Break barrel springers - what to shortlist?

[GATMAN]

I was lucky enough to pick up a 98 in .177 a few years ago. I decided to fit a Welsh Willy kit in it and was amazed how well it shot. Beautiful firing cycle and stunning accuracy - I can match my S410 with it.
Mine is standard stroke and I was lucky that one of the washers supplied with the kit gave me 11.4 ft/lb with exacts - perfect !

This is my all time favourite springer.I have got all the hw break barrels,tx, prosport,lgu and Century.....the 98 beats the lot for smoothness and accuracy. I particularly like the bull barrel - no muzzle flip.

Paul.

[charub]

Get yourself a HW80 and have it sleeved is another option.

[Weasle]

Get yourself a HW80 and have it sleeved is another option.

Great option - mine is a true keeper.....or a 98 or a 95 with an early barrel weight and short stoke it.

Cheers

Steve

[look no hands]

Oh goody!

Yet another "which HW should I buy" thread.

Can we just make this a sticky please, with a ruddy big pink fluorescent arrow pointing to it, so anyone wanting to know what break barrel to buy can instantly find it.

Many thanks.

Pete

[Geezer]

My six standard answers:

1. Buy a good used one, rather than new.
2. HW35/80/85/95/98/99.
3. Diana 31/34/36/38.
4. FWB Sport.
5. Webley Omega, Tomahawk, or Longbow.
6. See 4 and 5.

2 and 3 are fine, too. Actually, option 2 may be best. Matter of opinion.

Try to find a club or a good shop when you can check a few out. Fit and feel are vitally important, and can only be judged in person.

[pelletcaster]

Hi,
my 2-Cents based on the comment of Geezer

My six standard answers:

1. Buy a good used one, rather than new.
I agree, especially for HW and DIANA

2. HW35/80/85/95/98/99.
I'm afraid none of these would (newly) shoot nicely thus crying for a tune.

3. Diana 31/34/36/38.
Same as 2.

4. FWB Sport.
5. Webley Omega, Tomahawk, or Longbow.
Sorry - no comment due to lack of knowledge.

6. See 4 and 5.

2 and 3 are fine, too. Actually, option 2 may be best. Matter of opinion.

Try to find a club or a good shop when you can check a few out. Fit and feel are vitally important, and can only be judged in person.
Yes and try a LGV. You'll be convinced.

[Geezer]

Hi,
my 2-Cents based on the comment of Geezer

Cheers. No experience of new ones. I last bought a new springer in around 1993. If you want an HW35, for example, you can either pay £300 or so for a new one, or half or two-thirds that for an old one with better finish and nice walnut, that has worn in over the years, or been tuned at some point, or will still cost less if you get a professional tune. And it will hold its value, unlike the new one.

Nothing really novel has been offered since (being generous) the TX200SR and Park RH91, being less generous the TX200, being ungenerous the HW80 or FWB Sport (honourable mention: Theoben Sirocco in 1982).

PCP, I guess it's different, in that current PCPs are I suppose better than older ones (I know sod all about PCPs, having never owned one). Even then, I wonder if a new R10 (say) is actually a better buy than an old R7, Skan, Titan....

No experience of the Umarex Walthers. I probably ought to get one sometime to allow me to form a vaguely-informed opinion.

Until that point comes, I am confident that you cannot buy anything now that is better than (for example) a raised-rail 85, Webley short-stroke Tommie or standard 'bow, or sorted FWB124/7. Walthers aside, I'd rather have a BSF 70 or a Webley Omega than current break-barrel offerings. But I'm probably weird.

[Blackrider]

Oh goody!

Yet another "which HW should I buy" thread.

Can we just make this a sticky please, with a ruddy big pink fluorescent arrow pointing to it, so anyone wanting to know what break barrel to buy can instantly find it.

Many thanks.

Pete

Made mi Laugh !

[look no hands]

Made mi Laugh !

Good, I'm glad you found it funny as it's doing my bloody nut it

Not to sound to grumpy about the matter but nearly every thread that gets started with "what rifle" boils down to either a HW95 (for break barrels) or HW97 (for fixed barrels), so can we just save us all the agro and just put it up in lights for all to see, so we can all get on and continue slagging BSA's and Hatsans down as usual.

Ta very muchly.

Pete

P.S. There's no point in recommending Diana's as no one can afford one or get hold of one

[vestlenning]

Cometa 400.

[Hsing-ee]

Good, I'm glad you found it funny as it's doing my bloody nut it

Not to sound to grumpy about the matter but nearly every thread that gets started with "what rifle" boils down to either a HW95 (for break barrels) or HW97 (for fixed barrels), so can we just save us all the agro and just put it up in lights for all to see, so we can all get on and continue slagging BSA's and Hatsans down as usual.

Do any of the current BSA range have a breech-bolt rather than a breech-pin? Given that an HW99 will need about 6 hours of fettling to get right, and an HW95 will need about 3 plus a short stroke conversion, it actually is starting to make sense to try a BSA. The spec of the Lighting XL is really very good value for money and I am thinking that if it HAS got a breech bolt then if one was to buy one and spend 6 hours tweaking it, it would match the HWs in most respects while being nicer and lighter to hold and to look at.

The issue of the Rekord trigger often comes up, but lesser triggers can be used to great effect with enough practice. The HW80 never beat the Feinwerkbau Sport consistently, because the Sport is inherently the more accurate rifle, IN SPITE OF its rather crude trigger.

So Pete may well be right. A top of the range BSA break-barrel Lightning XL SE from the SGC is £255, compared to the HW95 at £300 and HW99 at £220. With fettling and guides, the cost could be £280 for the BSA and £330 for the HW plus the time taken...