HW35, a few questions

[Micky Spillane]

Dave don't worry about the long post it gives people a lot to work on. As I recall the HW35 was not well suited to a telescopic sight. If you look at the guns profile you will notice a decided droop from the cylinder to the barrel. This was a design feature, God knows why, but unless you use a particular type of scope mount your '35 will always shoot low. The open sights are mounted on the barrel its self therefore are aligned with that rather than the cylinder and will shoot accurately. do not be tempted to over power the gun it was designed around the 7 joule power limitation in Germany and is not suited to go much higher, I had a certain affection for these but they are a Marmite gun.

[Bellycrawler]

I know very little about the 35's but do know the early ones had wide scope rails compared to the more recent ones & if your piston seal is leather I'm guessing it's an early one, if it has scope mounts already fitted they should be for a 1" or larger 30mm scope tube & either will be fine as most modern scopes will fit depending on make / size etc. I've got 3 35's myself that need a refurb or more correctly worded I'm hoping to make one half decent one, a rougher one with what's left & have a few spares, sadly one stock is cracked beyond repair. Enjoy your plinking.

[TonyL]

Hi Dave,

Welcome to the forum.

Lovely guns, the HW35.

Personally, with the spring also being a little bent, I'd go for a new spring that comes with custom fitted rear guide and top hat, which should result in a much more refined firing cycle.

I'd prefer to keep it on opens for that proper "classic" feel, but if going for a new scope would lean towards a nice 32mm scope in low mounts, due to the low comb of the 35.

Enjoy and feel free to shout up with any further questions and to get stuck into all the fun on here.

[look no hands]

Lovely guns, the HW35.

Still having mental problems I see

Don't worry Dave, just an on going "thing" me and Tony have

The 35 will certainly be good for target practice, just buy yourself a decent rifle and the 35 will make an excellent target

Pete

[TonyL]

Still having mental problems I see

Don't worry Dave, just an on going "thing" me and Tony have

The 35 will certainly be good for target practice, just buy yourself a decent rifle and the 35 will make an excellent target

Pete

Lovely guns, the HW35s.

Oops; did I say that already?

Lovely, classic rifles which can still compete favourably with many newer rifles.

Enjoy, Dave; and discount the naysayers' comments.

[mrto]

Great guns the 35 probably my favourite HW break barrel!There's a reason they've been in production for nearly seventy years!

[CapitalBee]

35's will shoot nicely with some work and at reasonable power levels to. A spring guide set would be recommended, but be careful as due to the change from leather piston seal to synthetic, there is a change in stroke (the distance the piston can travel as the spring is compressed and then released). Leather seals have shorter strokes, so standard guide sets might need some trimming off. The older 35's (yours) also have wider scope rails, though they are catered for - look for Sportsmatch 13mm mounts, they will help. Personally, I prefer a gloss finish 3-9x40 scope on my 35 - it fits in with the classic look and gives you all the magnification you need.

[look no hands]

There's a reason they've been in production for nearly seventy years!

Yep they've still not sold all of the first batch they made, apparently they're now doing a buy one get the rest free offer

Pete

[tinbum]

Still having mental problems I see

Don't worry Dave, just an on going "thing" me and Tony have

The 35 will certainly be good for target practice, just buy yourself a decent rifle and the 35 will make an excellent target

Pete

The main problem with a 35 and sub 12 is that it's not enough power to kill it humanely. I carry a battery angle grinder to supply the coup de gras where necessary.

[look no hands]

The main problem with a 35 and sub 12 is that it's not enough power to kill it humanely. I carry a battery angle grinder to supply the coup de gras where necessary.

TOP MAN!

Pete

[buttloaves]

Still having mental problems I see

Don't worry Dave, just an on going "thing" me and Tony have

The 35 will certainly be good for target practice, just buy yourself a decent rifle and the 35 will make an excellent target

Pete

My Relum Tornado would protect it..

[Ticker 64]

Dave don't worry about the long post it gives people a lot to work on. As I recall the HW35 was not well suited to a telescopic sight. If you look at the guns profile you will notice a decided droop from the cylinder to the barrel. This was a design feature, God knows why, but unless you use a particular type of scope mount your '35 will always shoot low. The open sights are mounted on the barrel its self therefore are aligned with that rather than the cylinder and will shoot accurately. do not be tempted to over power the gun it was designed around the 7 joule power limitation in Germany and is not suited to go much higher, I had a certain affection for these but they are a Marmite gun.

I see this is an old thread, but I thought I would add my experience with a .22cal 1978 HW35. It had been in a cupboard for 25 years, so during the Corona virus lockdown, I thought I would give it a service for something to do. Firstly, I had to watch numerous Youtube vids and read forums to familiarise myself with the gun as I haven't picked up a rifle of any type since that time. Tried my hand at a target at 15 metres and it was all over the place. I noticed the breech seal looked a bit pitted so I ordered a new synthetic one which is red in colour and it certainly improved penetration, but not accuracy. So I stripped the piston down, it has a leather seal but looked fine so I cleaned and then regreased everything as shown on youtube and reassembled. It was still erratic. I then purchased an assortment of four brands of pellets and tried them in groups of 5. I found the RWS superdomes to be the most accurate I could now get them in a group within 1.5 inches standing with open sites still at 15 metres.

I have a friend who belongs to a gun club with a large garden. So i went over to his place and we set a target at 25 metres and I could group them at about 50mm with open sites sitting down with a gun rest. He owns a scoped HW100PCP, which he let me have a shot of, it was night and day. I felt to improve I would need a scope.

I purchased a Hawke 3-9 x 40 AO fastmount, and some separate 13mm dovetail mounts, as that's the size the old HW35's require, modern guns I have learned are 11mm or 20mm.

Back to my friends garden range and I can now group them within an inch at 25metres sitting down with scope.
I find the gun a bit heavy to use standing unsupported. I obviously need some sort of exercise regimen to strengthen my arms. I don't know what the muzzle velocity is I'm going to get it chronographed this week. What should I be able to achieve in terms of grouping all things being equal?

Thanks for reading my blatherings.

[maximus]

Hi, the 35 is as capable as any other spring rifle given a pellet the barrel likes and the power plant being in good condition. Do the chrono check to see how consistent it is. Also remember that you can't rest a spring rifle on a solid object when shooting or Accuracy will be poor. If the power is low it could have a porous breech which some of the older models suffered from. Don't worry though, it is fixable and there are a few threads on here detailing how to do it.

Regards Max

[TonyL]

Hi Ticker; welcome to the forum.

Tips as above.

Most HW35s love the RWS Hobby so well worth giving them a try too.

Take the time to get that practice in and honing your technique; you'll find it so rewarding.

Enjoy your lovely 35.

[Frog]

What should I be able to achieve in terms of grouping all things being equal?

All things being equal I would expect the rifle (in 'A1' condition) to be capable of groups around one minute of angle - i.e 1/4inch group at 25yds. Shooting it that well is very far from easy so I would just practice, practice, practice and I'm sure you will see your groups shrink slowly from the current inch.
I enjoy shooting mine:-)