HW35 - anyone have one?

[Marc]

Does anyone have one of these?  I just don't see much written on them.

If so, what are it's characteristics - cocking, hold sensitive, accuracy?

Thanks!

[K_sqrd]

That's a real classic. Here is a write up on it...

https://www.pyramydair.com/blog/2008/04/hw35-another-golden-oldie/

[Larry T]

I bought mine in 1976 from Beeman.



Mine needs a new spring and seals, velocity is down to about 600fps, but shot around 730fps with H&N Match pellets when new. The gun is extremely accurate for a springer, I've bagged 30 or so bunnies with it over the years. I never really experienced problems with hold sensitivity. It's a heavy gun, with medium power, and a very smooth, quick shot cycle. The HW35L was my first springer, and it's the last gun I would sell.

Larry

[Marc]

Larry - what a nice stock on that gun - the rounded pistol grip is classy.

How is the cocking effort?  From the little I read it is fairly easy. 

[Larry T]

Not difficult to cock at all, long barrel, short piston stroke. The stock is walnut, and very comfortable. It cost me about $170 with the Williams sight, shipped in 1976. It was a  lot of money for a full time college student, working part time in a print shop.

Larry

[dukemeister]

I just got one last week, so I'm learning it now.
Shoots anything I put in it into a single hole at 14 yards - impressive. At 30 yds I see a pellet preference for JSB exacts and it will ragged hole them.
Cocking effort and stroke are easy/mild. They look simple to work on, based on the review above.
Quality and workmanship are typical HW, no complaints. 

[Calmark]

I will have a pair of older, plain beech stocked HW35s coming to me next week to fix up.  The HW35 is one of the few Weihrauch models I haven't tried yet and I'm looking forward to it.    I've read quite a bit about them in the past few weeks.  They compare in power to the newer HW50 and seem to shoot mid weight pellets in the 675-775 fps range in stock form, even with their 30mm compression tube inside diameter compared to the HW50's 26mm.  But, like has been said, they are a large rifle and are longer and heavier than a Beeman R9/HW95.  They don't seem to be that popular in the American market where most look for high power in a large rifle.  Also, for the same velocity many people go for the lighter HW50.  For more power in a similar-sized package, many other people go for the R9/HW95.   

But, the HW35 is typical Weihrauch quality and the extra weight and longer barrel do make it easy to cock and easy to shoot, with the weight aiding in recoil dampening.  The barrel latch can give an added level of either real or perceived accuracy as well. 

In a week or two I'll try to do a write-up of my HW35s and give some more info and my personal impressions of them.

[robert w]

they are younger brothers to my hw-55 and its pure joy to shoot. like said above low power but the most accurate springer made . i posted a group photo here last weekend shootin in a wind at 20 yards . very impressive to me . id say your holdin some of the best quality in air gun world . oh you get used to the barrel lock just like you do to the safe button on a diana

[Motorhead]

Pretty sure a 35 is just a longer barrel, larger stock 30

[Benny]

 

Pretty sure a 35 is just a longer barrel, larger stock 30

The 35 compression tube is a lot bigger than the 30's. The HW80/R1 basically evolved from the 35. You could think of the 35 as a short stroke 80.

[Soldano]

Mine in .22 would be the last to go. Even over FWB 300s, Walther LGR, etc........ Nice quick shot cycle & very,very accurate. Build quality is way good.

[mgmer]

The HW 35 weighs a little over 8 lbs.  The 30 weighs a little over 6lbs.  The cocking effort on the HW35 is over 30lbs.  Great trigger,  and very accurate.  Mine did 756FPS with 177cal Superpoint.  I bought mine in 1978.  I sold it to my best friend.  My bad! That is one I should have kept. 

[Soldano]

I also have one close to your  1978, a 1979 to be exact & reason I say is this 1979 made 35 has the  most beutifull purple plum colored blueing I have ever seen. Also it has what appears to me as a factory walnut stock on a 35, not 35l or 35e, but straight 35. The stock also does not have the finger route on forearm of stock like most all 35's.  I did see another just like it on google pictures but only 1. I gues in such a long production run anything is possible but sure fun researching these gems..
Joe

[Marc]

So does the 35 have a shorter shot cycle than a 95 - more like the 30?

[Nikoman]

I had the pleasure of shooting Calmark's HW35 a few weeks ago. The trigger was nice, typical Rekord quality so no surprise there. The rifle was longer than I expected but the smoothness made up for it. They are very docile shooters and I'm by no means comparing it to the beasts in my collection. I'd say it falls nicely between an HW30 and a 95 for shot cycle, power and smoothness. The HW30 is one of the softest shooters out there and they're one of my favorite go to guns. For the power to size ratio, I'd probably go with a tuned R7 (HW30) although it's really something holding one of these classic 35 beasts in the hands.
Mark has tuned them since (he has two of them), I'll let him tell you how the tunes went since I didn't use them in post tune form.

[serdac]

I been thinking about grabbing one or an HW50 lately, either in .22 and having one of those Vortek PG2 kits put in it (13-14fpe in .22 is ideal for me). I'm debating though because I've read the HW35's are heavy. Does anyone have a photo comparison of an HW35 next to an HW30, HW50, HW95, BSA Supersport, Theoben Evolution, RWS34 or Webley Longbow? Too bad the HW35K isn't available here.

[airnutz]

Back in the day, 50's and 60's till 1970, the HW35 and the Diana 35 were the strongest shooting German air rifles from the factory (stock).

They were 9.5 ft/lbs, and shot around 750 to 780 with light pellets.  There are still a LOT of both around over here.  Very nice classic old rifles.  They can be a little harsh though, because lots of folks have put some springs in them that were not made for the guns, but some known tuners parts can make them shoot nicely.  Lots of the HW35 compression tubes were a little out of round, so tuning them can be a risky endeavor, some turn out good, others not.

I prefer the Diana 35 though.

[Nikoman]

I been thinking about grabbing one or an HW50 lately, either in .22 and having one of those Vortek PG2 kits put in it (13-14fpe in .22 is ideal for me). I'm debating though because I've read the HW35's are heavy. Does anyone have a photo comparison of an HW35 next to an HW30, HW50, HW95, BSA Supersport, Theoben Evolution, RWS34 or Webley Longbow? Too bad the HW35K isn't available here.

That could be arranged.
Calmark should chime in ay moment and pose those rifles together you speak of.
He can toss the HW30 and HW95 with it.

[Calmark]

Ok, Niko made me do it.  Here's a picture to compare the sizes of an R7/HW30, R9/HW95 and HW35. 



As you can see, the HW35 is longer than an R9/HW95, but mainly due to the 22" barrel.  The compression tube is actually shorter than the R9, though wider at a 30mm ID vs. a 26mm ID for the R9 and 25mm for the R7.  The HW35 is considered to have a "short stroke" since the tube isn't that long.  The larger diameter does, however, make the HW35 capable of quite a lot more power than the R7 and can get closer to an R9, though won't likely make it much past 11-13 fpe if maxed out, where a hot R9 can hit 14+ fpe.  Stock HW35s tend to be more on the 9-10 fpe side I believe, so that's more typical.  Rifles from Germany with a less powerful spring can often be much lower in the 6-7 fpe range, as is a second HW35 I have.

My particular HW35 pictured above was manufactured around 1976 and has a leather seal.  With the stock spring I get 675 fps with JSB 8.4gr pellets.  In comparison, my R7 with a Vortek kit can hit 615-620 fps with the same pellet.  So, the HW35 is clearly capable of more power than an R7/HW30.  Add a more powerful spring and an HW35 should be able to hit up to the mid 700s or even 800 fps with 8.4 JSBs.  I will try going this route with a Vortek kit in mine soon and see how it goes.

Currently, in stock form, the HW35 is very docile and smooth and resembles the HW30 more than the R9 in its firing behavior.  Its very mellow, though the extra power above my R7 is noticeable and it shoots decently well out to even 50 yards.  Typical of the Weihrauchs I've shot, its very accurate too, even with a junky non-AO scope I've had on it.  At 22 yards, my usual shortest distance off the back porch, I can get some groups down to 1/4" and around 1/2" is pretty typical.  I attribute this in part to the barrel lock, which makes the HW35 act like a fixed barrel.  Its very robust but also extremely simple to move and use and becomes a quite natural part of the barrel cocking process in short order.  I actually wish this feature was on other Weihrauchs, its that nice.  I was doubtful at first about the barrel lock, but I'm sold on it now. 

Weight-wise, the HW35 is heavier than my R9.  The compression tube is the main place where the extra weight comes from, since its a larger diameter and seems to be thicker metal.  They don't make them like this on the newer Weihrauchs.  Of course, the barrel being a bit longer adds a bit of extra weight too.  The HW35 does feel really solid in the hands and even though mine has a plain beech stock, its very slim and has great ergonomics.  I especially appreciate the finger grooves on the foreend of the stock since it gives a fantastic reference point for my non-trigger hand to repeat, each and every time I go to hold it. 

In the end, I find the HW35 to be a very well-built rifle and the parts are heavy-duty and weighty.  I love the barrel latch feature, even though I know some would probably prefer not to have it.  It gives me great peace of mind knowing there is zero barrel movement, even though I know the usual ball lockups on the other models are quite solid too.  I think the only thing I would change would be the length of the barrel.  Its a bit long for my taste and I'm more of a carbine type of guy.  The advantage though is its very easy to cock the HW35 in stock form and its not much harder than an R7.

The bottom line is the HW35 in stock form shoots like an R7/HW30 but with a bit more zip.  The size and weight is slightly more than an R9/HW95, but nicely balanced and it doesn't feel "too heavy".  It can also have the power increased, though much past 11-12 fpe would probably make it start to be harsh firing.  Even though the design has been around since the early 1950's, its still very viable in today's market.  I'd say the main negatives would be the high cost in the USA ($600-650 new) and perhaps its a bit heavy for the power produced.  If anybody wants a true classic Weihrauch, this is definitely one.  I'll add I think the HW35 could be a contender for some sub 12fpe Field Target too since it certainly has the weight and stability to make it accurate enough.    It could also serve well as an informal 10 meter rifle just as many people shoot their R7 and HW30s inside.  The added weight, despite a bit more power, stabilize the rifle well and it should be on par with the accuracy of an R7. 

[serdac]

Wow, thanks for your input Calmark, I really appreciate it, I guess Niko put his Webley to your head and made you do it, lol. I'm still torn between the HW35 and HW50 and now and then I just feel like getting an HW95. I want to say that the new HW35e has an 18" or so barrel. For me, 13-14 fpe in .20-.22 is ideal.