by B.B. Pelletier
We’ll finish the Walther Lever Action today with a look at accuracy. There was a tornado warning in my area when I tested the rifle, so I confined the test to indoors at 10 meters. When you see what it did, though, I don’t think you’ll mind.
Scope use
I tested the rifle with open sights, only, though it’s possible to mount a scope, using either a B-Square mount or a Walther mount.
Sights needed very little adjustment
I had tested this rifle before for Airgun Illustrated magazine, and it was right on then, so nothing changed but the elevation from being bumped around. It took two targets and just a few shots to get back in the black again. Because all shooting was at paper, I used wadcutter pellets that cut better holes.
Gamo Match
The first pellets tested were Gamo Match. They did well but were not the best in this rifle. Gamo Match will always be pretty good in any airgun that has reasonable accuracy.
H&N Match
H&N Finale Match shot about the same as Gamo Match. Again, they aren’t bad, but the rifle can do better.
RWS Hobby
The RWS Hobby pellet proved best in this rifle at 10 meters. I shot several groups and all were better than those shot by the other two pellets, but the best one was really something.
The trigger came under great scrutiny in this test. Had it been as good as a 10-meter rifle trigger, the groups would have been smaller, because I could see some movement of the front sight during the squeeze.
Cocking is butter-smooth and light. The Walther will spoil you for a lever-action firearm – even a .22! I have to agree with those who like this rifle for its realism.
It’s certainly not cheap, but if you like realism and fast action in a pellet rifle, you will want to try Walther’s Lever Action.
Hi B.B. ,
I want to buy a pistol scope for my 2300T and i hesitate between two models offered Pyramidair:
1. /product/bsa-2×20-pistol-scope-duplex-reticle?a=657
2. /product/ncstar-2-5×30-pistol-scope-duplex-reticle-weaver-rings?a=1915
I want to hear your professional opinion- which one worth more? Thanks in advance!
B.B.
Can you help me? I am trying to determine the age of my Gamo 22 cal break barrel air rifle. Contact with Gamo USA and Spain did not yield any response. The only identification on the gun is the serial number, #302748. The gun was purchased used about 30+ years ago.
B.B.
That is interesting about the least expensive 7.0 hobbys doing the best in accuracy. I find that also with the rifles under say 800fps, but over 800fps, they do well in some but not others for accuracy, but always out preform on the crony for pellets the same weight, and always faster than the Beeman laser 6.5….
I liked them so much, I told myself that the higher grade rws R-10 Match must be better, so I bought a bunch of them……big mistake….they shoot slower and less accurate for me in every one of my rifles….do you know why?….
Anyway….. love them hobbys,
Wayne,
Wayne,
If you shoot those R-10s in a 10-meter gun things will change. I think you need to get ahold of a nice used 10-meter gun.
The best would be an HW 55, because it is so light and easy to cock.
Then watch those R-10s!
B.B.
B.B.
Thanks, I will save them until I can find a HW55…you say used, is that because they don”t make them anymore or because they are so expensive?
Where do I look, I did not see the HW55 on the PA site.
Edvig,
NC Star is not an airgun scope company. If you notice, their scope only focuses (parallax adjusts) to as close as 50 feet. That’s 1/3 of your total shooting distance gone for a rifle, and over half for a pistol like the 2300S.
But BSA focuses to only 50 YARDS – so the entire range is lost. It’s a firearm pistol scope.
My advice is to wait until Leapers can build a scope that will really be for air pistols. If you can’t wait, the NC Star is the lesser of two evils.
B.B.
Old Gamo,
You didn’t tell me the model number. Based on the age I think you may have a Gamo 300, and model 68 or perhaps an Expo, but the serial number is of no use because Gamo doesn’t publish that kind of information.
Is there any model information marked on your gun?
B.B.
Wayne,
It’s time you bookmarked this website:
http://www.airguninfo.com/
Look under classifieds.
B.B.
Well B.B. you confirm my thoughts and tip the balance to the NC Star as i supposed. Actually i always do additional scope paralax adjustments if i mind new scopes without AO built-in, so i think that i could tune the objective of NC Star to cover my needs of shooting at 15-20 meter distance. Actually if Leapers start to develop a pistol scope model that will be great! I really like their scopes!
B.B.
Thanks,
I had already did a google search and found one of those classified sites….
Found a HW55 with a morgan adj site, just rebuilt original leather seal, the pics look great….. asking $690 plus shipping. Is that a fair price?
Also saw a Diana 300r .177 7 shot repeating rifle…. it is an underlever and really looks nice like new.. for $450 with a nice scope.
what do you think?
Wayne
B.B.
Re: Old Gamo
No other markings on rifle. Model type/name is unknown but based on your reply I was able to find a parts drawing for a 300 model and it appears to be a close match.
Any idea of what was the expected velocity of this model.
Thanks for your help.
Wayne,
That 55 is pretty steep, but the fact that it has a leather seal says it’s old. There are 3 principal variations of the 55 – the SM (cheapest with a beech stock); the MM (best one with a walnut stock) and the Tyrolean (expensive with a specialized offhand Tyrolean stock). Get either an SM or an MM if you can. I’d pay about $450 for a nice SM and 550 for a nice MM.
The Morgan adjustable buttpad isn’t necessary, but it is nice. However, they sell for $3-40, so no real value added. You said sight, but I think you meant buttpad. Right?
Never shot a Diana 300R (are you sure this is a Diana and not just a Spanish RWS?) so I have no opinion.
B.B.
Old Gamo,
If you have a 300, you have a nice rifle with a one-pound trigger. In .177 (leather seals) it gets 675-700, so expect it to get 525 in .22.
The 300 is easy to cock and very smooth shooting. Air Rifle Headquarters sold them in the 1970s.
B.B.
B.B.
your right again, it is a buttpad…this is the only one in those 3 classified I found on a quick look….have not talked with them yet…thanks so much for the “fair value”…do they come up often used?
The add says “RWS DIANA Model 300R .177 Cal.” in the box with all the tags and papers, fired 200 rds. icludes 3- 7 round magazines
The ad further says “The Model 300R, made in Germany, followed the successful Model 46, designed for Field Target competition and considered by some to be one of RWS DIANA’s finest products. The 300R is essentially the same gun adapted to repeater operation. The manufacturer, DIANA Mayer & Grammelspacher GmbH & Co. KG of Rastatt Germany, has been in business for over 118 years with over 10 million satisfied customers in more than 60 countries worldwide.” here is a photo, I hope…
http://www.network54.com/Forum/575075/thread/1213425908/last-1213
It might be a good one to collect…
Wayne,
Wayne,
HW55s don’t come up often, but they’re out there.
The 300 looks fine.
B.B,
B.B.
Thank you so much..your a super dude for all you do…you must be so busy….thanks for you time…
I already told them on the 300, I would take it, but not heard back..
I will see what I can do on the HW55 I don’t know which model it is yet.
thanks again,
Wayne
B.B.
Would you say that the Walther lever action is the fastest non-semiautomatic air rifle? The only competition I can think of would be the Hammerli 850, but bolt-actions are slower than lever-actions right? The IZH 61 has a bigger lever and a longer throw.
I’m wondering if you have any theories about a very weird thing that happened to my B30 last night. While closing the lever after loading a pellet, the lever got stuck about one-third of the way back. I applied a little force and got it closed almost but not quite. I worked the lever back and forth then felt around to see if the pellet had dropped out of the bore into the chamber but nothing. Finally, I decided to just fire it off.
The automatic safety worked, and the gun discharged but with an odd light crack; I don’t believe the pellet made it 15 feet to the target. And there was a strange burned smell like when I have dry-fired the IZH 61. After that the gun worked fine. Any idea what happened?
Also, the trigger guard screw fell out again after 50 rounds. Are you supposed to smear locktite over the whole screw? The guy at the store told me just a few drops would do the job and that’s what I did the first time around.
Matt61
Matt,
No, the Shark pump-action rifle is the fastest non-semiauto around. I can get off 30 shots in less than 8 seconds.
I think the pellet fell out of the breech and jammed between the sliding chamber and the wall of the tube. That’s what stopped the cocking arm.
I think you dry-fired the gun. That was the smell.
Use Locktite on the entire length of the screw. You don’t know which section of thread is holding it. It still only takes a few drops, because that stuff travels around the threads easily.
B.B.
B.B.
How interesting. I’ve never heard of the Shark rifle.
Argh. I can’t believe I dry-fired a single-shot rifle.
Matt61
Edvig,
Consider a red dot sight for that Crosman 2300. I tried a BSA pistol scope on my 2240. Parallax was terrible at 10m, not bad at 20-25 yards, but still not good. The red dot is essentially paralax free. I use a tasco on the 2240, but if you really want the best, get an Ultradot. I use an Ultradot (matchdot-4) on my S&W 41 target pistol. It has the least parallax of any dot sight available.
There is also an accessory rail for the Walther Lever action Rifle. It replaces the rear sight with a Weaver rail. A red dot sight works great on this rifle. It’s faster than a scope, and is more accurate than open sights. Mine is a joy to shoot.
Edvig,
Forgot to mention, most inexpensive red dot sights have pretty large dots, the Matchdot has 4 different sized dots, the smallest being 1 min. might be a good choice for 10m use. try a cheap one, if you like it, upgrade to the Matchdot. That’s what I did.
Wayne,
After BB you are my idol. Making a living with airguns.
Anyway, while I am not (yet) a collector, the picture and description of the model 300R is VERY nice. It is a testament to the quality of people on this blog that no one bought it out from under you.
I hope to meet you at the 2009 Field Target course offered by PA. It would be great to meet a lot of you folks!
As I have said repeatedly in the past, so little money, so many airguns.
Al Pellet
Al Pellet,
You are so right, the quality of people on this blog is super…..
I am having so much fun exploring this new air rifle world, (as a old person/new shooter) and as a hobby business….
I am so looking forward to meeting all of you wonderful folks and learning more about the air gun world and making new friends…
come on people, sign up for the “club class” so we can do it for sure!!!
BTW…the really nice man that has the 300r, has a Diana 46 stutsen, a Diana 460 mag. in .22, and a HW77MKII, all very nice…. his doctor said he cannot be cocking air rifles any more….and he only lives 300 miles from me, and 10 miles from where my son lives & does our website and marketing for my real business….
what a world…I get a visit & business meeting with my son and the start of an air rifle collection….am I blessed or what…
B.B.
The HW55 has just been rebuilt by, I think he said “David Slade” who is his good friend, and a great tunner, according to him. David did a full tune, new spring and all…. only 150 shot since the tune…
what do you think, I know you said the $690 is high….is the rebuild worth the extra bucks….David Slade also told him it has been used very little… the leather seal looks original and he just serviced it.
Thanks all again,
Wayne,
Wayne,
Dave Slade is a name in this business. He once worked at Beeman, but is now on his own, operating Theoben USA. His rebuild of the rifle definitely adds value.
If it’s an MM model and in pristine condition, then yes, go for it. It’s a stretch, but it will never be worth less. I would rather see it selling for $600 (if it’s an MM), but given the Morgen buttpad and the Dave Slade tune, yes, it’s okay.
The MM model has a walnut stock with a raised cheekpiece. The SM model has a beech stock with no raised cheekpiece. You cannot mistake the two models because of the raised cheekpiece. The cheekpiece isn’t raised very high, but it has a pronounced angular outline.
B.B.
Your a gem B.B., this guy seems real nice also…
Thanks,
Wayne
B.B.
I have been trying to find a good rest for my Gamo Big Cat, what would your recommend?
Thanks.
Big Cat,
Start by resting the stock on the backs of your fingers just in front of the triggerguard. That’s the most universal best rest for me. If that doesn’t work, flip your hand over and rest the stock on the flat of your open palm, at the same place on the stock.
If neither rest works, try holding the stock like a firearm, with a firm grasp of the fingers.
B.B.
B.B.
Thanks. I’ll try all three rests and see which one works the best for me.
Thanks again.
I just stumbled across this thread while searching to see if anyone had solved the problem I am having with my RWS 300R. It sounds like I may be too late to help Wayne, if he’s already bought one, but to anyone else looking to buy this air rifle – DON’T! It is a truly excellent rifle – until it breaks, which it does with regularity. According to the folks at Umarex, RWS apparently only made this model for a couple of years and stopped, because of this problem. The little pin that pushes the pellet from the rotary magazine into the chamber is fragile and shears off easily. I am getting ready to send mine for replacement of the valve complete unit for the second time in 18 months, and my rifle gets very little use and, after the first replacement, I can assure you I have handled this mechanism with great care. If you search the ‘net, you’ll find others with the same issue. At $110 for service and shipping, if I own the rifle for another 3 years, I will have doubled its effective price. There has been no redesign of this part, according to Umarex, so the unfortunate owners’ only choice is to keep replacing with the same fragile piece. This is truly sad, as the rifle, otherwise, is a beauty, especially for the money. Having said all that, does anyone have any suggestions for a replacement, moderately priced repeater with a decent trigger and capable of dispatching rats and squirrels out to about 40 yards? I have no experience with anything other than springers and pumps, but am starting to consider alternatives, like the RWS/Hammerli 850. Am hoping for something a little quieter than a typical high-velocity springer, for my residential neighborhood.
RWS 300,
I re-posted your warning on today’s blog, because Wayne is buying these for a business.
Thank you.
B.B.
I purchased an HW55 many years ago, have always loved the gun. Very accurate. Wondered what it is worth today (not for sale). From your description, it is an MM. I have a nice target sight unit, but can't find the brand name on it. Got it from Beeman circa 1990, maybe. It has never been tuned since I got it, but is still a sweet gun.
Jon E,
Your gun should be marked on the breech block. The square piece of metal immediately forward of the forearm of wood. Should say "HW 55MM".
The HW 55 MM have been selling, untuned, with match sights included, for $375.00-$450.00 depending on condition. Yours sounds like it's in very good condition so you would be in the high end of this range.
kevin