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aldea6

aldea6

Member
Jan 8, 2018
608
141
Br, Belgium
 

Hello , after spending eight years shooting PCP , I decided to go back to springers , not that I'm disappointed by PCP , but springers are a lot more challenging to shoot. I kept just three of them : Diana 350 magnum .22 , Diana 48 .22 and Walther LGV .17. Now I would like to have some advices: what are , for you , better springer now for target shooting at about 40 yards... or more. Caliber , pellets? 

Thanks
 
For quality, accuracy and fit, the two top springers today are the Aa TX200 and the HW97. For target shooting most prefer the .177 but if your pesting many prefer the .22 cal. My own oersonal favorite is the TX in .177. Mine shoots 900 fps with the AA 8.4 gn pellet, very smooth shot cycle and fits me like a glove. If I were younger and doing a lot of offhand shooting, I would prefer the MK 2 version as it has less barrel weight and a better balance. This is where the HW 97 shines, better balance for offhand shooting in my opinion. The 97 is more difficult to work on your self, well not really, it is that the TX is just so easy and simple. You mentioned a model 48...great rifle, I had one few a number of years, very accurate, great power!! More efficient in .22 cal but can be detuned a little and turned into an awesome .177 cal target rifle.. Any of those I have mentioned should shoot 1/2" groups or better at 40 yds with a good tuneup. Adjusting that stock to fit your hold style will add greatly to how well you can shoot a particular rifle. When the gun is smooth, consistant and fits so you can repeat your hold each time, you will be able to hit just about anything you want!!!
 
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I've no experience with the AA TX200. But by all accounts it is also a fine fixed barrel spring gun. However, I can speak to the Weihrauch HW97K. I use the 97 for small game hunting as well as just target shooting on my small range I have at home. The HW97 is capable of exceptional accuracy.....period. It is a fixed barrel under lever and is a very well built rife. From the bench shooting from bags, the rifle is capable of better accuracy than most shooters I would say. I've put a few thousand pellets through one of mine and never cease to be pleased. I've learned the rifle to the point that if I miss a target, barring the possibility of a bad pellet, it was me that didn't perform.....not that rifle. As far as caliber for target shooting? Not sure I can answer that with certainty, because I use mine for small game as well. Therefor my Hw97's are in .22 caliber. But having said that, I see no issue with the accuracy of the .22 in this rifle. Below is a pic of some grouping that I did with the .22 HW97 maybe a year or so ago I guess, when I was sorting some things out with pellets. The rifle will repeat these groups right now if I were to shoot it. These were at 30 yards, but at 40 it will group pretty close to the same......if I'm up to it and conditions play along as well.



target.1639147042.jpg




It is a bit more challenging and takes more practice to shoot a spring gun at a high level of accuracy for sure. But, the 97k is capable of it with plenty of practice and some massaging of the rifle itself.............Good luck!




 
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Only when and if I'm up for the challenge, I'll grab one of my springers, the TX200 and the HW97 both in .177 but normally it's going to be one of my pcps. I've held on to my Beeman Beeman R10D in .20 and my FWB124D because when it comes to quality, they're hard to beat when comes to their balance and accuracy. Throughout the years, I've owned, shot and traded many springers from the RWS 48, RWS52, a few Beeman R1s in .177, the HW77, Marksman 56 and the Marksman 58 that Beeman later on that Beeman switched the action from one stock to the other renaming it to the "Beeman R11". I had both of those guns at one time and switched one action from one stock to the other, oh well what the heck!
 
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My iron sight piston rifles are FWB Sport, Diana 52, Diana 340 gas, Benjamin Trail- Red Dot. Scoped piston are TX200-Nghtforce 36X, Gold plated action Tyrolean stocked HW77-Burris 8-32X44 Rimfire/Airgun, Diana 34-Burris 8-32X44.

Recently had cataract surgery and am shooting Iron Sights mostly offhand in 50 foot basement during winter months.I have a camera on the targets and TV monitor at the shooting bench so I can see hits on black paper targets. I seem to be best offhand with the Diana 340 gas ram with Williams peep and tapered point front post. Lots of fun in the basement when it's too cold for outside scoped rifles. I sure love my PCP's too!
 
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The D54 is very heavy but if you are target shooting that may not matter to you. The HW 90 with the gas break is probably the best break barrel and the TX or 97 as others have said are the two best springers followed by a HW 98. I moved the other way this year from Springers to PCP and yes PCP are too "easy" to shoot compared to springers and I had to sell off most of the springers to get the PCP's but after 40 years with springers I was ready for the change. Good luck let us know what you end up getting.
 
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@napairgunner : Yes the HW 90 is very tempting too .....I understand your opinion about PCP , they are so easy to shoot compared to springers ,50 yards is pellet over pellet with a good gun , but if you aim for 100 yards that could be another story . PCP are adjustable in many ways : barrel lenght , hammer spring tension , reg pressure , port diameter , even the moderator can affect accuracy . The goal is to make all these parameters working in harmony , after that shooting , well ....it's up to the shooter 😄. Good luck and have fun.
 
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I have a good friend who collects belt buckles. I knew a woman who collected purple cows, her kitchen and living room were full of purple cow knick-knacks. My wife collects brooches. My daughter collects computer games. I collect airguns. Well, I only have five but I'm just starting.

The nice thing about airguns is that you can actually do something with them. Unlike belt buckles, brooches.., and purple cows! Computer games are another story.
 
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@JayJay :Yes , each to his own...one of my hobbies is airguns and I know I have to fight myself when I see a new one on the market I'd like to put in my collection 😄.

Yesterday I had the opportunity to buy a second-hand Walther LGV in .177 , and here is the result . Pretty good gun for $350 in new condition

. I would like to change the scope ( Hawke Sport 4X12 ) for an Element Optics 6X24 , which is my favorite scope for PCP . I don't know if it's strong enough for a springer. Is a ZR mount required for this?

On the other hand , I tried a Diana 48 in .22 cal , but I find the cocking system a bit cumbersome and VERY hard on this gun . Moreover it kicks a lot and seems more difficult to shoot ....but I suppose you get used to it .

IMG_1299.1639393714.JPG

 
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Oh yes , a little correction : in my topic I said I kept 3 springers , amongst them a Walther LGV . I just forget I sold it two years ago ...to buy another one yesterday . I did the same with a FX Boss . Sometimes we're mistaking .

By the way , the only thing which upset me a bit with the LGV is the trigger : not very good , such a gun deserves a better one ; and mine has only one screw to adjust the first stage . I'm looking for some tuning parts to improve it ...
 
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Ok, I'll vote for the HW90 in .22, mainly because I'm so pleased with my recent tuning efforts, Yes, it's a breakbarrel and they're supposedly less accurate. But the extra power lets you take advantage of the higher ballistic coefficient .22 pellets such as the H&N Baracuda 15, or even slugs, which helps with the longer range and cross winds.

If you go with a HW90, try dropping the ram pressure from 26 down to the 18-21 fpe range. I just did that to mine. It's now giving me 800 fps with the H&N FTT 14.66 grain. According to Hawke Chairgun Pro, that velocity keeps the pellet within a 1" killzone window out to 43 yards. And you could try the H&N 21 grain slugs. The extra mass drops muzzle velocity a bit, but because of their ridiculously high BC (0.091) they maintain velocity and stay within the same 1" window out to 40 yards. 

It's all fun!
 
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