HW/Weihrauch .25 springer

[extradrygin2001]

Anyone out there shooting a .25 spring gun? I have always been interested in this combination. And for me the only game in town would be the HW80 or HW77. Please tell me your experience and thoughts, purpose of the rifle would be an open sighted hunting rifle. Also what pellets are good for this combo? I have a .25 marauder that loves Jumbo heavy, but I would imagine those would be too heavy? Anyway can’t wait to read your experiences!!

 

[KWK]

I have a Webley Stingray and a Tomahawk in .25 but you missed the boat on those. They're not necessarily butt guns. Butt guns are for sitting on your butt and shooting paper. I like the FTT's because I appreciate the velocity/trajectory. Alloys are a possibility.
Quarter bore is fun. Frontal area and retained energy say a lot.

 

[DeanB]

I used to have a RWS MOD 52 IN .25 it shot very good to about 40 yds after that pellet dropped like a rock. It was a 24ft lb low power thumper though.

 

[Toxylon]

Crowski here has what, like 10 .25 cal Weihrauchs? I'd suggest reading what he has written about them. Maybe he'll chime in.

I only have one HW .25 cal, and it's early days. I can tell the .25 cal pellets don't even sound or feel like pellets when they hit the target. Ka-Thunk! Many hunters over the decades have been impressed at the lethality of the .25 cal springer.

My other .25 cal springer is a Hatsan 135. It would be a swell gun, but it has a lousy barrel. I've been unable to score a cost-effective replacement barrel, the risk of getting another lemon is pretty big. It shoots FTT's at 810 fps, so trajectories are not an issue. Polymags, making 31 fpe, are the best pellet, as in many .25 cal guns.

FWIW, 40 yards is a long range shot for an open sights springer, or most any springer. Who cares if a pellet drops beyond that? A gun that shot "very good out to 40 yards" would make a fine hunting tool. The sidelever Dianas also make power on command, well over what the factory setup yields, if needed. I'd buy a .25 cal sidelever Diana any day.

 

[beerthief]

I have a Webley Stingray and a Tomahawk in .25 but you missed the boat on those. They're not necessarily butt guns. Butt guns are for sitting on your butt and shooting paper. I like the FTT's because I appreciate the velocity/trajectory. Alloys are a possibility.
Quarter bore is fun. Frontal area and retained energy say a lot.

what is Quarter bore ?

 

[TnCnDn]

what is Quarter bore ?

Really?

 

[beerthief]

Really?

yes really , first time i have seen the term . probably something simple ?

 

[DeanB]

Crowski here has what, like 10 .25 cal Weihrauchs? I'd suggest reading what he has written about them. Maybe he'll chime in.

I only have one HW .25 cal, and it's early days. I can tell the .25 cal pellets don't even sound or feel like pellets when they hit the target. Ka-Thunk! Many hunters over the decades have been impressed at the lethality of the .25 cal springer.

My other .25 cal springer is a Hatsan 135. It would be a swell gun, but it has a lousy barrel. I've been unable to score a cost-effective replacement barrel, the risk of getting another lemon is pretty big. It shoots FTT's at 810 fps, so trajectories are not an issue. Polymags, making 31 fpe, are the best pellet, as in many .25 cal guns.

FWIW, 40 yards is a long range shot for an open sights springer, or most any springer. Who cares if a pellet drops beyond that? A gun that shot "very good out to 40 yards" would make a fine hunting tool. The sidelever Dianas also make power on command, well over what the factory setup yields, if needed. I'd buy a .25 cal sidelever Diana any day.

I wasnt saying it wouldnt make a great hunting gun because they do and they have plenty of power for squirrels etc at said max distance. I was just pointing out they drop like a rock after 40 yds so he wouldnt expect it to be a long range gun. As far as open sights I havent used them to hunt with since I was in my early 20s 40 yrs ago but for squirrel hunting optics are definitely better. Very hard to hit a squirrels head 100 ft up in a big hickory.

 

[DeanB]

yes really , first time i have seen the term . probably something simple ?

refers to .25 caliber

 

[beerthief]

refers to .25 caliber

DOH HAHAHAHA just didn't think of that Thankyou ( i will be 80 tomorrow so there is that excuse , that and it's my first cup of coffee )

 

[crowski]

I have a HW77k, HW80, HW90 and HW97 in .25.
‘The 80 I put a plus Vortek spring and it gulls. Tom had a solution but never followed through. Don’t shoot till I repair. The 90 was my first Weihrauch. Worst rifle I ever imagined was in my hands. Sat for 2 years. Bought the gauge and pump. You would never think it’s the same rifle. Superb rifle.
‘The 77 has a TbT spring Vortek piston seal. Ya, it loops like no tomorrow. Love watching the flight path through scope. And accuracy is a gimmie. The 77 and 97 are two of my favorites for plinking. My range is 47 yd. max, no problem for these 2.
The .25‘s are the slowest on the range. I have some spinners that are 1/4 in. thick. Nothing spins them except for the .25’s.
The 77 and 97 would drop a squirrel. I would favor the other cal. to hunt with these rifles.
‘The 80 and 90 would be no problem.
‘Using JSB 25.4.
Good luck. Crow

 

[KWK]

what is Quarter bore ?

Quarter inch

 

[JEFFPPC]

DOH HAHAHAHA just didn't think of that Thankyou ( i will be 80 tomorrow so there is that excuse , that and it's my first cup of coffee )

Congratulations and Happy Birthday . I was 78 last week and thanks to you I now feel like a young guy. Thanks, lol.

 

[3Crows]

I had a Remington Nitro spring in .25 caliber. It was fairly accurate enough to 20 yards. It bucked like a mule and was totally obnoxious as it would slap my face with each shot. It made about 24 fpe. I shot the standard 25.39 JSB pellets in it. I gave it away on this forum for shipping. There was no way to keep a scope on it. The scopes would walk in the rings even with four rings. That is right, 4 (!four!) rings! And scopes broke, it broke every scope I put on it in short order. And it was heavy and long. Here it is beside a 7mm Remington Magnum Model 700, itself a large bolt gun with a 26 inches barrel and 3,000 fpe+:



Meanwhile, in PCP land, my little .22 Urban, svelte and light and compact compared to the Nitro Remington made an easy 26 fpe and was significantly more accurate and no recoil. It was a keeper, the Nitro Remington, bye ol'buddy .

 

[Toxylon]

The Remington plastic stock magnum springers are famous for coming without open sights, while being also basically impossible to scope effectively. That's a keeper, right there! Their extreme shot cycle characteristics tell basically nothing about quality wood-stocked .25 cal springers. As a rule of thumb, .25 cal springers are smoother shooting than the same models in smaller calibers.

Ten years ago or so Remington VRT's were steadily available in the second hand market, for little money. I never even considered them. My late Falcon Hunter had terrible recoil and noise characteristics due to its lightweight, hollow plastic stock, so even when it had the open sights, a perfectly usable trigger, and an accurate barrel, I had to let it go.