My .177 HW50S needs a brother and/or sister...

[Oldgringo]

I'm a target shooter and a plinker.  Someone please learn me the difference between Beeman and HW.  Recommendations would be welcome, too.

[Oldgringo]

I'm a recreational target shooter and a plinker.  Someone please learn me the difference between Beeman and HW.  Recommendations would be welcome, too.

[Calmark]

Beeman is a company that imports German-made rifles from the Hans Weihrauch company (HW), so for all practical purposes rifles with either brand stamped on them are the same except for maybe some cosmetic differences. 

I would recommend looking at the Beeman R7/HW30 model for a second Beeman/Weihrauch rifle.  It is smaller, lighter and less powerful than your HW50 and will look almost like a miniature version of it.  Despite lower power stats, the R7/HW30 will be much easier to cock and lighter to carry.  Since you like to target shoot and plink, you will find the HW30 just as enjoyable as your HW50 or even more so since it is so light and handy.  Of all my rifles, my R7 is the one I shoot the most, and its really easy to find you've shot 100+ pellets in a sitting before you know it. 

[JimL911]

Cosmetic differences. No sights different stock. R1=HW80, R9=HW95, RX=HW90, R11=HW98, R7=HW30S. For target go for the 77/97. Nothing beats the 30S for plinking.

[Zippy]

I'll second the R7 or HW30S, money well spent on a great little rifle, the R7 has a nicer stock but no sights.

[airnutz]

The HW's (present) here in Germany do not have the nice wood like you guys have in the US. 

As far as I can see, you have opportunities for walnut stocks.  We don't.   The older guns though do have better quality wood.  Me personally,  I've had it with that dang beechwood, I want some class to at least match the quality of the gun mechanism itself.

This is one of the reasons why I only collect and shoot anymore the old 10 Meter German Classics.  The steel is blue, the wood is grained walnut, and even when they're 50 and more years old, they're accurate and very consistent.

I love to plink too, and I love the recoilless honeys of Walther and Diana fame.

I will agree though, the HW 30s is a tough number to beat.  Just the wood may be a problem.  But maybe the price/quality equation will overlook the beechwood.  But beech can be nice too, I don't mean to knock anything, just stating my personal preference.

Yep, once a Weihrauch, always a Weihrauch.  The Beemans look better though.

[ac12]

Greg,
Beeman is an importer/distributor, similar to RWS.  They do not make guns, they contract with manufacturer to make or relabel the manufacturers guns.  As was mentioned a Weirauch HW 30 is the approximate equivalent of a Beeman R7.   Similarly a RWS-52 is a relabeled Diana 52.  The importer/distributor can specify additional features for his line of guns, such a better wood.

You need to be more specific in what you want, "target and plinking" is pretty broad.
What kind of target shooting?
What kind of stock, target or sporster?
Any parameters; weight, price, new/used, etc.
What distance; standard 10 meter competition distance, or farther?

For a target shooter, I could say a FWB-300 match rifle.  Great classic target rifle, but only available on the used market.  But at almost 11 pounds, too heavy for a plinker.

The HW30/Beeman R7 is a nice low powered rifle, but not what I would use for target shooting at 10m.  Great for plinking and casual target shooting. 

[Oldgringo]

Thanks all.  I am a casual target shooter; IOW, I do it for, and with, me.  My shooting is pretty much all done from a rest.

I reckon no one mentioned the RWS guns because I asked about Beeman and HW?  The Diana 34 seems to have a large following?

[JimL911]

The 34 is a fine utilitarian rifle. I have a couple and they are just as accurate as my Weihrauchs. My .177 with a JM OS kit is a joy to shoot.

[Oldgringo]

The 34 is a fine utilitarian rifle. I have a couple and they are just as accurate as my Weihrauchs. My .177 with a JM OS kit is a joy to shoot.

I'm intrigued by side and under levers; however, these are getting up into the tall buckaroos.  Do they do anything the break barrels don't/won't do other than be pretty and cost mucho dinero?

[thekid]

A fixed barrel is said to be inherently more accurate.
Those quality break barrels will keep up with the fixed barrels though.
You may be able to squeeze a little more out of the fixed barrel, but only by a margin.

[Oldgringo]

Thanks everybody.  I'm leanin' toward a Diana 34 after I get another paycheck or two.  My HW50S may just have to settle for a half-brother/sister.   

[JohnWI]

I might be mistaken, but the D48 is about $100 more than the 34.    That price is also about what a used underlever is.  So it kind of depends on what you want?  New?  Is used OK if you were going to try something different?

One thing, though, is that they load differently as well.  Some have a bigger opening but nothing is as easy as a break barrel.  Scoping also gets "interesting" when you have a loading port.

All these options make my brain ache, but I love them all.  I don't have enough time on any one to say that one style is more accurate.  Too many variables like pellet choices, pellet size variation, I'm betting that more than a FPE difference will also cause some changes, different triggers (even if they're the same make), not enough range time, variation of hold techniques, wind, blah, blah, blah.  Still, I love them all.

[Oldgringo]

We finally had semi-decent weather yesterday and I got out my HW50s and my CMP 853.  Both of these beauties take about 25 pounds to cock 'em.  Even though I don't hunt, I think I want another rifle with a little more oomph than the HW has but I don't think (I'm pretty sure) I want one that takes more muscle to cock than these two do.  BTW, the 7.9 gr. CPLD's fit tight in these two guns too.

I was thinking about a Diana 34 but it's billed to require nearly 40 pounds to cock.  I ain't gettin' any younger nor am I gettin' any new muscles.  So, it's back to the drawing board.  Once again, I'm all ears and appreciate hearing others' suggestions and experiences.

Greg

[Zippy]

If cocking effort is an issue have you thought about co2 or pcp? What about a pumper a older Sheridan Blue Streak would be  good choice. D34 is not bad to cock at all Send it to John in Pa and have him do a tune on it and it will be a smooth powerhouse. Disco with a pump is s great bargain and lots of mods around also. Just giving you some stuff to look at.

[Sfttailrdr46]

We finally had semi-decent weather yesterday and I got out my HW50s and my CMP 853.  Both of these beauties take about 25 pounds to cock 'em.  Even though I don't hunt, I think I want another rifle with a little more oomph than the HW has but I don't think (I'm pretty sure) I want one that takes more muscle to cock than these two do.  BTW, the 7.9 gr. CPLD's fit tight in these two guns too.

I was thinking about a Diana 34 but it's billed to require nearly 40 pounds to cock.  I ain't gettin' any younger nor am I gettin' any new muscles.  So, it's back to the drawing board.  Once again, I'm all ears and appreciate hearing others' suggestions and experiences.

Greg

six months away from 67 I have to say that all but my Daisy 880 pumper are powerful springers 1 break barrel,1 side lever and 1 under lever all take some effort  the hardest to cock is the 460 I rest the butt on my leg and complete the cocking effort using both hands. My average session is about 50 to 100 shots at night in my basement range

[JimL911]

I have JM kits in my 50,95, and 77. An OS kit in my .177 34 and still have a Vortek in my .22 34. With proper lube they don't feel much more difficult to cock than the 50S. They OS kit actually feels easier.

[Zippy]

Yep had a JM soft kit in the D34 with a full Krytox lube in it smooth as butter 700 fps it's on GB right now traded it at the Findley show.

[Oldgringo]

I got a few more shots today with the HW50S.  Maybe, It has been so long since I shot it that I'd forgot the effort required to have fun?   

[amb5500c]

When its fun, the effort is minimal.
Richard