after light/medium weight springer

[look no hands]

Maybe not pot luck on the rifle working long term ...

Best HW99s test, cock rifle, de cock, cock rifle, de cock, etc do that a dozen times and see what happens.
If the cocking link isn't chewing the cylinder by then, lucky you. Everyone in the gun trade knows, all very happy to take peoples money though which is fair enough. No tuners used to touch them, they used to laugh at people who bought them as they all know they are shite.
Now, you can buy a 'custom jobbie' off shelf. Fair play, gunshops are business's, not there to draw attention to design blunders, there to take your money -
IMO the reason folk like the 99 is because it has a small piston and just enough spring (well for 10.5 typically) and like it or not, not many people actually have the upper body strength to shoot medium weight rifles consistently for long, certainly not off hand.

You don't have to convince me that the 99 is overrated , it's well known on here I hate anything that comes out the HW factory (and Germany come to think of it), my comment was meant to be more tongue in cheek than appraisal, if the guy likes his .177 HW99, then why is he even bothering to ask what would be a nice rifle in.22, surely another 99? if you like something that much then you're going to stick with what you like, your comment it very true about certain tuners, I know a few years ago Tony at SFS saying he wouldn't even stock the 99 let alone recommend it or tune it but now he can't tune them quick enough but if people are going to flash their cash at him he's going to take it, we'd all do the same in his situation.

[Arthur John Smithsplease]

The 280 is arse about face, 4mm transfer port, short stroke, articulated cocking.
It's like taking a good solid 31 / 34 design, and making the worst possible hash out of it for a dedicated 16 joule rifle. Pretty much following hw's abortion of a rifle for same market, the self eating hw 99, while the 95 always has been the top medium weight rifle, but at price over the Diana 34 and Cometa 400, which both shoot just as accurately -

I had one and can't recall it having an articulated cocking lever.

[vestlenning]

You don't have to convince me that the 99 is overrated , it's well known on here I hate anything that comes out the HW factory (and Germany come to think of it), my comment was meant to be more tongue in cheek than appraisal, if the guy likes his .177 HW99, then why is he even bothering to ask what would be a nice rifle in.22, surely another 99? if you like something that much then you're going to stick with what you like, your comment it very true about certain tuners, I know a few years ago Tony at SFS saying he wouldn't even stock the 99 let alone recommend it or tune it but now he can't tune them quick enough but if people are going to flash their cash at him he's going to take it, we'd all do the same in his situation.

So much time spent on hating, what's the point?

[look no hands]

So much time spent on hating, what's the point?

It's either them or the ex-wife

It's a long story and unless you're in my shoes then you won't understand.

Pete

[Arthur John Smithsplease]

The 280 is arse about face, 4mm transfer port, short stroke, articulated cocking.
It's like taking a good solid 31 / 34 design, and making the worst possible hash out of it for a dedicated 16 joule rifle. Pretty much following hw's abortion of a rifle for same market, the self eating hw 99, while the 95 always has been the top medium weight rifle, but at price over the Diana 34 and Cometa 400, which both shoot just as accurately -

It may be superior to the 99s in build quality.

But it isn't, in its current form, a very nice shooter at 12fpe.

I know people rave about them. I just don't know why

It was reading the rave reviews that got me into buying one. I loved the feel and balance but not the way it shot. But the rave reviews continued and I began to wonder if I had just got a bad one, or if the fault were mine, even though I am a decent springer shooter. So I bought another one. That lasted a couple of weeks.

I would love the 95 to be the rifle for me. It ticks all the boxes except one. I once tried a Diana 34 Premium in 22 and felt it was a much better shooter. I have no idea however whether it would be equally nice in 177.

The 99s may eat itself, but the pellets go where you point it.

[TonyL]

Although I, and many others, LOVE the '95.

I have two. One of the first when they were launched, with the steel muzzle weight, in .177. And it always put the pellets where I want it. Fitted a V-Mach kit a few years ago and even lovelier. Capable of fine and easily achievable accuracy.

I also have one of the later ones in .22 with the screw on silencer, which I have hardly used as I have too many rifles, really.

And I'll have a third one one day as I bought my dad one years ago which he no longer uses. That's a .22 with the muzzle weight.

My V-Mached .177 is running the standard stroke. And, although I have tried (briefly) ones with the TBT short stroke heads (and very fine manners they exhibit, too) I'm happy with mine in its current guise.