I love my HW95 and wanted to share some of my experience. I struggled with accuracy and barrel droop on my 2021 Luxus in 177 caliber. A member here pointed me to the Holy Barrel Droop thread at GTA. There I learned about the cocking arm issue and Ron / Bayman / MyCapt helped me sort that out. He also coached me through a Vortek PG4 kit install. A slight bend in the cocking arm corrected the barrel droop problems as I could not zero the scope without shims. Relieving the cocking arm pressure also provided a consistent lockup, fixing accuracy issues. My kit install improved spring buzz a lot. I don't remember my velocity or cocking effort changing much. After a few days I had to open it back up and add a little more lube to the kit's steel guide to fix cocking noise. Fast forward 1 year, I've had great service and fun but my (2) HW30's get a lot more attention. I shoot almost every day.
I've always wanted a 22 caliber pellet rifle so I started shopping around. Financially it would have been smarter to just buy a 22 but a conversion barrel sounded fun and it was. I think it cost $120 from AOA plus shipping. I also got a new cocking arm and a new pin to facilitate an easier install and an easier swap back if desired. I got 2 pins as I thought about experimenting with a quick-change method. I also ordered 2 bearing washers / shims while I was there. I think I spent almost $200. The barrel came complete with breech block and breech seal.
I asked Shane the service / parts guy to look for a cocking arm with a slight bend but they all were straight. I bent my new cocking arm on my fab table with a heavy clamp and oak blocks. Same method I used before except the fresh sharp edges of the oak blocks worked way better than 2X4 pine. The local bearing shop gave me a scrap sealed bearing that I cut open to get some nice steel balls. Following a tip from "nced" I greased the BB's for adhesion but I used my clamp vs a vice for flaring the cross pin. Still experimenting / learning I decided to cock the rifle before removing the barrel so not to fight preload tension. Not a recommended practice but I would do it again. It only took a few minutes to swap the barrel without removing the trigger and housing and spring components.
I started with Crosman Premier HP hoping to save money and enjoy their accuracy (often seen in 177) plus easy to get in town. I thought if I dedicated the new 22 barrel to the harder antimony-rich CPHP I'd be good. Not so in my case. I got a few good shots quick then missed by >1". I tried several groups but no change. Then I tried Crosman Premier Domed. These look very soft and not shiny at all. Worse groups now. Scrapped that idea and cleaned the barrel. Got some H&N Field Target Trophy 14.66 and made some 1-hole groups at 25 yards and shot some cans at 50 yards. I tried some Baracuda 15's but I'm sticking with the FTT.
The shot cycle is fantastic on mild, smooth and quite scales. Better than I imagined. I don't mind the bullet drop at my ranges. The Hawke Airmax reticle is nice for that. I got to shooting it so much that I started worrying about a bit of metal on metal gaul that I saw in the receiver a year ago. I tore down the gun using my new Harbor Freight sash clamp that worked great for a spring compressor. I found no gaul so I either imagined it or it was the wear on the Vortek metal outer guide. I left out the metal guide and 2 thick spacer washers. Now it is finally easy to cock and the shot cycle is even better.
I've always wanted a 22 caliber pellet rifle so I started shopping around. Financially it would have been smarter to just buy a 22 but a conversion barrel sounded fun and it was. I think it cost $120 from AOA plus shipping. I also got a new cocking arm and a new pin to facilitate an easier install and an easier swap back if desired. I got 2 pins as I thought about experimenting with a quick-change method. I also ordered 2 bearing washers / shims while I was there. I think I spent almost $200. The barrel came complete with breech block and breech seal.
I asked Shane the service / parts guy to look for a cocking arm with a slight bend but they all were straight. I bent my new cocking arm on my fab table with a heavy clamp and oak blocks. Same method I used before except the fresh sharp edges of the oak blocks worked way better than 2X4 pine. The local bearing shop gave me a scrap sealed bearing that I cut open to get some nice steel balls. Following a tip from "nced" I greased the BB's for adhesion but I used my clamp vs a vice for flaring the cross pin. Still experimenting / learning I decided to cock the rifle before removing the barrel so not to fight preload tension. Not a recommended practice but I would do it again. It only took a few minutes to swap the barrel without removing the trigger and housing and spring components.
I started with Crosman Premier HP hoping to save money and enjoy their accuracy (often seen in 177) plus easy to get in town. I thought if I dedicated the new 22 barrel to the harder antimony-rich CPHP I'd be good. Not so in my case. I got a few good shots quick then missed by >1". I tried several groups but no change. Then I tried Crosman Premier Domed. These look very soft and not shiny at all. Worse groups now. Scrapped that idea and cleaned the barrel. Got some H&N Field Target Trophy 14.66 and made some 1-hole groups at 25 yards and shot some cans at 50 yards. I tried some Baracuda 15's but I'm sticking with the FTT.
The shot cycle is fantastic on mild, smooth and quite scales. Better than I imagined. I don't mind the bullet drop at my ranges. The Hawke Airmax reticle is nice for that. I got to shooting it so much that I started worrying about a bit of metal on metal gaul that I saw in the receiver a year ago. I tore down the gun using my new Harbor Freight sash clamp that worked great for a spring compressor. I found no gaul so I either imagined it or it was the wear on the Vortek metal outer guide. I left out the metal guide and 2 thick spacer washers. Now it is finally easy to cock and the shot cycle is even better.
