Why hardly any love for the HW90/RX?

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That’s awesome shooting right there ScottLeeman! I gotta pull mine out and shoot some groups with it. Will groups on a squirrels head count? 

All kidding aside, and I’m not saying this to say or try and boost up a gas ram vs a pcp, but it just dawned on me, as I made the joking comment about groups on a squirrels head, but thinking back this past year, I’ve had more squirrels run off wounded with my PCP guns(Marauder 25 and PRod in 22) than I’ve ever did with my RX 20 cal. Maybe it’s because shot for shot I’ve shot my PCP at more this past year at critters, but back in my RX days I had more squirrels around my property. I remember thumping a male from behind, when he was on my roof thumping a female, and he dropped right there on top of my solar panels. Didn’t even budge, as the female ran off. Even my 10 year old son at the time, would hoist that gun on my shoulder, use me as the shooting stick to balance that RX beast, and the squirrels he nailed fell down onto my German shepherds, who were clawing at the bottom of the tree, frothing at the mouth. 

Dont get me wrong PCP fans, as I am now one of those, but apples to apples, a Marauder pellet to the chest, at least 25% of the squirrels have run off to die somewhere else. My RX to the chest, 90% of them dropped, and either squirmed in place where I’d put them down with a second shot, dropped for dead, or fell to my waiting Shepard’s to be mince meat. I want all you RX owners to reflect on that, and tell me it was just coincidence that the 20 caliber RX thumped them harder than a standard 860 FPS 22 cal. Not a 30 cal or larger, just a 22 that’s in the 850-900 FPS range.



Give me a minute, to don my flame suit on, lol
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My RX1 in .20 was a 20 FPE gun with 11 gr Beeman Silver Jet ( the Japanese version) pellets. Probably one of the most accurate air rifles with a pointed pellet I have owned. 
 
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I have an RX-1 purchased in 1991 that I rebuilt recently because I hadn’t shot it much and the piston seal dry rotted. I found a couple of websites with detailed disassembly/rebuilding instructions and also learned about Krytox. Replacement of the piston seal and the two o-rings inside the ram, with Krytox lubing throughout got it buttery smooth - I’m still tweeking the pressure and pellet combinations to optimize accuracy and velocity. Like many others who’ve shared their experiences, I’m finding that it shoots best at lower pressure and ME: about 18 fpe seems to be the best combo of cocking effort, firing behavior, and accuracy.

My gun is still very hold sensitive- something that requires practice to get consistent groups. I don’t know yet if there’s a sweet spot with pressure/pellet chice that would eliminate that.

For me the HW90/RX platform, along with a pump and gauge, is the ultimate tinkerers airgun! So much so that i bought two extra barrels to play with! (177, 20, and 22)!
 
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I have an RX-1 purchased in 1991 that I rebuilt recently because I hadn’t shot it much and the piston seal dry rotted. I found a couple of websites with detailed disassembly/rebuilding instructions and also learned about Krytox. Replacement of the piston seal and the two o-rings inside the ram, with Krytox lubing throughout got it buttery smooth - I’m still tweeking the pressure and pellet combinations to optimize accuracy and velocity. Like many others who’ve shared their experiences, I’m finding that it shoots best at lower pressure and ME: about 18 fpe seems to be the best combo of cocking effort, firing behavior, and accuracy.

My gun is still very hold sensitive- something that requires practice to get consistent groups. I don’t know yet if there’s a sweet spot with pressure/pellet chice that would eliminate that.

For me the HW90/RX platform, along with a pump and gauge, is the ultimate tinkerers airgun! So much so that i bought two extra barrels to play with! (177, 20, and 22)!
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Is the pump and gage the original ones that were sold for the gun, from the late 80’s? I could never understand why the pump I own, which was the original made at the time the gun came out, had no foot pedals, like normal pumps do, and came with a hose that was like 6” long! That combo alone made me not ever wanting to mess with the air pressure, lol
 
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Just joined the forum. I own an RX-2 and have had it since new. I'm getting older now and cocking it is a little more difficult but I still love the darn thing. Build quality is excellent and man, will it ever kill rabbits and squirrels. Pretty airgun. I keep it in "like new condition" as I did will all my firearms. Having said that I probably have less than 50 pellets shot from it so...😄 also, I have a dampa scope mount and a Browning scope (Bushnell I think made it). Once you learn how to shoot it you can really have tight groups. This is not an airgun for whimps. Any suggestions out there for an easier to cock replacement ? Like I said, I'm getting older.😄
 
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Theoben licensed their patented system out to Weihrauch, so it had a certain coolness factor to it. With the patent expired, everyone is producing gas spring guns.

At factory air pressure, the gun is known to be problematic. The HW90 is simply break-o-matic at factory pressure.

For the gun to work reliably the pressure needs to be let down.

There no real advantage over let's say the HW97/77/80.

It was also popular in some European countries that have energy limits on airguns, as the pressure on the HW90 can easily be increased...


 
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@ Franklink- So did you get that one from Soft tail something, or Don from GTA? If so, you got a beautiful rifle for a great price. I was hoping Don would hang on to it, just like marauders, lol. If I see someone selling a Marauder that’s out of the norm beautiful with an aftermarket stock, I do all I can to talk him out of selling the darn thing. Well, I’m sure that RX went to a good home.

@ Chuckhunter- a good friend, ex neighbor of mine, the one who got me into adult air rifles back in the late 80’s has that same theoben you’re picking up, in a 22 cal. That thing is a tough, hard shooting, but at the same time gorgeous rifle. My neighbor quit shooting his Airguns after I moved away, l believe, and not too long ago I hit him up with a how much would you sell it for? $1200 including the thousands of pellets he has for it, the beeman pell sizer, the scope, and all the beeman doo dad accessories on it. Don’t know if that’s a great price, but I get the feeling his numbers high enough so he doesn’t sell it, lol. I’m actually hoping he gets into PCP’s, so we can rekindle those Friday night rat hunts we did every Friday after work..

So, what’s funny is, he owned an R1, one of the originals, when I met him. It was a 177, and highly accurate. After seeing him hit acorn balls off of trees at 30 yards I had to have one, but instead bought a deluxe R10 in 177. Well, the rat hunts went fine, but I kept noticing over 50% of the ones we hit still were able to limp off about 5-10’ before falling into the creek. I wanted something that would stop them like a car hitting a large oak tree. Dead right there. Beeman just came out with the RX, and I went one size up in caliber to the 20, for a mix of high velocity and foot pound energy vs a 22. Back then we were all about FPS and could care less about energy, lol.

Sure enough, the first night out with that gun, the first rat I shot, he stopped immediately the minute I hit him, curled up, died, and became the midnight snack for his fellow buddy rats. My neighbor stood there with his mouth gapped open, and shortly after, he had the Theoben eliminator, topped off with a Bushnell 6-18 scope. His rats not only stopped instantly from the shot, but they also got thrown backwards a couple of feet and when they landed, no movement. Knowing what I know now, I should’ve gotten the RX in a 22. 

Currently, using H&N crow magnums, by RX1 in 20 caliber is getting 815-820 FPS. If a 22 would have gotten 775-800 FPS, I would have been okay with that, like I said, knowing what I know now.
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rats are very soft bodied. If they limping off a bit youre not getting the accuracy. The UK guys put them down no issues with sub 12 guns all day. Head shots or high upper body. Even in 177. Its all about shot placement
 
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I own an RX2 at factory levels with zero issues and plenty of accuracy. Several advantages to gas ram system that have been listed for years such as faster lock time, ability to leave cocked for much longer periods with no issues and no possibility of any twang. Any 12fpe ram was NEVER meant to be used above its 12fpe limit, different piston/ram. Actually any Theoben ram was never intended to be used above what max fps Theoben listed and why so many seals both ram and piston were blown out or scorched.
 
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Theoben licensed their patented system out to Weihrauch, so it had a certain coolness factor to it. With the patent expired, everyone is producing gas spring guns.

At factory air pressure, the gun is known to be problematic. The HW90 is simply break-o-matic at factory pressure.

For the gun to work reliably the pressure needs to be let down.

There no real advantage over let's say the HW97/77/80.

It was also popular in some European countries that have energy limits on airguns, as the pressure on the HW90 can easily be increased...

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Have to disagree re the ‘no real advantage’ comment. 

My rx2 in .20 is harder to cock at 20 ftlb but much smoother than my hw80, also heavier but much nicer stock. No twang.

77/97 can never get to that power.


I’d describe the RX as charismatic, if that’s a word you can use about an air rifle. And very effective, if you can bear the weight. 
 
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donwalk said:
I have an RX1 in 20 and a HW90 in 22.

I have the necessary equipment to 'adjust/tune' them.

they're rugged, reliable and accurate.

that's not even mentioning the quality of the workmanship that goes into them.

they are heavy and can be difficult to cock, but adjustment of the pressure can help that some.

they WILL remain with me...👍
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Is there anywhere in the USA you can purchase the HW90 gauge, pump(which pumps will work), and adapters(which adapters are needed) besides Airguns of Arizona?
 
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edenwildfood said:
rats are very soft bodied. If they limping off a bit youre not getting the accuracy. The UK guys put them down no issues with sub 12 guns all day. Head shots or high upper body. Even in 177. Its all about shot placement
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A .177 cal pellet from a powerful gun often zips right through a pest, leaving only a fraction of its KE into the animal. That's recipe for limping off. Paradoxically, a lower-power pellet can work better, by staying inside the animal, preferably on the other side under the skin, having shed all its energy into the animal, in addition to making a hole.

With powerful guns, a bigger caliber than .177 cal is needed. Just going to .22 cal increases the cross-section of the ammo by 50 %. This means way more effective killing shots, when the brain is not targeted.

A huge factor when targeting animals is the status of the animal before the shot. A relaxed individual can bowl over dead from a meager hit, whereas a stressed animal will not go down easily at all from a lethal wound. Saying it's all about shot placement just isn't true.
 
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