How Good Is An 18 Year Old Weihrauch Hw80 .22???

[pianoman 3,584]

Good evening Gentlemen.

 

Well, I went out on a farm permission tonight and decided on taking my ' old girl ' 18 years old HW80 .22. I haven't been out with her for almost a year now but, after a chat here with Rez about HW80s and why he should have one (Oh yes, you do need one jamie!) the other day, I decided to take mine out of the cabinet and see how sh'e been without a shot fired from her for quite a while.

 

After a lengthy zero-up produced a quite amazing group of about 25 shots going through the same 5p-sized hole at my preferred 30 metres range I was out with her into the fields of a beautiful farm permission I have here in sprawling Lincolnshire.

 

This is my one and only on-ticket, FAC rifle. I really should get a rimfire .22 but, I keep putting it off when I have this beautiful German masterpiece to do the job it does. It tips the chrono at bs 23.4 ft llbs. recoils with a sharp small and small, but noticeable jolt. The scope is an equally elderly Simmons Whitetail Classic 3.5-14x40mm Supernightview with a graphite coat. It take the recoil with ease and keeps sharp in zero on 7 Xmag. A 30-metre zero gives a reach of a clear 40-45 metres of superaltive accuracy with a little holdover for 50 metres.Way more than enough accuracy for rabbit shooting.

 

Within 16-20 minutes of arriving, a 35 metre large buck rabbit was hit clean through the head with a kneeling shot. Immediatlely followed by a spooked 2nd rabbit that fled out of the hedgrow. It stood still while I reloaded, never moved a muscle ...THWACK the shot hit it as soon as the trigger was released. Two in the bag inside 16 minutes.

 

I made my way to a particular favourite spot of mine here, close to the edge of a woodland spread. I set up low on the brow of rising ground and waited for the sport to come out to feed. A close rabbit was out, about 15 metres away in about 40 minutes ....And I missed! My fault! Too keyed up and snatched the shot off . Pulled it left close behind the ears. It's always the close range rabbits I miss most. I've hit rabbits out to some insane ranges with this rifle, but then, really get it wrong on the shrt range stuff.

 

As old school as this rifle and scope are, it is still a formidable rifle and scope combo. From a prone shooting position, I can hit pretty well anything that comes within 50-60 yards of my position.

 

The net result for tonight's foray was 23 rabbits and two crows cleanly shot and instantly killed for a total of four rabbits missed. All my fault. More meat than I could want or carry on my own. At least my farmer friend has plenty for himself and his mum and dad who live nearby, and there is a fabulous old 18th century pub to reflect on the night's shooting over a couple of pints of Bateman's.

 

I seriously wonder why I should bother with any more air rifles when I have this level of high power accuracy at my disposal. The stock of my rifle is the original beech sporter and, after tonight's performance, it deserves a makeover and a decent refurbishment. But it's a cherished gun and 18 years of solid hunting work in all weatheres takes its toll on the woodwork.

 

But that aside, what an incredible magnum of an air rifle this HW80 is!! For one that's a full 18 years old. It cost me all of about £230-odd quid new and about the same again for the Simmons scope. Given the thousands of rabbits, rats, mink and squirrel this rifle has accounted for in her time, not to mention some priceless memories that has resulted in hunting them, that has to be one Hell of an air rifle bargain here!

 

Once again it was made clear to me just how utterly fine and reliable this venerable break-barrel spring rifle truly is. And once again, I'm back to ""if I had to have only one air rifle for hunting? ...""

 

Errrr...that's not fair. There is this marvellous rifle and still my incredible pair of sub-12 ft/lbs HW77 .22 and HW97K .177 to fall back on. Then I have a British duo of an Air Arms TX200 HC .177 and Daystate Regal PCP to add....No, I cannot possibly honestly claim the Regal can hit as hard and as decisively accurately as these magnificent three Germans can....

 

Nah! I'll be keeping the lot thank you!

 

All the best for your shooting Gentlemen.

 

Simon AKA Pianoman.

Edited April 2, 2016 by pianoman

[villaman 9,980]

Nice shooting Simon with the and in my opinion it is suited best for FAC and not sub 12 ft/lbs

I had a tuned in .22 sub 12 , just could not get on with it ,much prefer the 95

[j j m 6,481]

NICE SHOOTING AND GOOD WRITE UP SIMON

[mark williams 7,549]

Compliments with the shooting Simon

Heavy population of rabbit, 23 taken. I suppose the farmer wants rid 12 months of the year ?

 

When i knocked about with the keeper off the race course nearby he used to say "remember Mark, once on top of their number, manage the land and only shoot rabbits when there is an R in the month"

Geoff` liked to see a few about the outskirts but you never ever saw them anywhere near the racecourse - that is where i learned to snare and that job he did daily.

 

 

Great write up Simon.

 

atb.

[bigmac 97kt 13,735]

Nice shooting Simon

 

And lads this old baby of Simon's is going to have a make over a full strip of the old stock all the way back ,stain,d and oil,d

 

so she looks like new or better.

 

Both me and vizlauk will be doing the work on this stock

 

just hope your happy with the results Simon

 

Ill run a post of the refurbish so you can keep an eye on it Simon

 

atvbmac :thumbs:

[Durham John 693]

Will allways love the hw80,

 

the one and only brand spanking new gun I bought, well get delivered mail order back when you could do that lol

[tomburras 2,721]

Mint. Your making me want one on ticket! What's it group like at 40 metres?

[Jonjon79 13,344]

Sounds like a very good evening out. It certainly beats my score last night.

 

On the plus side, I think my rifle enjoyed being taken for a walk

Edited April 2, 2016 by Jonjon79

[secretagentmole 1,701]

See you get your hands on that English gun and forget about the dowdy German duchess in your cabinet...

 

Nice shooting!

[jonnie bravo 572]

Brill post, cheers for taking the time Simon. I think that is it, everyone who I have seen not getting along with the hw80 have been trying it in sub 12 FPE format.

 

 

I really want an FAC now though!!

[pianoman 3,584]

Thank you so much for these kind responses gentlemen. and I'll try answer some points here.

 

This is a beautiful permission on veg, barley and corn crops. It's busy working all year with seasonal crops and there's a lovely wood with a sloping ground, sheltered from the winds and a little brook stream of running fresh water through it. Just heaven for rabbits to live, breed and multiply! When I started shooting here in the spring of a couple of years ago, my first weekend I bagged over 60 rabbits with this HW80. The place is very busy with rabbits and the farmer and his two sons shoot .22 LR rimfires actively as well. Yet still it runs thick. In all honesty, I have never known bags anywhere else, as big as the ones I've had here. The farm lads have really changed their tunes about air rifles when they saw what I was getting with it. "You won't get much with that old musket" when I first rolled up, changed to "F*** ME! WHAT YOU GOT IN THAT THING!!! They are pretty jealous of my Simmons Whitetail 40mm scope. Alas no longer made but, what a fantastic scope for an air rifle these are. If you like 30/30 duplex reticles. I love em!

 

The HW80 is not an air rifle legend for nothing.

This one of mine has a full length barrel of about 24 inches AND a Webley Venom Slimtech long silencer. It has a long-rifle look but, the silencer has done a lot to calm down muzzle blast without overballancing the aim. I goes with a hell of a crack without it.

 

I'm certain that goes a long way to keeping the pellet travelling efficiently down the rifling. It must be going at a hell of a speed. It will comfortably group inside a penny disc at 40 metres. Impact wounds on rabbits heads at this range are almost always bang on the dot where I aimed at. Right between the eye and ear lobe. Usually, the shot will exit the otherside of the head too. Death is absolutely instant and painless.

 

But I keep my zero to 30 metres. I shoot to normal air gun ranges but the power and speed of the pellet keeps it fantastically flat trajectory and wipes out any chance a rabbit has to react and out-bolt the shot. And I can build my holdoever estimation predictably effective from a 30-metre datum of zero.

 

About pellet velocity. I remember once, lining up on a wary rabbit's temple at about 40 metres range and it turned fast for home, as soon as the trigger released hitting it face-on in the mouth and killing it outright That's how you use the extra power performance. It is not a automatic, given thing that you can shoot out to 100 yards or more with every shot opportunity, but, in the past, I've managed that with this rifle many times. You only need a little holdover, barely an inch or so, to hit a rabbit hard through the head at 60 metres. No sweat.

 

This rifle is purposely designed to perform at optimum accuracy at 20+ ft/lbs energy. The rules on managing heavy recoil are just the same as any sub-12 spring rifle. A nice, even and light hold and let it recoil as it wants to. Fire on the exhale of breath and proper follow through. It's not as heavy as the HW77 or 97 and it shoulders very sweetly.

 

I don't know why some of you lads haven't gotten on with an HW80 you've tried out before but, that's air rifles for you. Some are magic for some, while the same are not so in others hands. This was very very accurate in sub 12 ft/lbs when it was new. It was like having a Thoroughbred racehose to hacking. So, I applied for an fac for it. Never looked back. Where it really scores is Mink shooting. These are really wick and fidgety as hell and you need a fast reactive shot to hit one in the head. They don't stay still for more than a second or two. So you need a hard hitting pellet with speed and punch.

 

For me, the HW80 .22 is pure magic. It just fits me like it was specially made to measure me. And getting an FAC for one to convert seems to be more acceptable to the police firearms officer than a powder burner. My application went through without a question raised other than the norms and a check of the permission it was to be used on.

 

Mike/secretagent mole you have a point here. I've been trying so long to get the Regal to perform something like it should that my poor old HW80 was left behind gathering dust for the best part of a year. Yet, it came back as though it had been propped up the day before!

 

Other guns are nice to have. And the Regal is lovely. When I get a regulator made for it, it will be a beauty in every sense. But these three German spring rifles are my absolute core of my pest shooting. For me, they will outgun a PCP any day. But that's just me.

 

All the best to you all lads.

Simon

Edited April 2, 2016 by pianoman

[pianoman 3,584]

Nice shooting Simon

 

And lads this old baby of Simon's is going to have a make over a full strip of the old stock all the way back ,stain,d and oil,d

 

so she looks like new or better.

 

Both me and vizlauk will be doing the work on this stock

 

just hope your happy with the results Simon

 

Ill run a post of the refurbish so you can keep an eye on it Simon

 

atvbmac :thumbs:

Mac my dear lad you are the kindest soul.

 

PM me your address and I'll take it off the rifle and post it over to you this coming week. I have a spare HW80 Left hand stock I can put on, after I gave AndyFR1968 my HW80K .22 for his two young lads to cut their springer teeth on. He has a right hander '80 stock so, I have my spare, so you lads can take all the time you want.

 

Having seen you workmanship times before Jim, it's going to be just beautifully done. You just wouldn't do it any other way would you!.

 

I'm really very humbled by such kindness. Thank you dear man.

 

Simon.

[tomburras 2,721]

That sounds superb Simon. The benifits of the hitting power of fac air without the need to refill the gun with air more often than a usual sub 12.

 

Sounds very accurate too but I see your a top spring gun shooter too so that will help!

 

Fac air is underrated, when the pellet hits a bunny with mine it sounds simelar to been hit by a rimfire.

 

I would like to own a fac hw80 one day it's the best of both worlds and on the to do list!

[tomburras 2,721]

Looking forwards to seeing the stock refurb!

[bigmac 97kt 13,735]

Pm sent Simon

 

im looking forward to doing the refurb on it Tom

 

it took me two weeks more or less to do the hw100 and a week of that was sanding lol

 

atvbmac :thumbs: