new hw35E

[garytc]

when i was in my teens tried a hw35 in the 1980s and found it to heavy and not that good to shoot[ i was used to single pull triggers like fwb,bsa,webley and lighter guns.
it was a clapped out second hand hw35 as well.
So come 2005 i have been collecting some of the 80s great guns of my youth that i could not afford at the time, jackal, fwb,bsf etc.
I tried to get a hw35e in the uk and found that they were poor or to expensive!
So on the web up came a connection via american websites of the german shooting shack site and i found that they still make hw35e!!!!"
And that they cost about 200 pounds if imported by the likes of southern guns [devon and cornwall].
the upshot is that i have got one, the only gun of the 80s, 70s, 60, 50, etc that is still made today!
the model no i got was just over about 1.5million!!
how does it shoot?
well about the same as my very modern .177 pro sport
ie. about .33inch at 30 yards, my theory is that the gun has evolved and been updated over the years and is up todate in its performance
When i got it i was just going to keep it open site and use it for plinking but on targets, its performance was very good so i scoped it up and its accuracy
was impressive.
when i got it, the variation was about 5/7% on an f1 chrono, now after shooting it in {5to7 cans of pellets] it is down to 3% variation, using aaf pellets it is a gem.
the last point of the review, good trigger, swingslivels,greatopen sight and laserchequering.
garytc

[jonnyone]

Evening Gary,
an interesting thread this as I too am now collecting the rifles that made me drool as a young teenager (but ones that I could no-way afford back then).

I was aware that the 35E was still in production (but for markets other than Britain) and I have often wondered if there would be many on this island that take an interest. It is a design that seems to span the decades and I cant wait to tweak mine to get it shooting smooth and accurate (mine is circa '92 as far as I recall).

If ever you pull out an old edition of AGW- take a look at the "Optima" adverts of the day (I'm thinking mid 80s here) and what they had to say on the 35E. It would make your mouth water and even in todays cynical advertising climate it is a case study on getting customers hooked on a product!

Hope you and your 35E go onto great things together!

Dave:)

[C3PO_1]

Hi Gary,

Try H&N FTT pellets -- they adore Weihrauchs. :)

[Hsing-ee]

how does it shoot?
well about the same as my very modern .177 pro sport
ie. about .33inch at 30 yards, my theory is that the gun has evolved and been updated over the years and is up todate in its performance


Hi Gary, I used to have a 35E back in the 80s as well, also a bit clapped out - it must have been made in the mid 1970s. I don't think your theory is right though, because I have just bought an old HW35E which was made in 1978, relubed it and given it a test. It shoots very accurately like yours - and this is a .22 with a standard spring & leather piston washer. I was getting an inch group at 45 yards in still air. It is making 11.5 ft/lbs. I think the pellets have improved vastly - I was using Air Arms Field, which are made by the JSB people, and I was using a very good quality scope. One-piece mounts or an arrestor pin in the mount is a must on this rifle.

Your new model HW35 is probably almost exactly the same as your old one in design, although the piston washer will be made of nylon instead of leather. The other thing is that I think HW don't make the Export with the long 22" barrel nowadays, they use the shorter one as fitted to the standard. It only makes a small diference to its looks, but it gives a slightly longer sight base with the open sights and makes the gun a bit easier to cock (they are a bit tough in this department. If yoou like using open sights, why not get a rearsight from a HW77 (about £15 s/h off the BBS) and fit that to the scope rail? It will give a long sightbase.

They are lovely rifles, better balanced than the HW80 and without the long cocking slot. A very good choice I think.

[Chris St. MH]

If yoou like using open sights, why not get a rearsight from a HW77 (about £15 s/h off the BBS) and fit that to the scope rail? It will give a long sightbase. .

Will that work given that the HW77 doesn't have barrel droop?

[jaffaman]

As we speak,got an old 35e and it is an old one ,leather breach and piston washers,got left in a porch for 25 years and not touch.
Son inlaw found it and said, can you do anything with it,??bloody right you you can.!!!piston go's up and down the chamber ok,bit rusty but it will do up a treat!!!!
Now can you get kit to change the washers to the newer type or do I still have to use the leather ones.
cheers, Andy;) :D

PS,I had one in 1980 and my mate had a german modal 50 ,you know the one,long stock,
look the dogs but the 35e would knock spots off it with then H&N flat headed pellets.
Oh yes back then the dogs leather washer and the dogs top spring cost £10 each but god did that thing shoot well.
If you got one,get it out and use it,if you don't use it you will never know good they are.

[I. J.]

Hi Andy,

You can get a converter to change a piston with a leather piston seal to the later nylon one. I did a similar conversion on a HW55 and, to tell the truth, I wished I hadn't. It lost some of the character. A leather piston seal, in good condition, is I.M.O. as good as a modern nylon/plastic type. (See HSING-EE post # 4 above)

HTH
Ian :)

[Hsing-ee]

Will that work given that the HW77 doesn't have barrel droop?

I shall try it out and get back to you. Not all 35s are droop-snoots, neither of mine had this problem.

[jaffaman]

Well you lot,just done the hw35 and it looks vert nice it do.
As the man said,it still has the leather washer,I took the gun apart and the leather washer was as good now as when put in new,not mark or burn on it.
The beach washer was nacked and fitted a lightning seal,spot on fit.
The rust was done with jenanight(is that the way you spell it???) a good rub down and then a coat primer-two coats of plastycoat black and three coats of of lacquer.
The stock rubbed down and done with lacquer,very nice.
A new scope and mounts and it looks the dogs..
Oh bye the way crononed it after 50 or so pellets and it's doing 11,5ftp + on a/a field .22 at 16grm , All in all a nice bit of kit now ,sorry I have to give it back to the son inlaw .So yesterdays guns can still keep up and do the the biz if they have too.Oh yes you spotted it,yes I did put a new spring in.an XS
from Mr Nibbs(nice!!);) ;) :)

[Carter59]

You`ve made an excellent choice.

If I was only allowed one spring gun, I think it would be an HW35.

They`re still making them after 60 years for a reason ..............