My old HW50S deluxe aka Beeman R8 (with pics!)

[Calmark]

Hey gang,

I have just recently acquired an old-style Weihrauch HW50S in .177, which appears to have been imported by the original Air Rifle Headquarters.  It predated Beeman in importing quality European air guns and started in the 1960's.  Its a deluxe model and has a very pretty Bavarian-style stock, complete with checkering and front end finger grooves.  Most HW50s came with a plain stock, so I feel pretty lucky to have found this rarer variant.   Its the same gun Beeman later marketed as the R8 with an American style deluxe stock and synthetic piston seal starting in the early 80s.  Like the R8, it is no longer made and Weihrauch ceased production in around 2000.  It was replaced with a gun with similar dimensions but more power (around 100 fps), the HW99/R6, and given the old HW50 name, as it was very similar in size and weight.  Undoubtedly it was named so to capitalize I'm sure, on the time-honored name of the HW50, the very first gun Weihrauch manufactured after WWII.

Its a bit larger and longer than a Beeman R7/HW30 for those of you who aren't familar with the gun.  It generally will be 50-100 fps faster than the HW30, from owners' reports I've read, and I can say its a very accurate and gentle shooter with great looks.  I've yet to chrony mine, but it "feels" about 10-15% more powerful than my R7.  The extra boost in fps really helps when shooting my targets at 30 yards, as there's less drop.  The gun feels like a really great balance of power and size and its a real shame they aren't made anymore.  I blame the magnum power-craze of the 80's and 90's for killing it off, as people gravitated toward the heavy-hitting guns.

Anyway, based on the stock design and serial #, I've pin-pointed it to being imported around 1974.  Prior to the late 1970's the old Weihrauchs had 13mm dovetails cut into the compression tube and are wider than the more modern standard 11mm rails. For now I've got a bandaid solution to mounting a cheap scope, but its less than ideal.

Can anybody out there help me find a source for 13mm medium mounts?  I'd use low ones instead if they'd handle a compact scope like a 3-9x32 or so.  I called AoA and they were out of the Sportsmatch 13mm and I am out of ideas on where to find some easily here in the states if possible.

Any help is appreciated!

[JimL911]

http://www.precisionairgunsandsupplies.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=sportsmatchto6c

[Calmark]

Nice find JimL911!  Thanks for that link!  Those are the mounts I was looking for.  Precisionairgunsandsupplies seems like a good business.  Have you ever peronally ordered from them before?

Here are some more pics of the HW50S:





The distinct cheek piece in the second pic I've seen called a Bavarian style.  It definitely has a European feel with the finger grooves and that particular rear stock design.    The checkering is hand-cut and not only sharp looking, but really feels nice in the hand compared to pressed checkering found on a lot of more modern guns.  Definitely a nice touch and a detail you often don't see any more. 

[amb5500c]

Great old gun Mark. An absolute keeper.
Richard

[JimL911]

I love the looks of those old stocks. I have ordered from them a few times. No fuss no muss. Prompt service.

[grumpy]

What an absolute beauty you have there. Man are you a lucky dog for sure. I have always wanted an R8. I have purchased many times from Precision. Jim and Nancy, the owners are top notch folks. Give them a call and ask Jim which mount he suggests.

[Nikoman]

It's a keeper allright...
we'll see if Mark gets to keep it next time we meet up for some shooting.

It's OK, he knows it's safe with me - I'm more of a power hound anyway and that little pistol isn't my style anyway.
Oops, I meant to say rifle, sorry

Seriously though, that's a good looking rifle and I can help you remove any rust (if it has any).

[bart the fart]

NO WAY!

[Nikoman]

Way!! 

[bart the fart]

Niko you know Marks a lefty ( )....maybe the cheek weld wont fit him well? A man can dream right? 

[Nikoman]

Bart, you crack me up, man!
Yeah, I know he's a lefty....maybe we can persuade him into selling it you. You're a righty, right?

[robert w]

well if you grow tired of it in the future send it to me c.o.d for shipping and it will live with my herd of dianas and hw-55 in my big ol safe . very nice lookin gun you have there

[Escondido1]

That's a find!

[Petey]

Amazingly beautiful................. Love that stock.

Enjoy!

[Calmark]

Thanks for the nice replies.  Just to keep everybody happy, I think I will sand off that Bavarian cheek-piece so it becomes truly ambidextrous.     Robert w can just send me his HW55 to keep this HW50 company and make some room in the safe.  I'll keep that 55 a righty so all of you right-handers who shoot with me can shoot that one in style.    I'll shoot it too, and just ignore the discomfort. 

And yes, I feel very fortunate to have located this particular HW50.  It has a rare deluxe stock with checkering, which the standard HW50s didn't have.  Its an upgrade ordered by the original Air Rifle Headquarters founded by Robert Law and sold in 1974-1975.  Here's some info I found on Tom Gaylord's blog for PA.  You can see the EXACT same gun right on the cover of the '74-'75 edition.  How cool is that?   



1974 is a great vintage too.  This gun and I share the same birth year! 

P.S. I ordered the 13mm scope mounts and some German domed pellets in .177 from precisionairgunsupply.  Should be here next week so I can really do some accuracy testing to share.

[BlueSteel50]

Lucky Dog ~ I sold my R8 yrs back in a weak moment and have regerted ever since. i have new HW50S in 22 cal ,but wish ever so much i still had the old R8 in 177 . that thing was so accurate it should have been illegal ,and not nearly as pellet picky as my 22 cal HW50S~~Good Score ~~BS50