Weihrauch HW95KS 310

They say ‘what’s in a name.’ In this case ‘a lot’ or maybe that should be a lot less as the ‘310’ denotation on this model refers to the fact that the ever popular HW95K (Karbine) has at long last had the barrel shortened to 310mm (12 3/16”) and the S denotes that barrel is screw cut and the rifles comes with the company’s own highly acclaimed screw-on can.

Make Mine A Short

When Weihrauch first screw cut the barrels and whacked on the silencer someone really did forget the tape measure or just didn’t think a silencer measuring 7.5” in length would have the rifle look, well… too long. At the time the original versions of these were launched, I remember saying to Hull Cartridge Co. who import them “you’re onto something with this, and I hope next meeting you have with Weihrauch, they take your advice and ‘chop’ the barrels shorter”.

To be fair, the actual balance wasn’t unduly affected but the length totally defeated the fact that the HW95K was built as a fast handing carbine - punchy and on the ball when needed. So with just screw cutting the front end and whacking on more length was to me a bit odd. David Bontoft, head of Hull Cartridge stuck to his guns (no pun intended) and made an issue of the length added to certain rifles when they were sold screw cut and with a silencer. It’s taken a while to happen but Weihrauch have now brought out, what I feel should have been done to these rifles all those years back. They’d have certainly sold more if the amount of people having barrels shortened was anything to go by. Airgun guru Tony Wall of Sandwell Field Sports had a field day creating Banshees out of HW95K`s but when the silenced versions came out his profits must have doubled as he chopped and screw cut barrels.

Everything Comes To Those That Wait

When I took delivery for review even the size of the box gave me hope they’d got it right. On opening it I found that they had, and this little gem of a hunter also boasts a newly designed beech wood stock. And to think they could have done this 5 years ago!

Originally, the HW95KS wasn’t only too long but still had a very bland stock design. There was some chequering but only at the grip. So checking out the new woodwork as I began scoping up I noticed other minor cosmetic changes. The first is the lengthy forend chequering seen as a single panel, but look to the rear of the pistol grip and tip of forend for a bit of cosmetic cool. Unfortunately there’s still no ‘defined’ cheekpiece but the well-proportioned medium height comb suits this scope only rifle. A nicely contoured full rubber but pad with black Delrin spacer quells the manageable recoil and snugly fits the rifle into the shoulder. However, as you move forward towards the trigger you notice the stock has been paired back so the ambidextrous stock is much easier to hold, as the heel of your shooting hand has at least a tad more allowance before it swells out into the steep drop down pistol grip. A slight thumb shelf sits aloft the top edge of the neck but what a difference it feels in the hold. Maybe just for cosmetics, the forend has a rounded tip but even here it subtly tapers in from the sides almost right on the position that the huge breech axis bolt sits. 

The cocking cycle is silky smooth straight from the box, and it can be cocked with no hernia inducing positions you see some magazines recommend for a shorter barrel full power springer. Now I was discovering the new rifle and appreciating that a few modifications must have taken place internally, while trying hard to convince myself I didn’t want one. One thing they’ve not changed is that legendary 2-stage, adjustable Rekord trigger unit, which is the one to beat for use on a spring powered air rifle. In addition the blade and adjuster screw are gold anodised to give that ‘special’ look, even by today’s standards. Like the rest of the rifle it’s built to last and the feature that has surprised many over the years is the fact it’s so efficient as well.

On cocking the rifle an automatic safety block comes into play, while no anti-beartrap mechanism means it can be de-cocked at anytime by simply pushing in the protruding safety button on the left hand side at the rear of the cylinder and while holding the barrel in the cocked position, squeeze off the trigger and allow the barrel to return (under control of your hold) to the closed position. 

Accuracy Assured

As a matter of interest the original silenced versions pushed the tape to 49-inches, but this one has an overall length of 42.25” with silencer fitted. Before fitting the scope I realised it was light, but it’s still in the middleweight class as it tips the scales at 7.2lbs. The Hawke Panorama EV scope I was testing alongside it made the perfect companion. Ragged ¾” groups were attainable beyond my set 25-yd zero but this was shooting rested, cushioning the gun over the knee. I was soon gaining the confidence to take shots out to 40-yds with kill zone accuracy. Muzzle report is muted but a springer can never be totally silenced. The sound on firing was more of a low thud, no muzzle flip and low on recoil.

To sum up, this must be one of the easiest springers to achieve accuracy and consistency with, due to its smooth firing cycle, superb trigger unit and the faultless engineering. Looks like Weihrauch are getting it right as they leave the factory but will we lose our obsession with PCP’s long enough to even try one?  I hope some shooters take the challenge because this is the spring rifle that might change their minds about old and possibly wrongly held beliefs.

PRICE: £353 incl silencer