I've been a huge fan of German rifles for as long as I can remember. I've owned a HW80, HW50s and HW30s. But I've had my eye on a HW77 for quite some time now. So I finally went out and bought one with a thumbhole stock. I've always wanted the Special Edition Autumn Forrest, but you can't find those with the older model stock, which I like a hell of a lot more than the newer version. So this is what arrived last week. A fine shooter, that needed just a little tuning on the insides.
After shooting with the scope for a while, I removed it again to do some plinking with open sights. Well, that was a huge disappointment. The cheek piece is too high (the thumbhole stock was originally made for the HW97, that doesn't have open sights). So I went out to look for an original HW77 stock. And guess what... someone had an old model Special Edition Autumn Forrest for sale, in brand spanking new condition. So naturally I coulnd't resist and had to buy it.
There are a couple of things I really like about the HW77. First of all, the fixed barrel is a huge plus, simply because it's more accurate. I didn't buy the carbine version but regular one, so all and all it's rather long. But the advantage is that with the longer barrel in combination with a rear sight that can be moved all the way to the back of the stock, it results in a very long line of sight, improving accuracy. I've ordered a 11mm dovetail to weaver rail so I can put a scope on it (with weaver quick-detach mounts) whenever I want to do some more accurate long-range shooting. But primarily I'll use this plinker with open sights. With the low-profile weaver rail I don't have to remove the rear sight, making this an ideal rifle for long plinking sessions.
After shooting with the scope for a while, I removed it again to do some plinking with open sights. Well, that was a huge disappointment. The cheek piece is too high (the thumbhole stock was originally made for the HW97, that doesn't have open sights). So I went out to look for an original HW77 stock. And guess what... someone had an old model Special Edition Autumn Forrest for sale, in brand spanking new condition. So naturally I coulnd't resist and had to buy it.
There are a couple of things I really like about the HW77. First of all, the fixed barrel is a huge plus, simply because it's more accurate. I didn't buy the carbine version but regular one, so all and all it's rather long. But the advantage is that with the longer barrel in combination with a rear sight that can be moved all the way to the back of the stock, it results in a very long line of sight, improving accuracy. I've ordered a 11mm dovetail to weaver rail so I can put a scope on it (with weaver quick-detach mounts) whenever I want to do some more accurate long-range shooting. But primarily I'll use this plinker with open sights. With the low-profile weaver rail I don't have to remove the rear sight, making this an ideal rifle for long plinking sessions.
