Suggest a rifle for markiver54

[markiver54]

Being an under lever, though, the 97 is considerably heavier than the 95.

Wow! hard to imagine...

Anyway freinds.... here is my take, after handling it and looking over some of the owners manual.

• It is HEAVY. (7+1/2 lbs.). I knew that before I bought it, but seems heavier than my first .22lr, Savage/Anschutz, which weighs in at 8 lbs. I guess that's in some part to help absorb the Springer recoil.

•I'm having a hard time lining up the open sights. The rear seems almost canted, as I have to really cock my head up on the stock swell to line the rear up with the front post. That is uncomfortable on my neck. Can probably get used to it though. A scope would take care of that I guess, even though it would make it even heavier.

•The stock leaves a bit to be desired, IMHO. There really is little to no sheen. Almost like wood that has been stained, but not finished. It just concerns me that it will absorb oils and such, and lead to discoloration...maybe not though. I'm ok with how it looks, if it stays that way.

•The testing by AOA shows the FPS considerably lower at anywhere from 688 to 706, than the advertised up to 755 FPS. Their test was done with an 11.9 gr. pellet. I know I will get even less with heavier pellets. Guess that's ok though.

•After reading some of the owners manual, this rifle seems to need as much routine maintenance as a Toddler. Guess I could get used to that as well.

Those are just first impressions. It is clearly a quality, well made and attractive rifle. Any misgivings about it should just take some getting used to.
Thank you once again to those who provided a lot of VERY helpful information prior to making my decision. I'm just a little bit on the fence still about MY OWN decision. Maybe more gun than I really needed. I just didn't want junk.

Mark

[Mags]

....
Those are just first impressions. It is clearly a quality, well made and attractive rifle. Any misgivings about it should just take some getting used to.
Thank you once again to those who provided a lot of VERY helpful information prior to making my decision. I'm just a little bit on the fence still about MY OWN decision. Maybe more gun than I really needed. I just didn't want junk.

Mark

Congrats (I think). Shoot it soon.

[markiver54]

I have not done anything with the rifle yet, because it has been gnawing at me whether to keep it or not. I guess if deep down I didn't like it, it wouldn't be gnawing at me. In all likelihood, I will keep it. It really IS a beautiful rifle. I do see a scope in the future should I keep it.

[North Country Gal]

Not telling you to disregard the manual, of course, but there's actually very little maintenance, Mark, other than checking those action screws for tightness while the gun is breaking in. Other than that, just shoot and enjoy. There's even less maintenance needed than with a 22 rifle. Just to be sure, though, I wipe down the barrel with a cloth, especially up near the muzzle end where you grab the barrel to cock after every session, just to make sure no rust develops.

As for that stock, it is rather chunky, compared to my FWB springers, which actually weigh more. That gives the HW that heavy feeling for sure. Don't worry one bit about that stock finish. It's actually a dull lacquer and is super tough. If you really want a little shine, here's a trick I use. Just get some auto rubbing compound for polishing up car finishes. It'll give that stock a nice sheen. Then add a coat or two of good wood paste wax.

As for the sights lining up, just remember that the rear sight gets shipped with the elevation cranked all the way down. Once you have the gun sighted in at 25 yards or so, it will sit up much higher. That may take care of the problem for you.

Never take the advertised fps, too literally. That's done with the lightest available pellets, not the medium weight pellets most of us use. None of my HWs made that advertised fps with the pellets that AoA use for testing purposes. They use real world weight pellets, not the light stuff. Also, fps will increase as a new gun breaks in.

And there are all kinds of other sights you can use besides a scope. A popular option is the https://www.airgunsofarizona.com/sights ... ure-sight/ peep. I use it on several HWs. Works great with that HW front globe sight. Hawke even sells a https://www.airgunsofarizona.com/sights ... ure-sight/ made specifically for that 11m groove, so no adapter needed. It's even parallax set for air gun distances, unlike standard red dots. I use red dots on a couple of my springers and they are a joy to use.

[markiver54]

Wow NCG, you've really helped put a couple of concerns to rest; Al as well.
I guess my take on maintenance was because of those screws, and keeping rough track of how many shots, during break in and routine cleaning. I DO want to treat it with lots of TLC....actually, probably lots of OCD..

Nice to hear what you say about the stock. I will try the things you mentioned on it.

I see what you're saying about the sight position for shipping. It IS currently all the way down. Raising it would certainly help with my cheek weld comfort.

I like the looks of the Williams FP-AG-TK sites from the link you sent. I know that I would be more comfortable, with that sight picture, as opposed to the notch.
Both links led to the same place, but I will look for the Red Dot as well. I've never used one, but I like the concept.

Well....I guess it's looking like I'm going to adopt a Weihrauch,, barring anything shocking happening. My location really limits the amount of shooting I can do, but I want to shoot enough to do justice for this quality rifle.

Thank you lots! I no doubt will have a few more questions, if you don't mind me pestering you from time to time.

Mark

[BigAl52]

Im glad NCG chimed in on the sights and the other questions you had. Mine don’t have the iron sights as I bought the HW 95 Field Pro which comes with a scope. Run a patch thru that gun and go shoot it. Then come back and tell us what you think

[markiver54]

Im glad NCG chimed in on the sights and the other questions you had. Mine don’t have the iron sights as I bought the HW 95 Field Pro which comes with a scope. Run a patch thru that gun and go shoot it. Then come back and tell us what you think

Yes, I'm glad she chimed in as well. You have both helped set my mind at ease. Unfortunately it's raining right now, but maybe it'll stop later. Now, I'm anxious to shoot it. If nothing else, just to see how the springer feels until I can do some more serious shooting.

[Vaquero]

Im glad NCG chimed in on the sights and the other questions you had. Mine don’t have the iron sights as I bought the HW 95 Field Pro which comes with a scope. Run a patch thru that gun and go shoot it. Then come back and tell us what you think

Yes, I'm glad she chimed in as well. You have both helped set my mind at ease. Unfortunately it's raining right now, but maybe it'll stop later. Now, I'm anxious to shoot it. If nothing else, just to see how the springer feels until I can do some more serious shooting.

Just step out on the porch and smack one them squirrels in the yard.
Or should I say smack at it.

RP

[BigAl52]

Ya run that rear sight up to about halfway and pop a squirrel

[daytime dave]

Good luck with your quality new rifle Mark. I hope you get to shoot it soon. Make sure those squirrels see you too!