Henry Rifle Forums

NCG whats the pros and Cons to 25 caliber? Are they harder to sell like the 20 cal. Seems I see alot of 25 caliber talk and there isnt much in 22 caliber around in the Weihrauch guns right now. Im thinking about an HW 80 I want one more good spring gun. PCP is just more than I want to deal with I think.

Al, the 25 cal is a very big deal for folks who hunt with airguns, right now. To get the velocities/trajectory you need with 25 cal, it's really a PCP game, though. You just open the ports/valve on a PCP till you get the velocity you want, all the way up top 1000 fps in 25 cal, then shoot away with no recoil issues on a PCP.

When you go to springers like the HW80, cocking effort, recoil and gun weight take their toll on the shooter. Make no mistake, the HW80 is a big heavy gun with some serious cocking effort. You'll be adding more than another pound of weight over your HW95. The biggest issue, though, will be the low velocity in 25 cal with the HW80 power plant. You'll be getting 500 to 650 fps with 25 cal pellets. That's going to make for a very loopy trajectory out there at 40 and 50 yards. Bottom line is you can get the same fpe levels with the HW80 in 22 cal and get a better trajectory to boot.

Yes, a spring piston gun in 25 cal will be harder to sell, not to mention the cost and availability of pellets in 25 cal. The general consensus on 25 cal is that 25 cal is best handled by PCPs if you want the performance. You can certainly shoot in a springer like the HW80 and have fun with it, but with a springer power plant, there's very little performance advantage over a 22 cal.

Given that I know you have the HW95, my suggestion is to go the other way and get a lighter HW springer like the HW50 or even the HW30 in 177. These light shooting springers get the most use, by far, in our place. The HW30, especially, is a joy to shoot. You can shoot all day long and never get tired. I consider the HW30 an absolute must own gun for anyone who shoots springers. Even folks who have never shot springers can shoot the HW30 with accuracy. You should have seen what our grandkids in their teens did with our HW30 when they came up for a visit and they had never even shot a gun, before!

Thanks Joanie. I’m interested in this thread also.

Thanks Joanie. I did do some more research and found other opinions that agree with yours. Weight of the actual rifle isnt a real deal breaker for me as shooting BP rifles quite often I am use to the heavier guns. I do however get what you are trying to point out about wear and tear on the shooter itself. Right now there isnt much available for purchase as they are all out of stock. Ive been watching the used areas at GTA and have also still considered the Umarex 850 like Dave bought. Just havent made the move yet. Im still not really convinced on the PCP rifles and making the next jump.

For sure, going PCP is a big step, so take your time. As I've mentioned, before, you need to consider how you are going to fill a PCP as much as the gun, itself. Still, PCP is where all the research and development and the lion's share of sales are in the air gun world and that's not going to change. I love and shoot all types of airguns, but there's a reason all forms of airgun competition are owned by PCP. I'm no slouch with a springer, CO2 or pump airguns, but all my personal best groups have been shot with the PCPs. Simple as that.

As for HWs, they're typically shipped over a couple times a year, so I suspect we'll see more over the summer or maybe even fall. Very similar to CZs, having to wait till the next boatload full lands.

You are no slouch with anything you shoot air or powder has nothing to do with it. Im not a competitor anymore nor do I care to be one. Shooting hole in hole vs shooting quarter or halfdollar size groups on paper isnt something Im really concerned with. I might miss that little chicken sillywet target one time but sooner or later hes gonna fall. Im good with a HW springer and second place. Ill save first place for the ladys with the PCP guns.

Good for you, Al. When we invested in more PCP shooting, this year, I was worried that I might lose interest in shooting our wonderful springers. I was pleasantly surprised, though, to discover that shooting PCP made me even more interested in shooting springers. It was kind of a challenge to my springer shooting and it's made me try even harder with the springers. It's also made me appreciate the springers, more. I really like not having to count shots, filling guns with air, checking pressure and all that PCP stuff when shooting springers. Just grab a springer, anytime, and shoot as long as I want, get good accuracy, shoot some high grade guns and have fun. Very cool. Springers are old school, no doubt about it, but demand for springers is holding steady, so I doubt springers will ever disappear from air gun shooting

I’m finding I need to keep track of CO2 shots as well and if I’m close to running low I might just shoot till it’s empty.

Gene, if I'm shooting groups with CO2, I'll notice the POI starts to drop when pressure gets low enough. When I'm shooting steel, it helps to keep a bullseye target nearby to check POI, now and then.

I love this airgun talk especially since I can shoot in my backyard. Just like Gene and Joanie

BigAl52 wrote: ↑

Sat Jun 26, 2021 6:06 pm

I love this airgun talk especially since I can shoot in my backyard. Just like Gene and Joanie

Love it.

BigAl52 wrote: ↑

Sat Jun 26, 2021 6:06 pm

I love this airgun talk especially since I can shoot in my backyard. Just like Gene and Joanie

Yep. I try to read all range reports no matter what the person is shooting. Right now it’s air for me so I follow them especially close.

A friend of mine moved up to PCP Air Arms air rifle from a Beeman Crow Magnum 25 caliber that he wanted to sell me. He did leave it here for me to try it out. I wouldn't have taken it off his hands for free. It was not a joy to shoot with the weight of it and the cocking force was so hard I could barely do two dozen shots before I sit it down and for got about it for a while until I got my energy back to shoot it again. My 22 caliber break barrels didn't cock like that thing did. I gave it back to him and he hasn't been able to sell it yet. I think he just set it aside and decided to keep it.

bandit, the Beeman/Theoben Crow Mag was actually a very famous rifle. It was made by Theoben in England, who pioneered the gas ram, meaning the gun is powered by compressing a gas filled cylinder rather than compressing a spring. Out of the box, this gun likely holds the record for most cocking effort required at about 60 pounds, which is almost double the effort needed to cock the usual 850 fps springer. On some of the early versions, Theoben supplied a way to decrease pressure, should the owner choose to do so, but, apparently, some owners used the feature to increase power. thereby destroying the gun, so the feature was removed. Bottom line is that this is a very specialized gun meant for hunting, designed for hunters who did not want to go the PCP route. These are very high quality guns.Ask your friend if there is a way to drop pressure on his gun. If so, you could turn that gun into a much nicer shooter.