Weihrauch HW80 Air Rifle

Things I liked: It is what you expect from a classic air rifle without the gas piston magnum development.

Things I would have changed: Screws do have to be retightened and whatever HW uses to do this is a mystery--every single HW I have has buggered screws because of the single slot mystery they keep over there in Germany. Use Allens instead.

What others should know: It is a large rifle around high powered scoped bolt range like the 70 or 700 or 77 win/rem/ruger. It weighs more than a pellet rifle. It shoots about as accurate as a .22 Long Rifle in a reputable lever or bolt--better than pump or auto .22. Get a scope in low power from 4x to lower and forget about heavier and bigger and bulkier scopes. This one shoots 5/8" at 15 yards for five shots of H&N Crow Magnum .177 8.8grs. Velocity is higher than my TM RAW Single Shot PCP Match Rifle--I'd say maybe 50fps.

Things I liked: I just got my HW80 and after around 100 rounds have the following thoughts. Powerful..even though the rifle is not broken in, my power output with JSBJumboExacts is 19.5ftlbs at a solid 745 fps (SD is 3). Accuracy is very good to excellent for a stock springer at this power level. One hole 5 shot groups at 10M are pretty easy if you do your part. I normally immediate update to a Vortek kit and have one waiting, but I am not sure if the modest performance gain is worth the effort yet. Don't think I can say anything new about the Rekord trigger, they are simply great if you know how to adjust them. Typical Weihrauch craftsmanship, excellent metal work and finish, stock is functional and comfortable but it is stained birch and is pretty plain. Out of the box not the smoothest, but is instantly one of the best performing shooters in my stable - Theoben Crusader .20, Marauder .25, AirForce TalonSS, R7 .20, R9 .22, HW50s .177, Benji 392, Hatsan 125 Vortex .25.

Things I would have changed: Weight is the common complaint, but this is a big, heavy, powerful rifle and the weight seems to help dampen recoil making it fairly easy to shoot for a "magnum". My Crusader and R9 are a lot more hold sensitive and less powerful. My sample was pretty rough while cocking and somewhat buzzy during the shot cycle but is smoothing out. A tune would fix this, but as good as it seems to be in stock configuration I will tolerate the roughness and see where it goes after break in. Smaller statured shooters may struggle with the overall size and cocking effort this is definitely an "adult" airgun. I disagree with comments that this is easier to cock than the R9, my HW80 sample is definitely heavier to cock but very manageable.

What others should know: Spectacular "super magnum" air rifle that is built like a proverbial tank. Workmanship is very good and the HW80/R1 has a reputation of being nearly indestructible. My sample is showing great promise after 100 rounds and is very consistent at 19.5 ftlbs with a variety of pellets. So far it loves JSB Jumbo exact at 745fps. Versus the R1 the stock is a little plainer and you don't get a brake, but you get iron sights (I wanted for hunting) and save a decent chunk of money. FYI Weihrauch warranty is only one year vs Beeman's lifetime warranty so this may be an important offset for you. I service my own guns so did not feel that it was worth the premium ( I paid $525 with promo for the HW80 vs $614 for the R1). As always YMMV.