Western Sidewinder .30 !!

[Magnum12]

I remember checking out the Western Sidewinder a while back & didn't really know much about them so I ended up with The RTI Prophet which was an excellent shooter but I never researched the Western ....I know this is a knowledgeable experienced group here ...are in the same league with big boys ...I know prices are right there with them...lol
Thanks again gentlemen!!

 

[cmatera]

I have owned 2 Huben K1's (a .22 & a .25), and an LCS SK19 in .25 all were ok, but my .30 Sidewinder has been fantastic function and accuracy wise. Mine likes the 44.75 gr JSB pellets. I have not tried slugs, because it shoots so well as it arrived, I don't need
or want to touch a thing. The ability to clean the barrel without the need to remove it and the ability to render the gun completely safe by removing the magazine were important factors to me. I like it enough that I bought a second titanium magazine for it at $150 and well worth it.

 

[Sawney Bean]

The Sidewinder is pretty impressive. It's very accurate and mine has never jammed. In .30 its also loud AF in its stock form. Making it backyard friendly is a bit of a trick.

I've got a K1 too and the Sidewinder is like it's more industrial looking big brother.

The Sidewinder has three advantages over the K1.
1) Removable magazine. This makes it much easier to clean and also allows you to render it visibly safe like a range master would expect during a cease fire.
2) A second safety located above the pistol grip. The K1's only safety is near your shoulder.
3) Select fire. Being able to shoot bursts is just plain fun.

And the K1 has some advantages over the Sidewinder.
1) Better trigger. The Sidewinder trigger is pretty good for a semi-auto, but the K1's trigger is noticeably better.
2) Quieter. I haven't found it necessary to put a can on my K1. It's sufficiently backyard friendly for me right out of the box.
3) Better looking, but maybe aesthetics don't matter to you.
4) More compact.

 

[Magnum12]

I appreciate the info gentlemen.....I think it's a real good looking gun ....I definitely need it backyard friendly....would I need an adapter or can I just screw a Donny Florida on it....I should have one laying around somewhere.....I see it's listed at 125fpe is that real??

Thank!!!

 

[cmatera]

You need an adapter. AoA sells it for like $50. The adapter and a Huggett Magna made it good. That was the only thing I did to mine.

 

[Jesse1972]

The Sidewinder is pretty impressive. It's very accurate and mine has never jammed. In .30 its also loud AF in its stock form. Making it backyard friendly is a bit of a trick.

I've got a K1 too and the Sidewinder is like it's more industrial looking big brother.

The Sidewinder has three advantages over the K1.
1) Removable magazine. This makes it much easier to clean and also allows you to render it visibly safe like a range master would expect during a cease fire.
2) A second safety located above the pistol grip. The K1's only safety is near your shoulder.
3) Select fire. Being able to shoot bursts is just plain fun.

And the K1 has some advantages over the Sidewinder.
1) Better trigger. The Sidewinder trigger is pretty good for a semi-auto, but the K1's trigger is noticeably better.
2) Quieter. I haven't found it necessary to put a can on my K1. It's sufficiently backyard friendly for me right out of the box.
3) Better looking, but maybe aesthetics don't matter to you.
4) More compact.

Thank you for the details in the review. I have a Huben .25 and I love it. I want Huben to make a .30 cal. However, I really like the looks and positive reviews of the Western Sidewinder. 30. I would take off the stock shroud and put a Yokozuna on the end of the barrel...but I am looking forward to it. It's one to save for!

 

[AirShootist]

I reviewed one. Loved it. Was sad when I had to give it back, but here is what I thought of it:

 

[Overreved]

I am going to order the Sidewinder S compact in 30 cal as soon as its available.

 

[jt-outta-cali]

The Sidewinder is pretty impressive. It's very accurate and mine has never jammed. In .30 its also loud AF in its stock form. Making it backyard friendly is a bit of a trick.

I've got a K1 too and the Sidewinder is like it's more industrial looking big brother.

The Sidewinder has three advantages over the K1.
1) Removable magazine. This makes it much easier to clean and also allows you to render it visibly safe like a range master would expect during a cease fire.
2) A second safety located above the pistol grip. The K1's only safety is near your shoulder.
3) Select fire. Being able to shoot bursts is just plain fun.

And the K1 has some advantages over the Sidewinder.
1) Better trigger. The Sidewinder trigger is pretty good for a semi-auto, but the K1's trigger is noticeably better.
2) Quieter. I haven't found it necessary to put a can on my K1. It's sufficiently backyard friendly for me right out of the box.
3) Better looking, but maybe aesthetics don't matter to you.
4) More compact.

Wow thanks for this! How does the L2 fit within this comparison? Mainly curious about trigger and noise

 

[DaveSa]

I recently received my Sidewinder Compact in .30 and today was my first day out at the range with it. So far I would say my feelings are mixed...

Some cons... had some issues getting my March 1-10X shorty mounted - I use this on my Leshiy 2 and love it. I loved it so much I bought a 2nd for an AR build. I though maybe I would just grab the one off the AR and use it on the Sidewinder Compact. That did not work out though as the mount seemed to wobble - I am using the Scalarworks Leap/02 which is light but has a smaller contact surface - Tried both March 1-10x's I had and they both behaved the same.

I tried a larger March 5-45x56 on a larger Scalarworks Leap/07 and don’t seem to have the same issue – probably because so much more of the rail is engaged.

So I thought I would measure the size of the Sidewinder Compacts rail. Mine is .823” wide, where the spec says it should be .835” – my Leshiy is .835” wide

On the depth of the slots it is supposed to be .164” / .108” and my sidewinder is .105” the Leshiy is 0.12” and on my Saber tactical Picatinny extension ( that I use on my Leshiy ) they are .128” from the top to the bottom of the slot.

So for now I am using the larger March.

My rifle reg came at 130 bar - in the manual it warns... you don't need to adjust the reg, it comes pre tuned from the factory. Also in the manual it says = Never adjust the regulator below 140 bar or above 190 bar as damage to the system may occur... hmmm what to do.,.

Anyway the test report said it was around 790 FPS average - and I was getting avg 803 with my first zeroing targets at 50 yards - tried adjusting the power dial on the bottom +5 and -5 to see how that would affect things - not much change +5 gave me 811 fps avg

eventually decided to up the reg to at least 140 and that seemed to help with power overall and my set of shots at 100 yards was average 838 FPS - all of this was with JSB Diabolo Exact 44.75 pellets.

For shots I would get about 24 shots from a fill of 270 bar to 150 bar with the stock 300cc tank -

Attached is my 12 shot group at 100 - it was not windy today and I felt like this was a good string ( I did not feel like I did anything wrong ) - but not the most brag worthy target...

I am also including a 50 yard target with 3 groups... all of these was from a bench with an Atlas tripod and a bag in back.

I also have an FX Impact Mk3 .22 600mm barrel and can repeatable shoot 5 shots into 1 inch ( one of these squares / red area) at 50 yards - so you have an idea how I normally shoot.

I did try at least one mag on auto - which was fun and seemed to group well. I do like the weight / look / fit and finish of the gun and I am hoping to get it tuned better to tighten up the groups

I am using mine with an Impulse Air 1350 with 6 baffles and I thought it did a great job of quieting the Sidewinder down, although the mechanism still creates some noise. I would like to have someone else shoot while I stand away a bit to see what it really sounds like from 10-15' back

 

[DaveSa]

In an update to my last post... I saw the new Element Optics Immersive Series on an airgun review and it got me to researching. I actually was interested in how this scope would work for my needs so I ordered one of the 10x40 models in MILs. So far it seems to fit well on the Sidewinder and I am quite happy with the magnification and field of view, at least looking around my back yard. Excited to get it back out to the range and see how it works for me at 50 yards.

I love the fact it comes with a variety of mounting plates, and I did some comparisons to Hawke Frontier ED binoculars and optics seem on par.

Since most of the time I use Spuhr or Scalarworks mounts , the idea that this scope comes with a mount, is a big deal - especially considering its price.

 

[Marschb]

The Sidewinder is pretty impressive. It's very accurate and mine has never jammed. In .30 its also loud AF in its stock form. Making it backyard friendly is a bit of a trick.

I've got a K1 too and the Sidewinder is like it's more industrial looking big brother.

The Sidewinder has three advantages over the K1.
1) Removable magazine. This makes it much easier to clean and also allows you to render it visibly safe like a range master would expect during a cease fire.
2) A second safety located above the pistol grip. The K1's only safety is near your shoulder.
3) Select fire. Being able to shoot bursts is just plain fun.

And the K1 has some advantages over the Sidewinder.
1) Better trigger. The Sidewinder trigger is pretty good for a semi-auto, but the K1's trigger is noticeably better.
2) Quieter. I haven't found it necessary to put a can on my K1. It's sufficiently backyard friendly for me right out of the box.
3) Better looking, but maybe aesthetics don't matter to you.
4) More compact.

Did you ever find a good way the quiet the .30 Sidewinder.?

 

[Sawney Bean]

Did you ever find a good way the quiet the .30 Sidewinder.?

There’s a lot more about quieting sidewinders here.

Western Airguns - Hushing the Sidewinder Mini .30

on the lowest power setting my sidewinders are silent so can hear the action clearly - the action really isn't THAT loud. I even tied some paracord to the trigger and shot it 10 feet away, not loud at all. I agree - when on the lowest power setting. But as the power goes up the noise goes up...

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