Dodgy Diana User
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.
It don't mean a thing, if it ain't got a Spring
Made mi Laugh !Originally Posted by 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
“Let us not dwell on the distance we have fallen short, let us dwell on the distance we have travelled" !
Even better looking than a HW35
Good, I'm glad you found it funny as it's doing my bloody nut itMade mi Laugh !
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
Far too many rifles to list now, all mainly British but the odd pesky foreigner has snuck in
Registered User
Cometa 400.
My airguns: https://barx.org/airguns/
may also be employed in conjunction with a drawn reciprocation dingle arm, to reduce sinusoidal repleneration
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.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
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...
Nails Mc Fugger
walther LGV
Registered User
Hi,
my 2-Cents based on the comment of Geezer
Dodgy Diana User
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.
Registered User
I do thank you all for the input, there's obviously some fans of certain brands but this has thrown up plenty for me to consider. My last rifle was a Sheridan blue streak many many many years ago in my teens since when I've not shot a single pellet. I have asked if its still tucked away in the cabinet at parents house but im not holding out much hope. I started off on my dads non-descript and rather heavy break barrel and had the run of the grandparents farm when I was old enough with grandads ancient little bsa with fixed iron sights which I think my dad had learned to shoot with. The bsa was lovely to shoot even though it was probably 30 years and many thousands of pellets old by the time I picked it u. Don't want to rush into a purchase now so all the opinions suggestions and advice people have offered are great.
Be good. And if you can't be good, be good at being bad.
Even better looking than a HW35
As you can probably tell from my posts, I'm not a lover of HW's BUT unfortunately and to my disgust, I have to agree and reluctantly recommend the HW95 for a new purchase (ie brand new off of a gun shops shelf, not new to you) as there isn't much else out there new which can come close to it's performance and build quality, unfortunately there isn't any new British made break barrel rifles which are worth mentioning (mainly because there ain't any), which pains me, if you're prepared to wait and also happy to buy secondhand (and older) then there are plenty of British made break barrels that'll give the 95 a good kicking, Webley, Theoben and even some of the BSA range (I kid you not, after a large fettling of course) are worth seeking out and trying.
Of course if Air Arms was to hurry up with a break barrel then we can put these types of threads to bed before they've gone too far and the HW name has been mentioned too many times
Pete
Far too many rifles to list now, all mainly British but the odd pesky foreigner has snuck in
Registered User
I think they all have pins rather than bolts. Shame.
The lightning has lovely proportions and handles like it looks. The shooting experience is a little worse than it ought to be.
They've had barrel issues. I'm no fan of the breech design and lockup. I don't like the spring retention pin design or the raised scope rail. Triggers could be a lot better. Spanish quality overall isn't the best.
BSA have fallen way behind, using age old design and just choosing to improve looks.
I've owned both and I'd choose a cometa 400s before a lightning. Both can be fettled but even when sorted won't match some of the better offerings
B.A.S.C. member
Registered User
Probably best rifle below/ around £200 currently-
I seem to be forming an opinion nicer in 22 .......or 22 barrels not pellet fussy
Looking for TO-6 Trigger unit unmessed with or T0-6 kit for 34
Registered User
Looks good as well:
My airguns: https://barx.org/airguns/
Even a stopped clock is right twice a day
Nooooooo!! Fettle a Lightning all you like, it'll never be as good as an OOB HW. Inferior design in every way.
Yup!walther LGV
Good deals with these members
Even better looking than a HW35
Well you won't get one of those for under £200.Looks good as well:
The Cometa Fusion Premier is around the £350 mark.
Pete
Far too many rifles to list now, all mainly British but the odd pesky foreigner has snuck in
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