At the start of the pandemic I got in on a special group order for the HW50 in .20 caliber. I got the call they're in. I'm really looking forward to this, it'll be my first 20. I was wondering if there were any fans of the caliber out there who might have an opinion of it in the HW50 power plant?
And that's a valid point. The honest answer is... I don't have a good reason. I have a RWS model 34 in .22 cal that can do anything my new HW50 will be able to do. On the other hand I have always been intrigued by the loyalty some have to the caliber. With the claims that it shoots flatter than the .22 and delivers a lot more punch than the .177. Even though the pickings of pellets are few... they are at the least of good quality. For the one gun that I will have in the arsenal, I think I'll be able to live with that... and the itch will be scratched ?
It was a question, not a point, unless you're referring to your own statement. If that is the case... wow... IDK... 😉
If I were going to make a point, it would be a fact and look like "Pellets are cheaper in .177 and .22", but that isn't helpful, or even polite, so I asked a question instead.
Standing by for the .20 fanatics to convince me that I need one...
Great news Napi!
At some point in time, I would have told you to get some of the H&N made, Beeman branded Lasers, they were the "hobbies" of the 0.20" cal world. Very light, but accurate at low powers.
FTT's are good, though a little heavy for the powerplant.
What you will find in HW 0.20" cal barrels is that they shoot well, nor not, directly form the start.
Ask Pyramyd Air if they have/can still get the FTT's in two different head sizes (5.1 and 5.12 mm's), that made a substantial difference in the HW barrels I've had.
Do test the JSB's BOTH weights, you never really know if you're in for a surprise.
What you will love about the 0.20" is the stability of the pellet in flight.
😉
Keep well and shoot straight!
HM
Initial thoughts on my .20 cal HW50... I was pleasantly surprised with the woodwork on the rifle. The checkering style is not the standard one I've seen on the websites. It does have the same designer mark... a encircled lower case m on the pistol grip. Another variation from the standard stock is a slight cut out on the lower portion of the stock from the back end of the grip to inch and a half of the butt plate. The cocking effort is as others say, much more stout than the 30 but not as severe as I was expecting. What did surprise me was the spring recoil... that was a bit more than I was expecting and there is a pretty good twang along with it. After cleaning the barrel I did put a few dozen pellets into a target at twenty yards. I wasn't really checking for accuracy but rather just getting acquainted with the weapon, having said that though it did group nicely. I had intended on putting a scope on it but I decided to break her in with the open sights. I'm very happy with the purchase and looking forward to the post break-in period.
At the start of the pandemic I got in on a special group order for the HW50 in .20 caliber. I got the call they're in. I'm really looking forward to this, it'll be my first 20. I was wondering if there were any fans of the caliber out there who might have an opinion of it in the HW50 power plant?
"might have an opinion of it in the HW50 power plant?"
I wasn't a fan of the .20 R9 I bought a couple decades ago due to the cost of ammo and the loopy trajectory so I couldn't imagine a weaker HW50 being any better. I ended up selling the .20 cal barrel and replacing it with a used .177 barrel.
I got in on a special group order for the HW50 in .20 caliber.
Where did this special group originate from? Beautiful gun!
I bought a .177 50S & an HW57 in .22 within days of one another. I didn't do much except some test fire shots before installing Vortek PG3 kits in both. They use the same powerplant. For the 50 I got the H.O. kit & the S.H.O. for the .22 57, both with the seals that were extra $.
I don't have many shots on either (just never enough time) but the 50 H.O. is at around 11.5 FPE. The 57 S.H.O. is around 17.5 FPE but only with RWS superdomes! After at least 50 shots on each, there wasn't much deviation whatsoever from the first shots. In fact, I get several "duplication" flags from my chrony. I used straight molly and indoors there is no indication of any burn off from careful lubing (and deburring). I did find waaay too much yellow grease in the barrels upon tear down. There is nothing twangy or harshness from either.
Is it possible to still get the 50S in .20? I'd love to have it with the PG3 S.H.O. kit. One of these days I'll get some serious trigger time...
Edit: here is a pic of the two with Rowan extra setback triggers. Stocks aren't as nice as your .20.
Where did this special group originate from?
I saw a post on another forum, AGN, back in March. I think they needed a minimum of ten interested parties to generate an order. When it came into AOA I received an email and was asked if I was still interested. If I were you I'd give them a call and see if there are any orphans.
Thanks for the info Napi.
The scopes are Beeman SS2L's. The 50 has a fixed 4X and the 57 wears a 3X. I bought them from a gentleman selling an FWB 127 here on the classifieds. These are no longer made. They usually command a high price when up for sale. These two were basically brand new. It turned out he was local to me and we came up with a deal for both. The (Japan made) Beeman Blue Ribbon scope line up are all generally highly sought after.
If AOA has one of those .20's, then so will I 🙂
The scopes:
While not a fanatic, I am a fan of the .20 caliber and at present own an R9, R7, '73 Silver Streak and 3 no longer made Webley Valuemax rifles all in .20 caliber. While yes, there aren't many choices for pellets in the caliber, what's still being made is the best of the best and of the 7 available, at least 3 (4 in a couple cases) shoot well in every one of my 7 rifles. No need to buy and try 15 or even 20 different brands, styles and weights to find that "one" pellet. Cost? Sorry, I'm not one of those guys that demands my rifles shoot the cheapest ammo I can find. If it happens to cost a bit more, so be it and .20 cal is easily found in several places and not insanely expensive either.
Out to the 30 yards I shoot, those rifles have taken everything up to woodchucks with well placed headshots and every one of them is more than accurate to make them. I know the caliber has it's detractors, but I'm not one and would love to see a company or 3 come out with new ones. Personally, I think the new Sig ASP would make for a very nice rifle in the caliber if they could be convinced to make some.
As far as the group that started the buy from AoA, it started on GTA, so I'd think if you could get another 10 or even more interested, they would again.
My R9 and R7 .20's. The R7 is a Huntington Beach:
Thanks Napi and Steve
I called from work today when they opened and spoke to a man named Chris. As I understood him, AOA would just include it in their next order from Weihrauch? He took all of my information but it will take 3 months or better...
Hmmm, what to do for the scope? I may go for the Luepold EFR. I can't believe their custom order shop is still restructuring. They were in that mode long before this covid stuff. I'll get the Vortek S.H.O. kit for it while the getting is good. Need to have Tom make a custom spring for another project anyway.
Don't have much time for shooting but I really love these guns. Gotta have something to look forward to!