How long is too long to leave an HW100 cocked?

[RichardinDorset]

As per title. Will the hammer spring or anything get damaged if left cocked for too long?

I would assume an hour or two would be ok. (Safety on of course!)

Will there be any loss of accuracy? AFAIK, the cocking action is only setting the hammer, so there's no reason for air pressure to drop off after cocking? Or will the regulator creep?

[BigEars]

Safety would dictate that you don't leave a gun cocked. If you're not taking the shot, discharge it into the ground. Never rely on safety catches.

[RichardinDorset]

Safety would dictate that you don't leave a gun cocked. If you're not taking the shot, discharge it into the ground. Never rely on safety catches.

Agreed, but in this situation I want to avoid firing off pellets every 10 mins waiting for my quarry.

Can't load when the quarry appears as loading is too noisy.

How long would you wait with a loaded gun before deciding it's dangerous? 1 minute. 10 minutes. An hour.

[NewPaul]

Agreed, but in this situation I want to avoid firing off pellets every 10 mins waiting for my quarry.

Can't load when the quarry appears as loading is too noisy.

How long would you wait with a loaded gun before deciding it's dangerous? 1 minute. 10 minutes. An hour.

Well, for me (I also have an HW100) I only cock the rifle once I see my intended target and have always managed to do it smoothly and quietly, I take the shot and immediately Re-load in the event I may need a follow up shot, that is normally anything from 10 to 30 seconds depending on how much twitching around the quarry does. If a second shot is not required, I discharge the loaded pellet either into the ground near the shot pest or sometimes into the pest itself just for good measure. It's just what I've been used to and ensures I always know that when I move on or wait in the same spot longer, my gun is safe until I need it again (which could be some considerable time later)

Not avoiding your main query about how long you can leave it cocked 'without damage', I really don't know, I wouldn't have thought damage would occur but I'm sure knowledgeable peeps on here will know.