Talk me out of ordering a Weihrauch HW30S

[Hangtown-Shooter]

The 50S is only $69 more at AoA 

[Yak54]

I bought my HW30S from Airguns of Arizona, and it was a good experience.  No problems.  Go for it ! 

[Broadus]

I bought my HW30S from Airguns of Arizona, and it was a good experience.  No problems.  Go for it ! 

Thanks for the first-hand experience about AoA. I just may do that.

The more frugal part of me keeps thinking about the Xisico XS12 with a Mike Melick full tune. However, the HW30S is about $110 more and has what is reported to be a fantastic trigger, not to mention a very nice fit and finish. But I would have the fullest confidence in Mike Melick's work.

Any thoughts on comparing a MM full-tuned XS12 with an out-of-the-box HW30S?

[joek]

I would get the deluxe version for $339 from AoA, I own both it and the standard, in .177. put a vortek kit in the standard, have not put it thru a chrony yet. fwiw my stock HW30s firing behaviour  puts my HW35e to shame. Get the HW30s you won't regret it.

[RatRacer]

Any thoughts on comparing a MM full-tuned XS12 with an out-of-the-box HW30S?

Just 2:
You will get close on the trigger, but not as good.
If, by some unforseen circumstance, you needed to sell, the return $ will not be as good. 30's hold their value.

[bReTt]

Just press the  "place order" button and get the thing on it way!

I love mine!

[Not The Brightest Bulb]

Go with AoA that's where I got mine and had no problems.

[T-Higgs]

Just press the  "place order" button and get the thing on it way!

I love mine!

+1
I have a r7 and love it. Actually ordered a .177 barrel for it as mine is in .20 cal and I'd like more fps for flatter trajectory.  I do believe the hw50s I should be a real consideration for a little more umfff, but I've never fired one and don't know if they are as crazy sweet as the 30.

Place in cart, proceed to checkout ...

[Broadus]

Just press the  "place order" button and get the thing on it way!

I love mine!

Great avatar you have there, Brett.

[hawk45]

I have an XS12 and the trigger is no where near my RWS T06, which is similar to the Rekord on the 30s.  While Mike's stuff is a great value for the price, it's not going to be a 30 or 50 in looks or feel.   Buy once, cry once.  Repeat as necessary.

[Broadus]

I have an XS12 and the trigger is no where near my RWS T06, which is similar to the Rekord on the 30s.  While Mike's stuff is a great value for the price, it's not going to be a 30 or 50 in looks or feel.   Buy once, cry once.  Repeat as necessary.

Thanks about the XS12 perspective. As far as trying to get it right with the first purchase, it's been a search adventure with a lot to learn for someone lacking even a basic knowledge of handguns. I've gone in my thinking from Daisy and Crosman pumps to a Ruger Blackhawk closeout at Walmart to a couple of Mike Melick-tuned Xisicos to a Benjamin 397 to the HW30S. What's funny is realizing that the HW30S is not considered expensive as far as air rifles go.

And now I have the HW50S suggested, which probably is a good idea. I've read that the cocking requires noticeably more effort than the HW30S, so I don't know how well that will work for my wife. How much more hold sensitive is it over the 30S? Plus, it's another $70 over the HW30S, and right now the price for the 30S is a big pill for my mind to swallow.

[hawk45]

Our situations sound almost the same, just a few weeks apart.  My initial gun was for me, if the wife could shoot it great, but if not, she's a casual shooter and I could cock it for her.  I tried to keep a budget and looked at all the guns you did, starting with the Ruger, Remington, XS25.  Then I started looking at the next level and the triggers.  In the end I went with a next level up as I thought the little extra money was worth the much better trigger.  You can see what I have in my signature.  I love the gun, everything about it.  It came with a good mount and decent scope for $300.  If I would have got the XS25, I would have got the full tune which puts it at $225, then I need a mount and scope on top of that, so came out to the same price. 

In the end, the 34 was too hard for my wife to cock.  So I decided to try one of Mikes XS12s.  It's pretty nice but I wouldn't have been happy with the power past 25yds.  I want to shoot 50yds min and the lower power of the XS12 just wouldn't cut it.  Great for plinking at 25yds, but not much more.  The XS12 is SUPER easy to cock.. think like only 10lbs, where my RWS 34 is about 30lbs.  The wife loves it, but I prefer more power.

Order of things I would do:
Get the 50, cock for wife is need, get her an XS12 basic tune down the road.
Get the 30, get another rifle down the road w/ more power if need
Get the XS12 with basic tune, see if you like the power, if so, give to wife, order a 30
Get the XS12 with basic tune, see if you like the power, if not, give to wife, order a 50

[Yak54]

The 50S will probably be too much for your wife to cock.  I own both and the 30S is much easier to cock.  18 lbs VS about 30 lbs.

[haertig]

As far as trying to get it right with the first purchase, it's been a search adventure with a lot to learn...

One thing to keep in mind, is that people tend to recommend what they personally chose to buy.  Doesn't really matter if it was their best purchase decision or not, they will still recommend it anyway (myself included - all humans fall into this trap).  For this reason, I do not give a lot of weight to individual recommendations.  Instead, I look at group recommendations.  i.e., Do a LOT of people recommend this particular gun?  Then the recommendations have much more meaning for me.  The HW30S is certainly one of those "everybody recommends this model" guns.  So is the Daisy 883 from CMP or the Daisy 953.  You will also find lots of recommendations (inexpensive pistols) for the Crossman 1377 and Beeman P17.  Because I put so much weight on "mob recommendations" these days, I own all of these guns I've mentioned above with the exception of the HW30s.  And I am considering buying one of those.  I bought an air rifle without looking for "mob recommendations" once - it was my first air gun - and it is the one airgun that I would not buy again.  A Gamo Shadow 1000.  Luckily, it wasn't expensive, so no big harm done.  The GRT trigger I put in the Gamo to try to improve it is worth more than the gun itself (not in actual dollars, but in the worth I assign to it).

[joek]

Vortek kit + HW30s if you need more power down the road. the only chinese gun that may come close is the short stroked remington express  compact, good reviews in england, has kind of a copy of the rekord trigger, I own a express and the trigger is not even close.

[Booger]

Looking at your title, I have come to the conclusion that I can not do it. I am an enabler, it is in my genes.

[Hangtown-Shooter]

I say buy a lube tuned XS12 from Mike that you and your wife can both enjoy now, and then save up a bit longer for the HW50S 

[Hangtown-Shooter]

By the way I also own a lube tuned XS12 from Flying Dragon (Mike) that I keep on hand for my wife and nephews to shoot... great little guns that require minimal effort to cock.

I also owned a HW30S, but I passed it on to my brother-in-law because I was running of of room 
It is certainly a fine rifle, but my wife still had a bit of difficulty cocking it and would give up after a dozen shots or so... the XS-12 she can cock all day long no problem.

[JimL911]

The 50S is a good gun. Weight, size, accuracy and power level are great. The cocking effort for the power level is the downside. I would have to say your wife will not enjoy it if she can cock it at all. Since getting a 57, I rarely shoot mine now.
For the price of the 50S I would get a Diana 34 and put a JM OS kit in it to drop the power to around 12 fpe. A little more power than the 50, easier to cock, accuracy is on par and for me, the T-06 trigger is better "out of the box" than the Rekord and not far off a set up Rekord trigger.

[Booger]

The 50S is a good gun. Weight, size, accuracy and power level are great. The cocking effort for the power level is the downside. I would have to say your wife will not enjoy it if she can cock it at all. Since getting a 57, I rarely shoot mine now.
For the price of the 50S I would get a Diana 34 and put a JM OS kit in it to drop the power to around 12 fpe. A little more power than the 50, easier to cock, accuracy is on par and for me, the T-06 trigger is better "out of the box" than the Rekord and not far off a set up Rekord trigger.

I do not know about the HW50 cocking effort, but I do know my 11 year old son had no problems cocking a full powered D-34. He is also a scrawny 11 yo. Here he is shooting the Condor I sold.

See, he is a runt.