most powerful air pistol available to us here in UK?

[harvey_s]

yeah but nicer to knock a tin can about with a 5.5ftlbs or whatever hw45 than a 2 or 3ftlbs or whatever it does hw40 no? nice to hit it a bit harder i think otherwise the hw40 is much cheaper, much lighter, looks better (subjective) and has no report or recoil so why do guys love their hw45's and why does it exist? got to be the harder-hittingness i think

Nope, and a sure sign of a lack of experience with same, trust me - with spring power a 5½ft/lb'er will be unpleasant to cock, be un-naturally large in size, and will be heavy to contain the powerful spring it will require.
With CO2 it will be bloody loud in unsilenced form attracting unwanted attention, it will probably require an overly long barrel as well.
Both will also be probably inaccurate due to a combination of the above.

There is a 'macho' obsession with power amongst the uninformed - as for the HW45 it is seldom as powerful as people think they are, its over-sized, top heavy, diesels like a pig and the dual-power is a silly gimmick as the point of impact is so different.
However it is reasonably well made.

But if you're actually a shooter rather than a talker, you'll quickly tire of the power and yearn for the ability to actually put the pellet wher you want it go rather than having the most powerful near-miss or 'flyer' as you'll quickly call them

[Ian]

I would agree that the HW45 is not as powerful as is often thought - I have owned 5 and the most powerful was just over 5ft/lb

I would also agree that dual power is a waste of time - I never use mine on the lower setting

Accuracy however, is excellent once the right technique is mastered

I will admit that they look top heavy but they certainly dont feel it

If I could own only one air pistol it would probably be an HW45

[ratgunner]

Pistol Power is not always about how yo Pistol punches,

An EB albeit it .22 a .20 or .177 roars it's challenge and yer popcan will flinch or fallover, thats power!

Fill yer can with water and an EB will split it's sternum and a small waterspout will go skywards! thats power
It will also piss off! your neighbours

It is the only Co2 pistol I have owned that has recoil

HW 45 has a manly twang, I have owned both the .177 and .22, I must admit I did not get on well with the .177 but loved the .22

single power and I blew cans and waterspouts all over the place,

HW 40 wow! 3x32 Rhino Pistol Scope, Daystate Select 4.51 pellets,
deadly, 10 10 10 10 10 bored crapless! SOLD IT!

£39 SMK spring Pistol .177

40 ftlbs trigger, squeeze barrel, wot a piece of poop! Kath my better half tried a shot in my small (nee box) workshop and killed my Homemade anglepoise lamp

Spent Winter months having a tiddle! you know the stuff,

Diamond filed the sears two strokes per strip and fitted the superb buried in laquer wooden butt and gleaming metal work with a red dot sight and came sixth in a Kibworth pistol Comp,

Dog With Two Tails!

Moral of the story;

WHATEVER FITS YER PISTOL

[Ian]

Love the above post!

[Rocket launcher]

the most powerful air pistol i ever
was a diana sp50
it was more powerful than my mates GAT loaded the same but mine could fire a dart through a coalhouse door
had i had a crono it would have shown loads of power better than anything available today
it took loads and loads of pusth to load it

[fat man]

I like the HW45, mines .177 and is doing 5.3 ftlbs with Rws Superfeild, but why the power thing! accuracey is way more important. One of the most accurate pistols I have is Hammerli Master co2 match pistol, 1973 model , with RWS Gecos its easily as accurate as some modern match pistols. Another more basic fave is my Crossman SP250 co2 in both .20 and .177(interchangeable barrels) designed for silouete shooting, )still looking for the .22 barel). Its, what works for you, so any pistol thats accurate for me.

[eyebull]

Regarding dual power features: far from being a gimmick, it enables you to keep the same zero point for different ranges...

Something like the Alecto, with 3 power levels and a flippable front sight, could potentially shoot at point blank over a very wide distance...after you've done your homework of course.

[pcusername]

I have Tau 7 Co2 target pistol.It has adjustable power from under 2 fpe to over 5 fpe depending on whether you want power or shot count,and it hits where you aim.Looks a bit weird but that's character.

[fannin]

as for the HW45 it is seldom as powerful as people think they are, its over-sized, top heavy, diesels like a pig and the dual-power is a silly gimmick as the point of impact is so different.
However it is reasonably well made.

what's dieseling harv?

[kevmar]

Nice.

[18 Wheeler]

what's dieseling harv?

As the air is compressed during the firing cycle, excessive lubricant in the gun can ignite. This can be severe enough to damage the pistol.

You may see a few very high power shots, the burning lubricant adding energy to the normal firing cycle.

[fannin]

As the air is compressed during the firing cycle, excessive lubricant in the gun can ignite. This can be severe enough to damage the pistol.

You may see a few very high power shots, the burning lubricant adding energy to the normal firing cycle.

ty man, can you prevent by cleaning excess lube from barrel?

[harvey_s]

ty man, can you prevent by cleaning excess lube from barrel?

In the case of the HW this would involve nearly running it dry I had 2 and if either so much as sniffed an oily rag the first few shots looked like they were old SAA colt's....

If power really is the be all for you then for I'd plump for CO2 power in the shape of the extremely customisable 22xx model, I've still got my custom one long after the HW's have gone.

[tazzi]

my crosman 2240shoots at 4.5ftlb over the club chrono.
it went with such a bang, at first we were worried it might be over 6ftlb.
it groups quite well too. for a fifty quid gun.

[magicniner]

I have an HW45 in .22, bought in the first couple of months that they were imported, it's had many thousands of pellets through it and has never needed a repair.
My 45 is running at 5.5 ft/lbs and is not hard to cock, is not harsh or unpleasant to shoot, and is very accurate but requires consistent technique for consistent results - speculation to the contrary on these points by those who don't own one is just that
Back on topic I've just finished a service on a Rohm Twinmaster Top which is running at 5.2 ft/lbs whilst still having a useable double action trigger
- Nick