

I have quite a stock of .22 pellets and some .25, but haven't had a.177 for a long time.
I picked up several tins of Vogel wadcutters at Walmart after I tried a tin.
I can shoot a 3/8" or so group consistently at my 44 foot backyard range.
The Vogels seem like soft lead and fit snugly in the chamber, skirts are nice and round.

Someone gave me two tins of Crosmans as they no longer had a .177 rifle.
I didn't plan on shooting them because of the harder lead thing, but figured a couple groups wouldn't hurt.
The CPHP grouped about 3/4" at 15 yards but a few were so fat they wouldn't chamber.
The others were copper plated 10.5 grain.
They hit 3 inches low in a 3 inch group.
No more Crosmans for this Beeman.

I will order some AA 7.33 Falcons, some 7.8 JSB and maybe some H&N FTT soon.
I have the trigger breaking at 1 lb.
After shooting a group, I aim at the little numbers for the scoring rings, then the staples on the target, and if a fly lands on the target he is fair game too.
When I do my part, the pellet goes right where I was aiming.

I took the R7 along a few days ago when I went up to the high country to fish.
On the way home set up the bench in a nice meadow to try some 25 and 50 yard shooting.
My first group was decent, then pellets were landing 2 inches in every direction.
My stock screws were very loose and I didnt have my good fitting screwdrivers along.

When I got home, I degreased the 3 stock screws and their holes, used blue Loctite and torqued to 14 in.lbs. for the back trigger guard screw, 38 for the front, and 22 for the big screw in front.

The automatic safety was annoying the first time as I forgot to push it off.
Now it is natural to push it off as I'm lining up the shot, even for a lefty.

The target below was from my first range session with the new Beeman.
I wanted to see how hold senstive it was.
The 3 dots on the left, top to bottom were fired with a light artillery hold.
The middle 3, top to bottom was using a normal hold , and the 3 right dots were with a very firm grip.

I didn't see a lot of difference in the 3 holds from that target, but I've improved my technique and the groups have improved too.
I now just use the artillery hold.

When plinking the steel sihouettes in my gallery, I found it too easy to do body shots on the little rams, pigs and chickens.
Now I call the shot and do head shots only.

I'm looking forward to letting my 3 grandsons shoot this R7, one day one of them will inherit it.

 

[hameditor]

For maybe 2 years now I've been wanting to get an Hw30 after hearing so much good about them, but I've been distracted by new PCPs and Co2 guns.
Had I known what I was missing, I'd have not waited so long.

My previous break barrel rifles were "magnum" ones, not great for a springer newbie.
A Diana 48 years ago, more recently a Hatsan 95 and a Springfield .22 M1A underlever.
All were big and heavy, and the last two were no more accurate than a couple BB rifles I have.

I like the stock better on the Beemans so I bought an R7.
Been shooting it for an hour each morning, some groups then some plinking.
I'm just about thru the first tin of pellets.

I still like using iron sights on ocassion but it has to be a peep rear, even then some mild 1.5x safety glasses help.
I put the irons away for now as the front sight ghost in the scope was bugging me.

I was scope rich a couple months ago but sold several that I wasn't using.
I happened to see a Beeman 2-7x AO for sale the next town over.
Nice scope, except for the numbers on the parallax scale not jiving with the actual distance. If shooting at 15 yards, I set the objective ring for 25 and the image is parallax free.

I have quite a stock of .22 pellets and some .25, but haven't had a.177 for a long time.
I picked up several tins of Vogel wadcutters at Walmart after I tried a tin.
I can shoot a 3/8" or so group consistently at my 44 foot backyard range.
The Vogels seem like soft lead and fit snugly in the chamber, skirts are nice and round.

Someone gave me two tins of Crosmans as they no longer had a .177 rifle.
I didn't plan on shooting them because of the harder lead thing, but figured a couple groups wouldn't hurt.
The CPHP grouped about 3/4" at 15 yards but a few were so fat they wouldn't chamber.
The others were copper plated 10.5 grain.
They hit 3 inches low in a 3 inch group.
No more Crosmans for this Beeman.

I will order some AA 7.33 Falcons, some 7.8 JSB and maybe some H&N FTT soon.
I have the trigger breaking at 1 lb.
After shooting a group, I aim at the little numbers for the scoring rings, then the staples on the target, and if a fly lands on the target he is fair game too.
When I do my part, the pellet goes right where I was aiming.

I took the R7 along a few days ago when I went up to the high country to fish.
On the way home set up the bench in a nice meadow to try some 25 and 50 yard shooting.
My first group was decent, then pellets were landing 2 inches in every direction.
My stock screws were very loose and I didnt have my good fitting screwdrivers along.

When I got home, I degreased the 3 stock screws and their holes, used blue Loctite and torqued to 14 in.lbs. for the back trigger guard screw, 38 for the front, and 22 for the big screw in front.

The automatic safety was annoying the first time as I forgot to push it off.
Now it is natural to push it off as I'm lining up the shot, even for a lefty.

The target below was from my first range session with the new Beeman.
I wanted to see how hold senstive it was.
The 3 dots on the left, top to bottom were fired with a light artillery hold.
The middle 3, top to bottom was using a normal hold , and the 3 right dots were with a very firm grip.

I didn't see a lot of difference in the 3 holds from that target, but I've improved my technique and the groups have improved too.
I now just use the artillery hold.

When plinking the steel sihouettes in my gallery, I found it too easy to do body shots on the little rams, pigs and chickens.
Now I call the shot and do head shots only.

I'm looking forward to letting my 3 grandsons shoot this R7, one day one of them will inherit it.
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Great post! Thanks for sharing and welcome to the HAM Community

 

[Doc Holiday]

Sweet shooting and good looking. One day I have to try one. I have never even seen one in person.

 

[sandog]

I was astounded at how fast my stock screws went from "decent group" to "shotgun pattern".
I had checked them when I got the rifle and made sure they were very snug.
Probably too much torque on the back trigger screw. I usuallly don't try Loctite until there's an issue, but it would have been better to use it right out of the box.
(They are now at the recommended torque, except for the front trigger guard screw.
That is supposed to be 44 inch pounds, but it seemed like a lot when I was torquing, so I left it at 38 in.lbs.)

When I was up in that high country meadow, the first 3 shots were a nice round but nickel size group.
I remember thinking, well, first group of the day and I'm shooting at 25 yards instead of the usual backyard 15.

The very next shot went 2 inches high, then 2 inches left. The screws went loose fast.
Note to self : When planning a half day shootfest up in beautiful country, take along the Brownells screwdriver set, just in case !

 

[Danman]

I was astounded at how fast my stock screws went from "decent group" to "shotgun pattern".
I had checked them when I got the rifle and made sure they were very snug.
Probably too much torque on the back trigger screw. I usuallly don't try Loctite until there's an issue, but it would have been better to use it right out of the box.
(They are now at the recommended torque, except for the front trigger guard screw.
That is supposed to be 44 inch pounds, but it seemed like a lot when I was torquing, so I left it at 38 in.lbs.)

When I was up in that high country meadow, the first 3 shots were a nice round but nickel size group.
I remember thinking, well, first group of the day and I'm shooting at 25 yards instead of the usual backyard 15.

The very next shot went 2 inches high, then 2 inches left. The screws went loose fast.
Note to self : When planning a half day shootfest up in beautiful country, take along the Brownells screwdriver set, just in case !

True of the HW50 as well, I have never had a loose screw on my AirArms springer and hundreds of pellets through it, whereas the 50 needs tightening frequently. My 50 loves the AA/Jsb 7.87gr pellet the best of all I've tried.
Love the gold trigger on the Beemans!

 

[Scriv]

There's a lot to love about an R7/HW30. Ensure that you use proper gun smithing screwdrivers, and you you'll be happy for decades.

 

[sandog]

A few days ago I ordered a couple tins of Air Arms Falcons. They are a domed 7.33 grain pellet.
Made by JSB for Air Arms using a die that Air Arms supplied.

I've heard many R7 owners say that that pellet, or the JSB 7.33 grain version of the pellet, is the best grouping they've used.
Another I might try is the 7.87 grain weight.

I'm staying between 7.5 grs. and 8.1grs. or so in pellet weight.
I might try lighter than 7.5, but those tin pellets sure are more expensive.

I checked the torque of my stock screws today before shooting, they hadn't moved.
I wasn't expecting them to have loosened as I'd cleaned and Loctited them.
But to visually check if they are in the same place, I took an orange paint pen and made witness marks at the end of the screw slot, and right across from them a mark on the escutcheon.
I also made witness marks on my one piece mount, the base anyway.
At each clamp screw, a tiny dot of paint on the bottom of each screw head so you can't really see it, and right below a corresponding dot on the clamp.

I was talking with an old high school friend who still lives near Las Vegas .
He and his wife have a weekend place on Lake Mead. He invited me out for the 4th to spend most of the day out on their pontoon boat.
I saw it was going to be 111 there and declined. It is hot enough where I live, around 100.
But we started talking about shooting and I mentioned the new R7 and how sweet it was.
He said he's had a Beeman .177 for years, hasn't shot it for maybe 20 years.
I've known him for 50 years and know most guns he has, but never knew he had a German air rifle.
I asked him what model it was and he wasn't sure, but said it was "a 1200 fps. gun".
We'll see, maybe I'll get to shoot it when it cools down in a few months.

 

[sandog]

Yesterday while shooting the R7 I also shot two other springers.

My 84 year old Marine vet neighbor wanted me to shoot his airgun to check the zero.
It is a .22 caliber Crosman Shockwave Nitro Piston with a cheap 4x combo package scope.
It was a pretty rough shot cycle with a heavy trigger. It was off a bit so I adjusted it, best I could do at 15 yards was 3 inches.
That being with CPHP, I didn't want to waste good pellets.

His son brought over the .22 Hatsan 95 I gave him a year ago.(After not being able to sell it for 6 months at $65. I wanted it gone.)
The Hatsan was better than I remembered it.
I grouped 1 inch and it was noticeably smoother than the Crosman Shockwave and has a better trigger.

One thing that I didn't like about the Hatsan is the long cocking arm, and the corresponding long cut out in the bottom of the stock for it, and that the arm sticks down past when cocking.

But both pale in comparison to the Weirauchs, that extra $300 + moves you from the functional but rough level to the refined and smooth as butter level.

 

[jps2486]

My R7 @ 8.2 fpe likes JSB 7.87 the best. It has a Vortek Delrin spring kit in it . My other bone stock R7 at 7.5 fpe likes them as well.