Weihrauch/RWS/Cometa Quality

[daveshoot]

was relatively cheap in the early 2000s (around $165, I guess?), only a little more than the better Chinese springers today. I

Only a little more "money" than the better Chinese springers of today. I guess I was not clear. The Spanish Cometa was a remarkable value at the time. That's all.

[TOM aka critter99]

each has stuff they do better....Chinese they do CHEAP quite well
Diana does barrels and stocks better.

I think both have QC issues with the Chinese willing to put in as much quality as the customer pays for which is usually not much because they go to the China factories for the Job 1(CHEAP)

I know the Chinese can do good machine work I had a B40 that was awesome inside for fit and finish all was well in China that day.....puts my NEW D54 finish to shame at 1/2 the price point

[lillysdad621]

I also own all three brands, and I can say that RWS did very well at selling the cometas... I have a RWS92 (cometa 220) that can out shoot a Diana 24 any day of the week... It has a smoother shot cycle, and after a home lube tune and a bit of polishing the sear, it has taken over the job of the R7 at garden defense. The R7 is a better rifle no question about it, but the cometa is more practical the way a RWS 34 is more practical than an R9... Jsb rs at 700 fps all day long... light and solid... Great plinker/starling getter. The closest comparison on a stock gun is probably the slavia 630... it just shoots 100 fps faster without a tune. The trigger feels like a fwb stock trigger (&^^&) but it is predictable.

[krh]

Nice to know...I really enjoyed the back and forth about each rifle. I am leaning back to the Diana 34 or HW77. I see that the RWS or Diana can be improved thru tune kits. Reading other posts and really just need to go the range and shoot, compare the feel of the gun.

[lucky me]

Go with hw, you won't go wrong. then later say sheesh I could have had a v8 (hw)!

[Tom @ Buzzard Bluff]

 Let's boil it down to the basics-------

 Quality wise it's all German. Period.

 Spanish guns not so good hind teat, waaaaay to the rear!

Chinese and Turkish guns lag far behind even those from Spain.

"Just the facts, M'aam".

 M&G (Diana) is the oldest and traditionally most respected for reason. But the unique Feinwerkbau sporter series M-124/127 long since obsolete defined for all time the pinnacle of quality in sporter air rifles. They applied their mastery of fine barrels that long dominated international airgun accuracy competition to a line of sporters that summarily redefined quality, power and accuracy that the rest of the world is STILL trying to match. Small wonder then that their rifles command greater value than when new. And in so doing they introduced the concepts that still drive the industry.

 Weirauch--a small family business based on the highest quality products--received an enormous boost in reputation when that Master of Hype--Robert Beeman--selected them to produce a series of rifles and pistols built to his standard. They profited thereby--both in reputation and the understanding of just how much that reputation means to their bottom line.

 FWB no longer produces a sporter although their initiative still drives that industry. Weirauch is still a family-owned business that thrives on perceived---and actual---quality from top to bottom. M&G/Diana/RWS despite internal assaults by bean-counters still manages to produce guns that can be passed on to descendents.

 "You pay your money and you takes your choices".

[lillysdad621]

I do respect your opinion especially in respect to the FWB which was a low production high quality product from a manufacturer who set the standard so high very few can rub shoulders with them. As per Beeman being the master of hype, lets reverse that as you would be hard pressed to find "beeman" guns outside the US. HW in the other hand was the highest quality, large production company long before Mr. Robert Beeman decided that US markets deserved "adult airguns". Diana/RWS or M&G is essentially the "gamo" of german guns... affordable and good platforms for improvement (essentially do what HW does at the factory, and charge you for it on the difference in price) on. Cometa is the leading quality spanish gun maker, the way HW quality leads RWS. The company has been making rifles and pistols since the end of the 1800s. now thay are only making airguns, but they are still quality airguns for their pricepoint (higher than a rws, and better. But not to the standard of the HW) Their barrels are some of the nicest in the industry. If you get a chance look down the barrel of 300 or fusion, or 400... the polish and grooving will scream quality. What we also seem to forget is the anglican side of the coin... BSA is also a company that has made some memorable airguns (among other things) and not so memorable business dealings which lead to the dismal buyout from marketing giant "El Gamo" (another company that has profits cut into their quality). That is the reason that both comapnies have been faltering and some of their designs look so alike... (gamo stutzen/BSA airsporter RB, gamo nitro 17/BSA comet, dynamax/ scorpion... etc...). But BSA makes again guns that can shoot on par with their german counterparts... And lets not forget the divine AirArms... a company that makes guns the way FWB did... so much quality and functionality that it almost drips QC when you touch them. Most of their guns seem to be tuned from the factory... And finally on a sad note... Dear webley & scott, who made wonderful guns in the past so much that their designs transcended time (webley tempest...) but now are but an afterthought the way BSA will be if they do not watch themselves at the hands of Gamo...

[lillysdad621]

as per chinese guns... I respect the efforts of BAM and such... they are not what they were 10 years ago. But they do make wonderful platforms for home thinkering and self gunsmithing. perfect example is the B50/51... 90% Huntsman at 20% of the price. Had mine for years, and now miss it sorely. And of course the B40... which proved itself many times non more spectacularly by defeating a Theoben Rapid on rifle silhouette at a final shoot out 2 years ago... I have owned 2 AA tx200s... they did not shoot any differently, only closing your eyes and rubbing your hand on the stocks could you tell them apart... My biggest regret is selling that... but someone here owns it... a blonde stocked .177 that my good friend Fperez sold... I'll give anything for that rifle back...