Huben If you can only have one and cannot resell: Hubens K1 OR Daystate Delta Wolf?

Of all the threads I started, this one is probably the most 'out there.' However, it is an earnest question, and due to an unexpected turn of events, it is not merely a theoretical one.

If you could only have either the Hubens K1 or the Daystate Delta Wolf as a gift, and you couldn't resell it, so the resale value is out of the picture, which would you pick? And why?

Your insights would be particularly valued if you have used both extensively. However, everyone is welcome to share your opinions.

Thank you.
 
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On the one hand, that is a tough question - because it is so hard to know if you got the answer "right" or not. On the other hand, it really can be made simple by just realizing that you will probably love either one and never want to get rid of it . . . .

I have a Huben K1 in .22, and a Daystate Air Ranger that is also in .22 caliber - it's not a head to head comparison as I don't have the Delta Wolf, but it does involve knowledge of how great a gun Daystate makes. Both guns are great and I don't plan to sell off either. That said, the Huben is the one I always grab to shoot when I need a gun for pesting. The Daystate probably has the edge in accuracy, but the difference only shows up on paper and not on critters.

When the Delta Wolf came out, I really was wanting one. But in the end I realized that even if it lived up to everything I could imagine it could be, it would likely not replace the Huben in the pecking order (and I certainly did not see myself selling the Huben off with the Delta Wolf in hand). I went through the same thing when the Black Wolf came out and ended up in the same spot (although that one included me thinking I might sell off the Air Ranger as part of it - that was not the case with the Delta Wolf as they are different form factors).

It might get down to how likely you think you are to use the Delta Wolf as a platform, with multiple calibers and all that - if that really appeals to you, then that may be the path.

I wish you well in your choice, but I'll say it again - you'll almost certainly love whichever you get.
 
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Delta wolf, custom compact. Huben is fun, but got old for me. I miss my delta wolf, but not any of the hubens i have had.
Would you mind elaborating why? By the way, I was able to handle (did not shoot) a Delta Wolf and the effortless glassy smooth lever was an emotional sensory experience. It felt like superb precision engineering. But it is never going to be as fast as a semi-auto.
 
The delta i miss out of the 3 i have had, had a 17in lothar walther barrel and no chronograph. It shot slugs and pellets excellent. It was very consistent 1.2 SD with an ES of 7. A regular delta is a bugger to shoulder,my compact was not. Hubens always turn into a mag dump for me, so shortly after owning one, i move to not shoot them due to ammo waste.
 
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Never used a huben but absolutely love everything about the DW other than no off switch. Probably boils down to the importance of semi auto, air tube vs bottle and trigger smoothness
The Delta in the US comes with a 5 year AoA warranty and the even fix leaks. Hubens, you are pretty much on your own except for maybe one dealer in year 1. What is the problem with no off switch? Does the battery run down in storage? How long before needing to recharge when not used?
 
The delta i miss out of the 3 i have had, had a 17in lothar walther barrel and no chronograph. It shot slugs and pellets excellent. It was very consistent 1.2 SD with an ES of 7. A regular delta is a bugger to shoulder,my compact was not. Hubens always turn into a mag dump for me, so shortly after owning one, i move to not shoot them due to ammo waste.
I wonder if the Delta is like stick shift while the Huben is more like an automatic. Neither is better/worse. But stick shift generally leads to more mindfulness, it seems. But for hunting and quick follow-up shots, the semi-auto is amazing.
 
I wonder if the Delta is like stick shift while the Huben is more like an automatic. Neither is better/worse. But stick shift generally leads to more mindfulness, it seems. But for hunting and quick follow-up shots, the semi-auto is amazing.
Aim small, miss small. No follow ups.
 
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The Delta in the US comes with a 5 year AoA warranty and the even fix leaks. Hubens, you are pretty much on your own except for maybe one dealer in year 1. What is the problem with no off switch? Does the battery run down in storage? How long before needing to recharge when not used?
The warranty is nice. However in my opinion you would be crazy to spend new retail on one. Used market is at least 1000 dollars off. I would think 90% of leaks would either be fill port, reg, or valve all easily accessible and easy orings to replace. Downside would be electrical problems. Most people would be out on those. Would think those would be rare.
Only way to power the gun off is to use the auto power off timer. When I’m done shooting I always go in the settings and change that to 30 seconds so the battery doesn’t drain. When you start shooting again you don’t want it set to 30 seconds so you have to go in and adjust it back up. The one aspect daystate royally 💩 the bed on. Minor annoyance but kind of dumb. I haven’t done any super long shooting sessions but the battery life doesn’t seem the greatest. Def doesn’t last as long as a Skout. Otherwise the gun is awesome.
 
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Delta wolf, custom compact. Huben is fun, but got old for me. I miss my delta wolf, but not any of the hubens i have had.
Since you owned both, any comment about the quality of material and construction. Did both feel equally premium as fine machinery? Curious. THanks for sharing so generously of your time with multiple comments. What about accuracy over distance if you tested them?
 
Hubens always turn into a mag dump for me, so shortly after owning one, i move to not shoot them due to ammo waste.
I'll admit I had this affliction for the first several months of ownership - it was just so easy to shoot and such a joy to do so that it almost felt wrong to not empty it. After a while I settled down on it and thought a bit more before doing it. Having 19 shots on board really is a lot, and now I think about it more - pretty much every day the Huben ends up resting by the patio door on standby for pesting duties (no kids at home or such), and I don't empty it unless I actively decide to do so with a planned reload - but I might squeeze off five or ten shots of enjoyment knowing I still have plenty on hand if a pest comes by later without necessarily having to reload.
 
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A couple of other thoughts . . . . have you had a chance to shoulder and experience the trigger of either gun? I know in all my purchases I did them on blind faith and other's opinions as I did not have access to them. That is a bit nerve wracking in your situation (receiving a "planned gift" that you know will be so much more than just a gun, so you want to make sure it will be a "forever" gun for you). In all my purchases I knew that if it was not a satisfactory fit I could move on , but not so for you here. Any chance you could share your location so some of us could offer to meet up to let you at least shoulder (and maybe fire) each gun so that their are no surprises in the area of ergonomics? Maybe even a trip to a shop (or two) to try out both?

One other thought, and I kind of hate to mention it as I don't like to be someone who adds a third choice when somebody wants help with picking between two, but it has to do with the electronics on the DW and the complexity of the Huben. Since this is clearly going to be a "forever gun" for you, you might consider parts availability and potential service 25 or more years from now. Electronics can be very problematic over the long haul, as they have a short life of being offered in their "new" state and can be hard to replace many years on; so too with complex mechanical things that are very unique. That is one thing I do love about my Air Ranger ; access to o-rings should be all that is needed to keep it working almost forever (other things that could die like the valve poppet or springs are fairly easy to have made); my great grandkids could likely shoot it someday, and I don't even have grandkids yet. Of all my guns, it is the one that I most expect will still be working as well as it does now when I'm long gone. I would not be so sure of that with the Delta Wolf, and probably not even the Huben due to it's beautiful but extreme complexity (although spare parts are available for all wear items, and in a pinch in the distant future one could probably have a machinist/gunsmith make what would be needed, admittedly at great cost). Honestly, that is something that attracted me to the Black Wolf . . . it is good bit more coin, but almost certainly fits into this class too.

If I want to be certain of being able to shoot it in the very distant future, I'm not sure either would be my first choice, if that matters to you in this decision. As @Solo1 said, the Ghost could be a good option, but that Black Wolf would likely be what I would strongly consider as well. Good luck with your choice.
 
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I'll admit I had this affliction for the first several months of ownership - it was just so easy to shoot and such a joy to do so that it almost felt wrong to not empty it. After a while I settled down on it and thought a bit more before doing it. Having 19 shots on board really is a lot, and now I think about it more - pretty much every day the Huben ends up resting by the patio door on standby for pesting duties (no kids at home or such), and I don't empty it unless I actively decide to do so with a planned reload - but I might squeeze off five or ten shots of enjoyment knowing I still have plenty on hand if a pest comes by later without necessarily having to reload.
Yep, 1 adult child a 4 yr old and a 7yr old running around here. I keep them out of reach, but still take precautions. If the mag cannot come out, it needs to be empty. Plus at times if the huben was already loaded and bumped too much, jam. It sucked every time to clear a jam, so i quit on them. My most recent gk1 it was not an issue, but both of my lrevios K1s jammed too much for my liking.
 
The Delta in the US comes with a 5 year AoA warranty and the even fix leaks. Hubens, you are pretty much on your own except for maybe one dealer in year 1. What is the problem with no off switch? Does the battery run down in storage? How long before needing to recharge when not used?
As long as you buy your Huben from krazykool or arestactical you won't have to worry about being on your own with huben problems.

I would say Huben over Delta, sure it has a non removable mag, but the alternative is to buy extra mags at 120 a piece if going OEM. The ease of tuning is seamless and you have the option to mag dump if you like. Not to mention the accuracy of the gun inside of 200yds although I have seen videos of it performing past 300yds I haven't done it myself.