Weihrauch HW45 Air Pistol

“Weihrauch HW45 Air Pistol”

Written on: 24/10/2011 by Nec_V20 (9 reviews written)

What can be said in praise of the Weihrauch HW45 / Beeman P1 which has not already been said?

Well how about this. What if you have a .22 version and you want a .177 what can you do? Quite easy, you buy a new barrel (presently it costs £33 at T.W.Chambers & Co), undo two screws, take the old barrel out, put the new barrel in, tighten the two screws and you are in business.

The barrels are available in three calibres .177, .20, .22. That alone should recommend this pistol.

Is it "heavy"? I suppose you could say that, but on the other hand the pistol is solidly built - you could use the butt to hammer in a nail and you would not dent the gun. The only plastic bits on it are the tru-glo fibre optic sights. The wooden chequered grips are really good to hold.

As a hint, the centre of balance of the pistol is where the hole in the trigger guard is to insert the Allen key to regulate the trigger pressure.

I have found the best way to hold the pistol for me is to wrap only the middle finger around the grip, the thumb and trigger finger balance the pistol to the left and the right - what you do with the other two fingers is up to you, but you shouldn't use them to grip the pistol. The pressure of the grip should be pretty light. Then rest the pistol on the heel of your left hand and the tip of the forefinger of the left hand should be placed over the hole at the bottom of the trigger guard.

The recoil of the pistol has been mentioned in other reviews, but it really is not a big deal and if you hold the pistol as I described above it will soak up what recoil there is. It is the equivalent of the "artillery hold" one uses for spring powered air rifles.

With spring powered guns, the lighter you hold them the more accurate they are.

You can practice with the trigger simply by unlocking the barrel and locking it again without cocking the pistol and you can "dry fire" it.

The first and second stages of the excellent trigger are adjustable.

My thoughts on the pistol itself with regard to buying one is, why would you want to buy anything else? It looks the part and with just under six ft-lbs at the highest power setting it acts the part. I am sure others have mentioned that you can cock the pistol halfway for half power and full way for full power.

Yes it is expensive, but in this case you are getting what you pay for - and that does not mean the name. Go into a gun-shop, pick it up and sight it the way I mentioned and if it is a bit beyond your budget then I can guarantee you will leave the shop and save up a bit more to get it. It is the kind of kit that will wear in but basically will not wear out - unless you do something silly.

In the .22 calibre vermin don't stand a chance at ranges between 10 and 15 metres once you have gotten used to the pistol. If you want to do target shooting then just swap out the barrel for a .177 and off you go. For the price of the pistol plus the cost of two barrels (£67) you have three pistols in one. What's not to like?

Another thing to consider with this pistol is that all components are manufactured by Weihrauch and they have a VERY strict quality control which is another justification for the higher price. Your chances of buying a lemon are between infinitesimal and zero.

The craftsmanship of the pistol is simply immaculate.

It has an 11mm dovetail rail on the top where you can attach a scope.

Another reason for buying it? Try getting one second hand! If you see one offered then I can bet that by the time you phone up to buy it, it will already be gone. Also you will very rarely see any offered second hand in the first place.

I am trying to think what I don't like about the HW45 and nothing comes to mind, and I am not a person who is easily pleased.

And no, I do not work for Weihrauch or Beeman, nor have I any relatives who work there :) I have been a computer techie for 30 years (as you may have gathered from my nic).