About to purchase an HW50 in .22 caliber, based upon the excellent luck I've had with my .177, HW50. I'm regularly dropping water bottles and soda cans at 40 yards,. The .177 has a Williams diopter rear and Weihrauch red fiber optic up front. I like its weight, relative cocking ease and overall length. Trouble is, a velocity under 600 fps gives me pause about buying the .22. I'm considering an R9 in .22, but the cocking effort is higher and the rifle is heavier and longer. Will I be disappointed by the added weight of the R9? I don't hunt and I've had experience with the Diana 34 and other springers featuring 950--1000 fps, which I don't need. I'm simply looking to add a .22 springer for plinking and fun,. The HW50 velocity seems really slow. Can anyone weigh in on the HW50 performance in .22?
HW/Weihrauch HW50 in .22
- Thread starter Sammy25
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I bought the HW50 at AOA by accident, paid for the HW30 in .177, but they sent me the HW50 .22. It's not the best .22 rifle, 20 cal is maxy for HW50 I think. The only bonus in .22 for older people is that it's easier to load a pellet into the chamber.
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About. And it's not too heavy. It's my cut off point at 7.5 lbs. Plenty strong but I don't like heavy guns. A lot of deer rifles weigh less...... I don't sit on my butt at a bench all day. And enjoy shooting off hand often.
HW50 and HW95(R9) are some of my favorites. The 95 makes good useable power in .22
I like my HW50 in 177. Have 2 of them. Have HW95 in 177 and .22. All good for whacking soda cans off hand out to 60y and beyond.
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Hw95 isn't really any harder to cock than a 50. Just different. Ask anyone that has both. If you want a 22 definitely go for the 95. I have a 177 Hw50. Love it. I have four 95 family guns in three calibers. They're great in all all three calibers. The only gun I ever sold was a 22 Hw50 because it was too loopy for my purposes. Its basically a 600 fps rifle. 650 with light pellets.
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I have the HW 50 in.177 and the R-9 in.20,I think the R-9 or HW95 is a better rifle.........for me..22 is better for me also.
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I was heavy into springer rifles, about 20 years ago. One of my favorites was an R-10 in .20 caliber. I still own it but haven't fired it in years. Just too heavy to carry around for long. My return to the hobby has featured a couple of R7s, an HW30 and HW50, all in .177. I'm satisfied with the R7s at 30--40 yards, even though they only chrono at about 650 fps. Of course, the .177 pellets shoot flatter and are lightweight. The HW50 in .22 is advertised at less than 600 fps. These are not rifles sold in local stores, nor are there range rentals available. There is no opportunity for hands-on experience. That is my dilemma, before spending the funds.
All right, I'm going to hold all three right now. R-7 is great,HW50 is good, and R-9 is a little heavier, so it is the HW50. My HW50 is .177. Get it instead, then. I still like the R-9 better, but you are looking for lighter..Too bad you don't have a Maurder pistol ,it makes a light carbine and easy to fill with a hand pump.
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The HW-30 (R7) in .177 will shoot absolutely the same in everything as the HW-50 in .22. You will not find any difference in anything. Only the wind will have less of an effect on the .22 caliber, in general both rifles will be identical.
The R9 is about 3-4 oz lighter than an R10. Depending on what stocks and if the R10 is a carbine barrel.. R10 is a slightly heavier action. BTW the stocks will all interchange between them.
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I like the HW50 .22, I have 2. Yes it loops, but accurate and predictable . I do like the larger round for loading as well. Love it when you can watch the rounds route to the target.
Would I use it for pesting, no, I have others. But for plinking, IMO a winner.
I have the HW30 in .22 as well and same deal, looping and accurate. I like the variety. As I age I’m banking on these rifles to keep me occupied. Good luck. Crow
Would I use it for pesting, no, I have others. But for plinking, IMO a winner.
I have the HW30 in .22 as well and same deal, looping and accurate. I like the variety. As I age I’m banking on these rifles to keep me occupied. Good luck. Crow
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look up powder coating pellets . easy but messy ( do outside ) . Think shooting at night under lights . A guy in GA. sent some to me , very interesting at twilight .
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My .22 cal 50S has a high output Vortek kit installed. It makes 13.5 ft lbs. I do quite well with it a 55 yards. Consistently hitting a 1/2" spinner at that range. The cocking effort is of course, a little more stout, but it makes .22 cal a legitimate option.
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Not necessarily true. I often shot my 22 Hw50 600-615fps and 177 Hw30 700-715 fps at the same session. Both with the extact same peep sights zeroed at 25 yards. I had the similar results with 2" spinners and silhouettes at 35 yards with both. Slight edge to the 30. The difference in velocity became apparent past that. Shooting at staggered silhouettes at various distances out to 50yards. Hit percentages decreased rapidly with the 22 as distance increased. At 50 yards it was difficult to hit 2" spinners at all without a spotter. At 50 yards my 177 Hw30 was still probably >80% on same day with the same spinner, sights and conditions. That was the day I decided to sell it.
The additional hold over of 22 required better ranging skill and more of the front sight post covered the target. That 100 fps makes a big difference. As far as wind goes its undeniable that 22 drifts less in the wind but at normal short airgun distances (<50 yards) the difference is slight and not enough to make up for the additional hold over. At least for me. This is an ages old argument. I'm just pointing out that there's a noticeable difference in my usage between the two guns in those caliber. Since then I try to keep all my guns above 700 fps.
I will add that I did use the 22 Hw50 scoped the same as my gray 177 Hw30. While holding over is easier with a scope and I was more accurate with the scope on the Hw50 my percentage of hits was still less than the scoped 177 Hw30 because the 50 still required better ranging skills.
Mind you none of this matters if you're gonna scope the rifle and shoot targets at known distances. It's fairly easy to remember holdovers or adjust the scope. However if you're gonna be hunting or pesting at unknown distances that missing 100 fps is gonna hurt your hit/miss ratio. It did mine for sure.
IMO if you're shooting critters or targets at unknown distances past 35 yards a Hw95 is the least power practical. Well unless you have super human ranging skills.
HTH
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I think 100fps is quite a bit, especially when hunting.
It is a balance of power and weight when carrying the rifle, as well as the firing input.
You want to be comfortable knowing your rifle will be "nice" to you.
Again, for me, it is balance, power, weight, and firing charisma.
Some springers are better off in .177, others in .22. Some of my .177 needed heavier pellets to "tame," think RWS 48-52.
Truthfully, I like my English-made springers better than my German-made ones.
.22 is fine,also 650fps can work,do not need 800fps,so 700-750 may be the better hunting fps for longer distance.
All my springers have a tune kit,it is better to be accurate,than powerful...if you powerful springer can not hit what you are aiming at.
Balance,Balance,the Gasalt of springer well-being
It is a balance of power and weight when carrying the rifle, as well as the firing input.
You want to be comfortable knowing your rifle will be "nice" to you.
Again, for me, it is balance, power, weight, and firing charisma.
Some springers are better off in .177, others in .22. Some of my .177 needed heavier pellets to "tame," think RWS 48-52.
Truthfully, I like my English-made springers better than my German-made ones.
.22 is fine,also 650fps can work,do not need 800fps,so 700-750 may be the better hunting fps for longer distance.
All my springers have a tune kit,it is better to be accurate,than powerful...if you powerful springer can not hit what you are aiming at.
Balance,Balance,the Gasalt of springer well-being
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I hunt and eliminate pests with firearms. My air arms provide casual recreation and training opportunities with my grandkids. I am reading that the .22 HW50 will do a fine job for me inside of 40 yards, as my R7s do. This is my interest in springers. Ultimate power and muzzle velocity is the domain of my firearms. I am not impressed that an air rifle the size of a Remington 700 can push a tiny .177 or .22 pellet at high speed. I think my original question has been answered. I'll purchase the HW50 .22 and enjoy its limitations.
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