I hesitate to use the term myth as I know for a fact that there are folks with inaccurate Weihrauch .22s, but in my experience with my small sample size the .22 Weihrauchs seem to shoot about the same as their .177 brethren with a couple of caveats. I have a few different Weihrauch .22s, as I tend to like having guns I like in multiple calibers so .177 and .22. I do this because........well I am apparently touched in the head but what are ya gonna do. Over the years I have always heard that the HW rifles in .22 are not at all accurate. Now I am not here to discount that or anybody who has one that is inaccurate as I can state for a fact I have seen folks with inaccurate .22 HW rifles. All I am trying to show is in my small sample size I have found them to be pretty much on par with the .177s, again with a couple of caveats to my point.1-My .22s are generally set up as iron sight guns, so that in itself is a handicap vs. my .177s as they are generally set up with scopes. 2-.22 tends to cut a larger more ragged hole and is more likely to rip through, while .177 cuts a smaller hole and tends to zip through cleanly. This can exacerbate the .22 group size, at least in my experience. (I know, I know poor indian who blames the arrow, but that's my story. )3-I have noticed that with a couple of my .22 rifles they are harder to shoot vs. the .177 counterpart. Now that could be anything from QC to the longer dwell time of the round in the barrel to possibly poorer or looser barrel quality in the .22s. The point is I can definitely point to at least one of my .22s that is noticeably harder to shoot vs. the .177 counterparts. All that said lets look at some groups. Now I am NOT a great shot with firearms or air guns. I am passable and I do this as a hobby no more, no less. So as with most things with shooting as a rule the biggest variable is the idjit behind the trigger and I am certainly a wildcard variable in that regard. First up my HW77. My HW77 has always been radically more difficult to shoot then my .177 HW97s. Some of that is the thick front sight blade, some of that is that it is a harder gun to shoot for me. Could be the way it vibrates, could be barrel tolerance, could be I not so good ...... which well I not so good but the following groups are pretty good for me and I don't feel like the gun itself is inaccurate. The following groups were shot cold today, iron sights, just a hair under 20 yards.First group so I was warming up a bit. Air Arms usually prints a hair tighter for me IF I am able to do my part. But all in all not horrible for me with irons and this gun.Next group is with some JSB 15.89s. I am generally an experienced enough shooter to be able to tell when I pull a shot vs. a true flyer. So if you see the word ME next to a shot it was a shot I knew I had pulled/jerked trigger/didn't follow through etc. As you can see the JSB's for 8 out of 10 shots were fairly tight.Final group today with this gun and I think this is a pretty fair group for my skill and this particular gun. Now I have found that for me to eke out my best groups with this gun I tend to need bigger overall targets to help with my vision/sighting. So that may act as a bit of cheat but the groups themselves are not horrible.Now a quick group from my HW30 in .22 again at approximately 20 yards. with iron sights. Certainly not competition worthy but 20 shots in a fairly decent group, I am happy with this kind of accuracy and the little HW30 does well with most stuff. Now a group from my HW95, which while scoped, is a bit difficult to shoot well. Its fairly light weight and jumps around a bit but when I do my part it will turn in groups basically like this.So while not a huge sample size to be sure and understanding that these groups might be horrendous to some of you but within my general skill level and the fact that I don't have tuned rifles, I am fairly happy with my .22 HW rifles. Like any spring gun they all have their own personality, quirks and skill needs that the shooter must learn and work with, but all spring guns are a bit of an art as much a science. So if you are trying to make a decision regarding an HW in .22 be aware that there are absolutely rifles out there that I have seen not shoot well but, at least in my experience, its worth giving one a try if that is the caliber you want. Overall for target shooting no matter the make I think .177 is the better option but I like my .22s and they give me unique shooting experiences which at the end of the day is all I am after.As always, take care and shoot safe,Chris
then the very next day the rig "fixed itself".
Honestly I just default to I stink before I run down technical issues.
Thank you for this post. As a few of you know I have had many questions regarding Weihrauch's rifles. And as an outsider doing research, I got the impression "AVOID .22's" when it came to choice between calibers. It's hard to tell what is fact or what's just vocal manure being spread all over. Hopefully others will comment on their .22's.Take it easy, be safe.