HW/Weihrauch HW97k Questions

[bob3006]

I have several questions regarding my HW 97k that someone my be able to answer.

If I forget to put a pellet in the chamber and close the action can I reopen it? Do I have to take the safety off in order to open it?

If I have a pellet in the action and take the safety off, can I put the safety back on?

What damage if any will occur if the rifle is fired without a pellet in the chamber?

 

[.20calguy]

1 The action can open at any time regardless of the safety position.

2 Some may be different but on mine to re-enguage the safety re-cock th rifle.

3 Yes damage could acure by dry firing a springer, as the pellet and the traped air behind it, cushion the piston hammer.

 

[HogMemberIsOld]

I know on my new HW 97K, the safety does not re-engage when re-cocking the rifle.

 

[Trampus99]

When you open the lever and get to the bottom of the cocking stroke pull it and it should click and reset the safety.

 

[beerthief]

I know on my new HW 97K, the safety does not re-engage when re-cocking the rifle.

Make sure you pull the lever down till it bottoms out , safety should reset . If it does not fix it . or return ,

 

[HogMemberIsOld]

When you open the lever and get to the bottom of the cocking stroke pull it and it should click and reset the safety.

What do you mean? Pull what?

Should I open the lever and when all the way down, pull the trigger? Will that reset the safety?

 

[DualMagMike]

What do you mean? Pull what?

The same underlever/cocking arm. Pull it all the way down "FULLY" and it will reset the safety. If the gun is already cocked the lever will come down with no real resistance, when it stops pull a bit more and the safety will reset...

 

[bustachip]

What do you mean? Pull what?

The cocking arm. When the rifle is cocked and you disengaged the safety, to reengage, bring the cocking arm down to the bottom as if cocking again. Once it's at the bottom you should push it down past that point, maybe a 1/8"
of an inch, and the safety will reset, pop out again.

 

[Hateful McNasty]

If your talking decocking don't you have to remove the anti bear trap on a hw97

 

[HogMemberIsOld]

The cocking arm. When the rifle is cocked and you disengaged the safety, to reengage, bring the cocking arm down to the bottom as if cocking again. Once it's at the bottom you should push it down past that point, maybe a 1/8"
of an inch, and the safety will reset, pop out again.

Doesn't happen on mine.....

 

[853_OKG]

You cannot decock a stock unmodified 97/77. I think the owners manual states that if the gun is cocked but unloaded (no pellet in barrel) you can decock by pointing the muzzle to the floor (preferably rubber mat or carpet) and dry fire. I've never done this, but if someone unwittingly cocked it in a store for instance, it might be the only option to safety decock.

 

[bustachip]

Doesn't happen on mine.....

Not sure then without disassembly, maybe you have weak safety spring. Maybe something is binding with the safety in the trigger housing.
No loose stock screws?

 

[Bedrock Bob]

It should reset the safety when you pull the cocking handle all the way back. Many HW97 have enough slack in the cocking linkage that safety engagement is difficult.

There is a pin that connects the cocking lever to the Cocking handle. If this pin gets slack in it it will cause the safety to not engage. It's pretty common. A bend in the cocking lever will do the same. In extreme cases the trigger won't engage either. If your pulling the handle back to the stop and barely getting the sears to click this is the problem.

With the action cocked and closed over a pellet take your thumb and wiggle the compression tube forward and back. If there is any play there is slack in the cocking linkage and that is the problem.

The cocking linkage fit on these rifles are super critical. Any slack will cause the safety to fail to engage at full cock and the comp tube to have slack when closed. The pins and linkages are available and easy to replace. It's a very common problem on the HW underlevers. One you will have sooner or later if you shoot it often.

A picture is worth a thousand words...

 

[EMrider]

It has been awhile since I did this on my hw97k, but I'm pretty certain that you need to remove the anti-beartrap mechanism before you can de-cock the hw97k. This prevents the trigger from being pulled while the breech is open. I found it to be a PITA as do most owners. Best safety practice is to always retain a hold on the cocking arm. I also feel that not being able to de-cock the gun without firing is a bigger safety risk. If you cannot de-cock the gun, your only option is to fire, hence the guidance in the owners manual. The item in the lower right corner of this pic is the anti-beartrap mechanism.
R

 

[Bedrock Bob]

It has been awhile since I did this on my hw97k, but I'm pretty certain that you need to remove the anti-beartrap mechanism before you can de-cock the hw97k. This prevents the trigger from being pulled while the breech is open. I found it to be a PITA as do most owners. Best safety practice is to always retain a hold on the cocking arm. I also feel that not being able to de-cock the gun without firing is a bigger safety risk. If you cannot de-cock the gun, your only option is to fire, hence the guidance in the owners manual. The item in the lower right corner of this pic is the anti-beartrap mechanism.
R

View attachment 526135

Yes. The HW97 cannot be de-cocked unless the anti-beartrap mechanism is bypassed. That mechanism does not prevent the piston from falling. It simply prevents the trigger from breaking. So if the sears break when the action is open the action will still slam shut even with the anti bear trap mechanism in place.

IMHO the anti bear trap linkage is not much more than a false sense of security. If you are going to have an accidental closure 99% of the time it's going to be from a trigger set too light or a worn linkage that does not reset the trigger. In these instances the anti bear trap linkage is useless.

 

[bustachip]

It should reset the safety when you pull the cocking handle all the way back. Many HW97 have enough slack in the cocking linkage that safety engagement is difficult.

There is a pin that connects the cocking lever to the Cocking handle. If this pin gets slack in it it will cause the safety to not engage. It's pretty common. A bend in the cocking lever will do the same. In extreme cases the trigger won't engage either. If your pulling the handle back to the stop and barely getting the sears to click this is the problem.

With the action cocked and closed over a pellet take your thumb and wiggle the compression tube forward and back. If there is any play there is slack in the cocking linkage and that is the problem.

The cocking linkage fit on these rifles are super critical. Any slack will cause the safety to fail to engage at full cock and the comp tube to have slack when closed. The pins and linkages are available and easy to replace. It's a very common problem on the HW underlevers. One you will have sooner or later if you shoot it often.

A picture is worth a thousand words...

Wow! That's a lot of slop.

 

[ChuckHunter]

Doesn't happen on mine.....

Yes it does! Your not pulling down hard enough. If it sets on the cocking stroke the first time it will reset! Have to take it to the bottom like you mean it! Pull down and you will hear it click back in.

 

[Mycapt65]

It has been awhile since I did this on my hw97k, but I'm pretty certain that you need to remove the anti-beartrap mechanism before you can de-cock the hw97k. This prevents the trigger from being pulled while the breech is open. I found it to be a PITA as do most owners. Best safety practice is to always retain a hold on the cocking arm. I also feel that not being able to de-cock the gun without firing is a bigger safety risk. If you cannot de-cock the gun, your only option is to fire, hence the guidance in the owners manual. The item in the lower right corner of this pic is the anti-beartrap mechanism.
R

View attachment 526135

I leave the ABT in there. If you want to decock an unloaded rifle just press the rifle muzzle straight down into a piece of cardboard and fire it. If it's loaded shoot it off to the side. If someone is stupid enough to load it in a house that's in a crowded neighborhood just shoot it into a bucket of water.

I understand your sentiment and agree with you but it's really no big deal to use it with the ABT intact either. Safe handling practice negates the need for the ABT but not everyone follows them religiously.

 

[853_OKG]

Yes. The HW97 cannot be de-cocked unless the anti-beartrap mechanism is bypassed. That mechanism does not prevent the piston from falling. It simply prevents the trigger from breaking. So if the sears break when the action is open the action will still slam shut even with the anti bear trap mechanism in place.

IMHO the anti bear trap linkage is not much more than a false sense of security. If you are going to have an accidental closure 99% of the time it's going to be from a trigger set too light or a worn linkage that does not reset the trigger. In these instances the anti bear trap linkage is useless.

I agree, it is really just something to give the lawyers a defense in case someone looses a finger. I don't really consider it a true "anti bear trap", like the tx200, lgu, d48.

 

[Bedrock Bob]

Wow! That's a lot of slop.

About 1500 shots. It failed quickly. Here is the pin.

It would barely engage the trigger at full stroke. The safety did not work at all. And the comp tube had lots of slack unless it had spring tension to hold it against the receiver face. It would slam forward with the shot and it hammered the hell out of the breech seal.

Replaced the cocking lever and the pin and I oil it every time I use it. I've got 3-4k shots on the new linkage and it already has a lot of slack. It still engages the safety (most of the time).

It's already broken the second replacement factory spring. I have a Tinbum spring and Vortek seal as well as a new cocking lever and pin. I'm going to get it running perfectly and put it on the market. They are just more trouble than I am willing to put up with.

It's wicked accurate when it is not laying in pieces on the workbench. Sadly it spends more time there than on the range. I'm going to get a CZ457 varmint rimfire to replace it. A lot more power, range and accuracy for about the same cost.