HW 97K or HW 90???

[Davosss]

Hi guys, im looking for a .177 springer and am trying to decide between these 2 weapons. Any input would be appreciated. I like the idea of the gas ram in the 90, but am wondering in real terms which is the better rifle.
Will be using for hunting, mainly pigeons to get through that pesky crop
Regards
Dave

[brian747]

Hi guys, im looking for a .177 springer and am trying to decide between these 2 weapons. Any input would be appreciated. I like the idea of the gas ram in the 90, but am wondering in real terms which is the better rifle.
Will be using for hunting, mainly pigeons to get through that pesky crop
Regards
Dave

hi dave i use a hw97 in .177 and a hw95 in 177, out these two i use the 95 the most mainly because its lighter but there both extremely accurate , i shot lots of woodies lately as they land in their sitty trees prior to roosting, re the hw90 v 97k i would go for the 97k i just think its the better of the two , in the end its what you feel comfortable with .
regds brian

[steiner]

Get the Gas-Ram HW90 ,at least that means Hull Cartridge won`t be hacking another main spring to bits in order to meet our 12ft/lb limitcheck out a thread called weihrauch engineering ,started by uk neil

[Murphy]

97k every time between them 2.

[Jon]

Seconded Although HW engineering seems to be a bit slack of late, the 97k is the better rifle all round IMHO. After my experience with a Fenman and reading some of the posts on here, I wouldn't touch a gas-ram with a very long, pointy pole!

Having said that, the 90k is by all accounts an excellent gun

Cheers,
Jon

[Fluffybuck]

I like gasrams and I love to disagree with Murphy.
I'd choose the HW90 over the HW97, I'd also choose a TXHC over the HW97.

But if you're shooting up into branches, the HW90 (or even the HW97 or TXHC) will be rather heavy beasts.
Maybe it's worth considering something lighter in weight?

[jeff0100]

i had a hw90k in .22,and it was excellent..just a bit heavy though.

[Gwylan]

Chest shots are not a good idea, too much chance of wounding, the crop is very tough when full. Better to go for the head, or between the shoulder blades from behind.

Gus

[verminshooter29]

even with 12 ft lb i always went for a chest shot,i never had any wounding issues.the energy transfer into the bird is ample in my opinion.i have since moved on to fac . i always aim dead on centre of chest. result dead bird.

[keeko]

Was just dicscussing this earlier with a mate!! Crazy, anyway, a few years ago I had an HW90K and my mate that i went shooting with had an HW97. The bottom line is (and i`m being honest here) the 97 is afar superior rifle.
It had that wee bit more power,it was more accurate and looked better. As much as I hate to admit it his rifle was much better than mine. Thats not to say the HW90 is a bad gun, its just that the 97 is a serious piece of kit for the money.

[theboymike]

I have a 90 and a 77, and have shot the odd 97. I think you'll find the 90 smoother out of the box since the only two bearing surfaces inside are the piston crown and O-ring at the rear. The recoil is harsher though, even though the gun is probably heavier. By contast I found the 97 would twang a bit but the recoil was less severe..

The triggers are comparable but I think the springer unit is better, and I don't much like the safety on the 90. I'd have it in preference to any of Theoben's own offerings, but would rather have the 97.

Would have to agree with fluffy though in that a TX is better than them all

[Davey K]

I've got both and hunt pigeons successfully with both of them.

It comes down to which you prefer the feel of most - that'll be the one that you shoot most accurately.

If you want to shoot targets over longer ranges as well as hunt or if you fancy HFT, I'd go for the 97K - it's highly tunable and that turns the factory rifle into a real cracker. But even from the box, the fixed barrel gives you a bit more accuracy after 40-45 yards and beyond and it's in this range in hot/cold weather that the slight inconsistency of the gas ram output can cause POI shift. But over air gun hunting ranges this is not an issue and I've taken more quarry with a HW90 than any other rifle - it's a top vermin gun.

I've recently fitted one of mine with a .20 barrel and 3.5-10x50 whitetail classic - it's pure and simple hunting gun perfection and I love it! Shoots nice and flat and lands with a hefty punch - zero'd at 35 yards, it only needs a bit of holdover out to 40 yards and just a little hold-under from lesser distances than the zero - anything really short is spot on - so no need for mildots or any complications. Just get out there and hunt with it.

As always not a simple yes/no answer but more simple is chest shots on woodies. Not a good idea - if you miss the crop full of acorns, you've got a thick breast bone that will deflect a pellet or two large muscles that will also soak up the impact. Best to go for the head IMO.

Good luck

[chris.e]

I bought my 97k 12mths ago and i love it.
I asked the gunsmith which of the two was the better rifle, the 97k or the Tx200 and he said that there was nothing between them.
I chose the 97k for its looks and more importantly, how it fitted me, it was so well ballanced when shouldered.
I use mine for FT but if i was gona use it for hunting then i would fit a sling as it is quite heavy.
Having said that, the Tx is supposed to be slightly heavier.
BUT TRY BEFORE YOU BUY!