Weihrauch HW98

It was of course, the famous HW35 from the 1970s that brought Weihrauch to the attention of the UK market! The ‘35 was an easy choice for many, after a quality hunting rifle, and with its Rekord trigger, striking design including an intriguingly long barrel, and a high level of build, it unsurprisingly established the brand, against, it has to be said, comparatively weak competition at the time!

The ‘35 is still with us, but under review here is another old soldier from Weihrauch, that has also stood the test of time. In fact, it’s true to say that the punchy HW98 has a level of performance that earns it a place at the top table of spring piston powered airguns, and here’s why.

Pedigree

Outwardly, the HW98 is a fairly conservative, traditional, break-barrel springer, but look closely at the specification, and it becomes clear that it’s aimed at the serious target shooter, who wants to push performance.

On-board features are here to do just that: a semi target beech sporter stock, complete with stippled panels, adjustable butt pad and comb, 2-stage trigger, and bull barrel. I was going to say that little has changed in the intervening years since I last handled this gem, but the more I look, the more I see subtle changes and tweaks; made for good reasons.

Starting with the stock. Take a close look side on, at the tip of the breech, and you notice that both sides are now significantly thinned down at the jaws. The result; the ‘98 is now far more comfortable in the aim, as the lead hand can easily accommodate the forend. Timber quality has always been way above average, and with pleasantly grained beech, treated to a medium brown lacquer, this is no different. With extensive panels of black stippling adorning the underside of the forend and the entire pistol grip, adds visual contrast, as well as a serious handling advantage too!

 

ACE

Perhaps the biggest ace up the 98’s sleeve are the two butt adjustments. First, a revised rubber pad over the original design, although little changes in terms of end result. It’s nicely concave to hug the shoulder, although could be slightly softer. Adjustment for elevation is via a single socket headed bolt at the rear. Just slacken off, slide the pad up or down, and re-tighten; simple. Equally so the large, height-adjustable comb so you can tailor your head/eye/scope position. Just undo the twin socket head screws on the side, set the height, retighten and you’re done!

Combine these two elements, and what we have here is furniture that can be largely adjusted to fit the individual; with the butt firmly at the right point in the shoulder, and the comb ensuring perfect eye/scope alignment. If I’m nitpicking, I would prefer a deeper forend for greater support in the standing position, but as things stand, the HW98 has to impress, and your muscles will appreciate its charms I’m sure?

Build quality and finish are something that Weihrauch are renowned for, and the ‘98 again impresses, in terms of its deep chemical bluing and precision engineering. The full-length barrel shroud is a big factor in this model’s unique feel, and is secured in place by two small grub screws at the breech end.

 

Performance

Pick up the HW98, and it feels every inch a serious adult sporter; and at 8.4 lbs un-scoped, it’s not for the feint hearted. It is however, perfectly balanced as far as I’m concerned! A small jolt is required to break open the secure breech, but the subsequent cocking stroke on test, was remarkably smooth, and easy to achieve. This model now gets the revised, Weihrauch, star-shaped breech arrangement, and for this read reassuringly precise. Push home the pellet, close the barrel, press the safety button at the rear (yes safety is automatic as per all Weihrauch’s), and it’s good to go.

The Rekord trigger unit has been covered extensively over the years, so suffice to say that Weihrauch were ahead of the game in the late 70s, and it remains one of the best sporting triggers to this day. So, what of the HW98’s firing cycle? Well, actual felt recoil is fairly muted, and this of course is helped by the sheer weight of the action. Increased mass reduces recoil, in any simple equation, yet my test model was still quite noisy, with some spring twang. Experience with a variety of Weihrauchs over the years though, tells me that judicious tuning, care, attention, and a significant lubrication regime, can transform felt recoil and noise, so something to bear in mind with this model.

 

Red star

Over the chronograph, using BSA Red Star pellets, the HW98 managed a 10-shot string with a total spread of just 11 fps, and with the favoured JSB made, Air Arms Diabolo Fields, that shrank to 8 fps. Excellent readings, but no more than we would expect from this premium airgun manufacturer. As for down range accuracy, my best efforts measured just over ¼” c-t-c over 30 yards with the Diabolos, which is excellent in anyone’s book.

I mentioned balance earlier, and front end bias comes as standard with that weighted barrel, and that suits me just perfectly. Prefer weight towards the rear, and this dedicated target model may need some adjustment. Personal taste here of course.

So, can the HW98 still cut it with the best of them? Well, I think by now my affection, not to mention respect for this model, must be obvious, and those performance statistics speak for themselves. Suitable for top level HFT or ultra precise hunting duties. By definition, its specification dictates it’s no lightweight, but it not only stands out from the crowd, it joins that elite list of the very best recoiling airguns, available. And that just about says it all!