HW95n Field Pro arrived yesterday.

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BABz58

BABz58

Member
Dec 18, 2023
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United States Pleasant Hill Iowa
I’m liking it overall so far.

So for the bad. It’s the stock, it came with a good ding in it. And it wasn’t done during shipping. It was very well packed. No damage to the box.
To be picky I’d liked one with better grain patterns. It’s still nice. Not really a complaint.

And for the good.
Fit and finish seem very good, shoulders nicely, the barrel weight spun off easily and I just screwed the WH suppressor on. No bluing missing under it.
I didn’t mount the included scope. Rather went with one in already fond of.
It cocks actually easier than I expected. I like it.

The ding in the stock is a definite bummer. But I had already planned on stripping the stock and putting a quality finish on it. So I’ll sand out the dents and all will be well.

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It's nice grain in that stock. A lot more will show when your finished.

That's a pretty bad ding. It broke some wood fiber. It's going to take some elbow grease to sand it out. It's a shame. Make sure it's sanded out completely or it will show. The darn things come back if you don't quite get all those broken fibers sanded out.

I'd wait and shoot 1000 rounds before I did a thing. You may have warranty issues.

Just my nickels worth.
 
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Don't modify the stock or you may not have a return claim if it's not functional. And I'd notify them immediately of the damaged stock, because they may say you did that and deny a return if need be. I've raised up dents like that in guitars but the finish was (usually) removed, sometimes it took repeated tries over the course of days, doing it then letting it dry out, doing it again, having lots of patience, etcetera. It's a great looking airgun.

Also, if that's a catalyzed varnish, which it may very well be, you'll have a hell of a time stripping it. That stuff doesn't really strip off, not even with chemicals, you have to heat it and scrape or sand. My advice, if that's catalyzed, don't refinish it, you might even ruin the checking. Even stripping that little bit for the dent will be a pain, then refinishing, you'll have to blend it in with maybe a water based satin poly; or a varnish stick which may then look glossy, which you can dull with like a 1000-4000 grade emery board. You see, because nothing bites into catalyzed varnish, it's not like nitro lacquer. You might research or contact the manufacturer.

But if it's not catalyzed, it should be fairly easy, provided you know what you're doing. ;)
 
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I'll add regarding the dent, if it's catalyzed, I'd steam it at least a few times first before trying to remove any of the finish, the steaming will be tough on it, it should raise the wood and stretch the finish, than making it easier to remove, like with a small card scraper. But then refinishing, that's always a bit of a chestnut with catalyzed or poly. Patience is the key. Best of luck!
 
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Air King said:
Don't modify the stock or you may not have a return claim if it's not functional. And I'd notify them immediately of the damaged stock, because they may say you did that and deny a return if need be. I've raised up dents like that in guitars but the finish was removed, sometimes it took repeated tries over the course of days, doing it then letting it dry out, doing it again, having lots of patience, etcetera. It's a great looking airgun.

Also, if that's a catalyzed varnish, which it may very well be, you'll have a hell of a time stripping it. That stuff doesn't really strip off, not even with chemicals, you have to heat it and scrape or sand. My advice, if that's catalyzed, don't refinish it, you might even ruin the checking. Even stripping that little bit for the dent will be a pain, then refinishing, you'll have to blend it in with maybe a water based satin poly; or a varnish stick which may then look glossy. You see, because nothing bites into catalyzed varnish, it's not like nitro lacquer. You might research or contact the manufacturer.

But if it's not catalyzed, it should be fairly easy, provided you know what you're doing. ;)
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I plan on running a couple tins of pellets before i commit to returning it.
I just opened the box this afternoon. I’ll be calling AoA Monday morning to discuss it.
 
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BABz58 said:
I plan on running a couple tins of pellets before i commit to returning it.
I just opened the box this afternoon. I’ll be calling AoA Monday morning to discuss it.
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There isn't any sin in complaining about damage on a stock you paid extra for. I bet they figure out a way to make it work.

It's nice grain. And the dent will piss you off until you can hit buttons at 40 yards. Then it won't matter so much.

If it shoots well and holds up for a thousand shots it's a keeper. IMHO there are a lot more important things than a ding in the stock. But it's an unfortunate flaw that will probably aggravate unless they make it right.

I was reluctant to spend extra for the walnut. If it was damaged I would have wanted a replacement. By the time the spring went south I didn't want to send it back. It's a conundrum.
 
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Bedrock Bob said:
There isn't any sin in complaining about damage on a stock you paid extra for. I bet they figure out a way to make it work.

It's nice grain. And the dent will piss you off until you can hit buttons at 40 yards. Then it won't matter so much.

If it shoots well and holds up for a thousand shots it's a keeper. IMHO there are a lot more important things than a ding in the stock. But it's an unfortunate flaw that will probably aggravate unless they make it right.

I was reluctant to spend extra for the walnut. If it was damaged I would have wanted a replacement. By the time the spring went south I didn't want to send it back. It's a conundrum.
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I agree 100%. And hopefully I won’t have to deal with a broken spring. As AoA installed the
Vortek Pro-Guide 4 Tuning Kit
 
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It's an oil finish on mine. The wood isn't sealed with anything more than shellac or a substitute. It takes light oil readily. I think you could do whatever you wanted to it and get it to blend pretty well.

I hit mine with Watco and steel wool a couple times. Then burnished it with the palms of my hands. It's pretty glassy. The finish is just European oil over a shellac sealer as far as I can tell. It's definitely not a hard finish like lacquer or poly. Pretty simple to repair. Or at least that's the way it seems to me.
 
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Bedrock Bob said:
It's an oil finish on mine. The wood isn't sealed with anything more than shellac or a substitute. It takes light oil readily. I think you could do whatever you wanted to it and get it to blend pretty well.

I hit mine with Watco and steel wool a couple times. Then burnished it with the palms of my hands. It's pretty glassy. The finish is just European oil over a shellac sealer as far as I can tell. It's definitely not a hard finish like lacquer or poly. Pretty simple to repair. Or at least that's the way it seems to me.
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Thanks for the information. I’ve seen a few refinished. None mentioned any issues removing the original finish. I put 40 pellets through it tonight and it’s pretty darn accurate. Can’t wait to see the groupings after a few hundred more pellets.
So far it’s impressing me. I’m thinking I’ll truly be completely happy with my purchase if they compensate me for my time and money to fix the dents that were there before I received it.
This is my first purchase from AoA. But by the reviews, and my experience with them up to this point. I believe they will make it right.
They have excellent communication after receiving payment, unlike NewEnglandAirguns. And some others.
In a world where many many transactions are taking place via the web, vs in person sales transactions. Communication during pre sale and after purchase as well as after shipment. Are are VERY IMPORTANT TO US CUSTOMERS.
Only accepting correspondence until you have the customer’s money. Then ZERO response to the text messages, the email, the phone calls with VM left. Is simply unacceptable. And they need to step the F up. Or close their doors.

There is a TON of value to providing customer service.

Ok stepping off my soap box.
 
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AS INFORMATION:
I spoke with Chris this morning at AoA. We had a pleasant conversation, he reviewed the pictures & spoke with his supervisor.
When he got back on the line it was to tell me they will make it right. And how would I like to handle it.
We quickly agreed on a credit to my card for an agreed price.

100% Happy now.

Will definitely recommend AoA to anyone.
 
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WNYBill said:
Try steaming it out but do a google search and find out the right way to do it. You will have a divot if you just try to sand it out.
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I will be able to raise some of the dent. Problem I see it the one dent didn’t just crush the fibers, some fibers were cut. The cut fibers can’t be fixed with steam. There will be sanding involved. But I know how to sand it out and blend the damage area into the rest of the stock. Using a long sanding block will make that happen perfectly.

I’ll take some pics as I do this. In case anyone else might want to see the process.

What I don’t feel good about. Would be to try just redoing the back 1/4-1/3 of the stock. Then blend my finish with theirs.
So I’ll have to strip the finish off the entire stock. The stippling will be painstakingly slow to remove the finish with minimal damage/removal of any stippling.
 
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I'd just sand the cheek rest with a block and use dark Watco oil. Even if it's a bit different shade it would look great. Stop your sanding at the edge where the cheek rest dives into the stock. Just refinish that one surface. A color change there, even if is a drastic one won't look bad. I bet 4-5 coats of Watco applied with fine steel wool will get you pretty close. If it's a bit different shade just call it art.

Lots of woodwork is finished two tone. Lots of cheekrests are a different color than the stock. Laminates often have contrasting cheek rests. As long as the wood is sanded and polished well it's going to look great even with a color change.

A dark colored European oil will be pretty close to the same color I bet. An hour sanding and a few days rubbing oil on it and letting it set between coats. A lump of carnauba wax and some palm friction. If there is a color change at all it won't be much.

I'm glad you had good luck with AOA. They are top notch in my book. Mistakes happen. How mistakes are handled is what separates the sheep from the goats.
 
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Bedrock Bob said:
I'd just sand the cheek rest with a block and use dark Watco oil. Even if it's a bit different shade it would look great. Stop your sanding at the edge where the cheek rest dives into the stock. Just refinish that one surface. A color change there, even if is a drastic one won't look bad. I bet 4-5 coats of Watco applied with fine steel wool will get you pretty close. If it's a bit different shade just call it art.

Lots of woodwork is finished two tone. Lots of cheekrests are a different color than the stock. Laminates often have contrasting cheek rests. As long as the wood is sanded and polished well it's going to look great even with a color change.

A dark colored European oil will be pretty close to the same color I bet. An hour sanding and a few days rubbing oil on it and letting it set between coats. A lump of carnauba wax and some palm friction. If there is a color change at all it won't be much.
Click to expand...
PERFECT SOLUTION! Thanks for the tip.

I should have thought of that lol.
 
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I shoot all my scoped rifles with a Bradley cheek rest. Best darn product since modern priming. If you don't like the finish slap a cheek rest on it. Or just slap a cheek rest over the blemish and sidestep the whole process.

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Here is my favorite gun. SAVAGE 110 IN 30-06. Hogue stock and Bradley rest. The stock and cheek rest make this gun the best handling hunting rifle I've ever shot. Tack driving and fits like a new pair if shoes. I have the same outfit on a Rem 700 VS. in .243 win. It's the real deal.

They are fully adjustable and put your eye in perfect alignment behind the scope. Just the best little add on gadget you can buy. And the ONLY add on gadget that makes a great rifle better IMHO.

It would cover that ding in 30 seconds and you will never see it again.
 
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