Reprint of an old thread :-)


kobesean
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Join DateJan 2010LocationBristolPosts95


Speed & Power: Weihrauch HW45 vs Diana LP8

This is a mini comparison review of raw power between the classic .177 Weihrauch HW45 (Beeman P1) and the newer .177 Diana LP8 Magnum air pistols; a simple head-to-head for anyone out there who is considering purchasing either and wants to know how the two stack up across three very different pellets and weights.

The HW45 has been around from the mid 1980's, and reviews and comments on this fine pistol can be found online with a minimum of searching. It has long since been recognised as the superlative spring piston air pistol - few others can come close to its build-quality and performance. The LP8 (literally, "Luft Pistole 8") is the 2009 reincarnation of the Diana P5 magnum and is a worthy pretender to the crown, continuing the sibling rivalry between these two German giants.

The competition between the two behemoths of German airgun manufacture, Weihrauch and Original/Diana, is legendary and dates back to the closing years of the nineteenth century. In more recent times the battle has seen more highs than lows for both companies. For air rifles, the HW80 (Beeman R1) was a world-beater for a good number of years until the advent of the more powerful Diana 48/52/54 series. In the UK, the Weihrauch brand has always been a better seller, not least for the simple reason that Weihrauchs tend to offer better value for money i.e. Dianas are generally more expensive, but also because of the superb Weihrauch Rekord trigger. Now that mail-order rivalry has all but disappeared, this difference in price is more pronounced than ever, and while the new T06 trigger in current generation Dianas is every bit as good as the Rekord, for a lot of people Dianas are still a secondary consideration when considering a new springer.

Unlike German air rifles, which generally have to be produced in at least three different flavours (5.53 ft/lbs, 12 ft/lbs and full power) their air pistols find a happy, coincidental restriction in terms of both simple physics and legislation: the strict German 7.5 joule power limit fits in nicely with the rules and regulations of a number of different countries, including the UK. In other words, the HW45 and LP8 are basically the same pistols wherever in the world you choose to buy one.

There is, as is often the case, another relatively new kid on the block in the shape of the Browning 800 Mag air pistol. However, it is not included for comparison here for the simple reason that it represents appalling value for money for UK buyers. Whereas it retails for only around £80 in the USA, it is not uncommon to find the 800 for sale for close to £200 in the UK which makes no sense whatsoever given that it is manufactured, under license from Umarex (Germany), in Turkey. Quite how the Americans manage to get such a good deal on this pistol, given that Turkey is a lot further from America than it is from Britain, is a mystery or, perhaps not - simply additional evidence that "rip-off Britain" is still very much alive and kicking. Nevertheless, it should not be ignored in the magnum class of spring piston pistols and is also worth investigating. Whilst on the subject of comparative costs, both the HW45 and the LP8 sell for the best part of 300 Euros just about everywhere - quality always costs money, no matter where you do your shopping.

My comparison is basically centred around the relative power of the HW45 and the LP8 (other online reviews will confirm their unquestioned design, build quality and accuracy). In the States, both pistols are heavily marketed as "700 fps" pistols, a common exaggerative advertising ploy using lightweight non-lead pellets. The preferred choice across the pond for attempting to achieve this mythical 700 fps speed seems to be for 5.4gr Gamo Raptor Precision Ballistic Alloy (PBA) ammo. Raptors are quite hard to source in the UK so, for the purposes of this test I have chosen to use Hungarian Skenco 5.4gr and Skenco 4.0gr (plastic + 40% metal mix, designed for "indoor plinking") for the high-velocity comparison, in addition to the more traditional 7.9gr RWS Superpoints.

My trusty HW45 is a few years old, but has never been overly used. For the purposes of this review a new spring and breech seal were fitted and the internals lubed (the piston and compression chamber were, on inspection, both bone dry). The LP8, on the other hand, is brand spanking new, straight out of the box, so one would expect the LP8's numbers to increase slightly over time as the piston seal settles down.

Here are the numbers through the chronograph:

>>7.9gr>>>5.4gr >>>>4.0gr

HW45 LP8 /HW45 LP8 /HW45 LP8

498.5 566.1 /588.1 700.4 /695.2 849.9
503.0 553.4 /594.2 699.4 /701.3 849.4
506.1 558.8 /605.7 700.3 /718.3 834.3
501.9 558.5 /590.1 697.1 /706.9 832.3
500.0 558.3 /594.2 703.5 /704.1 845.3
509.3 558.0 /597.5 702.5 /700.0 838.5
499.3 567.4 /597.6 698.1 /708.3 842.5
502.8 561.0 /592.1 699.9 /703.7 853.4
499.3 550.7 /581.3 695.9 /703.8 831.8
504.9 568.7 /585.0 659.3 /699.3 836.7

498.7 550.7 /581.3 695.3 /695.2 831.8
506.1 568.7 /605.7 703.6 /718.3 853.4
502.1 560.1 /592.6 699.2 /704.1 840.7


Conclusion:

The Weihrauch HW35 is a very consistent performer, but struggles to reach 4.5 ft/lbs with all three pellets. I am not happy with these numbers and will update them later when I have fitted a new piston seal and the new internals have all had sufficient time to bed-in.

Straight from the box the Diana LP8 is blisteringly fast and amazingly consistent. In terms of raw energy at the muzzle it produces 5.5 ft/lbs, 5.9 ft/lbs and 6.3 ft/lbs respectively. The claimed 700fps velocity using non-lead ammo is not only passed, it is left standing in the dust - speeds in excess of 850fps are truly remarkable for a spring-powered air pistol and take the LP8 over the UK limit. It would be interesting to see if an all metal 5.4gr pellet could replicate the 700fps of the metal/plastic Skenco, so I will report back later how both guns perform when I have some of the new 5.0gr Thunderbolts in hand.

Cheers.

Sean.