Hw95k buying advice

[Iggy]

Hi all

Ive been off the air rifle scene for a few years now having got into clay shooting about 7 years ago. 

Anyhow, a few weeks ago I came across my old HW35 deluxe my dad bought me many years ago for my 15th birthday and I’ve had ever since. It’s looking a bit long in the tooth now and having done a bit of research on here and the other airgun forums I fancy a new HW95k in .177 flavour.

However, the user reviews seem quite mixed....no one seems to suggest it’s not a good gun, but the jury see,s to be out on the build quality. With this in mind I’m wondering what I should be looking out for when looking to buy?

Do I need to look for a specific year build...2016/2017? 

Is there a specific noise/grinding sound I need to loo out for on cocking the gun etc?

Should I ask to fire the gun to listen for any ‘twang’?

If I do buy one should I also factor in the cost of a fettle/tune and if so what would be the  best route? I’m reasonably competent with a screwdriver but would be nervous about opening it up and invalidating any warranty?

Sorry for all the questions, but thanks in advance. 

[happyshooter]

Hi Iggy ,the hw35 is now very popular again and there are loads

of posts about them on the AirgunBBS forum, the hw95 is a good gun but does suffer from muzzle

flip when fired ,the hw99 is very good and my favourite break barrel

if you google Welsh Willy at Woodfield Gun Care products he does a good tune up for most springers both break barrels and under leavers , he is very good.

atb brian

[bruno22rf]

I was an avid fan of HW's till I bought myself a 95 - one of the worst Guns I've had and not a patch on the 80 IMHO.

[washerboy]

Get the hw35 serviced and your sorted 

[figgy]

Don’t bother I have a tuned not by me chopped barrel HW95 I never use. Hate the way it shoots, jumps twists and not to my liking. My friend can shoot it great. 

I would go HW77 or Air Arms TX200 new Wineracks are not finished to their old standards and need fettling from the box. Air Arms TX200 is great from the get go. 

[Guest]

The 95k is a great rifle. It's a proper rifle though with recoil to manage. Mine is as accurate as my PCPs but there is a learning curve. I have seen others complain about their spring; it should not twang. If I was forced to only have one air rifle it would be my 95k.

[Hamster]

I have either owned or still own HW35 x 2 HW80 x 3 HW90 x 2 HW100 x 1 and a few years ago bought a bog standard .22 HW95k which topped with a bog standard scope has turned out to be a gem. Sure it recoils and twangs a touch but there is no muzzle crack or flip as it has a Weihrauch silencer and it has quite simply amazed me with its out of the box accuracy, tuning will doubtless make it smoother to cock and fire but people sometimes need to understand what the point with cheaper self contained set ups actually is. 

If you can't shoot recoiling guns well then by all means opt for a cheap 2nd hand pneumatic but you will not be disappointed with the HW95k, as for build quality people say the same thing about the old spec 682 and the newer 682E, having owned both of those as well I invariably have to scratch my head. 

 

[bruno22rf]

I think that there have been too many complaints about the 95 for it to be a case of poor rifle control - I have shot quite happily with a wide variety of Springers for many years but the 95 that I had was simply inaccurate no matter what you fed it - mine was .177. There are many better rifles out there, totally agree with the TX200 comment - sublime bit of kit.

[Hamster]

It might be a case of trying to buy one where you can test fire it first.

[washerboy]

My Hw95k was truly awful straight from the box because of how rough it’s internals were.

after a venom tune it is unbelievably accurate and wonderful to shoot but spending a lot of extra money to rectify a brand new gun is woeful.im also not the only one to have to do this 

[Ultrastu]

Mate had a hw 98 .basically the same as a 95. With a different stock. It twanged more than a banjo .

He had a pro tune on it .and it still wasn't great .so he got rid .

End of that story .

[Hamster]

Could people state what they're actually comparing this rifle to in recoil/twang ? Admittedly there are some famous AirArms air guns that are considered to be near enough "tuned" out of the box but what gun in its class and price range doesn't twang - or is provably more accurate ? 

[Ultrastu]

Ok .I'm comparing my mates hw 98 to my tx 200 hc.which just gives a short fast thuck  .And my bsa xl lightening which is the same as my tx. 

Very sweet and  both very accurate .

All guns are .177 

The hw .couldn't compete in terms of smoothness .but it was accurate with h+n extreems .

The hw .had a long slow twangy  twanyness that isnt pleasant .

I think its due to the length of the swept  volume .

[Hamster]

I have owned (and rate) a BSA Lightning in .22 but it was twangy and only accurate at shortish distances, I rate it because within the context of what it was built and intended for it was a clever and neat package. I have never owned a spring AA but wouldn't hesitate to buy one, quite fancy the Pro Elite. 

[Ultrastu]

A lot of people diss the bsa lightening .

But I've had 4 .of them 3 .177 s and a .22 

I still own one .177 and my mate loved my .22 so much he begged me to sell it to him .he now owns that .

The first I had I sold for a pcp .And regretted selling it almost straight away so bought the one i own now .the 4th gun an  xl tac I sold just recently as i needed to down size my collection .but that was a good gun too .

So in 4 lightenings ive not had a bad one .

[HW95J]

They are good guns- my advice would be to buy one ( in .177) and practice with it. My HW95K (admittedly in .22) was made in 2015 or 16 and is very good in terms of build quality, accuracy and power. There certainly is a bit of recoil but through practice you adapt to this and it will do the job just fine. Mine works well with RWS Superdome. 

I'd buy one and I'm sure it'll be fine, if not then they retain second-hand value quite well. 

[Dangerous Brian]

Had a HW 95 in .22 which was bog standard and pretty good. Just running in a .177 version at the moment and early indications are it should also be good. The .177 sounds a tiny bit more twangy and feels a bit busier when fired. However, the characteristics seem to be consistent shot to shot so it should be a matter of learning to shoot it to tighten up the groups.

[moorvale55]

IGGY, give Tony Wall at Sandwell Field Sports a call, ( 0121 520 2000 ), he can supply and do a stage one tune to all manner of air rifles. He is a specialist in his field. He gave my 29 year old HW80k in .22 a tune and the difference is incredible. Better trigger, no twangyness, low recoil, smooth to cock and very accurate. Good luck neighbour !!

[Iggy]

Dear all,

Thank you, one and all, for all your answers, help and advice. 

I’ve certainly got plenty to think about from hereon before I make a decision....I admit my initial thinking was based on my nostalgic fondness of the HW range, but I will now take a look at the AA range as well. 

I do already have a couple of AA guns, but both pre charged (300 & 400) and didn’t really give the brand much thought for a springer. The reviews I’ve read of the TX200 are very good indeed.

Im still coming down on the side of a 95k, but I’m tempted to buy mint used (if I can find one) and then either have it tuned or tackle it myself. 

Thanks again, really appreciate your time and advice. 

Ian. 

[figgy]

Tuning them yourself isn’t hard but getting the best out of that tuning is where the experts excel having all that experience of how far to go and where on the internals. Porting and short stroking can be a dark art. 

[das]

I have a 98 and a 77 of which the 77 was bought new
Both silly accurate, the 77 had spring twang out of the box but a delrin spring guide gave a supersmooth result.

OK some might say you should'nt have to do this and an on AA TX200 or Prosport there would be no need for this, but, compare
the price of the AAs against the HWs and I know which I would always buy.

1 hour ago, old man said:

 

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[bruno22rf]

You pays your money etc das but if I were on a limited budget I would simply opt for a used AA everytime - if you want to Tinker then fine but you will not need to with the AA - so I know which one I would buy.....the one with the Lothar Walther barrel. There have been many complaints about build quality of the HW springer range over the last few years and it's fair to say that there's no smoke etc - the AA, in regards to the TX in this case, only seems to be criticized for it's weight. 

[MAB1954]

My son has a 95 no problems at all and very accurate, no nasty noise on cocking that some on here speak of so luck of the draw. First rifle I bought him was a BSA gas ram and that was poor and after a couple of attempts to fix was part exchanged for 95.

[Guest]

It seems that the .22 hw95k owners like me are happy with it. The issues seemed to be with the .177. It could be the standard spring is over-powered for the lighter calibre.

[Elmer Fudd.]

I have a 95k in .22 which I bought new in march and am well pleased with it. I gave it a good shake in the shop and nothing rattled  which boded well.

It is smooth to cock, the barrel lock up is as it should be and it's a lot more accurate than I am on a diet of superdomes. The  Rekord  trigger is one of the best on the market and can be adjusted to suit if required, and there are no nasty twangs shooting it.

The only way to shoot springers  is to use the "artillery hold".  Don't grip it too tight, just let it rest in your hands and don't ram it into your shoulder as you want "controlled" recoil. It,s when they are gripped tight and not allowed to recoil that you will get muzzle flip as the energy has to go somewhere and you want it to go straight into your shoulder. There are a few vids on u-tube which will explain this.

So buy and enjoy