HW50S Stainless
in Airguns
as air rifle, Airguns, HW50S, spring piston, Weihrauch
The HW50S Stainless is handsome and weather resistant.
Some years ago, I got caught in a rain storm with a finely made German air rifle. I dashed back to the car as quickly as I could, swabbed off the water with my bandanna, and stashed the rifle in a gun case. When I opened the case that evening, I could see that a tiny bit of rust was already beginning to form in a couple of places on the metal. Frankly, it annoyed me, and it put me on the lookout for an air rifle that could withstand wet weather.
Fast forward a few years, and I managed to obtain a Beeman R1-AW. This was a special version of the legendary Beeman R1 with electroless nickel plating on the metal parts and a black composite stock. Available only as a .20 caliber carbine, it was a beautiful gun, designed to withstand the elements, but jeez-Louise, it was heavy – fully 9.7 pounds just as it came out of the box. The one I bought had a muzzle break on it, which meant a scope was mandatory, raising the ready-to-go weight even more. Eventually I sold the R1-AW because I didn’t want to tote around all that weight.
In 2007, I tested the Weihrauch HW50S in .22 caliber and found it to be a lovely spring-piston air rifle. So imagine my delight when the good folks at Airguns of Arizona surprised me the other day with an “extra” rifle packed in a shipment. It was a Weihrauch HW50S Stainless.
The “Stainless” looks a whole lot like a scaled down version of the R1-AW. It has a stainless metal finish on the action (I suspect it might be the same nickel finish used on the AW) and a black synthetic finish on the wooden stock. The end result is an air rifle, available in .177 or .22, that ought to withstand inclement conditions pretty darned well.
What makes the HW50S Stainless particularly nice is its very manageable size and weight. It’s only 40.5 inches long (the same size as a Beeman R7) and weighs only 6.8 pounds (less than an HW35E or HW85 and nearly 3 pounds lighter than the R1-AW.)
In terms of looks, the Stainless is a study in functionality. You won’t find checkering or other decoration anywhere. At the extreme aft end, there is a brown rubber butt pad with a black spacer and a slight swell for a cheekpiece on the left-hand side of the stock. The forestock extends over the two-piece cocking linkage and breech block, giving the HW50S a more finished appearance rather like a Beeman R1. The two-piece cocking linkage allows the action to be anchored by a single big screw in a steel seat underneath the forestock.
The trigger guard is black metal and fastens to the stock with two screws. Inside is a silver metal Rekord trigger and a silver adjustment screw. . (With the factory settings on the Rekord trigger, the first stage will come out between one and two pounds, and the second stage will go off between three and four pounds, but the Rekord trigger can be adjusted much lighter than that.) The barrel and receiver look like stainless steel. The barrel is 15.5 inches long, and on top of it at the muzzle end you’ll find a black metal globe sight with interchangeable inserts, just like on the R1. The receiver has three holes for anti-recoil pins, and you’ll find a bright red push-button safety at the rear, which looks really snazzy against the silver and black of the rest of the gun.
To get the Stainless ready for shooting, grab the barrel near the front sight, pull it down and back until it latches (I estimate this requires about 32-34 lbs of effort), slide a pellet into the breech, and return the barrel to its original position. Take aim at your target, click the automatic safety off, and ease the first stage out of the trigger, squeeze a bit more, and the shot goes down range. The shot cycle is pretty smooth, with a bit of vibration, but the vibration is more heard than felt. The HW50S Stainless launches JSB Jumbo Exact .22 pellets (15.9 grain) at around 560 fps, which works out to about 11 foot-pounds of energy at the muzzle. I wouldn’t want to take on a charging cape buffalo with this air rifle, but it is plenty potent enough for defending the garden.
To my way of thinking, this is an air rifle that just begs for a peep sight.
For accuracy testing, I mounted a scope on the Stainless and found I could easily shoot ragged one-hole groups at 13 yards with the JSB Jumbo Exact pellets. The HW50S is no slouch when it comes to accuracy. Shooting the non-stainless version couple of years ago, I entered a Hunter Class Field Target Match and placed second. Another approach to a sighting system for this gun would be to keep it as lean, mean, and utilitarian as possible and mount a peep sight instead of a scope. I understand Airguns of Arizona is now carrying the full line of Williams sights and can fit the Stainless with a peep sight that will meet your needs.
The bottom line is that the HW50S does a number of things well, and I think many airgunners will really enjoy this versatile and weather resistant air rifle. I know I did.
Til next time, aim true and shoot straight.
- Jock Elliott
Some thoughts on airgun testing
In many ways I have one of the best jobs in the world. I am a fulltime freelance writer. Most of my time is spent working with high technology and medical organizations, but a sizeable fraction of my time is spent testing airguns for this blog and also for some other venues.
What’s the greatest thing about testing airguns? The opportunity to experiment with lots of different airguns models from many different manufacturers. When a new gun comes gun, very often I will quickly unpack it, mount a scope (if one is necessary), and go outside and shoot it, just to get a quick first impression of what the gun is all about. These first impressions are often quite useful, but they aren’t always correct. Sometimes I make notes of anything unusual or surprising that I discover.
After the first impression, there is the detailed examination of the gun from buttplate to barrel crown, followed by the gathering of data: chronograph information, trigger pull, weight, length, and so forth. Finally, I shoot the gun for accuracy, sometimes out to distances of 50 yards (which requires going to the range), but sometimes at 13 yards or 35 yards, which are distances I can manage without leaving home.
Over the decade or so that I have been writing about airguns, I’ve developed some rules for testing airguns that might prove useful to you in your own testing:
- Ignore the looks of the gun. A gorgeous gun can shoot well, but so can an ugly gun. Of course, it’s doubly nice if you find a great-looking gun that’s a real tack-driver.
- Let the gun speak for itself. Don’t pre-judge based on anything. If there is one thing that drives me nuts, it’s people who decide that a particular gun can’t possibly be any good, based on absolutely no first-hand experience. Good manufacturers have occasionally produced less than admirable guns, and manufacturers who have a reputation for producing inexpensive airguns have sometimes fashioned some real winners.
- Let the gun chose the ammo. Sometimes you’ll have to try lots of different ammo to get something that works well in a particular gun; sometimes you’ll get it on the first try.
- Remember the price/performance curve. All airguns are built to be brought to the market at a particular price. Sometimes you can get really excellent performance for not a lot of money. For more money, you’ll usually get more: superb performance, outstanding fit and finish, and often more or advanced features.
- Keep in mind there is no such thing as a “perfect” airgun. Perfection depends on the characteristics that are most important to the shooter and what the intended application is.
What’s the thing I have the most concern about? Accuracy testing. Just because I got a particular accuracy result with a certain gun and pellet combination, that doesn’t necessarily mean that if you buy the same model gun and use the same pellets, you will get the same results. Similarly, I’ve seen guys reporting results that I have been unable to duplicate. It bothers me a little, but I don’t know what to do about it, so I shoot the best I can and report the results.
Finally, what’s the worst thing about testing airguns? Packing and unpacking them. It’s a fussy business, and I swear those Styrofoam peanuts have a mind of their own.
Still, airgun testing is a lot of fun, and I really enjoy hearing from the people who read this blog.
Til next time, aim true and shoot straight.
- Jock Elliott
The Brocock Concept
in Airguns
as air rifle, Airguns, Brocock, pcp
The Brocock Concept has a whole lot going for it.
Not long ago, on the “Yellow” airgun forum, someone posted a question: “What was the PCP equivalent of the beloved Beeman R7?” The R7 is highly praised by many airgunners because it is relatively light, simple, accurate, and just plain fun.
I think I have found the answer, for me anyway: the Brocock Concept. We’ll get to the particulars in just a moment, but first some background.
Now, if you recall from previous blogs on Brocock, the company was nearly driven out of business by changes in British law. But the folks at Brocock didn’t quit, and they took what could have been a deathblow as an opportunity to get stronger and better. One of the truly smart things they did was to hire the designer from Falcon Pneumatics (now defunct), who promptly designed a new line of precharged pneumatic air rifles and pistols for Brocock. These airguns are all based on a common action and trigger, to which reservoirs, barrels, and so forth are added to produce the desired airgun.
The Brocock Concept is one of those airguns. I tested the .22 version with a walnut stock, and it’s a beauty. It stretches just a yard overall and weighs only 6 pounds without a scope. Starting at the rear of the Concept is a soft rubber butt pad that is adjustable vertically; just loosen a screw and slide it up or down.
The butt pad can be adjusted vertically.
Moving forward, the buttstock is fully ambidextrous, with a raised cheek piece on either side. The pistol grip is checkered with a slight palm swell on either side. At the top of the pistol grip is a depression for resting your thumb while shooting. Forward of the pistol grip is a black metal trigger guard, inside of which is a black metal trigger that can be adjusted for first stage travel and weight. The length of pull from trigger to butt pad is about 14.25 inches.
Just ahead of the trigger guard is a bolt that secures the action in the stock. The forestock is slender and tapered with checkering on either side. At the far end of the forestock is the air reservoir, which has a screw-off cap that protects a male Foster fitting for filling the air rifle. Above that is the barrel, which also has a screw-off fitting that can be removed for fitting a sound moderator where legal.
Just back of the muzzle is a barrel band that secures the barrel to the air reservoir. Moving all the way back along the barrel, you’ll find the receiver, which has dovetails for fitting a scope both fore and aft of the breech. On the right rear side of the receiver is a small lever, and at the very tail end of the receiver you’ll find a small contoured knob that serves as the end of the bolt.
A small lever at the rear of the receiver on the right side releases the bolt.
That’s it: the Concept is about a simple as a PCP rifle can be.
To ready the Concept for shooting, unscrew the end cap on the air reservoir, attach a SCUBA tank or high pressure pump, and charge it to 2900 psi. Depress the small lever on the right side of the receiver, and the bolt springs backward, opening the breech. At this point, you can load a pellet into the breech and push the knob at the end of the bolt to close the breech, but the rifle will not be cocked. (From a practical standpoint for hunters, this means that you can load the Concept without cocking it and walk around all day without worrying that an errant twig might discharge a shot. Then, when you’re ready to shoot, just press the breech lever, pull the bolt all the way back and close the breech, and you’re good to go.)
To cock the action for shooting, from the breech-open position, you have to grab the knob at the end of the bolt and pull it backwards until it clicks. Load a pellet, close the breech by pushing the bolt knob fully forward, and you are ready to launch a pellet. Note well: this rifle has no safety of any kind. When it is loaded, keep your finger out of the trigger guard until you are ready to shoot.
Now, take aim, ease the first stage out of the trigger (this takes only 7 ounces of pressure) and at 1 lb. 3.4 oz, the shot goes down range. The Concept launches JSB .22 Jumbo Express pellets at about 667 fps average, and will deliver about 40 shots per fill (see the chart below). Since this rifle has no gauge for letting you know how much pressure is left in the reservoir, I suggest counting out 40 pellets, putting them in a small container like a pill bottle, and when the container is empty, you know it is time to refill the reservoir.
Fooling around from a very casual rest in my yard, I found that, at 13 yards, I could put shot after shot through the same hole. Not just “sorta” the same hole, I mean the exact same hole. I would be astonished if this rifle can’t shoot dime sized groups at 35 yards and well under an inch groups at 50 yards.
In all, I found the Concept is light, simple, handy, and delightfully accurate. I think a lot of airgunners will enjoy owning and shooting this air rifle.
Til next time, aim true and shoot straight.
- Jock Elliott
Further Quigley Experimentation
in Airguns
as Airguns, Quigley, Quigley bucket shot, RWS, Sheridan, Sheridan air rifle
My wife never wanted to turn me into an obsessed maniac, but that was the unintended consequence of a kind act. In late 2001, she came home with a gift for me: a copy of the movie Quigley Down Under. In brief, it’s the story of a Wyoming rifleman and cowboy who answers a newspaper [...]