The Weihrauch HW30S is a spring/piston air rifle air rifle that’s been available for many years. In fact, it’s no mistake to describe it as a classic break barrel airgun.
Yet it still sells strongly because this German-manufactured airgun offers outstanding quality. It combines this with great handling and is easy to shoot well. All at a very attractive price!
The HW30S is compact and is supplied with industry-leading open sights. It’s great for the whole family to use for plinking and informal target shooting.
Sure, it’s not a powerhouse hunting gun. But the limited power allows so many other positive attributes that most people will be happy to accept that and just enjoy the fun of shooting it…
Remarkably, the HW30S currently being sold by Airguns of Arizona for just $313.98. That’s outstanding value for money, particularly when combined with an amazing – for a gun of this price – limited lifetime warranty!
This price is really not so much more than that of many widely-available spring/piston or gas ram air rifles, yet the quality and shootability are “night and day” different.
So why is that?
Well, like all other airguns from the family-owned Weihrauch company, the HW30S doesn’t strive to attract customers with all the latest features and marketing buzzwords. There’s no “Zillion FPS” muzzle velocity claims, nor many of the other “bells and whistles” that are found on so many other breakbarrels.
Instead you have a simple, great-shooting gun that can provide tons of enjoyment for the whole family. You don’t have to be a body-builder to cock it, the weight is light and the recoil minimal.
The only downside is the relatively low Muzzle Velocity. Although that is precisely the reason for most of the other benefits…
With the Weihrauch HW30S we have a genuine case of “less is more”!
Most mid-range, domed pellets produced 615 – 640 FPS from the .177 caliber gun I shot. Typical Muzzle Energy is in the 7 – 8 Ft/Lbs range.
This is fine for plinking and informal target shooting out to about 40 Yards. But it’s not enough for ethical hunting use unless you’re an expert shot, the range very short and the quarry very small.
The best accuracy in my test was achieved by 8.64 Grain H&N Field Target Trophy pellets. However the HW30S was consistently accurate with a wide variety of pellets. It’s not at all “pellet picky” and that’s unusual.
Weihrauch triggers are always good. The HW30S I tested was no exception and was very pleasant. The trigger blade itself is metal, nicely-curved and ridged for good finger contact.
Touching the trigger brings a very light first stage into play. Then there’s a clear distinction with the second stage. Sear release is predictable and controllable. The average pull weight was just above 2.5 Lbs.
Cocking is smooth and quiet. There’s none of the roughness that sometimes afflicts springers. In fact the cocking action itself is actually very pleasant. There’s no whip or flexing in the action and the ball bearing lock-up is very positive and solid.
Cocking effort of the HW30S I tested peaked at about 24 Lbs. This would definitely be considered light or manageable by the vast majority of shooters. That makes the HW30 ideal for extended shooting sessions.
The relatively low muzzle velocity means that the HW30 is backyard-friendly, even with light alloy pellets. This makes it ideal for many airgunners whose range is in their back yard, garage or basement.
There’s no moderator, shroud or any silencing system fitted to this air rifle. But that’s because there’s no need for such equipment!
Weihrauch is one of the few airgun manufacturers which remain truly committed to open sights.
The rear sight has the expected click adjustment capabilities for windage and elevation. But look closer and you’ll see that this rear sight actually has a choice of four different sighting notches!
By pulling out and rotating the rear sight notch plate, you’ll find a choice of wide and narrow square notches, a V notch and a U-shaped notch. These are the perfect compliment to the interchangeable front sight elements – no less than six of them! – which are also provided with the HW30S.
That’s no less than 24 different combinations of iron sight configurations provided with the gun!
For my HW30 test review, I mounted a Hawke AirMax 4-12 x 40 scope using an one-piece mount. Such a scope would be a typical choice for many HW30 purchasers. It’s fairly light but has good optical quality and an Adjustable Objective (AO) for focusing down to 10 Yards.
Note that – if you order the scope and mount at the same time as the gun – AoA will carefully install and sight it in at no additional charge. That’s an outstanding free service !
At 12.9-Inches overall length, this is definitely the longest scope that it’s possible to mount on the HW30. Any longer and it would not be possible to break the barrel!
Even with the Hawke Airmax 4-12 x 40 scope mounted, the total weight of the HW30 was just 7 Lbs 3 Oz. That made it extremely easy to carry and hold.
The Center of Gravity was just where you want it: directly ahead of the trigger and in the natural position for the shooter’s forehand. So balance and handling were natural, neutral and easy to achieve. This was aided by the pleasantly-shaped ambidextrous buttstock.
With the low-mounted scope, I was able to achieve an excellent cheek weld against the stock, while the rubber buttpad gave a secure, grippy surface against the shoulder.
To summarize, the HW30 is a little air rifle that exudes quality. Metal finish is exemplary, bluing is deep and even. The Italian Minelli stock is gracefully-shaped and has panels of sharply-executed checkering in the Beech wood.
Performance is outstanding so long as you can accept the limited power level available.
It also benefits from that outstanding limited lifetime warranty that’s fulfilled in the USA by Airguns of Arizona. That’s a huge benefit that shows that the quality impression is not just skin deep!
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