Love that NGS (New Gun Smell), lol. Finally got the R7 I ordered. Between the USPS taking longer to deliver my payment and FedEx not picking it up when PA had it ready for shipping it took about a week longer to get it than it would have in "normal" times. But it's finally here and it looks to be a keeper. The downside is I haven't been able to play with it yet due to a pinched nerve in my back that sends out a nice jolt of pain when I get about half a breath sucked in. ? Hopefully I'll feel good enough to play with it in a day or two. But it's here now and that's the important thing, lol.
I think it will make a good little brother to my R9 and a good companion to the others. And just like my R9 it has the gold trigger and yes, unfortunately, the etched lettering as well. Although it does have the new etching on the barrel that my R9 doesn't have. Not sure why HW thinks that is necessary but if it does serve some kind of a necessity then I'd much prefer an unobtrusive stamping like they used to do and still do for the serial number. But then I'd prefer stamping for all of the lettering over any etching. And unfortunately, it also has the "billboard" on the other side at the rear of the receiver tube. At least it's smaller than the billboard that's on the R9. But that's mainly due to the smaller size of the R7, so smaller print, lol.
There doesn't appear to be any rubbing between the cocking lever and receiver tube like there was with my HW30S but I think before I shoot it I'll pull the barrel off and slip a piece of JM's cocking lever insert into the lever as an insurance policy in case it would try to gall in the future.
I also got the Digital USB Interface for my ProChrono Digital today as well. So while I wait for my back to sort itself out I can try getting that software on the computer and laptop.
I also got the Digital USB Interface for my ProChrono Digital today as well. So while I wait for my back to sort itself out I can try getting that software on the computer and laptop.
I prefer the Windows version of the ProChrono software over the Android, it has a few additional features unless something changed. I have both but only use the Android version in the field.
Nice shooter, hear they're real sweet. Always loved the Rekord.
Thanks. Have an HW30S, too. They really are sweet little shooters. They're the one action that I don't mind having a duplicate of, lol. This R7 will eventually get scoped and the 30S will be returned to iron sights with the factory front and a Williams peep.
And thanks for the info on the Windows version of the software, too. I don't have an Android device and both the PC and laptop are running Win10 so I guess I won't know if there's any difference between them. But they do have an updated version of software to download. No idea if there's any difference between the old and new software but that's the one I'll use since it works with Win10 systems.
@jim-in-swmo
Hi Jim,
Glad it got there ok ?
Hate to hear about your back. That has to be uncomfortable 24/7. You take it easy in order to heal that issue. I myself for the first time ran into an 'anatomical issue' this year. I'm doing better but still not quite there yet. We have to get back up to snuff..too many pellets that need shot!
In regards to the cockng lever insert; I haven't pulled my new R7 from its stock yet but my newer 50's have that installed, if I'm understanding to what you are referring. Just got my latest JM order today and I didn't order anything for that because, I guess I'm assuming that is currently installed on newer R7 versions? I'll figure it out when I find time to comb the R7 over. Here's a pic of what I believe you are talking about on my 50's:
Just as a share (since I know you already had the HW30S), I picked out 7 varieties of .177 pellets and have shot exactly 3-10 shot strings over chrony with each just type -just to see it pre-Macarri LOL After 200+ shots, here's the very last string & info that the Caldwell spit out. Even chronied very first shot just for kicks with same pellet ? . Was 478fps. It climbed to something 'rational' after about 10 shots.
Created: 03/01/21 07:44 PM
Description: R7 .177
Notes 1:
Notes 2: FTT 8.64 gn 4.50 head
Distance to Chrono(FT): 1.00
Ballistic Coefficient: 1.000
Bullet Weight(gr): 8.64
Temp: 37 °F
BP: 1024.10 inHg
Altitude: 833.00
# FPS FT-LBS PF
10 632 7.66 5.46
9 632 7.66 5.46
8 624 7.47 5.39
7 632 7.66 5.46
6 624 7.47 5.39
5 631 7.64 5.45
4 623 7.45 5.38
3 629 7.59 5.43
2 628 7.57 5.43
1 625 7.50 5.40
Average: 628.0 FPS
SD: 3.7 FPS
Min: 623 FPS
Max: 632 FPS
Spread: 9 FPS
Shot/sec: 0.1
True MV: 628 FPS
Group Size (in): 0.00
Thing cocks so easy it was like a semi auto LOL EDIT: First thing I did was cleaned and mopped the barrel...filthy as usual.
Hey, Bo! Did you notice that mine has a "full butt", too? ? ?
Yep, that's the insert. My 50S has it, too. But the HW30S didn't and from what I could see when I had the R7's action out of the stock it doesn't look like it has an insert, either. Don't know why they haven't put one in this action since they've done it with the 50S and the HW35. Thanks to JM we can add one ourselves. And it's not hard to do, on my 30S I just pulled the barrel assembly off to do it. Here's a thread from the DWC not long after I got the 30S. If you scroll down a bit you'll see what I did to put the JM insert in it. (Hope the pics are still there anyway.) I'll do a repeat of that on this R7, just as an insurance policy, lol.
https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/thedianawerkcollective/viewtopic.php?p=103162#p103162
The biggest offender for the galling issue is that HW often sets the rivet that connects the two pieces of the cocking lever together tighter than it should be making the lever want to act like it's one piece. Once the barrel assembly was off I worked the lever hinge in both directions as far as it would go until it moved freely on it's own. That made quite a difference by itself. But not all of them suffer from the overtight rivet and those that don't, don't seem to gall or if they do it's not nearly as severe as the ones with a tight rivet.
And hey, thanks for the numbers. We're pretty close to the same elevation (I'm at about 775) so that will give me a reasonable R7 to R7 comparison. I do have some FTTs (4.50 head size, I think) but personally I consider them a bit heavy for this action to pump out. But I can run a few thru to see how it compares to yours. Kind of strange that they rate the R7 at 700fps but the HW30S is only rated at 675fps. I'll be interested to see how this R7 compares to my 30S. The 30S is doing 635fps with a spread of 6fps with the 7.33gr AA Falcons.
And thanks for the well wishes for the back. It'll get better, if I quit trying to do things I shouldn't! ? LOL
@jim-in-swmo
Well darn, if I have to shop at JM's again for a cocking insert I'll have to think of a few extra 'wants' to chuck in the cart since I'll be paying shipping already anyway. With my kinda shopping philosophy, I'll save so much money that I'll have to go back to get some more money from the bank LOL. Thanks for the link. I hate having a gun apart and awaiting a part, so now at least I'll have it when I go to tune it! ?
The biggest offender for the galling issue is that HW often sets the rivet that connects the two pieces of the cocking lever together tighter than it should be making the lever want to act like it's one piece. Once the barrel assembly was off I worked the lever hinge in both directions as far as it would go until it moved freely on it's own. That made quite a difference by itself. But not all of them suffer from the overtight rivet and those that don't, don't seem to gall or if they do it's not nearly as severe as the ones with a tight rivet.
With regards to the rivet, I noticed that that linkage was extremely stiff on both my 50's when I was tweaking them; After trying MP5 and without realizing that it was not a pin that could be removed and lubed, I tried punching them out with one of my roll pin punches....hmmmm too tight....flip it over and try other side...wow, tight pin...hmmm...HEY! It moves very freely now!!! few more drops of MP5 and it moved like a tuned door hinge ? That particular punch set I used has more of a pronounced protruding ball tip that fit the 'cup' of the rivet nicely in the center. When I got to the second 50, I did the same. worked like a charm. Just a few medium raps with roll punch on each side, MP5....sweet. HW57 uses a different linkage but suffered same issue and was resolved likewise ?
I do have some FTTs (4.50 head size, I think) but personally I consider them a bit heavy for this action to pump out.
Totally agree. I posted that string as it was the "currently most broken in" and last string. I didn't save all strings but I did use the Exacts 7.33's in my strings. they weren't bad and fps/weight was proportionate, but I don't recall the numbers. I have the Falcon's but didn't use them here because the spreads were huge in my 50. Eventually I'll have to let the target do the talking. Here's another set for sharing. I forgot to change the BC value so "True MV" in the last entry is incorrect. Some calculated value that I still need to figure out but everything else is correct:
Created: 03/01/21 07:32 PM
Description: R7 .177
Notes 1:
Notes 2: RWS R10 Match 7 gn
Distance to Chrono(FT): 1.00
Ballistic Coefficient: 0.019
Bullet Weight(gr): 7.00
Temp: 38 °F
BP: 1023.10 inHg
Altitude: 833.00
# FPS FT-LBS PF
10 723 8.13 5.06
9 729 8.26 5.10
8 730 8.28 5.11
7 729 8.26 5.10
6 723 8.13 5.06
5 731 8.31 5.12
4 731 8.31 5.12
3 721 8.08 5.05
2 723 8.13 5.06
1 731 8.31 5.12
Average: 727.1 FPS
SD: 4.1 FPS
Min: 721 FPS
Max: 731 FPS
Spread: 10 FPS
Shot/sec: 0.1
True MV: 730 FPS
Group Size (in): 0.00
Thanks again, Bo. I don't have any of the R10s but pretty sure I still have some of the 7gr RWS Hobby and I "think" I may have some of the 7gr RWS Meister Pistol that I could try as substitutes. But I'll have to scrounge thru the pellet stash to be sure, lol.
Good to hear that you got the tight rivet sorted on your 50s & 57. I keep looking at and telling myself that I should get some roll pin punches but never have. Now you've given me another reason why they'd be handy to have around, lol.
Oh yeah. If you should decide to pull the barrel assembly off your R7 to have a look-see you'll need to drift the cross pin that's in the stock bracket part way out so the cocking lever can be removed from the receiver. That pin is what the bottom of the lever rides on during the cocking stroke. Once you get it drifted out of the way then you can lift the foot of the cocking lever out of the receiver tube. I drifted it all the way to one side but left it in the bracket so I didn't have to fight it to get it back in place. Almost forgot about that little morsel, lol.
@jim-in-swmo I testing some pellets in my R7... chronied the following so far:
1. JSB Exact Express 7.8 gr
2. R10 8.2 gr
3. Falcon Accuracy Plus 7.3 gr
4. Crosman Premier hollow points 7.9 gr
5. Beeman Silver Bear 7.1 gr
The Beeman Silver Bears did the best, velocity wise at 662 fps... too bad they aren't made any more, and I only have 3 tins left.
I need to test the H&N Sport Hollow Point, 7.1 gr that look similar to the Silver Bear, but not quite the same results when I tested in another rifle.
Thanks for that. I'm hoping this R7 will like the AA Falcons. Those are what my HW30S likes. Or maybe the AA Express since my HW50S likes those. Lol...Actually, I'm just hoping that it will like something that I'm already getting for one of the others! It would sure simplify things if I didn't have to get yet another pellet, lol. ?
Out of curiosity, what is your R7 getting with the AA Falcons and JSB Express? Don't recall offhand what my HW30 was getting with the boxed Crosman CPLs (don't think I've tested the hollow points in it yet) but I do remember that they were one of the slower pellets I tested. Probably because they're so hard compared to others.
@jim-in-swmo Both pretty close to each other...
The JSB Exact Express was an average of 642fps, and a standard deviation of 3 on a 10 shot string.
The Falcon was 643fps, and SD of 5 on a 10 shot string.
The Falcons and JSB Exact Express are a little loose fitting to me... I prefer a tighter fit, so they don't fall out when I bring the barrel back up.
The Falcons and JSB Exact Express are a little loose fitting to me...
Have to admit that's a bit worrisome. I've read that many of the .22 HW barrels are apparently slightly oversized and can be fairly pellet picky because of it, but not sure I've heard anything regarding that for the .177 barrels. I think everything I tried in my HW30 was a nice snug fit in the bore. With this R7 I'm up to 5 HW springers now and don't recall having any issues with pellets feeling loose in any of the others, other than the occasional Crosman peewee, lol. Hoping the R7 will be the same. But thanks for the heads up, just in case. ?
Your R7 is just a bit faster than my HW30 with the AA Falcons. It shoots them at 635fps. And was shooting the AA Express (don't have any of the JSB Express) at 623fps.
@jim-in-swmo My R7 was made in 2003, according to the serial number on Weihrauch's website... I bought it used, probably around 2004, so who knows what changes have taken place over the years... I haven't bought a new airgun in years.
I've been testing pellets in other air rifles during our lockdown for something to do, and using my ProChrono DLX that I bought several months ago.
I do like tighter pellets, that I usually press into place with one if my homemade pellet seating tools... but I do come across those pellets that I can just press into place with my thumb.
Several months ago, I started an Excel file to keep track of various things that I collect, airguns and pellets, and what likes what is a good reference... better than my little notebook that use to use.
I think I have too much time (it is winter too), too many airguns, and too many pellets to test !
Oh, ok. That's about 10 or 12 years older than my HW30 so maybe they have made some changes in that time.
I need to get the Digital USB link I got for my ProChrono Digital set up and see what it's like. Been a while since I've ran any of my guns over the chrono so a little play time mixed in with learning the new software might be fun.
Ha ha...I still use a little notebook. But this Digital USB link is supposed to let you do graphs and spread sheets so that will be a new experience for me. Might decide to stick with the notebook! LOL
Lol, I think a lot of us have had too much time on our hands lately, thanks to the pandemic. But I just haven't really had the desire to do much shooting since I got out of the hospital about this time last year. Kind of hoping the new R7 will get that spark going again, lol.
@jim-in-swmo And of course, it's the grouping that's most important... I've been collecting the velocity data so I can get some estimates on elevation scope clicks one I can shoot outside again.
@jim-in-swmo Well we are fortunate to have a hobby that you can do indoors and outdoors, assuming you can shoot indoors... I have other hobbies too that I can do indoors, but I've been neglecting my airguns for too long... and having fun with the new ProChrono DLX.
I'm using the iPhone app... I like when it announces the velocity as it shows up on the app shot string.
Nice to have another female voice in the house besides my wife telling me what to do ! ?
Hope you are recovering well... I hate being laid up with just a cold... haven't even caught one of those recently with all the social distancing... I guess that's a good thing.
Well we are fortunate to have a hobby that you can do indoors and outdoors
That we are! Unfortunately, I can't shoot in the backyard due to city ordinance. But I have a passable shooting lane in the basement. I can squeeze out about 9½yds but I generally just call it 9 for simplicity, lol. When I want to shoot I set up my folding fishing chair and a cheap camera tripod with a padded homemade rest on it for my forward hand. And at the other end I have a sturdy rubber mulch pellet trap that I made a few years back out of plywood and it's holding up very well. But I should probably get around to cleaning it out as it's gained a fair amount of weight over the years, lol.
Lol...A few years back another member here posted on another forum that he had the add-on Bluetooth setup for his ProChrono Digital hooked up to his smart phone. I remember him saying that the woman's voice lowers in a "disdainful manner" when the velocities get in the 500's. Then he said he thought there was an actual low snicker when it was in the 400's. LOL!! I told him if my chrono were to snicker at me it might just be grounds to "accidentally" shoot it! LMAO!! I have no idea if the Digital USB link has a voice but I'm curious to find out, lol.
And thanks, I'm doing well now. Although I am on meds now which is something that I've never been on before unless I was good & sick. But I guess that's a part of getting old. Just like anything else the maintenance goes up with age, lol.
@jim-in-swmo Years ago I made a pellet trap using a thick metal pan that my mother gave me... I think she made lasagna in it... it was perfect for a pellet trap due to the thickness of the metal and the two side handle grips... one end fit into the groove of a 2x6 piece of wood that I mounted to the side of my basement access door that leads outside... the other end was perfect for clipping targets too.
I filled it with electricians duct seal... and I mean FILLED it... I don't recall how many bars of it I used... but I probably really only need half as much !
That thing was HEAVY with all the pellets that it accumulated over the years... so a couple of years ago, I decided to remove the pellets... about 6 pounds worth... gave me something to do while watching TV !
Now I use it mainly for air pistols, since I have it mounted up higher than my other pellet traps... AND I usually remove the pellets right after I shoot the target... plus you can see the pellets stuck in the duct seal easily for verification of where a pellet landed.
My other two are a box filled with rags... I stopped using newspaper years ago because they were too messy... I replace the front of the box with flattened out empty cardboard cereal boxes... I actually have a few different ones, that I switch out, depending on what "testing" I'm doing.
The other trap is a magnetic duck trap, that I use mainly for pistols and lower powered air rifles.
Here are a couple of photos... UTZ'S Pretzel Rods are my favorites ! ?
I bought a couple "bars" of duct seal years ago with the thought of making a duct seal trap. But after shooting one of them a few times I gave up on that when I found out how messy it was to clean out the pellets, lol. So I went with the rubber mulch. Here are some old pics of the trap I made. The box is made of 3/4" plywood and probably weighs a good 10 pounds or better and I think the bag of mulch I put in it was around 10-15 pounds. So if you add on a few years worth of shooting you get the idea that it's pretty heavy now and doesn't get moved much, lol. I use corrugated cardboard to hold the mulch in and when it gets shot up too much I either replace it or just cover up the bad spots with duct tape and start over. For the target backer on the clipboard I use flattened out pop cartons.
@jim-in-swmo That's a nice looking functional target Jim !
Thanks. That's what I came up with after seeing pics that some of the guys were posting of their pellet traps on the old Yellow about 8 or 9 years ago. You might have noticed the white "board" inside at the back of it in the pic before it was painted. That's a piece of poly cutting board from Walmart, lol. At the time folks were using things like that to help keep their hi-power PCPs and such from boring holes all the way thru the back of their trap. Since the springers I have rarely bore holes more than halfway thru it's a little overkill for my guns. But at the time it seemed like a good idea, lol.
Oh, and in case someone sees this and thinks that's got to be pretty loud shooting targets on a clipboard like that, there's no center, lol. It's been cut out to leave only a frame.
@jim-in-swmo Yeah, it helps to have something to stop any penetration which is why I used the thick metal pan... but not sure how easy it would be to find one just like it... I was just lucky... but I can often find a use for most things given enough time and enough hobbies ! ?
A good source for cardboard that usually gets tossed or recycled is empty cereal boxes... I started saving them a couple of years ago to replace the fronts of my cardboard pellet traps that are filled with rags or old clothes... I just remove the old one and tape on a new one... I usually fasten printed targets on the front, but since the inside of the boxes are usually a gray color, you could always draw on your own targets and circles with magic markers... I never thought of that !
Yeah, the poly cutting board is a good safety feature. But like I mentioned above, kind of overkill for the AGs I have, lol. BTW, as for the pellets boring a hole to the back when shot over & over in the same spot, that's another nice thing about the rubber mulch. Thanks to it's chunky nature sooner or later a shot will generally cause the hole to collapse on itself. And if it doesn't, all it takes is a few jabs with a long screwdriver from the top to close them back up.
Your heavy metal pan has the benefit of having the duct seal in it to help protect it from multiple hits in the same spot. I remember someone on the old Yellow posting a pic or two of an old cast iron skillet they used for a gong. Can't remember who or what airgun it was, but after so many hits in the same general area it cracked and eventually ended up with a hole clear thru it. You wouldn't think that an airgun shooting lead pellets would do something like that to cast iron but apparently it did.
Oh, and as for finding a use for things given enough time, I'm the same way, lol. As I mentioned in another recent thread here, I'm a bit of a pack rat, lol. Problem is, I'm getting older and running out of "enough time" to find uses for a lot of it! ? (BTW, your idea of the cereal box cardboard is a good one. And many of them are just about the right size for my clipboard, too. Thanks for the idea!)
@jim-in-swmo I need to shoot more... the cereal boxes are piling up ! ?
My wife often wonders about me...
She would wonder more if holes in the wall and furniture were to appear..course I don't know who would do such a thing ? LOL
Lol...I've got a 5 gallon bucket full of target backer cardboard that looks about like your box! Plus a few big sections of corrugated cardboard to cut down for replacing the one that holds the mulch in the trap, lol.
And Bo...Shhh...You'll give us airgunners a bad name letting folks know that we sometimes put holes in things that aren't our intended target. ? ?
@straitflite I'm just glad she rarely goes down into the basement, especially when I'm shooting !
She usually stands at the top of the stairs and yells down at me, mainly when she needs something !
@jim-in-swmo
I blame it on a bad Vortek kit which caused my HDubya 57 .22 to generate 17.87 FPE causing pellets to go wild and leave their "confinfined" area ? It's now at a cool 14FPE with the JM kit -and safely in its Boyt case.
Hey, Bo. Thought I'd give you a bit of an update on the R7.
Spent a good share of yesterday afternoon working on putting a piece of JM's cocking lever insert in the R7's lever and giving the barrel a good cleaning. I can honestly say one thing, taking the barrel assembly off and putting it back on on this R7 without relieving pressure on the mainspring is nowhere near as easy as it was on my HW30! Don't know why but it seemed like it fought me all the way, lol. But I did win out in the end so the R7 has not been opened up yet, lol.
Once I got the barrel assembly off this is what I found on the bottom of the receiver tube. It's not as bad as it was on my HW30 but it was more than you'd like to find on a new gun. I would guess that most of it was from HW testing the gun at the factory since all I did was cock and uncock it a couple of times.
And as usual, the cause was most likely the too tight rivet in the hinge of the lever. Since I don't have a set of those roll pin punches like you used on your HW50s, I put a well worn old Stanley center punch to use to loosen up that rivet. A few good taps on each side had it moving freely and a bit oil on each side should keep it that way. So then I cut a piece of insert and fit it in the lever. It was a very snug fit, unlike the HW30, and I ended up having to drive it down with a hammer until it sat just above the sides of the lever. JM recommends leaving it about 0.010" proud of the lever. So with things looking ready to go I reinstalled the barrel assembly. Actually, it was more like I fought to get the barrel back on! LOL And after I finally won the fight I discovered that even that little bit of insert sticking up above the sides of the lever was too much and wouldn't let me drive the pin back thru the stock bracket. So, take the assembly back off...again. Another fight there, lol. Ended up just taking the insert out and giving the lever a good dose of JM's moly paste and reassembled everything. Once I had won the final fight I held the action up to a light and there was so little room between the lever and the receiver tube that I'm not sure I could fit an insert in it! So for now I'll keep my fingers crossed that simply loosening the hinge rivet and a dose of moly paste will keep it from trying to gall any further.
While I had the barrel off I gave it a good cleaning. I took it outside and gave the bore a good blast of brake cleaner to get things loosened up and washed out. Ran a few patches thru until they came out pretty clean and then gave it a few strokes with a couple patches and some JB bore paste as a final cleaning and to polish it a little. Another blast of brake cleaner to wash out any remaining bore paste and a few patches to dry the bore. I sprayed a patch with some Pledge and gave it a couple strokes to coat the bore. Should be good to go for a while.
So the R7 is back together and ready to shoot once my back has recovered a bit more (I rushed things a little, lol). And thankfully, there were only two casualties of all this. One was one of the barrel pivot shims (glad I had an extra!), but I "think" I can salvage it, and the other was my favorite ratcheting screwdriver handle. I dropped it on the concrete floor but didn't know anything was wrong as it worked just fine for adjusting the barrel pivot tension and reassembling the action to the stock. But as I was wiping the handle off part of the ratcheting mechanism came off in my hand! Had that thing for over 25 years, kind of like losing an old friend, lol.
So anyway, for what it's worth, here's my tip if you should decide to take the barrel assembly off yours to add a piece of JM's insert. Once you have the action out of the stock hold it up to a light and see how much room there is between the cocking lever and the bottom of the receiver tube. If it looks like there's only about 0.010" or so then I would probably just plan on loosening up the hinge rivet and giving it a good dose of moly and put it back together. Wish I had been smart enough to do that before I fought taking the barrel off and putting it back on 2 or 3 times, lol.
@jim-in-swmo
Sorry for the late response Jim. I've a good bit going on.
I very much appreciate that you let me know that it would be in vein to put an insert in the cocking lever. When I was shooting mine, I didn't feel any galling but I'll bet it is. I'll just whack and loosen the rivet on the linkage. I Have my last order of stuff I bought from JM still sitting in his ziplock bag on the table. That includes his drop in kit. With you letting me know about the lever insert material I won't have to place another order...I'm confident that I already have enough stuff to keep me shooting what I have for the rest of my life. I'll molly the receiver tube well as you did. When I find the time to go at the R7, that will include polishing the rekord so I'll have plenty to do. Might as well, I've already done the same for every other Weihrauch that I have. I ordered a couple more of the muzzle breaks like the ones on my 50's that could show up any day. Barrel sizes are the same as the R7 so I'll have to file and reblue front sight groves slightly for a good tight fit.
I think I told you that I bought the little Lupy that is parallaxed "out to 60yds" for my R7. In keeping with the spirit of the little 7, I think this will be a great scope. I spoke with a rep who was working from home and had Luepold's complete lineup at home and he was able to tell me from his yard markers in his back yard that it focuses at 10yds just fine. I was inquiring about a Leupold for a "future" longer range high powered springer too and he went over the scopes and told me which would be best. In the case of both scopes, he did not try to 'upsell' me, in fact, he told me for my use the best options and they were cheaper....Refreshing change! ? It was nice speaking to an honest rep. I would have had the little lupy parallaxed "out to" 30 or 40yds but custom shop is still closed. Probably just as well as the rep said the 4x28 will be good as is. I hope so. The R7 will be one to pick up and simply shoot...no tweaking required ? In fact, it may be a good choice for the .20 50 as well!
https://www.leupold.com/fx-i-rimfire-4x28-fine-duplex-riflescope
Sorry to hear you lost an old friend Mr. ratchet driver...My niece works for Snap On and gave me one of their deluxe ratchet drivers. Funny thing is, I still prefer my Craftsman that I've had for over 20 yrs. It's shorter and gives me better control. I never thought much about the breech block/barrel shims but you can bet I'll be careful to watch out for those! I do not have an extra and would like to take a break from parts shopping LOL. I'm not changing the trigger out for a Rowan but would like to find a brass safety. I have 5 standard sized brass safeties accidentally became obligated to purchase from an ebay bumble while I was at work. They only fit the 50, 35, R9 etc though. Now just something else I need to sell... I would like to find one to fit the R7 if you know of any place I can get one?
Thanks for the report Jim. You saved me a good bit of effort here. Now quit doing what us 'upinage' types should not be doing, especially when we are healing ? I'm guilty as charged myself.
I'll share more when I get around to opening up this can of worms LOL
VX1 2-7 x 28 RF would also be a good choice if you can find one. I have one on my Browning 52 mostly fired at airgun distances. You really don't necessarily need AO if you keep your eye centered which any good rifleman does. Weighs only 8.5 oz.
BTW I have the 4x28 RF also. It sits on a Marlin Mountie. Pretty small carbine. I just think you might like the higher magnification option.
Hi Bo. Sorry, but I think you may have misunderstood what I posted. Didn't mean that it would be futile for you to try putting an insert in your R7, just that it "seems" that way for mine. But I'll revisit that at a later time and see what happens when there's no pressure from the mainspring so I can work on it a bit more "freely" ?. But, what I meant was that you should have a look at yours to see how much clearance there is between the lever and bottom of the receiver tube. If there's around 0.015" or better between lever and tube on yours then you could probably add an insert to it. But from what I could see on mine there was at least one spot that looked like there was practically no clearance between the lever and tube. Strange how my HW30 had plenty of room to add the insert but this R7 seems to have much tighter tolerances or something. Same for how the insert fit into the lever on the 30 compared to the R7. On the 30 it was a press in by thumb fit, on the R7 I literally had to hammer it in, lol.
That scope looks like it should make a good match for the R7. I'm a bit more of a 2-7x scope fan myself, lol. Not real sure why as they generally end up at 6x most of the time, lol. But I guess they do give me the option of a quick change of power depending on the situation. But I am thinking pretty hard about going back to non-AO scopes for their simplicity. I even got one of those fancy adjustable multi-tip spanner wrenches especially for loosening the lock rings on optics a couple years ago for Christmas so I'd have the right gizmo to re-parallax a scope. Now I just need a scope to try it out on! LOL
BTW, Check your messages. I (hopefully, lol) sent you a PM.
Now quit doing what us 'upinage' types should not be doing
Oops...Too late. ? Have some rainy/stormy weather coming for the next 4 or 5 days so went out to do some yard work before everything got waterlogged and muddy, lol. But on the bright side, that might give me a day or two to recuperate and still have some time to play with the R7. ? LOL
Lol, was just looking at the 2-7x33 Leupy after following Bo's link to the 4x28. Too bad Leupold doesn't make very many of their scopes in the gloss finish anymore. As I mentioned in my response to him, I'm a fan of the 2-7 scopes, even though they usually end up on 6x most of the time, lol. Think I have 2 of the 2-7x32 Hawke Sport HD IRs and 3 of the old BSA Essential 2-7x32s.
Thanks for the info.
Most of my scopes have all been 9x with 12x being the max. Funny thing is, most of the time those are usually sitting at 3x or slightly above. I have excellent peripheral vision but if I can see the cross hair center on the target, that has always been enough at typical airgun ranges. I guess I prefer FOV? I dunno. Beyond 50 I may bump up to 6 or 7x. When I see people wanting 18x, 24x etc...I simply cannot understand why. Having said that, I've never shot FT or any competition but I still don't get it. More power will not change pellet trajectory so I can only surmise that they may be better for ranging? The way I see it, you are confidently on target or you are not; or an eye exam in order LOL. Maybe therapy is in order for me? ?
You're knowledgable about a lot of things in this sport and like you, I very much agree that cheek/eye consistency is most critical.
Sorry, but I think you may have misunderstood what I posted. Didn't mean that it would be futile for you to try putting an insert in your R7, just that it "seems" that way for mine.
Gotcha.
I'll see how bad mine is soon enough. As stated, I have 200+ shots through it. I didn't feel anything like a bad galling would feel but I'll see... My .20 50 has that galling feeling but it is a small spot in the receiver forks. Barrel is adjusted perfectly so not much I can do but allow it to "machine" itself out LOL.
Here's a pic of one of my brass safeties that fit the larger HW's. I was thinking they were a different style but I was wrong. The LED worklight makes it almost look silver. I should have left that light off for photographing but they are brass through and through. Haven't measured the receiver tubes but I'm fairly certain the R7 is smaller and might be too much so that the safety will not work? I like the centerfire look that these have but more importantly, I like the OVERSIZE for ease of function. I also have JM's safety spring for it and already in all my other guns. Be nice if this would fit the R7:
Too bad Leupold doesn't make very many of their scopes in the gloss finish anymore
They don't make many that are parallaxed less than 150 yds either. They show discontinued models I guess to tease with? LOL
Yeah, higher power aids range finding. On 20x my 6.5x 20 Leupold goes in and out of focus if you just rock back and forth. Under 12x it's not as clearly evident.
Thanks for the pic of the safety, Bo. I'm fairly sure that would work in the HW30S/R7. I just did a quick measure of the safety buttons on my R9 and R7 and they both measured 1⅛" long. Doubt that they would work in the HW35, though, as that tube is a fair bit wider than the R9's tube.
EDIT: Have a couple more measurements to add. I measured the safety in my HW35K and it's 1 & 11/32" long. All were the same diameter at just under ¼". Hope this helps, Bo.
You must be very pleased with your purchase. Even in stock condition that HW30S/R7 action is a pleasure to shoot and very accurate. My club has a dozen gathering dust thanks to the virus. Our Vets Shooting League is on hold for over a year now.
Pic is of my daughter cleaning and lubing some of the rifles as part of her public service credit for high school. You will see several HW30S on that table, the others are Daisy/Avant 853s. For the HW guns I tore them all apart, tarred and lubed the spring and seal, and put in the cocking arm insert. All the Avantis had the PilkGuns adjustable trigger mod.
These guns brought home a LOT of gold medals from the VA Golden Age Games over the years. Some with the HW30s
Is your R7 barrel really 2" longer than the stock HW30S as mentioned on several sites? Ours are 15.5" long.
Hi KW. Yeah, so far I am happy with the R7. And if it's accuracy is anything like that of my HW30 I'll be even happier. Hopefully I can actually get around to shooting it some in the very near future! 
LOL But I think it will make a fine addition to the rest of the HW clan that live here. ?
The HW30 (bottom in the pic) will get a Williams peep and the scope it wears in this pic will go on the R7, at least for now.
Not sure where you read that the R7 barrel is 2" longer than the HW30, but the barrel on this new R7 is the same 15.5" length as the barrel on my HW30.
BTW, I remember your search for the club guns for the vets. May have even posted about the HW30 in one of your threads about it.
@kkw You got me curious about that longer R7 barrel so I dug out my 1986 Beeman catalog. The specs for the R7 back then said it had a 17" barrel. So some of the older R7s did have longer barrels than the newer versions. Would be interesting to know what the barrel length was on the HW30 back then.
@straitflite and @airmojo
Hey guys, here's another little update on the new R7. Finally got the software for my ProChrono Digital on the laptop and had some play time with it...last week. Unfortunately, I must have moved wrong while having fun and my back has been bothering me enough to keep me from sitting in the "purposely uncomfortable chair" at the PC, lol. But I'm going to try to get thru this to give you a little update on things. No accuracy testing yet, but did get some numbers for comparison to what you two are seeing with your R7s. I tried to match the pellets you used when you posted numbers for your guns. So, here we go.
First up, the Crosman HPs. Don't think it cares for these much, lol.
Then some H&N FTTs in the 4.50 head size. It actually did better with these than some of my other springers have.
And now, since I don't have any of the 7gr RWS R10s I substituted some RWS Meister Pistol. I guess that's not too bad of a spread for a new rifle but I would liked to have seen a single digit spread, lol.
And now some Air Arms Express. These have been the "chosen one" in my HW50S, giving me the same spread and SD as they did here with the R7, so I have some hope for them.
And these next two, even though they appear to be the same pellet, show that they don't act the same when shot. I never have had the JSB RS out perform the AA Falcons, either in chrono results or accuracy.
The JSB RS
And the AA Falcon. The Falcons are one of the preferred pellets for my HW30S, along with the 8.44gr AA 4.51 Fields. So I have hope that they'll do good in the accuracy department in the R7, too.
And last but not least, the 8.44gr Air Arms Fields in both the 4.51 and 4.52 head sizes. First up, the 4.52s.
Thought that was pretty good results for the 4.52s until I saw what the 4.51s did. I think my jaw bounced off the floor when I was done with this string, lol.
When I saw that 4fps extreme spread for these I had to do a double take to make sure I was seeing it right, lol. I've never had such a low spread from a springer, whether it had a tune kit dropped in or was factory stock. So seeing this from a new factory gun was quite a surprise.
So, that's where I am with the R7 as of now. Hope to be able to get to some accuracy tests before long. I'm eager to see what it can do with some of these pellets.
Those are some pretty darn good spreads Jim! I'll be looking forward to getting back to mine. I had a new Santa Rosa many years back and recall that the R7 is very forgiving more more pellets than an other springer I owned. By all accounts of reading reliable sources, the current versions have gotten even better. I hope that is the case. What could be nicer than a laid back easy shooter that happens to be pretty darned accurate ?
Thanks, Bo. It does show some promise giving numbers like that from a new gun. It was dieseling a bit at first but that seemed to have quit after about the first 50 shots. Once that seemed to die down was when I started with the chrono. Yeah, it's hard not to like a springer that's easy to cock and shoot and can also deliver on the accuracy! BTW, just like my HW30 this R7 is, so far, twang free. Just a nice little "thunk" and a slight nudge to the shoulder when shot. ?
One thing I did forget to mention was the cocking effort on this R7. I had read on the Brit forums that they feel HW may be using stiffer springs in some of their spring guns now, the most mentioned for this being the HW50S/99S. And after shooting both the R7 and my HW30 I think I agree with that. This R7 does seem to have a stiffer cocking effort than my HW30, even though I have the barrel pivot tension set as close to the same on both. It will be interesting to see if the R7 lightens up any after more use, not that it's all that hard to cock now, it just feels "stouter" to cock than my HW30 does. There is about a 40fps difference in their output though, but the spreads are very similar. Here are the recent chrono results from my HW30 with the AA 4.51s and the Falcons for comparison to the R7. BTW, the HW30 is still factory stock inside so it's an interesting comparison of two similar actions made a few years apart.
Hello-
I know it's an old thread, but what have you guys found to be the best pellets for your HW30 or R7? I just got a HW30 myself, mine seem to like the H&N ftt 4.52 best after a few grouping. 4.52 & 4.50 are also good along with JSB rs 7.33.
Target pic of the first few I tried in a new to me Beeman R7 .177. Might as well ignore the H&N Sniper Medium target which was the best one since they no longer make any of the Sniper pellet line.
I sighted in with the Sniper Mediums (I have a bunch), then just aimed dead center to shoot for groups. Of the ones I tried you can buy, RWS R10 Match Heavy were the best of the of them, the Rifle Ammunition pellets were a surprise. Made in Brazil and I got a couple tins off Fleabay to try. Thought the FX, since JSB makes them, would be a good one and got a shock when they shot lousy.
I have quite a few others to try but not with the current Western NY weather...lol.
@thach
Hi Thach. Back when I had my HW30S scoped it's favored pellet was the Air Arms Falcon. At the 9½yds I have in the basement it would consistently put 5 shots inside of a ¼" circle. And if I was really on my game, it could put all 5 thru the same pellet hole, or very nearly. Afraid I haven't done a lot of shooting with the R7 yet and still have more pellets to try in it. But so far it looks fairly promising with the AA Express. Although, it has given me some nice groups with the AA Falcons as well.
Enjoy your HW30. They're great little guns and a lot of fun. And they can be very accurate when you find the right pellet.
@jim-in-swmo
I have two R7's - one likes the AA Falcons 7.33 and for some reason the other likes the Meisters 7.0 the best. Both are accurate out to 35-40 yards. Even though the Meisters are wadcutters.
Great little guns and fun to shoot.
Thanks for the tip on the Meisters. I have some of those in both rifle and pistol weights, along with some Basics and Hobbies. And just recently, out of curiosity, I got some of the JSB "Simply Pellets" (in both weights) to try in some guns also. The reviews for them looked pretty good so thought they might be worth a try.
@stevep Nice shooting. I am in Western PA and I know what you mean by the weather. I still shoot a few shots most days as there is not much else to do;-)
Wondering what fps everyone is getting with the R7's. Both of mine shoot right at 710 fps. I recently purchased an HW50 but the scope is back ordered and I have not put it on the Chrono yet.
I have 2 R7's actually. My .177 was bought used from a member on another forum on a deal too good to pass on and joined the Huntington Beach R7 .20 I already had. He only shot lead free ammo in it, so when I got it, I scrubbed out the barrel with intent to lead it in then chrony and never did. Just tested the pellets in the target pic above to dial in a scope.
Would love to shoot indoors, but I live with my 85 yr old father in a house that's been in the family since 1906 and if I fire one shot indoors, I may well not have a home although he's ok with me shooting out of his attic window, but that's with other rifles and shooting unwanted pests in his yard.
I do have numbers for my .20 but with the heavier pellets, won't help you at all.
@jim_in_swmo could you give all the measurements for the box(each piece in its construction), trying to make my own. 😀 thanks
I'll see what I can do for you. Unfortunately, the basement stairs and I don't get along so well anymore (COPD and this damp weather we're getting right now isn't helping 😟) so it might be a day or two or three.
@jim_in_swmo That's ok Jim. Take your time, I don't want anyone hurting themselves on my behalf.
Stay safe, and thanks for replying, glad to see your still on the forum.😊
No problem. But as old as this thread is you must have had to blow a lot of dust off it. 😜 😆 😆
BTW, do you have a router? It's not really necessary, but it did help when making the bracket/holder for the clipboard.
@softredman This was an old thread... but I remember thinking about getting a bag of the rubber mulch from my local Home Depot when I saw Jim's box several years ago, but they didn't carry any of the rubber mulch, so I didn't follow through on getting a "box" built.
But I had an issue with "shot gun fungus" (also called "artillery fungus") that grows in bark mulch... and the fungus shoots the spores up onto anything nearby, and looks like spots of black tar all over the place... and a real pain in the ass to get off !
I had my house resided in 2023; last year I had an area in the one corner of my house that is well shaded, and had this shotgun fungus all over it and a window... I spent several days trying to get it off, then located a Home Depot about 30 minutes away (not my hometown one) that carried the rubber mulch... so dug out all the old bark mulch, and bought several bags of the brown rubber mulch and used them... a few weeks ago I decided to do the whole back area next to the house... I bought 12 bags, and only got about half done, so I had to go back the next day and buy some more... bought 15 bags... only used 10, so I have 5 bags left.
I'm getting lazy in my old age, but I'm a repurposer, and have several 200-count Keurig K-cup coffee boxes laying around... one measures about 13.5"H x 12"W x 10"D... I used one a couple of years ago for a slingshot catchbox, filled with plastic bags, and worked well with steel ammo.
I'll just secure a rope handle in the bottom, put the rubber mulch in, and fold the cardboard top sides in to hold the mulch in when I turn it upside down... I will use up some of the cardboard cereal boxes that I have as a front face where I can just tape some paper targets to... I also save white paper plates for my slingshot shooting, so I can use some of those too !
Heck, I might just shoot up all the 4 sides, and replace the box when it gets too bad... the rubber mulch should still be pretty good and reusable.
That's a good idea, Ken! And if I remember right, about the time that I built my pellet trap there were quite a few people who did just that instead of making a wood box. Quick, easy, and cheap. Hard to beat that! And for folks like us that shoot mainly springers it would work just fine. But I don't know that I'd want a cardboard box for shooting a PCP at, especially indoors. So for indoor use, if SoftRedMan is a springer shooter like us (or maybe even a pumper shooter) he could just grab a suitably sized box and fill it with some rubber mulch and be in business. Just tape a target to the box and good to go. 😉
And you're right about being able to reuse the rubber mulch. I've cleaned my trap out a couple of times (although it's been more than a while now 😳) and the mulch is generally just fine. Although some of it does break down into smaller pieces and I have had to top up my box with some fresh mulch on occasion.
There was a suggestion on one of the forums to put rubber mulch in a plastic bucket like Lowe’s or the auto part stores sell and buy a few extra lids. Tape your target to the lid and you’re good to go for longer than you might think. For cleaning, put water in the bucket and stir around so the lead sinks to the bottom, dump out mulch, reclaim lead and put the dried mulch back in. Works great for 22 pcp, do not know about higher calibers. Many ways to do it and this is just one. Enjoy
Yep. Another good idea I recall reading about. Thanks for the memory nudge, lol. You could also cut a hole in the lid and tape some cardboard over the hole and save some money instead of buying a bunch of lids. It would also be safer with a hole in the lid, especially if you shoot lower powered air guns, because there would be far fewer, if any, ricochets coming back at you. Then just replace the cardboard when it gets to be too shot up.
EDIT: Or instead of taping the cardboard to the lid simply stick the cardvoard in side the bucket right under the lid and let the lid and mulch hold it in place. Then there wouldn't be any gooey mess on the lid from old tape. 😉
I also remember reading about the water trick, too. Although I haven't tried it myself. But with a box mulch trap like mine they said to just dig out the mulch and put it in a bucket of water and let the lead sink to the bottom. Then scoop the mulch out of the water and let it dry before filling the box back up. Seems like it would be a lot quicker way to clean the pellets out of the mulch than the way I do it. But I've got time (I hope, lol) to go the slow route, lol.
@jim_in_swmo I can just seem my wife now if I start cleaning spent pellets out of my rubber mulch using hose & water and one of my 7-gallon buckets...
Wife: "NOW WHAT ARE YOU DOING ?!"
Me: "THIS SHIT FLOATS !!"
Sounds like a great idea to me !
