HW/Weihrauch Early 80's HW35E .22 cal

Toxylon

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Jul 5, 2023
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Look what the Springer Fairy brought this January: a 1981 HW35E .22 cal, with a 22” barrel.

I seek out old quality springers for many reasons, the most important being that desirable guns are no longer in production, or no longer produced with quality. But the pickings here are slim. A HW35, for instance, turns up roughly once per year, and I’ve never seen one this early, or in this caliber, until now.

Having been pretty much done with .177 cal spring guns, I was glad to score a .22 cal HW35.

With its lacquered, finger-grooved walnut stock, capped grip, and factory-installed sling mounts, this looks like an E model to me, but I’m not up on the myriad HW varieties, so this could be an L, as well?

“Mellrichstadt-Bay” stamped on the right side of the breech block, under ‘Weihrauch’ dated this gun to a degree, even pre-purchase. The serial number puts it at a production date of 1981. It’s the late leather seal era for the HW35’s. If this gun was just a couple of years younger, it would have had a synth seal and an increased stroke.

This small-engine gun is a whopping 120cm / ~48” long, or as long as my Hatsan 135! This is of course down to the 22.2” (measured) barrel, apparently the longest production springer barrel there is, or shall ever be. It is quite a reach to cock the gun, and it is a veritable pole to handle in tight quarters.

The HW35 weighs 3777g / 8.32lbs., which makes it a mid-weight gun in my book. I’m completely at ease with it, mass-wise. The length may be another matter, heh.

There are some minor scuffs in the stock finish, as well as a couple of surprisingly bad scratches on the barrel. Other than that, the blueing is mostly in great condition, there’s little rust, and the stock under the finish is perfect. Unlike many oldies, this gun obviously hasn’t spent years in cold storage, which makes life much easier, as far as corrosion control goes.

The seller was extremely curt on the gun history. I get the feel that this Weihrauch has been shot some over the decades, but not all that much, maybe a couple large tins or so in total. It also seems nothing has been done to the gun after it left the factory, which is a far better situation than some of the alternatives.

The barrel lock is sturdy and works perfectly (although in need of lubrication). There is no characteristic wear on the receiver face from the barrel lock “sear” rubbing on it on barrel returns.

The barrel breaks and travels silently and smoothly, like on a thoroughly broken in quality gun. I have heard complaints about the noisy cocking of HW35’s, but there’s none of that here.

There’s pretty heavy droop in the barrel, the biggest of any of my guns. We’ll see how the sighting in goes.

The short cocking slot the articulated cocking lever enables is an obvious boon to rigidity and stability, as is the two-screw stock attachment setup, with no rickety side screws in the thinnest part of the stock as on most guns.

The LOP of the 35 is a perfect, full 36cm. I wouldn’t be able to deal with the more modern, tiny Weihrauchs in the same power bracket.

Raising the new old gun for a shot, the stubby, almost bulbous front stock and the super-long barrel make the 35 feel much like my BSF54, but in a breakbarrel configuration. Barrel heavy it is. Likewise, the shot cycle is almost identical: a soft, elastic jolt at the end, which gives a leather-sealed gun away, all by itself.

The gun diesels pretty heavily, no surprise there. Pulling patches it seems the bore has never been cleaned, in its 44 years of life. Black-brown filth, reeking of classic burnt factory grease, covers the patches all over.

The first couple shots through the chrono tell me the gun is a tired old lady: FTT’s leave the barrel at 120m/s / 394fps, Hobbies at 141m/s / 463fps, for measly 7 joules / 5 fpe. You’d think this is a German limit gun, but there’s no Freimark anywhere on the gun.

My 1980’s D34 doubled its tiny ME from a simple clean / relube, no parts changed, so I’m not too worried. 80’s and older lubes have mostly turned into semi-dried glue by this time, and I guess the mainspring is fatigued, as well. I can already tell the breech seal is really flat and crumbly-looking.


HW35E .22 cal.JPG
HW35 massive length.JPG
HW35 Mellrichstadt-Bay.JPG
HW35 walnut stock.JPG
HW35 breech detail.JPG
HW35 and the 22-inch barrel.JPG
 
Well, that's a major beauty! Congrats on a great find, and yes that's an "E" ("Export") stock...lovely. I'm a fan of the 35, but have never played with one in .22 cal.; and I recently acquired a 35 "EB" (Beeman's combo of Export stock and normal barrel). So on both counts I'm looking forward to your future posts as you sort it out.

It's interesting you compare the HW 35E to the BSF S54. Either of those lengthy veterans with a diopter aboard re-defines "sight radius," LOL! The 22" E barrel noticeably changes balance compared to the 19" usual tube, too. It's only a little extra weight - but waaaaay far from your hands.
 
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It looks like an East German knockoff.
Mellrichstadt was a town in what was East Germany from 1944-1989.
Probably why the place of manufacture on the rifle was scratched away.
I was stationed in West Berlin from 1974-1979.
Berlin for the un-informed was not on the border between East and West Germany.
Berlin was located 125 miles inside of East Germany.
West Berlin was occupied by the USA, France and Great Britain.
The Soviets had the east but they enjyed shopping in our BX.
The American embassy was located in East Berlin.
 
It looks like an East German knockoff.
Mellrichstadt was a town in what was East Germany from 1944-1989.
Probably why the place of manufacture on the rifle was scratched away.
I was stationed in West Berlin from 1974-1979.
Berlin for the un-informed was not on the border between East and West Germany.
Berlin was located 125 miles inside of East Germany.
West Berlin was occupied by the USA, France and Great Britain.
The Soviets had the east but they enjyed shopping in our BX.
The American embassy was located in East Berlin.
Fascinating bit of info there Frank ...
As I first looked at it was saying to self ... Something odd here, but could not pin it down to what ???
 
It looks like an East German knockoff.
Mellrichstadt was a town in what was East Germany from 1944-1989.
Probably why the place of manufacture on the rifle was scratched away.
I was stationed in West Berlin from 1974-1979.
Berlin for the un-informed was not on the border between East and West Germany.
Berlin was located 125 miles inside of East Germany.
West Berlin was occupied by the USA, France and Great Britain.
The Soviets had the east but they enjyed shopping in our BX.
The American embassy was located in East Berlin.
I have, a fake HW35 made in the GDR, I'll post a picture later.This rifle is called the Haenel 303 Super and it is much rarer than the HW35 and costs just as much.
 
As a quick way to get things going, I replaced the original breech seal with a modern HW seal. Turned out the old seal had to be picked out in hard, brittle chunks, having zero elasticity left. This was also an opportunity to test a single variable, which is always interesting and not too common in airgunning.

After letting the new seal settle and taking some shots, I lit up the chrono and again tested the two pellets that best illustrate how a .22 cal Weihrauch is doing.

FTTs shot app. 129 m/s / 422 fps, while Hobbies registered app. 149 m/s / 487 fps. So, the new seal yielded some 20 fps in velocity and a 10% increase in muzzle energy. Not insignificant, but not earth-shattering, either, since a breech seal switch can also yield 100 fps.

So, a 44-yo. HW breech seal that has lost all elasticity can still keep a gun shooting close to what it can, provided the seal is complete.

Shooting this ailing 35 has illustrated the realities of having a .22 cal gun at the German legal limit. Things are slow and weak, for sure. FTT’s bounce off of softwood at 20 feet, which I’ve never seen before etc.

More to come.
 
The flat area on the left side of the fork near the barrel latch doesn't look right to me.
Yeah, I was stunned to see that, myself. It looks like a chunk was broken off there, the new facet was just ignored and left rough, and the receiver went on to get finished and assembled. But hey, this is the only HW35 I've ever had in my hands, so I have no real comparison.
 
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I took the 35 apart. Nothing difficult there, having done my HW80 a number of times.

Gobs of amber-colored grease filled the trigger block nooks and crannies.

HW35 greasy trig.JPG


The mainspring, covered in super-sticky grease, looked surprisingly good, no canting or diminished pitch, just a little snakiness along the way. Super-heavy wire, with massive ID, too. Completely loose on the one-piece steel rear guide.

The piston had been rendered basically lubrication free by time. Splatters of dusty dry moly and some barely moving, sticky grease was all it had.

The piston seal was leather, as assumed. It was in poor shape, poorer than any of the leather seals I’ve dug out of old springers. At the seal perimeter, there was a half-inch section with severely diminished thickness and body, like just a shell had been left (see upper right in the pic). There’s no way to my mind that this wouldn’t severely affect the gun’s sealing. There’s also no way to perk that back up by an oil soak.

HW35 diminished piston seal.JPG


At the opposite side of the seal, there was a long sliver of leather hanging off the seal. Being on the back, I don’t think this alone would affect sealing too much, but it’s no good, any way.

HW35 piston seal cut.JPG


The maroon ‘rim’ inside the seal cup had cracked in two places. Poor showing all around.

HW35 cracked seal cup.JPG



The biggest surprise yet came when I checked the 35’s TP. Probing with drill bit shanks, I measured the diameter at 3.0mm, which is a synthetic seal TP size, as opposed to the 4mm diameter used on leather sealed HW35’s!

Leather-sealed guns need the big TP’s to function properly, just like synth-sealed guns need the smaller TP’s – no wonder the gun was shooting like it was.

Apparently in 1981 at the Weihrauch plant, guns were being made that were neither fish nor fowl. Maybe they ran out of the leather-spec receivers but still had a crate of leather-seal pistons to move?

Off to piston shopping it is, then. I need a modern, synth seal piston to match my gun’s TP.

I see no reason why a modern HW35 piston wouldn’t work in an older gun. I know in the 80’s power hungry days the HW35’s stroke was increased, which basically means a little shorter piston. But the gun shouldn’t mind, as the comp chamber, latch rod end, trigger mech etc. are the same. It’d be a really good time to hear if there’s a hitch in this somewhere.
 
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Perhaps I'm missing something, but isn't this the answer to your problem?

 
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I have three HW 35's, all with leather piston seals. The 1966 one has a 4mm transfer port but - like you - I was surprised to find the other two are 3mm! Odd as it is, a leather piston seal with a 3mm TP apparently was not just a transitional oddity, but the factory standard for these guns for several years.
IMG_6147.jpeg


Just speculation on my part, but this may relate to the German 7.5-joule (about 6 FPE) power restriction, which went into effect in 1970. All my other old leather-sealed HW 30's, 50's, and 55's have 4mm TP's, but those are smaller actions either already under the limit, or could be made so with a softer mainspring. As you noted, the good news is that your 35 should be able to take a synthetic seal with no problems.

According to old Beeman catalogs, the 35 went to plastic piston seals in 1983. Besides the material change, it also appears the later pistons are a little shorter, giving the gun a greater swept volume. If you buy a synthetic conversion set, note that:
+ the OEM leather seal is about 12mm long
+ the typical converter for a plastic HW seal is about 15mm long, reducing swept volume (I bought this one from JG Airguns)
+ I believe Vortek's set would be about 12mm long (pic below is for a 25mm piston though, not the 35's 30mm one)
IMG_6155.jpeg


I had my 1980 "EB" apart over the holidays. The piston is exactly like yours, but was in somewhat better condition. It responded very well to a soak in 50/50 silicone and neatsfoot oils. It was also rather low on power, but I've not had a chance to chrono it since reassembly. Leather is amazing stuff...your seal might bounce back better than you think.
 
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Perhaps I'm missing something, but isn't this the answer to your problem?

The adapter shortens the already short(er) stroke of the leather-seal piston, which is the opposite of what I'm after.

ETA: or what Mike said.
 
Yeah, I was stunned to see that, myself. It looks like a chunk was broken off there, the new facet was just ignored and left rough, and the receiver went on to get finished and assembled. But hey, this is the only HW35 I've ever had in my hands, so I have no real comparison.
The flat spot is also present on my 35E #7987xx from 1980. Mine has the earlier one-side-only red dot safety, is otherwise exactly as your's...Vortek piston seal, not a freimark gun and in .22 it's still not a powerhouse...:(
 
I have three HW 35's, all with leather piston seals. The 1966 one has a 4mm transfer port but - like you - I was surprised to find the other two are 3mm! Odd as it is, a leather piston seal with a 3mm TP apparently was not just a transitional oddity, but the factory standard for these guns for several years.
View attachment 528911

Just speculation on my part, but this may relate to the German 7.5-joule (about 6 FPE) power restriction, which went into effect in 1970. All my other old leather-sealed HW 30's, 50's, and 55's have 4mm TP's, but those are smaller actions either already under the limit, or could be made so with a softer mainspring. As you noted, the good news is that your 35 should be able to take a synthetic seal with no problems.

According to old Beeman catalogs, the 35 went to plastic piston seals in 1983. Besides the material change, it also appears the later pistons are a little shorter, giving the gun a greater swept volume. If you buy a synthetic conversion set, note that the typical one using an OEM HW seal is about 3mm longer than the leather seal, reducing swept volume (I bought this one from JG Airguns). I believe Vortek's set is a bit shorter, about the same as the leather seal or a tiny bit less (pic below is Vortek set for a 25mm piston though, not the 35's 30mm one).
View attachment 528912

I had my 1980 "EB" apart over the holidays. The piston is exactly like yours, but was in somewhat better condition. It responded very well to a soak in 50/50 silicone and neatsfoot oils. It was also rather low on power, but I've not had a chance to chrono it since reassembly. Leather is amazing stuff...your seal might bounce back better than you think.
MY 35 has a stock like the middle pic. And mine also has rust pitting on the metal .
 
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The flat area on the left side of the fork near the barrel latch doesn't look right to me.

Ah, but it IS right! That little cutaway is a signature detail on all HW 35's, though the angle and level of finish varied. It helps your thumb find the sliding breech latch.

IMG_6157.jpeg
 
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The guns, even of the same model and assembly date vary, I suspect because Hans 'n Fritz use whatever part is at hand on the bench, mixing old inventory and new? Here's three of the same model, made same time. You can see small differences, and the Daisy marketed for US export has a sleeve, better recoil pad, maybe a "select" level of accuracy?
The 35E, HW55 being the prestige models maybe get the best stuff/care in assembly???
L1011117.jpeg
 
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Some of that inevitably happened; odd details and transitional models do get built. But in general...randomness is not the German way, lol.

Most German guns in those days were offered with several buyer options - triggers, stocks, sights, barrel sleeves, buttplates, and more. The specifications of a wholesaler/importer buying in bulk was also often a significant factor.

Dr. Beeman, for example, was fond of loading his guns up with "mandatory options," as car dealers call 'em :D. Just try finding a Beeman FWB 65 pistol without the expensive, adjustable-palmshelf walnut match grips. In Germany there were two lower cost options, and the match grips came in different sizes...but you wouldn't know any of that from a Beeman catalog.
 
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