by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier
HW 55SF.
This report covers:
- A rare find
- No barrel lock
- The trigger
- Look in the Blue Book?
- What is the 55SF?
- Description
- All hype aside
A rare find
I was at the Little Rock Airgun Expo in 2008 with my buddy, Mac, and I had told him a couple airguns that were on my short list. One was an HW 55. There was a HW 55 Tyrolean at the show but the price was too much for me. Then Mac asked me what I thought of the other one. The other one???
Sure enough, there was a second HW 55 on a table nearby and the price was very reasonable. Very reasonable means I could afford it. I was excited until Mac wondered if having a 55 without the barrel lock mattered that much to me.
No barrel lock
No barrel lock? But that’s what sets the 55 apart from all other Weihrauch breakbarrels, except the 35. I thought all 55s had barrel locks — it was one of the ways to spot them in a crowd (or laying on a table at an airgun show).
The barrel lock (arrow) is a distinctive feature of the HW 55. But the 55SF doesn’t have one. Notice the stock is relieved for this lever. A stock without this relief will be found on original SF MF and TF models.
When I went back to examine the rifle I saw that it did not have a barrel lock, but the base block was also clearly marked HW 55S. What was this? Someone told me he thought Weihrauch had made a 55 without the barrel lock, but he wasn’t certain.
The SF breech is marked HW55S. That way Weihrauch could put it on any 55S model.
Is this an HW 50 by another name? In essence, that’s what a 55 is — a 50 with a barrel lock, target sights, better wood (sometimes) and a better hand-tuned version of the Rekord trigger.
The trigger
This rifle had a barrel that was marked HW 55S. Had someone just installed it on an HW50 action? If they did they also bothered to swap over the target sights, front and rear, and the special target version of the Rekord trigger. I was beginning to think this rifle could be a version of the HW 55 that I had never heard of. So I bought it. Even it it was a put-together, it had all the best parts that a 55 has — except for that lock.
Hans Weihrauch, Jr. told me the Rekord found on the 55 is special. That fat “screw” behind the trigger blade is the outer locking housing for the adjustment screw inside. The target trigger also has a much lighter return spring, and all the moving parts are smoothed and hand-fitted at the factory. If you modify your Rekord by installing a lighter trigger return spring, don’t overlook smoothing all the moving parts inside.
This target Rekord trigger should be found on all HW55s. The hand checkering in front of the triggerguard is more evidence that this is a 55 and not a 50.
Look in the Blue Book?
I had a Blue Book of Airguns at the show, and if I didn’t there were many copies available, but in 2008 the book didn’t acknowledge any of this information about the 55. The 12th edition does have a sentence acknowledging other 55 variations, but says nothing about them. It just gives Mike Driskill’s email address if you want more information.
What is the 55SF?
At least as early as 1959, Weihrauch was offering special models of HW 55 without the breech locking lever. They were called the SF, MF and TF. I got that from a 1959 Weihrauch catalog that was posted by Mike Driskill on the American Vintage Airguns forum.
Gaines Blackwell, another forum reader and avid HW 55 collector, posted photos of his TF for people to see – so it isn’t just a rumor. He knows of at least one other TF, so his isn’t one of a kind.
Gaines has owned a great many HW 55 guns, but the only F-series model he’s ever seen in person is the one he owns. He’s seen photos of 5 or 6 F-series guns. He says he’s seen and handled hundreds of HW 55 guns.
I corresponded with several other HW collectors who had heard of the F-series 55 guns but had never seen one. So, this rifle that I was “forced” to buy turned out to be rarer than an HW 55 Tyrolean, which until then I had thought was the rarest of all 55s.
Most HW 55s have the breech locking lever that must be flipped forward to unlock the barrel for cocking. The F-series doesn’t have that lever. It uses the spring tube from an HW 50, which is close to the same size as the 55, but has a conventional spring-loaded breech chisel detent. The standard HW 55 has a very small chisel detent, but it isn’t as wide nor does it have a spring that’s as strong as the model 50 detent because the rifle relies on the manual lever to lock the breech.
The lack of a breech lock is one clue to a rare F-series 55, but there’s one more important item to look for. The stock on the 55 F-series does not have the cutout on the left side that provides clearance for the locking lever. That, plus the hand checkering I showed is the clincher.
Back when they were new, the F-series 55s were just less expensive versions of the target rifles. But they apparently didn’t sell that well and are very rare today. There is nothing about them that’s better than the 55s with the lock — they’re just harder to find. I guess if you are a shooter you might want the conventional 55 over the F model, but if you collect, this is the one to find.
Description
The rifle is a conventional breakbarrel. It’s 43-3/4-inches long with an 18-3/8-inch barrel. The stock has a deep crescent rubber buttpad that’s fixed in place. There are finger grooves on either side of the forearm. The wood is plain beech without any figure, but the pistol grip is hand checkered on both sides and there is a small patch of checkering under the forearm in front of the triggerguard.
The rifle weighs 8 pounds on the nose. The forearm is blocky, giving the rifle the feel of greater size.
The front sight is a globe that accepts inserts. The rear sight is Weihrauch’s target aperture type. It’s adequate, though not as refined as the target sights from companies like Anschütz and Feinwerkbau.
The trigger is that special Rekord I have already mentioned. It’s two-stage, and stage two can be set at less than a pound, but it isn’t as light as, say, an FWB 300 trigger. The HW55 was designed at a time before World Cup and Olympic airgun competition came into being.
All hype aside
All hype aside, I’m a shooter — not a collector. And my 55SF is not a smooth-shooting target rifle. It buzzes when fired. When I first found out how rare it is I was thrilled that I had done so well, but in the long run the rifle doesn’t stand up to other 10-meter air rifles of the era. However, I have an idea. Instead of a traditional 3-part review of the rifle, I thought I would take this opportunity to tear into the powerplant and “smoothen” it up! I bet most readers would like a peek inside and this is a very straightforward airgun to work on. Maybe I can show you some pictures of the special Rekord trigger while we are at it.
Will it make the rifle more accurate? Probably not. But it will be more fun to shoot, and fun is what this hobby is all about, so I think I’m going to do it.
Wow, B.B., I always thought those HW55s were just beautiful air rifles…sweet find! =D
Interesting find and did not know that it had a special record trigger. I see that there is a good article in the
” Airgun Collector Issue 2 by Frank Korn ” on the HW55 series.
B.B.,
I agree this will benefit from a proper tune. I didn’t see a freimark. So I suppose this shoots above 6 fpe? Or do all rifles of this age shoot at 12fpe?
Siraniko
Siraniko,
No, this rifle doesn’t even make 6 foot-pounds. It’s a target rifle, so the velocity is low.
This may have been made before the Freimark legislation went into effect. It was made in 1968-69, according to the serial number. I looked over the entire rifle and can’t see a Freimark anywhere.
B.B.
It is amazing at all there is know. I am glad that you finally nailed the mystery down. I like trigger guard picture. It reeks of quality with the grooved metal trigger, the special cap screw w/finger grooves and the checkering. The bottom of the trigger guard seems like an odd place for checkering.
As for the tear down,.. I am all for it. Surely there is something that can be improved upon. I always love to see the mechanical inner workings of something.
Good day to one and all,… Chris
Chris,
You know, I don’t think I have ever been inside this gun. If I have, I have forgotten it.
With Almaguard 3752 grease I should be able to make this one sing!
B.B.
Chris,
About the checkering — it’s almost as if the Germans knew where the best place for the off hand was! 🙂
B.B.
BB,
I always enjoy these reports on these classics, most especially the ones where you take us inside.
Although I would much rather have an HW 55 with a lock, I could still probably find room for this at RidgeRunner’s Home For Wayward Airguns.
Did I not say I was trying not to become a collector? I am not doing so great, am I?
Dang, if there was ever a post here I HAVE to reply to, I guess this is it, LOL! BB, that is a stunning example of a rare rifle, what great condition it’s in. An excellent find indeed.
As to the “F in pentagon” Freimark, that legislation went into effect in 1970 I believe. So guns made prior to that will not have it. Most spring-piston guns in those days made considerably less than 12 FPE to begin with, but the new limit was 7.5 joules or a bit under 6 FPE. This number may have been chosen to accommodate target rifles, which typically shoot at about this level, but that’s just speculation on my part.
The model marking on the breech block showed considerable variation over time. I’ve actually seen examples of this rare variant marked “HW 55 SF,” “HW 55 MF” (walnut Bayern-style target stock), and “HW 55 TF” (Tyro stock), but as this gun shows the “F” did not always appear for whatever reason; maybe they just discontinued it for simplicity’s sake.
Later on, Weihrauch discontinued marking the model-specific suffix letter entirely, all examples simply being marked “HW 55.” Since it’s so easy to swap stocks on these guns, that has probably saved a lot of heartache for future collectors! I own one ex-“club mule” with a “T”-marked action in a “CM” stock, for example…
I stumbled across one of these trigger units recently. I’ve been hesitant to install it in any of my HW rifles as I think it requires a low powered mainspring. Does anyone have any firsthand knowledge? I can always de-tune something if need be.
B.B.,
Please do show photos of the trigger adjustment with the cap off. I was aware of these special target versions of the Rekord, but I confess I’ve never seen one in person or knew the visible screw is really a cap over the actual adjuster. Fancy.
Michael
B.B.,
Never mind. You already covered it very nicely here: /blog/2008/05/hw-55sf-a-special-find-part-2-a-look-at-the-rekord-trigger/
Michael
Michael,
Yes, I did, didn’t I?
Thanks. Don’t have to rewrite all of that.
B.B.
B.B.,
I am incredibly embarrassed to admit this, but now I must. On two, perhaps three, occasions I have asked questions on this blog and rather quickly, doing a general online search of the question, found an answer to my question — from a year or two earlier right here on this blog in response to my asking the question then!
Well, admission is the surest cure for embarrassment.
Michael
Michael,
No problem. You can’t know everything. That’s my job! 😉
B.B.
I had an HW55TF. Didn’t miss the barrel lock.
Nice to read about the SF again.
/blog/2008/07/hw-55sf-part-3-shooting-behavior-and-velocity/
Wow, what a terrible picture. Let’s try another.
Kevin,
You missed one.
/blog/2008/08/hw-55sf-part-4-accuracy/
Don’t have the TF anymore?
B.B.
B.B.,
I miss alot these days. You’ll understand when you reach my age.
The TF is gone.
kevin
Kevin,
Thank you for sharing those pics. I just love to look at tyro stocks. They are always gorgeous, really beautiful, and from any angle.
I have only held one, which is my lefty tyrolean FWB 150. Looking at photos of righty tyros, however, I find myself hoping for an opportunity to shoulder a righty one left-handed someday. They look mighty close to being ambidextrous, or at least comfortable, to a left-hander.
Michael
B.B.
The HW 55 or old 50 is supposed to be one of the nicest airguns ever made. Why isn’t yours?
What was the price differential between your gun and the real HW 55? In either % or 2008$ amount.
Was this after the financial meltdown?
If she ever needs a second home…………
Yogi
Yogi,
My rifle is wonderful. It just has an older tune that buzzes. That is fixed so easily.
In 1968 a 55SM (the cheapest standard 55, cost maybe $128. I’m guessing that a SF would sell for $121, or so. That $7 would be a $50 difference today.
B.B.
B.B.,
Although I have nothing to add about the Weirauch, I confess I thought the barrel lock was something I wanted back win. I don’t know that it made any difference, but I thought it would at the time.
This past Saturday I took a couple of shots with the hatsan BT Big Bore Carnivore .30 caliber. At 40 yards my two holes didn’t quite touch, but it was satisfying just the same. That rifle is heavy; with the scope it was a bit over 10 pounds. I couldn’t shoot it without a rest of some kind, but I do like it.
Blame the Brits, but now I am learning about night vision technology, thermal imaging and white phosphor and IR of course.
~ken
Ken,
… and then your journey to the dark side will be complete! 😉
B.B.
At least he won’t be bumpin’ into stuff (on the dark side) LOL
Ken,
I was not aware that you were into PCP’s. If you mentioned it before, I must have missed it. That thing is quite the beast! Nice shooting as well. Do you have others and what do you use for an air source?
Chris
Chris,
Sadly, I don’t have any PCP’s of my own. In fact, I have shot two different rifles, one Daystate and the Hatsan once each. I absolutely loved both of them. I look forward to owning at least one PCP and the necessary equipment to make it useful.
That said, I expect I will still shoot spring piston rifles and have a Benjamin multi-pump. The hardest thing for me is choosing a caliber, but that will be determined by intended use and expected conditions.
There you have it. When I do get a PCP, you will definitely hear about it.
~ken
Ken,
A Daystate!,.. that must have been a treat! 🙂 I wish you the very best on getting there one day.
~chris (had to do it,… it was just too “cool”) 😉
Chris,
Shooting the Datestate was like a dream. It was a .22 Airwolf with the electronic trigger. He had the trigger set to “touch me not”. I made that up, but it does describe the trigger pull. I shot a full cylinder’s worth and shot well. After shooting the Daystate and the Hatsan I long for a PCP more than ever.
I still want a pump up and a couple of piston powered rifles, though.
What are you shooting these days? You have probably said but I either didn’t see or don’t remember.
~ken
Ken,
I have a .22 TX200 (L. Walnut), a .22 LGU, a .25 M-rod with RAI stock and the .22 Maximus. Truth be told, it is the PCP’s. The springers are accurate and awful pretty to look at, but I have considered selling both. I just don’t want the hassle, yet people do it all the time. I have all of the original paper work and boxes, targets and more. The LGU is 100% stock with the exception of drilling out the back of the trigger guard for a stop (well done) and 1 trigger screw swapped for what is called the “Yankee Tune” which is common on the LGU. The TX has an Vortek HO kit in it, but I have all the original parts. The trigger guard got the screw stop too, but I have a brand new one of those to swap back. Both are currently scoped.
Chris
Chris,
Sounds like you have a nice little arsenal. Be careful about selling the springers. I, at least, have a tendency to regret it later.
~ken