weihrauch hw 40 pca /beeman p3 review

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Picture courtesy of George Woolhouse.

Average Ratings

Value for Money	9.3/10
Reviewer Rating	9.3/10
Overall Rating	9.2/10

95% Recommended21 out of 22 Reviews

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By woolyg84 on 3rd Nov 2003

woolyg84's Ratings

Value for money	9/10
Overall value	10/10
woolyg84's recommendation

Good Points

Value for money, very accurate, excellent trigger, comfort, balance

Bad Points

compression stroke difficult, pellet loading fiddly

General Comments

This Weihrauch HW 40 PCA /Beeman P3 air pistol is the most addictivly shootable pistol I have ever encountered.
The first thing one notices however, is the plastic frame. Do not let this worry you! The plastic is supported internally with metal and is very tough. The overall build quality is very high and all moving parts move slickly and engage with a reassuring snicking noise. The trigger is exceptional with a smooth light first stage followed by a very crisp second stage release. It really is the best trigger I have ever shot with. When fired the HW40 doesn't try and leap out of your hand like a spring pistol. Instead there is virtually no recoil and a crack of air leaving the bore. I have never been particularly good with jumpy spring pistols and this solved that problem at a stroke. The accuracy is excellent and at pistol ranges very very consistent indeed.
For such a modest price (£80 I paid) this must be one of the cheapest pneumatics on the market, and so much sweeter to shoot than more expensive spring guns. The only sacrifice is power, running at around 3 ft.lbs, which is enough to go through beer cans in the garden.
Loading is achieved by releasing the catch, in the form of a 'hammer' at the back of the pistol with the thumb. Next the barrel is brought upwards pivoting at the front end. Loading the pellet into the hooded breech is a bit fiddly, especially with cold fingers. The power is delivered through the compression of air into the main cylinder which is what you do when you squeeze the barrel back down onto the frame. This does take some getting used to and may be too much for younger shooters, but over time becomes easier. All that remains is to take off the auto safety fire. The whole cycle may seem a bit of a hassle but with practice it's fast and automatic.
Overall a very good buy, recommended as a quality, value for money and above all accurate pistol for those who don't want to waste their time spraying pellets everywhere with spring pistols.

Total Respect: +6