Hoping y'all can help me choose a springer.

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occidentalist

occidentalist

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May 26, 2020
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NJ, United States
After doing some reading here, I think I've narrowed it down to a Weihrauch maybe even a Beeman. Saw some quality issues with TX200. Plus I'm part German so...

Only problem is that I can't decide on which one to get. 80? 77? 90? 97? etc. 

I definitely want .22 cal but will consider .25. 

Will be used for squirrel/chipmunk/rabbit hunting. 

Currently have a Marauder in .22 but I don't have a compressor and the hand pumping is ridiculous. Plus I like the idea of a 'grab and go' gun. 

Prefer to use a scope. 

Not knowledgable about the pros/cons of break barrel and underlever. 

Thanks in advance for your advice!


 
Hw97, TX200 ,Diana 340 break barrel gas ram are Ford,Chevy, and Chrysler. My preference is TX200. Best machined trigger block of the 3 mentioned. TX 200 Easy to work on, no spring compressor needed. HW97 offers several choices of stocks and is a peer to TX200. TX200 one style stock. Also check out Pro sport version. Diana 340 is the best break barrel ever made (gas ram). The fixed barrels TX200 and HW77 have a slight edge in competition situations. I will never sell these rifles. Buy them all so your enjoyment will be 3 fold.

I also love my FWB Sport break barrel, spring. A peer of Diana 340. ignore any bad reviews.
 
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After doing some reading here, I think I've narrowed it down to a Weihrauch maybe even a Beeman. Saw some quality issues with TX200. Plus I'm part German so...

Only problem is that I can't decide on which one to get. 80? 77? 90? 97? etc. 

I definitely want .22 cal but will consider .25. 

Will be used for squirrel/chipmunk/rabbit hunting. 

Currently have a Marauder in .22 but I don't have a compressor and the hand pumping is ridiculous. Plus I like the idea of a 'grab and go' gun. 

Prefer to use a scope. 

Not knowledgable about the pros/cons of break barrel and underlever. 

Thanks in advance for your advice!

Click to expand...

If you prefer .22 and plan to hunt small game, get an hw95 (aka Beeman R9). Proven design, very accurate and reasonable weight in the field. If you are open to .177, then I’d suggest the hw50s due to its lighter weight. My favorite hunter is my hw50s in .177 tuned to shoot at 10.5fpe. 


R
 
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After doing some reading here, I think I've narrowed it down to a Weihrauch maybe even a Beeman. Saw some quality issues with TX200. Plus I'm part German so...

Only problem is that I can't decide on which one to get. 80? 77? 90? 97? etc. 

I definitely want .22 cal but will consider .25. 

Will be used for squirrel/chipmunk/rabbit hunting. 

Currently have a Marauder in .22 but I don't have a compressor and the hand pumping is ridiculous. Plus I like the idea of a 'grab and go' gun. 

Prefer to use a scope. 

Not knowledgable about the pros/cons of break barrel and underlever. 

Thanks in advance for your advice!

Click to expand...

If you prefer .22 and plan to hunt small game, get an hw95 (aka Beeman R9). Proven design, very accurate and reasonable weight in the field. If you are open to .177, then I’d suggest the hw50s due to its lighter weight. My favorite hunter is my hw50s in .177 tuned to shoot at 10.5fpe. 


R
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I have a TX200, similar size and weight to the HW97 and I wouldn’t want to carry it around all day hunting. I also have a HW50 and definitely agree, I would grab it first for a walk in the woods. For just plinking around and target shooting the HW97 would be my choice. 
 
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Only my opinion, but I got an HW97 for squirrel hunting last year and really like it. Was always a rimfire squirrel hunter before. I didn't want the 177 based on what I had read about pellets passing through and not exerting enough energy, but didn't like the slower velocity of the 22 (too much arch). I decided to split the difference and go with a .20. Put a Vortek kit in it with help from a friend, and smoothed the trigger (it didn't need much). Tried all 6 varieties of pellets available. Found the best in my gun, and took it out.

When I was looking, I was torn between the 97 and 98. My buddy had both Wiehrachs plus the TX200, so I got to try them out before the purchase. What made the decision? AOA had the 97 in .20 in stock when I called. So bingo, it was on its way to me. Decision made.

If you go with an underlever just be real sure that you have a firm grasp on the lever when you cock it. After 3 squirrels on one particular day out, I didn't quite get the lever to catch and it slipped out of my hand. Slammed the underside of the barrel and completely wrecked my scope zero. The rest of the day I didn't hit anything. So not counting those shots, I was 5 squirrels with 6 shots. The 6th was a finish up mercy shot. All the shots were 10-30 yards in the head. The 20 cal did its job very well.

I am happy with my Weihrach, it is also my go to gun when I get home from work and just want to take some shots in the back yard at spinners to relax.

Hope this helps a little with your decision.
 
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After doing some reading here, I think I've narrowed it down to a Weihrauch maybe even a Beeman. Saw some quality issues with TX200. Plus I'm part German so...

Only problem is that I can't decide on which one to get. 80? 77? 90? 97? etc. 

I definitely want .22 cal but will consider .25. 

Will be used for squirrel/chipmunk/rabbit hunting. 

Currently have a Marauder in .22 but I don't have a compressor and the hand pumping is ridiculous. Plus I like the idea of a 'grab and go' gun. 

Prefer to use a scope. 

Not knowledgable about the pros/cons of break barrel and underlever. 

Thanks in advance for your advice!

Click to expand...

So first off avoid .25 in a springer. Springers do not have the power to push .25 and you lose so much FPE that even a .177 has more power for hunting.

So you want to use the rifle for hunting, you wish it to be accurate, and also light enough to actually carry around.

Only one springer in the world that is a high quality rifle meets these requirements and that is the HW95.

Yea some will say the HW97, well I have one of those also , however it is so heavy I certainly would not want to lug it around hunting and it is also hard to shoot offhand simply because it is heavy. As is the TX200 a very pretty rifle however also very heavy. These are bench guns, not hunting guns.

The HW95 will suit you fine. It will take you a week or so to learn it and master it, however even a beginner can easily learn very quick how to shoot one inch groups at 50 yards with the 95. You can set the trigger to around one pound pull and it is very sure and crisp, and trigger control is the key to accuracy. 

Cheers

Kit
 
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You can’t go wrong with a .177 R9/HW95. .177 will kill things just as dead as a .22 cal will. My .177 R9 will sling a 10.3 grain pellet hard enough to zip all the way through a squirrel on a hard quartering shot and sometimes drag a bit of intestine on the way out. May still have a couple hops left in him but they don’t go far. It is all you will ever need for small game, and has plenty of accuracy for head shots.
 
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Lots of fine rifles out there. My current favorite is an HW98 in .20 cal. It is a break barrel. Even so it is a might heavier than I want to carry all day hunting. I have this BSA Lightning GRT XL in .25 cal that I use for hunting. It is only a 16 FPE rifle but man when that .25 cal bowling ball hits a squirrel in the head they usually just drop with no flopping about. The thing is that large pellet at that moderate power level rarely passes through when a .177 or .22 might well do. You get whatever that pellet has delivered right to the critter. Some will tell you the trajectory is just too loopy to make something like that a good squirrel rifle. I suppose if your shooting is already marginal and you don't really know your trajectory. The easy solution is a mil dot scope. My BSA shows a mildot of drop at 40 yards when zeroed for 22 yards when shooting the pellet it likes. I routinely make head and body shots on squirrels out to about 40 yards with that little rifle. Did I mention that it is still carrying 14 of those FPE at 40 yards? Sometimes big and slow is just the ticket.

YMMV Good luck picking your rifle and don't be worried about caliber so much as people would have you worry. They all have their advantages and disadvantages.

My vote is for the HW-50s in .20 cal if you can find one.
 
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I agree with Old Crow, you gotta find what you like. I prefer the .177 and a heavy pellet, it penetrates really well in a mid powered breakbarrel. And I can get ammo on the store shelf, usually a better variety than .22 on the shelf, always a plus. But it does not have the shock of a bigger pellet, and you will see more runners but they won’t go far.

I have hit squirrels in the ribs with no more than 12 fpe at impact behind a 18 grain .22 JSB and seen them stiffen up like they got tased, not much hopping around after that. I have seen some others run with a similar hit. I’ve also had one such squirrel that stiffened and dropped, which I previously thought was dead, come back to life in my bag.

You never really know, sometimes crazy stuff happens. If you hunt long enough you’ll see. I’ve only used the .25 in a magnum break barrel, with about 26 fpe at the muzzle I’ve killed armadillos with a hit in the body with that, about 10-15 yards. They do run a little but they don’t go far.

.25 is definitely the way to go for bullfrogs. And the more power the better. Too hard to hit vitals or tiny brains with a .177, you want to hit them hard enough in the body to blow them wide open or they will swim off. Man, now that I think about that I want to get another magnum springer, .22 or .25.

You probably can’t go wrong with anything from Weihrauch or Air Arms.

I think a break barrel is the way to go for a pure hunting rig.
 
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For power and smooth shooting the HW 90 is hard to beat. All HW springers are "twangy" out of the box which is mostly just annoying so I always got mine tuned but by the time you do that you are at an Hw 90 price. I've hunting with the 97,98,95 (R9) all are good rifles but I think in .22 the hW 90 is hard to beat it will be right around 20 ft lbs so plenty of power to do what ever you need from a hunting perspective. 

I think the 97 has the best stock options myself loved my 97 but as others have said very heavy. These guys in the UK https://www.customstock.co.uk/shop/ make some nice aftermarket stocks for the the 90 so keep that is mind for the future. here is a custom one they did years ago. I think the 90 will give the most bang for the buck and years of trouble free operation. Good luck!





Custom_HW90K_2.1653460853.jpeg

 
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HW95 in .22 caliber is my vote. Light enough to carry. .22 is more stable in windy conditions. The Beeman R9 is the exact same gun just rebranded to Beeman. The 98 is also the 95 with a heavy barrel weight and an adjustable stock. The 98 and 97 are just to “front” heavy to enjoy carrying in the woods. The 95/50 is really the “sweet spot” in the Weihrauch hunters. IMHO. The 50 would be a good choice but with that one I would move to the .177. The optimal pellet velocity for accuracy is between 700 & 800 fps. Happy hunting!
 
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One other thing. If you like a beautiful Walnut stock and the best build quality out there, the HW35E may be your ticket. I have one in .22 caliber and love this gun. It also has a locking barrel which allows a silent cocking cycle and comes with sling swivels because the barrel locks back into position. It is Weihrauch’s best build quality. A bit larger and heavier than the 50. Actually holds and feels better in my large hands that the slimmer 50. More like the 95. The 35 and 50 have the same velocity so probably best in .177 caliber. Although, the 35 is so well built I may tune the power up on my .22 caliber. With the 35 and a scope I would highly recommend an adjustable mount. The 35 is notorious for extra barrel droop. Krale has the 35E in stock. FYI. The new 35E is now checkered on the forearm. Krale’s sight still shows the groove. If ordered from Krale you will get the checkered version like mine in the picture. My next gun is the 35E in .177.
7FD6B529-8F43-4DDD-8DE0-AF81AA843C95.jpeg
 
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Here's my picks for a hunting gun. 

In 22 caliber the Hw80 or Hw90. Pros strong enough to drive 22 fairly flat. Cons big and heavy.

In 20 caliber Hw95/R9. Pros reasonable weight. Easy to shoot accurately. Lots of aftermarket support. Cons very limited and expensive pellet selection. Note:This platform still serves 22 and 177 well. An excellent all around platform. 

In 177 caliber Hw50. Pros compact, light, easy to carry and shoulders and points well. Cons lacks a the power for critters bigger than rabbits and squirrels at anything but close range.

The Hw50 is my choice to carry into the woods because I'm too lazy to schlep a big gun that has more power than I need. Notice I didn't bother considering an underlever. I have a very nice Hw97 but it's not as easy to load as a break barrel and way too heavy to carry. It stays on the bench. 

Good 


 
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