Just unwrapped a virgin HW95

[Trigger man]

Nice looking, but unimpressed with both the very stiff cocking (unusually tight breach pivot), and mild but audible ratcheting sound (as though the spring was rubbing against something internally during cocking). Undecided whether to return it... or open the tool box.

 

[Mark 611]

those rifles are kinda stiff out of the box to begin with like most new springer's are! and yes the the factory spring has something to be diesered and it will be twangy and buzzy you can count on it! and their usually over lubed in the piston area and have lube out in front of the piston seal as well! typical HW gun! if I were you I'd shoot the rifle and check it for accuracy and mechanics and if all is well I'd open it up clean it out re lube it correctly or just do a complete tune on it and be happy! you'll be happy you did! JMO

[mtsheron70]

Hmmm, I bet that gun shoots like a dream though.  My Diana 56TH rachets like a hand cranked winch but shoots like a tack driver!  Just have to get use to it I guess.

[robert w]

1000 shots and you wont part with it . where is the photos? german posts no photos you buy the lager for the house haha

[Trigger man]

where is the photos?

... Just have to get use to it I guess.

Not a chance... I don't shoot weapons in the condition this one was in... and didn't.



Breach pivot screw was extremely tight (yes, I first removed the lock nut). Internally,.. thick wheel bearing grease e-v-e-r-y-w-h-e-r-e. Reminded me of a old WW2 piece I cleaned last year that was packed in sticky cosmoline. Great for storage... lousy for smooth operation.

I plan to coat most of the internals with a very light coating of oil to inhibit rust. Then a tiny dab of Dri-Slide EP around the circumference of the piston seal. The piston seal has a couple of questionable areas that was rough - probably due to careless piston installation and raking it over sharp edges of the tube's cutouts. I've already ordered a fresh seal and replacement spring, but will reassemble and test it this time.

[Nikoman]

Glad you decided to open the toolbox instead.
That's going to be a SWEET shooter when you get through with it!
Always wanted an R9 in .177.
What caliber is yours?

[GunnerAl]

That's a very very nice looking rifle...

Is an HW95 an updated version of the HW80..??

[Trigger man]

What caliber is yours?

.22

Not to be overly critical of Weihrauch, but I'm not impressed with the machining of this example. Perhaps it's my picky nature, but IMO, this isn't representative of $400 worth of German manufacturing....

Course machining evident on both pivot tabs. This is typical of dull and/or worn out tooling or broach cutter 



The red arrows show holes with sharply raised edges protruding internally - a.k.a. 'seal eaters'. Likely why the piston seal has noticeable damaged areas, as previously mentioned. Obviously, I need to chamfer these before reassembly.

[Hanabata808]

Those are great closeups of the trouble areas.  What's your plan of attack to chamfer those holes and cutouts?

[Mark 611]

glad you opened her up its obvious you know what to look for as far as burr's {etc} deburr the tube and polish the piston, leave the fork area alone the shims will keep anything from rubbing

[Trigger man]

What's your plan of attack to chamfer those holes and cutouts?

The holes are .235" (5.97mm) so I'll probably just touch'em up with a slightly larger ball stone (.375" OD maybe) chucked in my drill press.

I was reading one of Steve Pope's tune-ups last week, he mentioned using a Sunnen hone. I have one, but not sure yet what stones I have. The cylinder looks excellent, so I'd only touch-up the rear half. We'll see.

[Trigger man]

... leave the fork area alone the shims will keep anything from rubbing

Yes, I'm not setup right now to tackle those uglies, maybe later this summer when I get caught-up with other, more important necessities. I have major modifications planned for this beast, so will consider a fix then if it proves troublesome.     

[Mark 611]

if you need help just ask!

[gmupatriot2010]

Considering you spend $400 on a German piece like this..those problems should not even exist Sad how quality of workmanship is declining in most industries. Good luck with getting everything smooth and up and running! I know it will turn out to be a shooter...the barrels on these guns are great!

[Mark 611]

don't go any higher or lower than 400grt and you just want to remove the burr' s,

[GunnerAl]

Considering you spend $400 on a German piece like this..those problems should not even exist Sad how quality of workmanship is declining in most industries.

You're right...

You know, in the past I have seen the innards of a few air rifles - some mine and others were not, but overall, no matter whether they were German, Russian, British, American, Spanish or whatever, I can't believe, as a generally observation, that they are getting more powerful but less in "quality of finish", and especially where it really matters, like in and around the piston and seal(s) and the triggers. In the past,, as in 20 or 30+ years ago, I have opened a good handful of airguns and never really seen things that make me want to grind my teeth, like metallic burs and rough edges that end up grinding themselves and/or other bits and pieces to death over a short period of time. In the past 10 years or less, it almost seems mandatory that they don't think of "doing it right" at the factory anymore in at least "some" of their prized products.

Is this the outright price that we pay for mass production and a cheaper product and end up getting a "cheap" and sometimes "nasty" product as a result..??

This reply is not aimed at this thread - more a general observation only...

That's still a beautiful rifle...

[Trigger man]

Well, tonight I discovered another reason why cocking was so tight, in addition to the ridiculously overtightened breach/barrel pivot bolt...

After deburring the cylinder's internal uglies, I grabbed the piston and carefully removed the piston seal, and slide it naked into the bore to check clearances. All but 3/8" of the rear of the piston slid smoothly into the bore, then it started getting tight. I added a little muscle and manged to push the piston about midway, but decided to quit because it probably exceeded 12-15 pounds pressure to continue moving it... so I backed it out and mic'ed the piston along its length.

As suspected, the piston isn't concentric - by a disturbing amount. Nowhere along its length could I get consistent measurements. everything from 1.005" (25.527mm) to 1.023" (25.984mm). The red arrow in the image below points to a small scuff indicating where the piston is NOT round, but is actually egg shaped by almost .015" (0.38mm).

Just to reiterate, this is a NEW gun, and unfired by me. 




 
   

[Hanabata808]

This thread is really an eye-opener.

[Mark 611]

tho disturbing its not un common! I'm not taking up for HW just letting you know these tolerances are not un usual, you'll also probably find the the entire tube needs to be sunnen honed to make it concentric!

[Trigger man]

tho disturbing its not un common!

Perhaps. But please convince me that 'interference' piston fits are rare (or should be). I'm no professional air gunsmith, but requiring 12-15 pounds pressure to move a naked piston (sans seal) within the bore... doesn't gel with me.