Recommendations please.

Rimfire bolt action rifles, lever action, pump action and self loading rifles. Air rifles.

Recommendations please.

Post by Die Judicii » 10 Jul 2024, 9:38 pm

Hi All,
I own a Stoeger X20 in .177
Power wise I couldn't ask for more,,,,,,

But, The trigger is just downright awful, and its accuracy leaves something to be desired.

It has the factory variable scope on it,,,,,,,and tbh,, I'm not certain whether the accuracy issues are coming from the rifle itself, or the scope,,, or maybe both.
Anyway,,,, I've decided there must be something better out there that is available.

What brand/model of air rifles are considered to be very good to excellent these days. ??? :unknown:

My primary use would be waging war on the Indian Minors and the introduced Pigeons out to approx 35 meters.

With this in mind also,,,,,what caliber,,,, .177 or .22 ?

Many thanks in advance.
I do not fear death itself... Only its inopportune timing!
And,,,,It's been proven,,,,, the most trustworthy females in my entire life were all canines.
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Re: Recommendations please.

Post by on_one_wheel » 10 Jul 2024, 10:10 pm

The Weihrauch HW97K is absolutely amazing

I bought one in .22 for rabbits however a .177 would be great on birds... get one of each :thumbsup:
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Post by NTSOG » 11 Jul 2024, 7:29 am

G'day,

Weihrauch air rifles are excellent and have much better triggers than most. Some are sold under the Beeman label in the US. The old HW 80 is still a good break-barrel. I have one in .177 which is brilliantly accurate and very powerful after a rebuild. The HW 90 has a Theoben gas strut in it and can be pressurised to very high levels of power so that cocking it becomes a task requiring great strength. I have two in .20. I also have a little lower-powered Anschutz in .177 which I use in my machinery shed to get rid of sparrows, etc. It's very accurate, but has a terrible trigger. I had a Hatsan which I bought out of curiosity. it was massively powerful in .22 but was so inaccurate I took my angle grinder to it and chopped it into pieces.

In general I would be looking to find a Weihrauch springer in good used condition, either the HW 80 or HW97K with under-lever cocking. I suspect springers are not as popular due to the more modern 'pressurised' air rifles on the market nowadays. Of course springers are fussy about how they are held due to the double recoil and they destroy rifle scopes that are not specially built for them.

Jim
Last edited by NTSOG on 11 Jul 2024, 11:27 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Die Judicii » 11 Jul 2024, 8:36 am

Many thanks OOW and NTSOG to both of you.
I was over the moon when I saw both of your replies which had high regards for the Weihrauch ,,, and in particular the HW97k.

I had done some research, reading quite a few reviews online yesterday,, and it certainly seemed to be very well favoured.
You gents have been the tipping point in its favor.

:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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And,,,,It's been proven,,,,, the most trustworthy females in my entire life were all canines.
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Post by bigpete » 11 Jul 2024, 9:12 am

on_one_wheel wrote:The Weihrauch HW97K is absolutely amazing

I bought one in .22 for rabbits however a .177 would be great on birds... get one of each :thumbsup:


Can vouch for this. I bought one when I was doing contract pest control and it was a great rifle. However a 22 is more versatile I found with the exception of shooting inside sheds.
I'd get a 177 for the task he wants. Bit flatter shooting and cheaper ammo and would still kill rabbits easy enough
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Post by bigpete » 11 Jul 2024, 9:16 am

Also the trigger on mine was magnificent, easily one of the best factory triggers I've used.
Only thing I didn't like was the fact the rifle could be fired without having the pellet carrier pushed into position....not good when newbies are around....
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Post by NTSOG » 11 Jul 2024, 11:26 am

G'day DJ,

The Weihrauch Rekord trigger is excellent and can be 'fiddled' in little ways. Here's a site that discusses adjusting the trigger on an HW97K.

https://www.thebushcraftforum.com/threa ... er.417739/

Before I started with powder-burners I bought several Weihrauch rifles and spent hours practising with them off the back porch. I became very comfortable with the triggers on them so when I bought a couple of Weihrauchs [.222 Rem and .22Magnum] for hunting the transfer was relatively painless.

Jim
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Post by Cooper » 11 Jul 2024, 7:00 pm

Fit birds like India mynas I’d go .177 calibre. I had one in .22 cal and just reckon there is more choice in pellets in .177 and generally cheaper.
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Post by Peterwho » 11 Jul 2024, 7:43 pm

I have two Weihrauch HW97ks, one in .22 and one in .177. Highly recommend them both but I would use .177 for your uses.
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Post by Die Judicii » 11 Jul 2024, 9:13 pm

So,,,,,,,,,,,, we're all in agreeance. :thumbsup:
Many thanks to all,,,,,,,, and thanks Jim for the trigger info.

I managed to buy one today with timber stock in EXCELLENT condition from a dealer.
A .22 cal one.
Can't complain about the dealers efficiency,,,,, I rang him at business opening this morning,, paid for it,,, and he posted it soon after midday.

Now the usual PTA wait begins. :roll: :roll:
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And,,,,It's been proven,,,,, the most trustworthy females in my entire life were all canines.
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Post by NTSOG » 02 Aug 2024, 6:59 am

G'day DJ,

Have you got the HW97K yet?

Jim
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Post by on_one_wheel » 03 Aug 2024, 8:36 am

Die Judicii wrote:So,,,,,,,,,,,, we're all in agreeance. :thumbsup:
Many thanks to all,,,,,,,, and thanks Jim for the trigger info.

I managed to buy one today with timber stock in EXCELLENT condition from a dealer.
A .22 cal one.
Can't complain about the dealers efficiency,,,,, I rang him at business opening this morning,, paid for it,,, and he posted it soon after midday.

Now the usual PTA wait begins. :roll: :roll:


Next you'll be investigating 97k tuning kits to see how much you can squeeze out of it.... don't blame me though :thumbsup:
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Post by Die Judicii » 03 Aug 2024, 10:26 pm

NTSOG wrote:G'day DJ,

Have you got the HW97K yet?

Jim


No Mate,,,, the PTA has been approved though.
Why in heavens name do they do what they have to,,,,,,,,,,,, then say yay or nay,,,,,,,,,,,, but then step backwards and say they (weapons licensing) need a further week to do "quality control" on their decision.

If I were to run a business on the same/similar basis,,,,,,,,,,, it would go bankrupt in a very short space of timr.
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And,,,,It's been proven,,,,, the most trustworthy females in my entire life were all canines.
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Post by NTSOG » 05 Aug 2024, 6:56 am

Bureaucrats must look busy lest others realise how many of them are Wankers.

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Post by Die Judicii » 09 Aug 2024, 11:03 pm

I took delivery of the Weihrauch 22 cal springer today.
Very pleasantly surprised.
Although it was advertised as 2nd hand,,,, my dealer and I examined it closely and came to the opinion that it probably has never been fired except for the factory test shot/s.

Now just gotta get out and have a play with it.
I do not fear death itself... Only its inopportune timing!
And,,,,It's been proven,,,,, the most trustworthy females in my entire life were all canines.
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Post by NTSOG » 10 Aug 2024, 7:16 am

G'day DJ,

Are you going to put a scope on the HW97K? If so do get air-rifle specific rings from BKL or SportsMatch. I prefer the BKL one-piece mounts which have 6 bolts and don't come loose with the double recoil:

https://www.bkltech.com/BKl-1-6-Screw-U ... kl-260.htm

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Post by Die Judicii » 10 Aug 2024, 8:42 pm

NTSOG wrote:G'day DJ,

Are you going to put a scope on the HW97K? If so do get air-rifle specific rings from BKL or SportsMatch. I prefer the BKL one-piece mounts which have 6 bolts and don't come loose with the double recoil:

https://www.bkltech.com/BKl-1-6-Screw-U ... kl-260.htm

Jim


It came with a CenterPoint 3-9 x 40 scope already on it Mate.
I do not fear death itself... Only its inopportune timing!
And,,,,It's been proven,,,,, the most trustworthy females in my entire life were all canines.
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Post by NTSOG » 11 Aug 2024, 6:39 am

"It came with a CenterPoint 3-9 x 40 scope already on it Mate."

Well you'll be whacking birds in no time.

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Post by bigrich » 11 Aug 2024, 8:44 am

on_one_wheel wrote:The Weihrauch HW97K is absolutely amazing

I bought one in .22 for rabbits however a .177 would be great on birds... get one of each :thumbsup:


I had a HW 80 in 22cal . Great trigger and very powerful for a springer
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Post by Larry » 11 Aug 2024, 4:37 pm

Late to this thread and really too late to make any comment really useful as you now have it all in hand. So after saying that and thinking about it. Its best if I just keep it to myself. Best of luck with it and have fun plinking those little pests.
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Post by bigpete » 11 Aug 2024, 4:52 pm

Have you taken it out to shoot yet ?
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Post by Die Judicii » 11 Aug 2024, 7:39 pm

bigpete wrote:Have you taken it out to shoot yet ?


Not yet bloke,, not yet.
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And,,,,It's been proven,,,,, the most trustworthy females in my entire life were all canines.
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Post by Die Judicii » 11 Aug 2024, 7:45 pm

Larry wrote:Late to this thread and really too late to make any comment really useful as you now have it all in hand. So after saying that and thinking about it. Its best if I just keep it to myself. Best of luck with it and have fun plinking those little pests.


Hey M8,,,,, it's never too late to have a say or comment. Unlike being at a wedding or an auction. :lol:
'I'm still interested to hear it.
:thumbsup:
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And,,,,It's been proven,,,,, the most trustworthy females in my entire life were all canines.
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Post by Larry » 12 Aug 2024, 4:41 pm

Well I hope this is proved wrong. But back in the day so speaking of springers it was I thought a pretty well known thing to stick with the .177 as they didnt just have enough power to push the 22 fast enough. Got to say though back then I just bought cans of pellets there was never any knowledge of different weight pellets if there was available or not.
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Post by bigpete » 13 Aug 2024, 1:11 am

Larry wrote:Well I hope this is proved wrong. But back in the day so speaking of springers it was I thought a pretty well known thing to stick with the .177 as they didnt just have enough power to push the 22 fast enough. Got to say though back then I just bought cans of pellets there was never any knowledge of different weight pellets if there was available or not.


The HW97 pushes 22 cal pellets at around 850fps,which is plenty fast enough to kill rabbits and foxes....
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Post by Die Judicii » 13 Aug 2024, 8:17 am

Yeah, Thanks for that Larry.
I haven't as yet researched exactly how many or how much variants of 22 pellets are available these days,,, but I do know there is a huge amount readily available these days compared to 58 years ago.

Different weights, different profiles, different materials,,,,,,,, and of course vastly better air rifle performances these days as well.

I purchased a pack of five tins of RWS pellets, and each one has differing profiles, base material and I think weights.
More than enough to determine which one suits best at whatever intended targets.

Cheers Mate
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And,,,,It's been proven,,,,, the most trustworthy females in my entire life were all canines.
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Post by bladeracer » 13 Aug 2024, 9:32 am

Larry wrote:Well I hope this is proved wrong. But back in the day so speaking of springers it was I thought a pretty well known thing to stick with the .177 as they didn't just have enough power to push the 22 fast enough. Got to say though back then I just bought cans of pellets there was never any knowledge of different weight pellets if they were available or not.


When I was thirteen I had the Norica Model 73 for PCYC competition, though I did a lot more plinking in the backyard than I did at the club. Likewise, I didn't test different pellets for accuracy, and velocity never occurred to me. The Police instructor told me I wanted wadcutters to cut neat holes in paper so that's all I used. If I had one now I'd love to know what sort of speed it was making. My failing memory and wild guess would put it closer to the 620fps of my Ruger 10/22 .177" than the 980fps of my Crosman gas-strut .177".

When we moved to country SA I doubt it ever occurred to me to take it out looking for live targets but it might've been adequate for Starlings.
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Post by NTSOG » 13 Aug 2024, 10:40 am

Gg'day All,

Growing up in Hawthorn I used to borrow my neighbour's Gecado 16 and shoot Mynahs from close range. Presently I have an HW 80 [.177] shooting at about 850 fps. My HW 90 [.20] is more powerful but takes considerable effort to cock as it has a Theoben ram instead of a spring. As regards overall power we should remember that the Brits, unless they have a Firearm Certificate [FAC], must keep power in their air rifles under 12 foot pounds to stay legal. They shoot bunnies and feral birds with great success. They also do a lot of tuning.

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Post by Die Judicii » 06 Sep 2024, 6:52 pm

Hi All,
Today I actually got around to taking the Weihrauch out of the safe and actually try it out. :D

Wow,,,,, it certainly ticks all the boxes.
It punched a flat nosed hp pellet right through 3 layers of 10mm pine plywood. So definitely plenty of power :thumbsup:

The trigger (although I will lighten it a tad) was excellent as predicted by some members. :thumbsup:

And accuracy (after winding ten clicks down) was phenominal. :thumbsup:

I lay in wait,,, and sniped 3 mynahs all with clean head shots at 25 meters.

I shoulda bought one of these years ago. :lol:
Last edited by Die Judicii on 07 Sep 2024, 11:03 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by bigpete » 06 Sep 2024, 8:58 pm

Yep,bloody good guns hey
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