Old & Older - meandering thoughts...

[laverdabru]

Having had a few days off work, & not a lot to do, I've had some serious comparison plinking going on. Most of my small collection date from the '50's to '70's, all are in relatively good order, but I was still suprised at the accuracy (or otherwise) of some.

1980(ish) HW35 .22 vs 2014 HW35k 177. Bought a new HW35 last year, had loads of hassle with it. Twangy, safety catch being anything but. ended up being sent back for a full rebuild. Returned with a test sheet showing it was kicking out 11.5. A month or so ago, bought a s/h .22 tested @ 11 ft/lb. Feels a different gun, much smoother & more accurate, even since tho' new one has been reworked.

1961 vs 1972 Webley Mk 3 in .22. Both of these bought in near mint condition. The feel of the early one is beautiful, the engineering of the tap - but shooting them back to back, the later one is more accurate. That really suprised me!

1964(?) AirSporter Mk 2 vs 1969 Mk 4. From what I've read, thought the Mk 2 with pop up breech & flip up sight would ace the later one. Nope - but I think a previous owner of the early one may have attempted to tune it. And it's had a bit more wear & tear.

'50's Webley Junior rifle vs Diana 25. These 2 are the joker(s) in the pack. The Junior is surprisingly accurate on my 20 yd range, using a light pellet, such as Hobby's. And the 25 is harder hitting than I expected, I wonder if it may have been fitted with a stronger spring at some point.

Webley Pistols. Got a few of these, from Senior thru to the late Tempest. Best of the bunch - Hurricane .22 & .177. Could be down to the sights, I guess.

[Geezer]

That's really interesting.

No disrespect, but I can't understand why anyone buys a new HW35, as the old ones are readily available, more characterful, come in interesting variations like the 22" barrel E and the Luxus, and are easy to service/tune with readily available parts. And they last forever.

They are one of the best classic springer values. Second only, IMHO, to the Diana 25/27, especially with the ball-sear trigger (although it's a pain to take apart, or, more precisely, quite easy to take apart but a pain to put back together again). In terms of quality and performance, as opposed to nostalgic appeal, they knock the spots off Meteors, Jaguars, Milbros etc.

(I shall now retreat to my bunker in case the legions of BSA and Webley fans see this.)

[laverdabru]

Why did I buy a new HW35k? Well, at the time last year, I had some spare cash, & fancied treating myself to my first new rifle in my life, been shooting since the early '70's. I'd had an early HW77 secondhand, & foolishly thought the QC would still be there.
The 1980(?) second hand HW35 I've bought since was 1/3 of the price, came with a nice scope & mounts, shoots as sweet as a nut, & feels really nice.
Oh, agree about the Diana 25 - got one as well.