HW/Weihrauch The Saga of my HW95

A few months back, I bought a pre-owned HW95N in .177 cal from AOA. It was in perfect condition and looked brand new. Like #1. I shot it some in my 10M basement and the accuracy was atrocious to say the least. It barely could shoot a 1 inch group and being a match shooter, I was sorely disappointed to say the least.

After about 100 shots, my head was spinning because of the twang and I had had enough. I bought a Vortek HO spring kit. I took it apart and found the usual greasy mess inside, so I degreased it and installed the kit. After that, the twang was gone, but the shot cycle was very snappy and it was still shooting 8.4s around 870 fps. I shot it another 250 shots figuring it would settle down-nah! Some say you should break in a gun by shooting it 2000 times. A waste of time an pellets IMO.

Took it apart again and found some galling on the spring guide. I ordered a 12 fpe spring from Vortek and after cleaning up and polishing the galling, I installed the spring, lubricated everything, and reinstalled the kit. Now it was shooting 13 fpe at 830 fps. It was easier to cock and the shot cycle was smoother, but not great. Accuracy was where I wanted it to be and if I did my part, I could shoot one hole 5 shot groups at 10M. It still sounded rather snappy, though. After about 150 more shots, I was shooting at my indoor range and when the gun fired-WHOA- it sounded entirely different. Instead of the usual snap, it went THUD. Not being very experienced with springers, I now know what others describe as this kind of sound which is desirable. Like #2. I went to the outdoor range and shot the rifle at 50 yards and was getting some really nice groups. After I got home, I tested it across my Pro-Chrono and velocity with the AA 8.4s was 840. There's a lot of power potential to this rifle.

Observations:
1. Trying to get high power out of these springers is achievable, but not very comfortable to shoot. Good for hunting where you don't take a lot of shots, but I really prefer energy closer to the 12 fpe level. Maybe the Brits have something there.
2. This is the third HW rifle that I've had experience with. All of them needed a replacement spring kit. Weihrauch should be ashamed of themselves for building beautiflul guns, but installing sub-standard springs and doing a sloppy job with internal lubrication. My R7's spring was turning into a banana after a tin of pellets. It didn't break, but the power was low no matter what weight pellet I used. It now has a Vortek kit and is starting to thud like the 95 and power went up 2 fpe.
3. I now have two good performing HWs that live up to the reputation they deserve.

5 shots at 50 yd.jpg
HW95N Right side.jpg
 
Even the Weihrauchs need a good tune to get the most enjoyment out of them when you're like myself, and a buzzing rifle is downright annoying. AirArms comes close to offering a tuned rifle from the factory. Still, just like with brand new cars, there will always be guys who can't resist swapping out OEM parts with aftermarket, "performance" replacement parts on their brand new rifles. I'd be found guilty of this myself....
Good to hear that you got the accuracy to where you expected.
 
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