Weihrauch HW97 K needs a mount and scope!

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sidpost

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Aug 1, 2019
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Tx, United States
I am getting Weihrauch HW97 K in 0.25"/6.35mm caliber. I need a hunting scope that is reasonable for this rifle along with its mount.

Longest expected shots of any frequency are going to be 50' or less. I don't see any shots over 30 yards (90') in my future and that really gets me into PCP or 22lr territory.

I want a good mount but, I want to keep costs reasonable. Same with optics and I am considering a Hawke 2x7-32 or 4-16x50 at the extremes but, I can be convinced otherwise.

TIA,
Sid
 
An RWS Bullseye ZR (Zero Recoil) mount, and I just received a Discovery HD 2-12x24 FFP scope that is tiny, compact and light with good glass and focuses down to about 6yds that I mounted on my Notos, try researching these 👍

IMG_7850.jpeg
 
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Ranchibi said:
An RWS Bullseye ZR (Zero Recoil) mount, and I just received a Discovery HD 2-12x24 FFP scope that is tiny, compact and light with good glass and focuses down to about 6yds that I mounted on my Notos, try researching these 👍

View attachment 506005
Click to expand...
I had that recoiless mount on a Diana 54 Air King Pro. Works for protecting the scope you have mounted and a great concept. For my case, sets the scope way to high and lost cheek weld for a stable shot. I'm sure there was a stock slip-on pad to fix that. In the end, it was a heavy beast of a setup and I just couldn't get that side cock thing to work out smoothly.
 
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Ranchibi said:
An RWS Bullseye ZR (Zero Recoil) mount, and I just received a Discovery HD 2-12x24 FFP scope that is tiny, compact and light with good glass and focuses down to about 6yds that I mounted on my Notos, try researching these 👍

View attachment 506005
Click to expand...
I’m on my 2nd scope by Discovery. Excellent clarity in the glass. Will definitely buy more from them.
 
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I like the 32mm objective and low Sportsmatch rings. A 40mm (with medium sportsmatch rings) is max unless you add a cheekpiece. A larger scope mounts too high and you will have cheek weld and scope slip problems. IMHO a 50mm objective is just crazy. So is magnification above 4-6x for the short ranges you will be shooting.

The Hawke scope is a good value. I have several. They aren't the best but they are a good scope for the price.

The Airmax line from Hawke will last longer than the Vantage models. The reticle in the Airmax is not great for hunting. The Vantage is perfect. Before buying an Airmax for hunting make sure you can see the crosshairs in shadows. It's a great scope for targets and light backgrounds but it sucks for hunting. A regular mil dot, moa or duplex will be best in most hunting situations

A Sightron S1 is a much better scope and will cost a little more. A Leupold 34mm 3x9 AO is a fantastic airgun scope. Either will be a big step up from the Hawke. Either is probably overkill unless you shoot a lot.

You will be shooting really close range. You need an AO scope for that. So get one with the adjustable objective or side focus. Anything over 9x is a waste unless you are shooting targets or extreme range. I use a fixed 4x Hawke Vantage 32 mm on my HW95 and it is plenty for any hunting situation. A 3x9 is more magnification than you will ever use.

Don't buy a cheapo scope. Don't buy one with blinking lights, changing colors, big knobs sticking out, or any other BS. For short range airgun hunting all you need are the basics.

Use the lowest mounts possible. Get the objective bell close to the barrel as possible. I like Sportsmatch rings. BKL works. Stay away from one piece mounts unless you know your scope will fit in them and you can get perfect eye relief. I like the 2 piece Spotsmatch 4 screw mounts. Others may work dandy in some cases but these work every time with any scope.

Mounts on a springer are a problem. So are scopes. Don't skimp on either. Save yourself a lot of headache and get the best you can afford.

FYI an HW95 is plenty of gun for rodents out to 70 yards or even more. For headshots on squirrels it's accurate enough out to 50. It's no joke and easy to underestimate. I can hit shotgun shells with it at 60-75 yards almost every time. And it will go through an unopened can of beans at that range. So if you can place your shot you will have no problems with it under 50 yards at all.

That's my two cents worth and I'll only charge you a nickel.
 
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sidpost said:
How about a Sightron S1 Series 1.75-5x32mm and Sportsmatch LT031C mounts? And, where is the best place to buy Sportsmatch mounts these days (not retail plus $10 for shipping)?
Click to expand...

A great scope. You can't go wrong. I like the low mag scopes. Some like the 3x12x40mm. Whatever suits you. The Sightron is solid.

I don't know the parts numbers on the mounts. Low 1" 4 screw Sportsmatch is what I'd get. I would buy mine at AOA if they were in stock.
 
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You definitely want a drooper mount since you are shooting at pretty close ranges, otherwise, your elevation may have to be adjusted to the extreme end and they don't like that. Something like this adapter is inexpensive and will give you the freedom to use any rings you want.

www.pyramydair.com

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jps2486 said:
You definitely want a drooper mount since you are shooting at pretty close ranges, otherwise, your elevation may have to be adjusted to the extreme end and they don't like that. Something like this adapter is inexpensive and will give you the freedom to use any rings you want.

www.pyramydair.com

UTG Super Slim 20 MOA Elevated Picatinny Mount, 13 Slots, 0.55" High | Pyramyd AIR

We've got a great price on UTG Super Slim 20 MOA Elevated Picatinny Mount, 13 Slots, 0.55" High at Pyramyd AIR. Shop where the experts do!
www.pyramydair.com
Click to expand...

Yep, Height over Bore will be an issue with close shots. I am looking at rings to help with this as opposed to "unimount" 1-piece options.

Rails and rings seem a bit tall, similar to the unimounts if I go that route.
 
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jps2486 said:
You definitely want a drooper mount since you are shooting at pretty close ranges, otherwise, your elevation may have to be adjusted to the extreme end and they don't like that. Something like this adapter is inexpensive and will give you the freedom to use any rings you want.

www.pyramydair.com

UTG Super Slim 20 MOA Elevated Picatinny Mount, 13 Slots, 0.55" High | Pyramyd AIR

We've got a great price on UTG Super Slim 20 MOA Elevated Picatinny Mount, 13 Slots, 0.55" High at Pyramyd AIR. Shop where the experts do!
www.pyramydair.com
Click to expand...


That's a nice low drooper rail. That's just the ticket if you are shooting long range or with a springer that droops. With low rings a 40mm scope would sit pretty low.

My HW97 does not have any droop at all. At a 27yd. Zero its just a few clicks up from optical center. It hits the target at 80 yards at the second mil dot. So the drooper is relatively unimportant unless you are clicking your elevation and shooting off the crosshairs. That's generally not how you do it when hunting.

I suppose all guns line up a bit differently and some may need the extra angle of a drooper mount. In which case this would be a great solution. It's nice and low. Excess height is the big problem with drooper rails and this rail seems to have minimized that.

Lots of shooters sight in on the dot above the crosshair to give them more range (hold under). That will put a 50 yard shot on the crosshair and an 80 yard shot just below the first dot. Again, unless your droop is bad enough to take the scope way off optical center it keeps your long range POI close to the crosshairs. It works fine unless you need to "click up" for long shots.
 
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Barrel droop, IMO, is an old myth because airguns are low powered and their trajectory is very loopy in comparison to a powderburner. I just can't fathom why any rilfe manufacturer would intentionally allow the barrel axis not to be parallel to the receiver axis. All of my rifles have some kind of method of adjusting the scope angle to match the trajectory so that the reticle elevation will be close to center. I use mostly adjustable mounts, like FX, or drooper mounts. In a pinch, I also shim the rear scope rail with a 0.015 inch plastic shim.
 
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If a rifle needs droop compensation it's available. If you need more elevation range on your scope it's available. The drooper rails and adjustable mounts are a great fix.

If you don't then it's a moot point.

Unless you are clicking for elevation the adjustment range of the scope is unimportant. If you shoot off the dots all that matters is your zero is close enough to optical center for your scope to function correctly. A little "up" adjustment puts more tension on the spring. As long as it's not extreme that's a good thing.

I wouldn't install a rail or adjustable mounts unless it solved a problem. In my limited experience they are not needed in most cases. Definitely not with my HW97. If I had 20 degrees of correction it would require a full turn of "down" adjustment and would take pressure off the scope spring. That would be (in my mind) the wrong way to go.

If you are sighted at 25 yards on the 97 you are on (or very close) to the crosshair out to 35 yards. 50 is right at the first mil dot. You can easily hit a target from 10 yards to 60 yards without any problems no matter how much "droop" you have. If you can't then there is an alignment problem with the rifle.

My D34 is the only rifle I used a drooper on. After I did some creative barrel bending it's spot on at optical center @ 25 yards. I lost the drooper rail and use the 2 piece Sportsmatch mounts. For me it was the perfect solution. It eliminated the problem rather than compensating for it and the objective lens is low almost touching the barrel.

If standard mounts result in too much "up" adjustment then there are good solutions. If not they are just addressing a problem you don't have.
 
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Personally, I think that if an HW 97K or similar quality fixed barrel air rifle needs droop compensation, there is something wrong with the rifle and it should be checked by the manufacturer or a skilled air rifle mechanic. If the barrel is 'square' with the receiver, normal Height over Bore shouldn't be an issue for a quality scope and ring combination.
I'm not buying a more expensive and heavier mount to solve a problem I don't have.
 
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Weight is an issue with the 97k. Mine is synthetic stock. With a scope mounted it's a chunk. It's not a good offhand gun for most shooters. The weight of a rail isn't much. But another darn good reason not to do it unless you need to.

I've heard several guys say the HW97/77 rifles needed elevation or windage compensation. So I guess it happens with some of them. Mine lines right up.

My HW95 shoots a little low but not enough to need a tapered mount. I have several different breakbarrels and most shoot a little low at 25.

I've used tapered rails on most of them and had good luck as long as I used quality rings. The ones that worked flawlessly for me were Burris steel z rings and Sportsmatch 4 screw rings. On a thin rail like the one above they would work great.

I much prefer a direct mounting with quality 2 piece rings. Especially on a rifle like the 97k. That's one helluva good rifle that really stacks them.

Here is a 40mm Hawke with medium SM rings on a 97k...

20240824_133207.jpg


Here is a 32mm Hawke with the low SM rings on the 95. You have to cut the lens covers but the scope is the perfect height for the stock. The 32mm rocks IMHO.

20240824_133248.jpg
 
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sidpost said:
Thanks! Those pictures are really helpful. I'm leaning pretty hard towards the Sightron S1 1.75-5x32 at the moment.
Click to expand...

Is it adjustable objective?

You may need that for close shots. I think the AO is a 40mm. Check and make sure.

Things get blurry up close and parallax error increases. The error is not really that much but the focus is handy. Under 25 yards or so it is really nice to have.

The 32mm objective is the better scope ergonomically. But choices are limited. The 40mm is a tiny bit high but still works great.

Some scopes just don't need the AO and others really get blurry in close. The Leupold Rimfire is set for 60 yards and works great at 10. I know the Sightron S1 AO is at leat an equal but how a fixed objective is I can't say.

Leupold has a 40mm AO airgun scope too. It's expensive. I bet it's better than any of them. Check it out.

The Airmax 32mm 2x7 is a good one if you can use the fine reticle. It's not expensive and they hold up good. Some guys may be able to hunt with it just fine.
 
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