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

[Danman]

I can't take it anymore, I'm wading in (non HW-owner.... for now!). First round goes to the HW50 in .177. As soon as they are available in Canada, I WILL be scooping one up to replace my Slavia 630 (which looks a fair bit like an HW35)
Second round to the 97K. It is very much like my TX200, which is just plain sweet, smooth and accurate, the 30 isn't quite enough thwack for the birds stealing the cherries off my trees

 

[Doc Holiday]

First round I am going with the HW95.
Second round going with the HW30.

 

[PapaT]

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?

Still a non-owner, but I can see the difficulty in deciding bracket 2... even better since these 4 were my picks of round 1.
This time I think I will say 1 and 5, but I probably should sleep on it.

 

[Farmplinker2]

Non-owner but= 95 and 30.

 

[Rise&Shine]

I'll go 1,4,5,7. My overall personal favorite is the HW77K/HW97K rifles.

 

[Pumacarl]

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.

About the same conclusion that I came to. For me it would come down to 1 and 6, and for a whole lot of reasons that I don't need to go into, I know that I would end up choosing number 1.

 

[Elexious Musick]

I'll go 1,4,5,7. My overall personal favorite is the HW77K/HW97K rifles.

I agree the HW77K is probably the finest break barrel air rifle on earth. Mine is laser accurate. Build quality, metal machining and wood stock are flawless.

 

[Jaabaa]

My next springer is going to be a tough decision
The 95? 80? 97K Long... The 77 open front sight I like, and YT just loves them all.
I love the 30 and the 50
Learning everything I can about all the others.

 

[Kragman1]

Jaabaa - what do you shoot now, and what sort of performance envelope would you like to occupy with your next springer?

 

[Hoppalong Doc]

My next springer is going to be a tough decision
The 95? 80? 97K Long... The 77 open front sight I like, and YT just loves them all.
I love the 30 and the 50
Learning everything I can about all the others.

I can't take it anymore, I'm wading in (non HW-owner.... for now!). First round goes to the HW50 in .177. As soon as they are available in Canada, I WILL be scooping one up to replace my Slavia 630 (which looks a fair bit like an HW35)
Second round to the 97K. It is very much like my TX200, which is just plain sweet, smooth and accurate, the 30 isn't quite enough thwack for the birds stealing the cherries off my trees

DANMAN: Speaking as a lover of all things Air Arms as well as Weihrauch, my TX200 and the comparable 97K are both top of the line Springers. They are different however. The TX is the beautiful girl you'd take to the prom, while the 97K is the strong girl who enjoys camping out in the woods. I ended up marrying the prom girl 55 years ago who enjoys camping. Anyway, my TX doesn't show a fingerprint and shoots quietly like a laser, while my 97K is just plane strong and just as straight shooting. I've shot an HW35 and enjoyed it too. If I had one, I'd keep it by the front door for quick varment irradication. One nice thing about them is that they don't have to be scoped. You can't go wrong with anything from Air Arms ot Weihrauch. Orv.

 

[Jaabaa]

Jaabaa - what do you shoot now, and what sort of performance envelope would you like to occupy with your next springer?

I have the HW30 and HW50s
Beeman QB and a Diana Chaser Kit.
Just gave the Prymex and F4 away in the last week.
Just received and need to return the Stonewolf by JTS
Wow, I'm down to 4 working rifles. That's the least I've had in a long time. I shoot thousands of rounds per month. Dragon Air did my Beeman.

 

[DJNA]

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!

1,4,5,7 - in my own opinion-I have most of those rifles in .177 - I do like all

 

[Kragman1]

Jaabaa, I think that you might like to step up to the 15-17 ft lb range.
I'm thinking HW95 or HW97 (or a 77!) might be the next logical step.

 

[Elexious Musick]

Jaabaa, I think that you might like to step up to the 15-17 ft lb range.
I'm thinking HW95 or HW97 (ot 77!) might be the next logical step.

Agreed. The underlever HW77K is the most successful spring-piston sport rifle ever made and still available in the United States. AOA has them in stock. Who said it wasn't in the current lineup?

 

[jps2486]

My next springer is going to be a tough decision
The 95? 80? 97K Long... The 77 open front sight I like, and YT just loves them all.
I love the 30 and the 50
Learning everything I can about all the others.

An HW95 with a Vortek 12fpe kit in it is all around great!

 

[jps2486]

I own or have owned or have used the following:

1. R7 (still own)
2. R9 (have owned)
3. HW95 (still own)
4. HW97K (have owned)
5. HW35E (still own)
6. R8 (have owned)

As far as the HW97K, it was a great rifle; accurate and beautifully made. Since I didn't shoot piston HFT, I felt it was too heavy for general use, so I sold it to a friend that wanted it for that purpose.

I bought the R8 in 1983 and it was my first introduction to finely made adult airguns. I loved this rifle, but since it became a safe queen and I didn't want to shoot it because of its demand as a collectible, I sold it to a fine friend who is a collector and will take good care of it, I'm sure.

I bought the R9 to replace the HW97K because it's weight was much less and still had the same power. Nice rifle, and in retrospect, I should have kept it. I liked the fact that it didn't have open sights and had a muzzle grabber. Later, I bought the HW95N which had a walnut stock and I'm a wood person. Stock wasn't a standout, but much nicer. I bought it used from AOA for a good price, but I did a lot of spring kit changes to get it to shoot smoothly and accurately. Full power was really snappy with the Vortek HO PG4 kit. It solved the twang problem, but was not fun to shoot a lot just for plinking. I finally put a 12 fpe kit in it and now it's quite pleasant.

What can I say about the R7 (HW30). It's a beautiful rifle with lower power and really fun to shoot all day for plinking. Easy to cock and accurate. I bought a Corcoran custom walnut stock for it and replaced the OEM banana spring with a Vortek Delrin spring kit. It did shoot less than 6 fpe with the OEM spring and now it shoots 8 fpe. This is one of my keepers for sure.

After reading all the posts about the HW35, both here and in the UK, most of which were positive, I bought one just to prove or disprove what people say about this antique design. Let me say that this rifle is rapidly becoming my favorite. It has the newer stock design without the finger grooves and the fit and finish is superb. I haven't decided whether to install a peep sight or a scope, but I have gotten some fantastic groups with this right out of the box. Not so with all the others. I'm really getting to like the old fashioned lever that unlocks the barrel rather than the others where you have to beat on them to open the barrels. It's quieter from that aspect as well. It shoots just over 12 fpe and is the smoothest of all of them. I can see why they still produce this design. It is a bit of an ugly duckling, but it's growing on me.

Others? Lots of folks like the HW50, but I find it's a wallflower between the HW30 and the HW95. My 95 is tuned down to 13 fpe which is about what the 50 shoots. I think the 95 is a more robust design, so I just can't get excited about the 50. What does interest me is the HW77 Long. They don't sell those here and it seems that the 97K's popularity supersedes it. I blew the opportunity to buy one-shame on me. My collection is getting rather large for my old age and I stupidly passed it up. I know, you can't take them with you, but they are fun to play with until the Lord calls me home.

 

[hameditor]

I own or have owned or have used the following:

1. R7 (still own)
2. R9 (have owned)
3. HW95 (still own)
4. HW97K (have owned)
5. HW35E (still own)
6. R8 (have owned)

As far as the HW97K, it was a great rifle; accurate and beautifully made. Since I didn't shoot piston HFT, I felt it was too heavy for general use, so I sold it to a friend that wanted it for that purpose.

I bought the R8 in 1983 and it was my first introduction to finely made adult airguns. I loved this rifle, but since it became a safe queen and I didn't want to shoot it because of its demand as a collectible, I sold it to a fine friend who is a collector and will take good care of it, I'm sure.

I bought the R9 to replace the HW97K because it's weight was much less and still had the same power. Nice rifle, and in retrospect, I should have kept it. I liked the fact that it didn't have open sights and had a muzzle grabber. Later, I bought the HW95N which had a walnut stock and I'm a wood person. Stock wasn't a standout, but much nicer. I bought it used from AOA for a good price, but I did a lot of spring kit changes to get it to shoot smoothly and accurately. Full power was really snappy with the Vortek HO PG4 kit. It solved the twang problem, but was not fun to shoot a lot just for plinking. I finally put a 12 fpe kit in it and now it's quite pleasant.

What can I say about the R7 (HW30). It's a beautiful rifle with lower power and really fun to shoot all day for plinking. Easy to cock and accurate. I bought a Corcoran custom walnut stock for it and replaced the OEM banana spring with a Vortek Delrin spring kit. It did shoot less than 6 fpe with the OEM spring and now it shoots 8 fpe. This is one of my keepers for sure.

After reading all the posts about the HW35, both here and in the UK, most of which were positive, I bought one just to prove or disprove what people say about this antique design. Let me say that this rifle is rapidly becoming my favorite. It has the newer stock design without the finger grooves and the fit and finish is superb. I haven't decided whether to install a peep sight or a scope, but I have gotten some fantastic groups with this right out of the box. Not so with all the others. I'm really getting to like the old fashioned lever that unlocks the barrel rather than the others where you have to beat on them to open the barrels. It's quieter from that aspect as well. It shoots just over 12 fpe and is the smoothest of all of them. I can see why they still produce this design. It is a bit of an ugly duckling, but it's growing on me.

Others? Lots of folks like the HW50, but I find it's a wallflower between the HW30 and the HW95. My 95 is tuned down to 13 fpe which is about what the 50 shoots. I think the 95 is a more robust design, so I just can't get excited about the 50. What does interest me is the HW77 Long. They don't sell those here and it seems that the 97K's popularity supersedes it. I blew the opportunity to buy one-shame on me. My collection is getting rather large for my old age and I stupidly passed it up. I know, you can't take them with you, but they are fun to play with until the Lord calls me home.

Great analysis, thank you!

 

[Kragman1]

Yes, great post!

Keep 'em coming...!

 

[Jaabaa]

I shoot the HW30 the most of any rifle owned.
Have the HW50 but have not had the opportunity to try the others.

 

[Kragman1]

OK all,

It's come down to the handy and versatile "Jack of All Trades" HW50 breakbarrel vs the "No Compromises" Field Target favorite, the HW97k.

Please take however many moments of reflection you need to be confident in your final choice between these two.