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Break Barrel The "Best"? Weihrauch springer....

Kragman1

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I'm sure this question has been asked many times, but it did occur to me that there probably isn't a "best" HW model.

Obviously, the criteria would have to be subjective and all that, kinda like comparing all time sports greats who played at different positions. Or different sports altogether. But, as I thought about it I still couldn't cleanly separate any one rifle from the pack.

So, I did something "sporting" - I built an 8 rifle playoff bracket for HW springers.

Then I tried to work my way through the match ups and find out which rifle is #1.
I figure that I'm as good an evaluator as most anyone, since I'm not looking to satisfy a particular want or need. I just appreciate each these rifles for whatever combination of qualities (..."personality" ?) they are endowed with. Because everything in life is a tradeoff.
Some do work out better though! 😁

So here's how I seeded the brackets:

(1) HW50 vs (2) HW35
(3) HW80 vs (4) HW95
(5) HW97 vs (6) HW98
(7) HW30 vs (8) HW90

The 50 vs 35 bracket pits two rifles that are different in design but similar in performance against each other.

80 vs 95? The old lion vs the young lion, doncha think? Or maybe father vs son...

97 vs 98? Same weight class, different strengths and weaknesses. A real slugfest!

30 vs 90? It's not really David vs Goliath. More like two specialists, both the best at what they do.

I'll stop here for now and let people chew this over. I found it a lot more 'doable' once I broke it down this way. I hope you do to.

And if you'd like to play along, just list your four head to head winners for Round One in a reply.

1 or 2
3 or 4
etc.

ps/mea culpa:
I did not list the 77 because of the 97. I would have liked to include it along with the 55, the 85, and even the Gen 1 50 and 85's. I could have included the 57 too.
But since most of these aren't part of the current lineup, etc I decided to include only the 8 listed. Sorry!
 
Tough choice !

Let me put them downs the way I see them:

(7) HW30 - All round family and kid friendly rifle
(6) HW98 - PCP of break barrel .. sturdy, accurate. Bench rest gun
(3) HW80 - Powerful and you can never go wrong with it !
(8) HW90 - Gas ram !! Powerful !
(5) HW97 - Under liver - great gun, accurate
(2) HW35 - An all rounder
(4) HW95 - Hunter version of HW98
 
Tough choice !

Let me put them downs the way I see them:

(7) HW30 - All round family and kid friendly rifle
(6) HW98 - PCP of break barrel .. sturdy, accurate. Bench rest gun
(3) HW80 - Powerful and you can never go wrong with it !
(8) HW90 - Gas ram !! Powerful !
(5) HW97 - Under liver - great gun, accurate
(2) HW35 - An all rounder
(4) HW95 - Hunter version of HW98
What...No love for the HW50?! That's the one I'm most interested in😅. I own none of these so I'm not weighing in, but I think what stands the test of time is that all these models keep on trucking. Each one is different enough, and all are interesting, solid, and gorgeous. And... most are currently out of stock in Canada, which simply means that they keep on selling!
 
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Yes guys, the point was to choose based on those 4 head to head match ups.
Doc and Ajith, you may want to rethink and resubmit.

I'm going to let this one continue through today at least, then I'll post my own choices and try to work out the popular votes to set up the next brackets.
 
What...No love for the HW50?! That's the one I'm most interested in😅. I own none of these so I'm not weighing in, but I think what stands the test of time is that all these models keep on trucking. Each one is different enough, and all are interesting, solid, and gorgeous. And... most are currently out of stock in Canada, which simply means that they keep on selling!
I don’t think there is a loser in the field. All are good. Much of it boils down to personal preference. Yes I like the 50 too. It’s a tweener gun. Sits between the 30 & 95. Maybe best gun it you could only have one gun?
 
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OK, here are my picks. Keep two things in mind - 1. all of the choices were difficult for me, and I feel like I'm still sorting things out. My choices could change any time. 2. I didn't prioritize any particular aspects or characteristics over any others - I just try to appreciate what each rifle brings to the table.

1, 4, 6, 7

1 - I simply had to take the 50 over the 35, and yes I know the 35 is "better" than the 50. I love the short stroke and the locking latch on the 35, and the gentle return to battery. But I chose the 50 because I feel that it is an excellent combination of form factor, weight, ease of cocking and loading, and it's accuracy is on par with the 35. I'm still not sure why its controversial, to be honest. It's a truly fine rifle.

4 - the most difficult one for me. I wanted to call this for the HW80, I really did. But the 95 nearly duplicates the 80's performance in a better package. Locking tabs vs rear cap didn't affect me, and the 95 always seems to fall into a natural shooting position for me when put to shoulder. Great power range, firing cycle, etc. Mine will shoot like 10M guns when I do my part. The total package to me, even though the 80 is more of a good thing in some ways.
If I change my mind on any of these it will likely be this one.

6 - I can can't quite believe that I voted for anything over a 97. But after getting even a small amount of familiarity with the 98 I feel that it is a break barrel equal to the 97. The slight tiebreaker came down to fixed barrel vs ease of loading. I can't see an accuracy difference in mine (so far) so I voted with my heart instead of my head. It's also worth noting that NO other rifle feels as good to me to shoot over a bag rest. No close second in that regard either, except the SIG ASP20.

7 - I've never owned a 90 series, so maybe I'm not the best person to decide this one. But the 30 is the drama-free Sweetheart of springers yet makes useful power at 7-8 fpe. And can run at 9-10 fpe with a little help. So light, FUN and capable that it is just as appealing to seasoned shooters as it is to new shooters.
It opens the door to springer airgunning in a way that no other rifle seems to.
Despite all the advantages the 90 has (Theoben powered HW!!) the HW30 proves that sometimes less really is more.


Let's let a few more people chime in and I'll set up Round 2 by the weekend.
 
OK!

No new input. Since we have 3 ties, I'll use a coin flip to determine which of those advance, aaaaand....

Ta-dah!!
It worked out to be: 4, 5 and 7.

Pretty interesting, because as far as I can tell they are the three most popular ones.

That sets the next round up as:
(1) HW50 vs (4) HW95
and
(5) HW97 vs (7) HW30

I know how I'm voting for the first bracket, and baffled by the second...

How do you all see it?
 

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