underlever or break barrel

[waggywinker]

Hi again, sorry for all the questions but is there any advantage to a underlever air rifle to a break barrel or is it just a personal preferance, thanks, Waggy,,

[ChrisH00]

Can 'o Worms that one. Either design will work well if both the design and manufacturing are excellent, whilst either type can fail miserably if not. I find it difficult to give a general answer to the question that applies to a wide range of guns, so if you could be more specific as to which model(s) you're thinking about then the answer could be made more specific.

[FroggytheElder]

There is a traditional belief / perception that underlevers with their fixed barrels are inherently more accurate than break-barrels. This is due to the fear that the break-barrel may not return to the exact same place / angle every time it is loaded.

As the previous post says, it depends upon the design and the production quality of the rifle. You should not be put off a break-barrel rifle because of this possible cause of inaccuracy as inmy humble opinion it's a very minor issue.

[oliver13]

Hi,

I think with modern manufacturing tolerances there's nothing in it?

Personally I've decided to go break barrel:

The break barrel design gives advantages for access to the bore, & replacing a barrel if needed.
The underlever format introduces an extra level of complexity with the rotary breech/loading tap or whatever - something else to wear out or go wrong.

Regards

[aston_shooter]

If both guns are quality rifles then there won't be any difference, don't worry about it.

[gasman1]

i suppose the extra weight of the underlever can also help the gun with accuracy as its weight helps to slow wobbles and can help tame recoil slightly

[1952paul0]

Hi again, sorry for all the questions but is there any advantage to a underlever air rifle to a break barrel or is it just a personal preferance, thanks, Waggy,,

its generaly thought that a fixed barrel ie unerlever delivers more consistent power hence is more accurate how true i dont know for sure but my air arms underlever was more consistent than my bsa break barrel thats for sure.

[Will 1994]

No difference i dont think ! maybe slightly due to the barrel not moving on the underlever

will

[Fallen]

Me and ligntning.alex were shooting a target at 80 yards a few week ago and his HW80 matched my TX200 every step of the way.

[landymick]

hi,i have both and both are accurate,(quality rifles).I prefer break barrels on ease of loading.Choice is yours.

[berkshire bred]

after having owned several of both I would say that you can not beat an underlever for accuracy the only complaint is that they are always heavy guns.

[landymick]

after having owned several of both I would say that you can not beat an underlever for accuracy the only complaint is that they are always heavy guns.

hi,but have you tried a Walther l.g.v ultra?

[portisaacboy]

Hi I shot a borrowed Tuned Weihrauch 97k and found it very accurate at 50yds, far better than my own BSA Supersport break barrel, but I did find it a bit
heavy..

[nced]

Hi again, sorry for all the questions but is there any advantage to a underlever air rifle to a break barrel or is it just a personal preferance, thanks, Waggy,,

My personal opinion is that while I don't believe my .177 HW77k is INHERENTLY more accurate than my .177 Beeman R9 (basically a HW95 with different trim), I have found that it IS easier for me to shoot accurately. Still....I prefer the convenience of the breakbarrel as opposed to reaching into the HW77 "bear trap while fishing pellets into the loading tap". Even though the "77" is easier to shoot accurately I still use my R9 breakbarrel MUCH more often than the heavier fixed barrel.

One potential disadvantage for the R9 is the fact that changes in the barrel pivot bolt tension will result in point of impact shifts. Also, overly tight pivot bolt tension (or poor lubrication) will cause the barrel shims to wear prematurely and provide an inconsistent lockup which can affect the poi. I do have to mention though that such "tension changes" occur wery slowly and probably won't be noticed as the changes are accomodated with normal sight adjustments. After saying this I do have to mention that the fixed barrel underlever HW77 requires no such pivot tension adjustment so this removes another variable from the mix.

Here are a few (exceptional for me) 50 yard groups that I've shot with various .177 R9s, some of which I've owned, tuned and sold over the years......
All targets shot US hunter class field target style like this.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...RainyDIFTA.jpg

15 out of 20 CPLs through a 3/4" killzone......
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...arget17_20.jpg

A five shot 50 yard group shot in a variable breeze it's roughly 1" wide x 1/2" high..
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...Y1_29_2013.jpg
The next five shots at a paper target group rougly 1" wide x 3/8" high.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...up12_20_12.jpg

A few groups shot when comparing the accuracy of Beeman FTS pellets with Crosman Premier lights from the 1250 count die lot marked box........
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7..._FTSgroups.jpg

A 10 shot group upstairs in the house with a R9 I called "Franken9" because it was a conglomeration of R9, R10 and home made parts.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...ken9target.jpg

Another 50 yard target when comparing different pellets. Notice the CPL group in the upper left corner..
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v7...6_5_2011-1.jpg

My point of all this is that while my accuracy with a break barrel R9 isn't exactly "PCP class accuracy", I can't shoot any tighter groups with my heavier and more awkward HW77, it's just that the "77" group sizes are a bit more consistent!

[Blackrider]

I have a very simple view point concerning spring driven air rifles ;
Hunting....... Break Barrel in .22 cal.
Targets........Underlever in .177 cal.

PCP ?. well I dont do it but its another storey !

brider.