HW 100 – 1st impressions

[Whitester]

I took delivery of my 100 yesterday so I have not had a chance to take it on the range yet but I have had time to sus out the operation of the gun and do a quick chrono string.

These guns are so well made, the cocking mechanism is slick, slicker than the S410 and nearly on a par with the MFR. The magazines are very well made and cycle positively in the action. I dry fired it with the weihrauch and the Daystate Carbon fibre Airstream 3 silencer, the weihrauch is quieter, not by much but noticeable none the less. The finish on these guns is also very good and I’d go so far as to say that it’s the best I’ve seen on any gun straight out the box.

Right, the chrono test. This was a quick test to try to see if the gun was full power and not under powered as some people say they are these days. I also wanted to test if the myth about heavy pellets returning higher power figures in these guns was true.

I filled it to 190 bar and put a full magazine of JSB heavies followed by a full magazine of Crossman accupell (both .177). The JSB’s came out at around 11.8 ftbls and the accupells came out at 11.1. It appears that the myth has some grounding but I’ll do more extensive tests when I have the time. Anyway I’m sure it will be fine on the range so watch this space

[The Ratcatcher]

I have had 2 of these but found them extremely heavy and awkward when it comes to filling. For the size of gun not many shot capacity either. I did however like the accuracy, cocking lever but found that both of mine were only pushing out low 10`s on the chrono.

[Rapidnick]

May I add my little bit to this thread? I have just bought a nice used specimen on here. I have always liked Weihrauch rifles and have owned quite a few models in my time. My user name will tell you what my favourite rifle is-and to be fair that hasn't changed. However the HW100 is an excellent rifle. I particularly like the cocking action and think the single shot adapter is--just fantastic! Typical example of German precision as are the simple yet sturdy 10 shot magazines. The silencer is up there with the quietest I have 'not heard' on a legal limit rifle. On the downside, I'm not very impressed with the necessity of removing the cylinder and the fill adapter/emptyer feels like an enormous lump of brass in two pieces! I like robust quality but this is going a bit far!! The screw in and out method of removal is not impressive given the length of time Weihrauch took to bring a PCP to market. This is expecially so given that the shot count is not particularly impressive. A question at this point-do the later versions of the HW100 have built-in fill adapters or do you still have to take the cylinder off? It seems to me that the designers of the rifle have'nt solved this problem particularly well. I fully understand the design goal of having a detachable air reservoir so it can be replaced by the owner in the event of damage or wearing out but experiencing this particular one in action makes me feel even more that the-much earlier- decision of the designers of the Rapid and the BSA S10 to use an industry standard product (the divers buddy bottle) for their onboard air supply was correct.
Now on to how it performs. I needed to adjust the power down a tad which was easy to do-because it clearly had been done before and so the components had not been 'loctited or araldited' in place. I certainly wouldn't even consider for one second a rifle where it was not possible for me to perform this simple task. Anti tamper is unacceptable to me except as a means of a manufacturer being able to tell whether the rifle had been 'fiddled with' during the warranty period.
Having mounted the scope-a Bushnell Legend 5-15x40 I zero'ed the rifle over 30 yards in a very small number of shots. Even with me pulling the trigger I could achieve one hole groups with the rifle bench rested. I don't intend to use this rifle for hunting/pest control as I use a .22 FAC Rapid for that job. I intend this to be the rifle I would use if I went in for an HFT competition and in that role it will do nicely.
On balance, an excellent well made rifle at a reasonable price!

[Fluff]

Nick:
A question at this point-do the later versions of the HW100 have built-in fill adapters or do you still have to take the cylinder off?

The models produced from autumn 2006 onwards have a front quickfill that doesn't require the cylinder to be removed. Just pull out the stopper, slide in the charging adapter and fill up.
It is still possible to take the cylinder off and fit a spare while out in the field.

Unfortunately, front QF appeared at about the same time as AT, so any QF HW100 is likely to have AT fitted as well.
Lots of people have converted their HW100 to a V-Mach to reduce forend weight. The K version handles just like a V-Mach HW100 regarding weight and balance. The K looks nicer and has a front manometer, which the V-M lacks.
The K gives about 60~80 shots per fill from a 105cc reservoir, depending on calibre and power level. The V-Mach gives nearly twice as many.

[Eagleman]

I can't add anything to what the members above have said except to echo their finding that the HW100 is a superbly engineered and accurate rifle. I agree with Rapidnick about anti-tamper (I have had to adjust mine several times) and also about the air cylinder (pre-quickfill) being a real nuisance. The answer, as Fluffybuck says, is a V-mach cylinder but I haven't got to this yet!

[Recurve]

How complicated would it be to run up a new part to replace the tamperproof bits? I've got a lathe and am itching to find some good projects :)

[Rapidnick]

Nick:


The models produced from autumn 2006 onwards have a front quickfill that doesn't require the cylinder to be removed. Just pull out the stopper, slide in the charging adapter and fill up.
It is still possible to take the cylinder off and fit a spare while out in the field.

Unfortunately, front QF appeared at about the same time as AT, so any QF HW100 is likely to have AT fitted as well.
Lots of people have converted their HW100 to a V-Mach to reduce forend weight. The K version handles just like a V-Mach HW100 regarding weight and balance. The K looks nicer and has a front manometer, which the V-M lacks.
The K gives about 60~80 shots per fill from a 105cc reservoir, depending on calibre and power level. The V-Mach gives nearly twice as many.

thanks fluffy-very helpful as always.:D

[SP_Rapid]

Whitester,
Thanks for that wonderful review. At the moment I have a HW100T(.22) on the way + Bushnell Banner 6-24x40 mildot scope,Ordered it from Straight Shooters here in the states I am excited and cannot wait to recieve it. Should be in a week or so. BTW congrats on your new purchase.

Here is a great review that ive seen so far.
http://airgunadvice.net/viewtopic.php?t=2285