Choosing a HW

[hokiez]

So I've settled on getting a springer and specifically, a Weihrauch. Now it's just a matter of which one.

My intended use is primarily for pest elimination anywhere from 10-30 yards (sparrows, tree rats, the rare groundhog that ventures too close to the veggie garden). I live in a residential neighborhood, but have a stand of trees/undeveloped area which back to my yard. I want something relatively quiet and I'm willing to purchase a tune kit if needed to tune or de-tune.

I was thinking an HW30s or HW50s in 0.20 cal, but the pellet selection is pretty meager. HW95 in 0.22 seems like overkill, and I'm guessing would be louder (maybe detune?)

Anyway, I'm curious to see what the recommendations are.

As a side note: Why are 0.20 cal more expensive than 0.22 or 0.177? Seems like with the lack of pellet selection, they'd be less popular and therefore cheaper?

 

[Pea-shooter O.G.]

I have a HW95 in .22. I dont think its overkill. It was about 16 fpe with factory spring. I put an aftermarket spring kit to quiet the spring noise down and its about 15.5 fpe now and MUCH nicer to shoot. It shoots the inexpensive and easier to find Crosman Premier hollow points and domes in a single dime sized hole at my 23 yards. Haven't found a pellet it doesn't shoot well. The .177 would probably do fine for you if your worried about the cost and availability of the .20 pellets. Its probably putting out 14 fpe. I don't find the .22 HW95 to be too loud. I can't comment on the HW30 or 50, but with an occasional ground hog, I'd go with the 95.

 

[bdzjlz]

They .20’s are more expensive because they are much less in demand. I own three different Weihrauch’s in .20 and they are all tack drivers and fun to shoot. If you can afford it, the 98 is also a great choice. I have a 95 as well in .22 and believe you would enjoy it. You can read about my pre-tune and post tune HW95 results from a post I made a few weeks ago.


Me two most accurate and always on target rifles are 97 underlever cocking rifles. I have one in .20 and one in.22. Any of the above would be fine for you to own and would last for generations. All of mine have been tuned with Vortek kits. I like to keep them in the 13.5 to 15.5 fpe range.

 

[thumper]

Get a 50 or a 95/98 in .177 and get on with it. 

No reason to fool with the .20 caliber, it's the worst of two calibers, and more expensive at the time of purchase, and more expensive to shoot since the ammo costs more. 

The .22 is just loopier, and the barrels are a gamble in accuracy. 

 

[hokiez]

The .22 is just loopier, and the barrels are a gamble in accuracy. 

That's interesting. I assume Weihrauch makes the barrels for the 0.22? Why would the barrel accuracy on the 0.22 be less consistent than the 0.177?

 

[Fischer]

All mentioned have back up for them.

All calibers have back up as well if I can explain in .25 for instance instead of the .20.

Say you buy the .25 HW95L instead of all others mentioned and make sure it's .25 and not .22 or .20 or .177.

Take that out into your back yard and decide if it is quite and smooth enough to remain low key and at the same time hit targets or varmints within 45 yards using a scope to make sure you are not allowing your aging eyes to interfere.

Presto I have the HW95L in .22 and .25 and if you want the HW95 then whatever you choose will most likely fill the bill.

Thing is when I invested in the HW95L .22 and .25 I never got an HW98 in .22.

I have the other three in .177, .20, and .25, and these HW98s are perfect.

If you go HW50 the .20 is worth it because the only HW50s I own today are two HW50s in .20. I found the "medium power" break barrel springer HW50 to be on par with HW35Es in either .177 or .22 but when I got my first .20 I suddenly realized why the medium power rifle works best in .20.

If you go HW30 or R7 I think you'll wish you got an R9 or HW95L instead. Honestly speaking and sincere!

Kindly,

J

 

[thumper]

The .22 is just loopier, and the barrels are a gamble in accuracy. 

That's interesting. I assume Weihrauch makes the barrels for the 0.22? Why would the barrel accuracy on the 0.22 be less consistent than the 0.177?

They tend to be rather pellet picky, and have oversized bores in my experience. However the many .177s I've had have all been great. 

Many disagree, but after having several that sucked, it's not a gamble I'm willing to roll the dice on again. 

 

[egd]

Well, I certainly disagree with Thumper about the 20. I think it is the perfect caliber. Still almost as flat as the 177 and with a lot more oomph. I have a beeman 97K and a 50s both in 20. My recommendation to you is get the 50s. It's got adequate power for what you describe and handles very well. I love mine so much I'll probably sell my 97.

And pellets aren't that hard to find.

 

[bdzjlz]

I am with egd. I find the .20 springer to be the perfect balance between .177 and .22 and extremely accurate. There are at least six very good done pellets to try, and at least one have shot nothing short of incredible out of my rifles. To get the max out of whatever you buy, plan on getting a tuning kit and cut the power down to +/- 13.5 fpe and adjust and lube the incredible Rekord trigger to perfection and you will be very pleased with what you end up with.

Good luck!

 

[thumper]

The .20 doesn't fly as flat as the .177....

And doesn't retain as much energy as a .22....

But, it costs more to shoot all the way around, and has the slimmest pellet selection of the bunch. 

And that's why it's basically dead and gone. 

If you are hunting, it won't make any difference. A marginal increase on delivered FPE at the target, is offset by the loss of penetration from the larger pellet. With the limited power of a spring gun, this needs to be remembered and considered IMO.

Been there, done it, and I don't need to do it again. 

But if it's really what you want, then get it. But if that's the case, you never would have asked here to begin with

 

[218bee]

Another vote for the .20 cal. I have both an R9 and an R10 both in .20, and they are all I reach for. Pellets are the exact same price as the .22's on Pyramyd Air, so don't know where the increased cost of the .20 is. I found both guns shoot just about every pellet I've tried very well.. with Barracudas and JSB's shooting best.

 

[crowski]

HW 98 .22. You’ll be taking back stuff you didn’t even steal. Meets all criteria. Very accurate, easy to operate and quiet. Crow 

Not greatest shot. Had 10 min. 25 yds. Pulled one. Out of box (700-800rounds) Destroys squirrels 🐿 and starlings.

 

[Deerstalker]

The only Weihrauch rifle that I have any experience with is the HW95L .22 which is a fine/accurate shooting gun. I am 82+ and really enjoy plinking from the back deck and i highly recommend this model & caliber. I am able to shoot MOS out to about 25/30 yards using the H&N FTT 14.66 gr pellets. My wife also enjoys shooting this rifle and the Hawke scope has the IR feature. This is my rifle.

 

[Vana2]

Sparrows are easy, anything will do.

Squirrels are tougher, I would say at least a HW50 in .177 if you limit yourself to headshots but (IMHO) a HW95 in .22 would be a better all-around choice for anything up to rabbit size.

Groundhogs take some serious energy to kill humanely - even with a .22 caliber HW95 you would have to be extremely close and even then most will run off to die in their burrow. I have killed quite a few with my .22 HW100 PCP (30 fpe) but I consider that to be the low end of the power I would use for groundhogs, I prefer my .25 Royale or better still (if permitted) a .22 rimfire. 

As far as the .20 caliber goes, the people who have them, like them and are (extremely) vocal about promoting it (trying to drum up support for an odd- ball caliber?). I think that if the .20 was one- tenth as good as the claims I've read then every manufacturer would be pushing that caliber and pellets would be readily available. Agreed, the performance is a compromise between. 177 and .22, don't think it justifies the costs.

...just my 2 cents. 

 

[jimaok]

For Chipmunks and starlings at 25 yards, the HW30s in .177 is fine. If you can keep your shots under a nickle, and at 25 yards, the HW30s can do that, even squirrels can be taken with head shots. Mine does this all the time. 

 

[Duckfish]

One of each. Get as many as you can store without the wrath of your wife.

 

[Fischer]

The .20 doesn't fly as flat as the .177....

And doesn't retain as much energy as a .22....

But, it costs more to shoot all the way around, and has the slimmest pellet selection of the bunch. 

And that's why it's basically dead and gone. 

If you are hunting, it won't make any difference. A marginal increase on delivered FPE at the target, is offset by the loss of penetration from the larger pellet. With the limited power of a spring gun, this needs to be remembered and considered IMO.

Been there, done it, and I don't need to do it again. 

But if it's really what you want, then get it. But if that's the case, you never would have asked here to begin with

We .20 guys see it differently,

I knew the .20 in the Sheridan in 1970 or later as well as the Benjamin 322 which I shot both and decided the Sheridan .20 had velocity way faster than the Benjamin 322 .22 pump up and the Benjamin needed more strokes to hit the peak while the Sheridan Pneumatic never had to go beyond 6 strokes. Benji needed up to 10 or 12 in .22 but the Sheridan needed only 8 strokes to do everything if THAT velocity was needed.

My two HW50S .20s from AOA shoot identical and are both sighted in with open sights for 40 yards.

They are EXCELLENT first rifles anyone can learn on.

.20 pellets are made better than .177 or .22 in the "mass" market where guys and gals just want to push lead downrange and excuse the misses to some sort of personal foul.\

No way. Pick an HW50S in .20 for up to 40 yards and then let the higher power stuff you have invested in already take over for 50 yard shots.

 

[thumper]

The .20 doesn't fly as flat as the .177....

And doesn't retain as much energy as a .22....

But, it costs more to shoot all the way around, and has the slimmest pellet selection of the bunch. 

And that's why it's basically dead and gone. 

If you are hunting, it won't make any difference. A marginal increase on delivered FPE at the target, is offset by the loss of penetration from the larger pellet. With the limited power of a spring gun, this needs to be remembered and considered IMO.

Been there, done it, and I don't need to do it again. 

But if it's really what you want, then get it. But if that's the case, you never would have asked here to begin with

We .20 guys see it differently,

I knew the .20 in the Sheridan in 1970 or later as well as the Benjamin 322 which I shot both and decided the Sheridan .20 had velocity way faster than the Benjamin 322 .22 pump up and the Benjamin needed more strokes to hit the peak while the Sheridan Pneumatic never had to go beyond 6 strokes. Benji needed up to 10 or 12 in .22 but the Sheridan needed only 8 strokes to do everything if THAT velocity was needed.

My two HW50S .20s from AOA shoot identical and are both sighted in with open sights for 40 yards.

They are EXCELLENT first rifles anyone can learn on.

.20 pellets are made better than .177 or .22 in the "mass" market where guys and gals just want to push lead downrange and excuse the misses to some sort of personal foul.\

No way. Pick an HW50S in .20 for up to 40 yards and then let the higher power stuff you have invested in already take over for 50 yard shots.

"We .20 guys see it differently.." 

Yeah, through rose colored glasses in a Beeman catalog lol

Comparing the Sheridan and Benjamin tells us nothing in regards to caliber comparisons. Totally different guns. The valves are different internally, and the Benjamin has a shorter barrel just to start. And that's not even considering the higher pellet weight of the .22s

FYI, I built a 342 (.22 cal) that would do 21fpe on 12 pumps...



And do elaborate on how or why the .20 pellets are "made better" than other calibers. We would all be very interested to see any stitch of evidence you can provide of this. 

Again, if the holy grail was a .20, I believe we would see more in competition. Especially if the pellets were "made better". 

 

[Fischer]

Thumper I always like .177 and when it came time to pump up pneumatic sheridans and benjamins (and crossmans) to see what happens after all the time it took "to get there" to appropriate velocity I found the one stroke break barrel springer a way better performer repeatedly over thousands of rounds and 8 years of shooting that first Break Barrel that outlasted all the USA pneumatic pumpers that you can buy at Walmart for cheap bucks.

The .20 wasn't my initial interest but by the time we hit 1999 I got Theoben Eliminators in .20, .22, and .25. I kept the last one in .25 since then which performs better to this day than any PCP or pneumatic in my world of shooting OFFHAND without sandbags or rests. I always adored the Field Rifle before the target rifle; and in HW98 I have THE FIELD rifle in .177, .20, and .25 wth all performing extravagantly. THAT was a surprise because I realized you really have to pay attention to the break barrel springer made in GE before dissing the caliber .20 as your paper lion.

The .20 is a LION in HW50S .20 and D54 Air King.

Your .22 and .177 cannot compare for either rifle I have listed above in .20.

Not even a PCP wins against the D54 .20 (I got Daystate and old Beeman Falcon for that experiment. PCPS require constant monitoring and checking of actual pressure levels).

Nothing in my life in PELLET RIFLE shooting beats the D54 .20 using HEAVY .20 JSB EXACTS.

So all I do is compare and report.

 

[thumper]

Thumper I always like .177 and when it came time to pump up pneumatic sheridans and benjamins (and crossmans) to see what happens after all the time it took "to get there" to appropriate velocity I found the one stroke break barrel springer a way better performer repeatedly over thousands of rounds and 8 years of shooting that first Break Barrel that outlasted all the USA pneumatic pumpers that you can buy at Walmart for cheap bucks.

The .20 wasn't my initial interest but by the time we hit 1999 I got Theoben Eliminators in .20, .22, and .25. I kept the last one in .25 since then which performs better to this day than any PCP or pneumatic in my world of shooting OFFHAND without sandbags or rests. I always adored the Field Rifle before the target rifle; and in HW98 I have THE FIELD rifle in .177, .20, and .25 wth all performing extravagantly. THAT was a surprise because I realized you really have to pay attention to the break barrel springer made in GE before dissing the caliber .20 as your paper lion.

The .20 is a LION in HW50S .20 and D54 Air King.

Your .22 and .177 cannot compare for either rifle I have listed above in .20.

Not even a PCP wins against the D54 .20 (I got Daystate and old Beeman Falcon for that experiment. PCPS require constant monitoring and checking of actual pressure levels).

Nothing in my life in PELLET RIFLE shooting beats the D54 .20 using HEAVY .20 JSB EXACTS.

So all I do is compare and report.

Nothing in any of that irrelevant rambling addressed the fact that you claimed that .20 caliber pellets are built to a higher standard than other calibers. You made that claim, now tell us of a single stitch of supporting evidence to your claim. Simple as that.