To FAC, or not to FAC (that is the the .22 HW80K)

[foby75]

Got Hellequin's musings on his FAC HW80 back in the day circling in my restless, bankrupting, marriage-threatening, relatively clueless skull. WANT ONE!!!!

I have my mid/late 2000's HW80K in it's lovely superior walnut CS500 that shoots 13.43 gr JSBs with a 2fps standard deviation at 11.5 after a glided tune by Nick Simmons. It is a sub 12ft lbs springer without compromise par excellence. However, I am spoiled by an HW35E and two Webley Omega Carbines for field carry and bunny stalking, and now fancy gieing it laldy with the 80, as Beeman, Hans W, and the USA intended. Would fill the gap between UK legal air and the 35-50 yard distances I wont use my .22LR for due to potential safety issues. Not interested in a PCP on FAC.

Would appreciate the sage wisdom of this mighty collective on the following (plus anything I've missed):

• Will the K barrel with a DM80 slimline mod get the most out of the power?
• What power to try and get the best out of it (will be a request to the maestro in due course)
• Pellet advice at FAC- hates H&N in current form, loves JSB
• Scope and mount advice please

Hope to have my FAC for years to come and not bothered about loss of value in terms of sell-on.

Cheers!

[Mach 1.5]

I would say 14 inch barrel and the 80 sweet spot is around 19 ft lbs. H&N FTT..JB will be long soon to correct me i dare say. Mach 1.5

[foby75]

I would say 14 inch barrel and the 80 sweet spot is around 19 ft lbs. H&N FTT..JB will be long soon to correct me i dare say. Mach 1.5

Thanks Paul, appreciated

[venoman]

High power spring rifles are not easy to use, you have to spend alot of time developing away of shooting them.

[venoman]

High power spring rifles are not easy to use, you have to spend alot of time developing a way of shooting them.

[foby75]

High power spring rifles are not easy to use, you have to spend alot of time developing a way of shooting them.

Thanks, I'll put in the time, love the experience of spring rifle shooting, it helps with shooting my powder burners.

[capt hindsight]

Yeah, get it up to the power level it was designed for, can't be a bad idea imo.

[Shed tuner]

I'd stick with 16" barrel length tbh in FAC, as the 80 has the volume to drive it, plus it'll make cocking a little easier - although even at 17/18 fp, the cocking is not hard. I also have a 19" barrel for mine, that I've been meaning to try to see if there's any advantage.

Obviously if the weight/balance/handling doesn't work for you at that length, going down to 14" is a pretty safe option, but you will lose a few fps. Also the muzzle weight help stabilise the flip.

Personally however, I would never convert a nice UK sub 12 gun to FAC.. you just lose a load of money. A secondhand FAC 80 will be peanuts - which is what yours will be worth post conversion.

Finally, at 18 FP the 80 is a sweet shooting gun, but as stated above, you need to tune your technique. Also, it will not give you a lot more range... you're talking max 45 yards really, vs say 35 for the sub 12 .22. trajectory will be a little worse than a sub 12 .177

HTH - JB

[angrybear]

Personally however, I would never convert a nice UK sub 12 gun to FAC.. you just lose a load of money. A secondhand FAC 80 will be peanuts - which is what yours will be worth post conversion.

Finally, at 18 FP the 80 is a sweet shooting gun, but as stated above, you need to tune your technique. Also, it will not give you a lot more range... you're talking max 45 yards really, vs say 35 for the sub 12 .22. trajectory will be a little worse than a sub 12 .177

HTH - JB

This, in Spades.

Visit or phone around RFD's most will have rifles "out the back" that would waste display space, FAC springers are likely to be amongst them.

[Carpharp]

Also if Simmo did a glided tune (about £350+ I believe) then that will be a 26mm piston and possibly won’t produce the power you want.

[TonyL]

HW80s can shoot very nicely indeed at around the 18ft.lbs mark with very little in the way of special internals. Just a basic fettle plus the correct spring.

However, as per above, personally I wouldn't be using a nicely tuned one that's shooting well as a basis. I'd be seeing if there are any cheaper secondhand ones out there first, already FAC or not, as the basis for the project. S'up to you, though.......

[les allam]

I've always fancied getting my hw80 in .25 on ticket.
I know it would be pointless in many people's view.
But a Mag-lazered 80 doing 20-22 ish would float my boat .
Les..

[foby75]

Thanks all for input, lots to think about!

[PCPShooter]

13 inches on an 80 or 95 is enough for fac, by the time a 7 inch 'slim tech' or screw on PH is added. You may like a Steel or Alloy PH depending on the balance required once matching with your scope and mounts.

This gives a rifle not excessively long, and reasonable cocking effort. The 80 will be a bit more effort, but not unreasonable (like a gas ram effort with a short barrel such as Theoben, or Diana N Tec)

If going slim tech you'll need heavy baffles - generally use brass or similar in fac, not delrin baffles

A 95 at mid power fac - 17 ish is plenty, will open up heart shots on all UK quarry (except rabbits of course) and be very mild to shoot if using a medium to heavy scope (4-16, and or 50mm obj, that kinda thing) and one piece mount and heavy mod (PH / weighted slim tech)
Great for Crows and Squirrels etc _

It will shoot much flatter than a uk 22 out to 50 yards effectively


An 80 at around 20 - 22 will shoot like a 177 UK power out to 50 yards and be like putting muzzle immediate PBR to quarry

Due to weight of rifle two piece mounts and a 2 - 7 or at most a 3-9 will work fine

It will almost without doubt be H&N FT Trophy
Probably 5.53, but if you have an older barrel - maybe 5.54 - you'll have to test it

You loose some of the advantage using heavier pellets in this spec (IMO optimum - HW Springer FAC). You can get the odd HW barrel that will like Superfield in 22 best.
It's pointless to shoot 16 grain JSB types at these power levels from a springer - it doesn't help on the receiving end, and will just be loopier.

Transfer port - max 4mm. The old V Mach set up was no more than 3.8, but they would match the transfer port to the spring set too, which a lot of folk didn't realise, and would choose the spring set for the desired power (spring length), and use steel guides on FAC rifles _

17 HMR can fill a gap due to its extreme frangibility, on flat / hard ground. 22 LR is as bouncy as a kids blow up castle as I'm sure MOST people reading this thread will be aware. The other huge advantage of FAC air, is of course no rimfire is ever going to be shot at anything other than 'on the flat' hopefully - lots of UK pests are in trees or off the ground, the exclusive domain of FAC air and Shotgun _

I hope this helps _

[PCPShooter]

Got Hellequin's musings on his FAC HW80 back in the day circling in my restless, bankrupting, marriage-threatening, relatively clueless skull. WANT ONE!!!!

I have my mid/late 2000's HW80K in it's lovely superior walnut CS500 that shoots 13.43 gr JSBs with a 2fps standard deviation at 11.5 after a glided tune by Nick Simmons. It is a sub 12ft lbs springer without compromise par excellence. However, I am spoiled by an HW35E and two Webley Omega Carbines for field carry and bunny stalking, and now fancy gieing it laldy with the 80, as Beeman, Hans W, and the USA intended. Would fill the gap between UK legal air and the 35-50 yard distances I wont use my .22LR for due to potential safety issues. Not interested in a PCP on FAC.

Would appreciate the sage wisdom of this mighty collective on the following (plus anything I've missed):

• Will the K barrel with a DM80 slimline mod get the most out of the power?
• What power to try and get the best out of it (will be a request to the maestro in due course)
• Pellet advice at FAC- hates H&N in current form, loves JSB
• Scope and mount advice please

Hope to have my FAC for years to come and not bothered about loss of value in terms of sell-on.

Cheers!

13 inches on an 80 or 95 is enough for fac, by the time a 7 inch 'slim tech' or screw on PH is added. You may like a Steel or Alloy PH depending on the balance required once matching with your scope and mounts.

This gives a rifle not excessively long, and reasonable cocking effort. The 80 will be a bit more effort, but not unreasonable (like a gas ram effort with a short barrel such as Theoben, or Diana N Tec)

If going slim tech you'll need heavy baffles - generally use brass or similar in fac, not delrin baffles

A 95 at mid power fac - 17 ish is plenty, will open up heart shots on all UK quarry (except rabbits of course) and be very mild to shoot if using a medium to heavy scope (4-16, and or 50mm obj, that kinda thing) and one piece mount and heavy mod (PH / weighted slim tech)
Great for Crows and Squirrels etc _

It will shoot much flatter than a uk 22 out to 50 yards effectively


An 80 at around 20 - 22 will shoot like a 177 UK power out to 50 yards and be like like putting muzzle immediate PBR to quarry

Due to weight of rifle two piece mounts and a 2 - 7 or at most a 3-9 will work fine

It will almost without doubt be H&N FT Trophy
Probably 5.53, but if you have an older barrel - maybe 5.54 - you'll have to test it

You loose some of the advantage using heavier pellets in this spec (IMO optimum - HW Springer FAC). You can get the odd HW barrel that will like Superfield in 22 best.
It's pointless to shoot 16 grain JSB types at these power levels from a springer - it doesn't help on the receiving end, and will just be loopier.

Transfer port - max 4mm. The old V Mach set up was no more than 3.8, but they would match the transfer port to the spring set too, which a lot of folk didn't realise, and would choose the spring set for the desired power (spring length), and use steel guides on FAC rifles _

17 HMR can fill a gap due to its extreme frangibility, on flat / hard ground. 22 LR is as bouncy as a kids blow up castle as I'm sure MOST people reading this thread will be aware. The other huge advantage of FAC air, is of course no rimfire is ever going to shot at anything other than 'on the flat' hopefully - lots of UK pests are in trees or off the ground, the exclusive domain of FAC air and Shotgun _

I hope this helps _