Is there a ‘best’ age/model HW99 to get?

[MeHadger]

A galling fix vid for those who may need it

https://youtu.be/mMkz04uafM8

Was actually this video that prompted me to start the thread 🤣
I’d bookmarked it to use when I eventually got round to buying one and it actually reminded me that I should probably own one. So thanks! 👍🏼

[MeHadger]

Mine 99 is a V Mach v-glide conversion. The spring, guide and piston seal are still available from Lyn Lewington - A R C Tuning. Mach 1.5

I had an early model in .22 fitted with the same conversion,but in the .177 was to snappy fitted into a friends but he seemed happy with it.

Ah, I shall go and have a look and see if I can track this place/person down. Thanks for the pointer 👍🏼

[Big Seth]

Hope this helps. I recently returned to airguns and bought a new 99s in .177. Fitted a TB tuning kit and sorted the galling thing before firing a single shot. Must say it's the best break barrel rifle I've ever owned. You won't be disappointed, even in the smaller calibre.
Couple of things-
1. LOP and reach to trigger are utterly ridiculous. Fixed by trimming the stock to the length of a friends Mk2 HW80 and fitting a Rowan engineering set back straight trigger blade.
2. Needs an adjustable but pad. Fixed with a Bisley adjustable job but I used the HW rubber pad. In total I removed 22mm of wood (obviously the adjustable pad is thicker than OEM pad) from the blunt end of the stock.

[MeHadger]

1. LOP and reach to trigger are utterly ridiculous. Fixed by trimming the stock to the length of a friends Mk2 HW80 and fitting a Rowan engineering set back straight trigger blade.
2. Needs an adjustable but pad. Fixed with a Bisley adjustable job but I used the HW rubber pad. In total I removed 22mm of wood (obviously the adjustable pad is thicker than OEM pad) from the blunt end of the stock.

Ooh, this is new info! Now can’t stop looking at the ‘droopy’ bit of the newer stock behind the cheek piece to the pad, similar to the newer 97 stocks. Hmm, will try and get into my local later to have a feel of one, thanks 👍🏼

[TonyL]

Yep, personally, if I could afford, I'd go new. The 99 is one of my favourite rifles and its manners are far, far better than its full power / light weight prescription would suggest. Tinny's video is excellent!. Calibre down to the individual - I have them in .177 and .22 and love them both. A little bit of therapeutic fettling and this lovely rifle's perfick.

[MeHadger]

Yep, personally, if I could afford, I'd go new. The 99 is one of my favourite rifles and its manners are far, far better than its full power / light weight prescription would suggest. Tinny's video is excellent!. Calibre down to the individual - I have them in .177 and .22 and love them both. A little bit of therapeutic fettling and this lovely rifle's perfick.

Hadn’t considered new until just looking and seeing they are actually priced lower than a bloomin Lightning?! New or new-ish could be an option.

[gsxrman]

Id buy one from around 1994-5

[TonyL]

Ah, before it was even a twinkle in its creator's eye, then?

[MeHadger]

Id buy one from around 1994-5

🤔 is this a ‘get an HW80 instead’ reference?

[hawkeye]

The best is probably a new one - at least it won't have galled itself to death already and you can apply the fix before it does.

Are they still making them though as my local rfd Sportsman gun Centre do not list them now.

[TonyL]

I haven't seen anything anywhere suggesting that HW would cease production. The rifle appears to be widely available. Maybe it's just that SGC are temporarily out of stock as they import directly?

[tinbum]

Are they still making them though as my local rfd Sportsman gun Centre do not list them now.

Check for the HW50s, the same gun but ever so slightly better

[hawkeye]

Thank you guys. 👍

[TonyL]

Are they still making them though as my local rfd Sportsman gun Centre do not list them now.

Check for the HW50s, the same gun but ever so slightly better

Oops, yes, forgot about that.. If Sportsman do have them, they will be the HW50S rather than the 99S. Same rifle. The UK get the 99S, whereas the rest of the World gets the 50S. Can't remember the exact reasoning for the two different names but trying to disassociate the new rifle from the old 50S (cute, brilliant, packed with finesse but lower powered) I think has been cited before as one of the reasons?

[gsxrman]

🤔 is this a ‘get an HW80 instead’ reference?

Got it in one, superior in every way.
50/99 feels like a toy, sorry.
Springer break barrel, HW80K..... all the way!