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View Full Version : HW100S .177 first impressions


davidch
25-12-2008, 03:30 PM
After sooting various springers for years I decided it was time to buy my first PCP. I would be using it for plinking in the back garden and HFT. 3 of us have a weekly 'friendly' comp (2 losers buy the beer after), and some organised comps.
I had a budget of £750 (or euros nowadays!) and after checking out this and other forums for gun reviews and also shooting a few different guns I settled on a HW100k. I chose the sporter stock, preffering it over the T stock after holding both.
Holding the gun for the first time felt really comfortable and well balanced, I had read that the 100 was heavy but compared to my 97k it felt lighter and not nose heavy like the springer. The stock fitted me well and is beautifully finished with sharp chequerring and is a nice light colour contrasting the black action with white lettering, not handsome but purposeful and classy looking.
After trying the magazine cycling and a few dry shots I got the missus to flash the plastic and the deal was done. The gun was chronoed in the shop with AA fields and was averaging 11.48 ft lbs with very little variation, time to go home and play!
First job was to fit a scope, a Nikko Sterling 4x16x50 was duly mounted and then I topped up the air. The filling is very easy. The probe supplied with the gun fits into a hole across the end of the air resevoir, turn the air on, fill it until it reaches the top of the green section on the built in gauge, turn off and pull probe out, 30 second job. There is a blank probey type piece to put in the resevoir after filling to keep dust and muck out.
Next up is loading the 2 14 shot magazines with AA fields. The pellets are pushed into the holes in the magazines and held in with a rubber ring around the circumference of the mag, easy and simple. The cocking lever is pulled back and also a mag retaining catch. The magazine is slid easily into the gun and the retaining catch slid forwards to engage with the magazine. Pushing the cocking lever forwards slides a pellet into the gun and it is ready to fire. The whole assembly and operation looks and feels quality.
Firing the first mag to zero the scope I was impressed with how quiet the gun was and how easy it was to cycle the pellets in. Also the trigger felt really good, much better than the decent rekord trigger on the 97k, more like the trigger on my 10m match pistol. It felt good set as it came from the factory and I haven't needed to change it so far.
After getting a good zero at 16yds I fired a full mag of 14 at the centre of a new target from a bench and ended up with 1 hole about the size of a 5p smack in the middle. I fired off several more mags in different positions and it made an average ability shooter like me look good being really well balaced and steady even on standers.
The next day I went with a mate to where he works to zero it over 35yds, the scope only needed a couple of clicks then from the bonnet of the van it would shoot shot on shot with ease giving a group slightly bigger than a 5p. different distances were tried and different stances and the accuracy is eye opening, hitting 20mm kill zones from kneelers which is good for me.
Today I tried different pellets with a chrono and settled on AA field measuring after every 5 shots to see how many full power shots I'd get to a fill -
5 -797fps
10 -800fps
15 -797
20 -796
25 - 793
30 - 795
35 - 794
40 -789
45 -789
50 -794
55 -791
60 -789
65 -773
70 -748

Looks like 60 shots is a safe bet. Other pellets tried were JSB exacts, virtually same results as above, H&N FTT's averaged about 775fps and mozzies which averaged about 805 fps but were pretty variable. What did this lot tell me? Not a lot, I was just bored on christmas day:rolleyes:

All in all then 1st impressions are very good, roll on the next 'friendly', I wont be buying the beer afterwards!!

C3PO_1
26-12-2008, 01:28 AM
Excellent review - very clear and I was imagining the filling and loading sequence as you described them. Try Weihrauch Magnums at 10 grains ... Excellent downrange accuracy and energy retention.

ikarma70
26-12-2008, 10:28 AM
i feed my hw100 on aa fields too and theres nothing to better them,i've tried ftt's,weihrauch ft specials(worst pellet in my hw..shotguns group better on open choke),superdomes and bis mags.

the aa fields are better for consistency,accuracy and downrange energy retention.

brian747
26-12-2008, 10:41 AM
Hi, David an excellent review, i have the same hw100 model as you its a keeper for me , i find the mag indexing system the best of all the guns i own,i normally use jsb exact .177 pellets i can get virtually through the same hole accuracy at 35yds . Overall i rate the HW100 as my favourite .177 i have shot every legitimate type of prey with this gun with excellent results, if anybody is thinking of buying a HW100 go do it you won,t regret it.
atvb brian:):)

ikarma70
26-12-2008, 11:01 AM
i would recommend that you buy the single shot adapter for HFT as you can't have your magazines in the gun when walking from lane to lane and good for plinking(you will find that you go through pellets and air like no-ones news when you use the mags).:)

davidch
29-12-2008, 07:34 PM
Thanks for the comments, went and got a single shot mag as suggested. Much better than removing the mag between lanes and it does cut down on the number of pellets used when plinking/checking zero, but you can't resist firing off 14 at a target and seeing the pellet hit the same spot:D
Got my personal best score on the hft targets on Sunday morning so well pleased with the gun. Just for fun my mate and me decided to have a shot each at one of the FT 55yds target. To both our amazements I dropped it 1st time ....from a stander! He didn't bother and I didn't try again, now i can say 'easy that one, dropped it from a stander every time I've shot at it';)

C3PO_1
29-12-2008, 08:19 PM
It's such a great rifle isn't it ... pneumatic porn :)

Treeman
30-12-2008, 07:13 PM
i feed my hw100 on aa fields too and theres nothing to better them,i've tried ftt's,weihrauch ft specials(worst pellet in my hw..shotguns group better on open choke),superdomes and bis mags.

the aa fields are better for consistency,accuracy and downrange energy retention.

I totally agree - I've had two HWKs and they both faired best on AA fields.

Nice review from the original poster :) - made me think I should use mine more.

Parabuteo
30-12-2008, 10:50 PM
It's such a great rifle isn't it ... pneumatic porn :)

Hard porn after mr Taylor has finished with it:D