HW50S or R9 for a left handed shooter?

[zumbooruk]

I need help deciding between the HW50S and the R9 for my 15 years old son and myself.

Based on your recommendations, I was all set to go with the HW50S, however, just read that the HW50S stock is not quite ambidextrous...

My son is LH, I am RH, so I would like an ambi stock so we can both share the fun... 

Can a lefty comfortably shoot the HW50S?

Any lefties shooting the RH HW50S? how is it working for you?

​As far as I can tell from reading, the main differences, other than ambi vs RH stock is weight, power and cocking effort

Some research on actual cocking effort shows that even though the R9 is spec'ed at 40lb, actual effort is less, about 35lb

While actual cocking effort on the HW50S is about 30lb (spec'ed at 24lb), some post said that HW50S takes even more effort than R9

Is 5-7lb a big difference in real life?

I understand that I can "tune" the guns and replace spring, bushing, guides, etc, and that the gun will break in after few thousand rounds. but the question is "out of the box"

the HW50S is a bit lighter, and comes with open sights, which I do like.

and I don't care for the extra power/distance of the R9, or should I?

price wise, they are about the same, since the R9 has a $50 rebate.

so... which one would you recommend? 

thanks

-z

 

[chiro972b]

I'd buy the R9 every time.

 

[Smaug]

I've never shot an HW50s, but I have shot an R9, and it's a fine rifle. A good, solid mid-powered one. Strong enough to kill pests and game, if you want, but not so strong that it's hard to shoot well, or overly heavy or imbalanced.

I was talking myself into an HW50s, as I love my HW30s so dearly, but sometimes want just a bit more power. As a dug into it deeper, I found a lot of comments about how hard it is to cock.

I haven't researched it yet, but it seems to me that the R9 has a stronger spring, but the longer barrel more than makes up for it, in terms of cocking effort. Going up 5 lbs. of cocking effort is a big deal, if you're going to be shooting it a lot.

If you like the R9, but like sights to be included, take a look at the HW95; it has the same internals, but with a slightly different stock and a lower price.

 

[Smaug]

If you want the nice walnut stock, AoA has the Luxus edition (HW95) on special for $450, compared to $315 for Beech stock.

http://www.airgunsofarizona.com/Weihrauch.htm

 

[JohnL57]

"Smaug"If you want the nice walnut stock, AoA has the Luxus edition (HW95) on special for $450, compared to $315 for Beech stock.

http://www.airgunsofarizona.com/Weihrauch.htm

Actually the Luxus has a Beech stock, still very nice & comfortable.

 

[zumbooruk]

Thanks,

AoA does indeed seem to have a very good price on the HW95, and I could not find anyone else selling it.

however, AoA seem to have fairly bad rating on several internet sites, such as reseller rating, etc.

makes me very hesitant to make my first purchase with them...

-z