Last Of The Summer Wine ...a Hunting Weekend With My Birthday Girl.

[pianoman 3,587]

It's been a truly beautiful weekend here in West Yorkshire. The sun's been shining all day from Friday to this day Sunday and the temperatures have been warm and balmy. The stuff of Indian Summers.

 

And it's my HW80's 16th Birthday. 16 years old this Monday, bought new from Guns International at Barnsley on 23rd Sept 1997 and still a genuine powerhouse of an air rifle. And still carrying the Simmons Whitetail Classic 4.5-14x40mm AO Supernightview scope I bought new with her. This scope and rifle go together like bacon and egg

 

Sadly, Guns International are now defunct.

 

According to my pal Andy here, this rifle's a rare model having a 23 inch barrel. Usually they are a tad shorter, something like 19/21 inch for a standard length version; and this HW80 is tuned on my FAC to a current 21.3 Ft/lbs and as light a trigger as a Rekord unit can be set to with kicking the sear over on the weight of the trigger blade. Normally, she performs brilliantly on RWS Superfields but, this time I have a full tin of washed and lubed H&N FTT 5.53mm pellets and off to the harvested corn field I use for zeroing and target sessions.

 

Setting up a sheet of MDF board at a measured 30-metres this HW80 started tightening up her groups to single-hole precision on the first pellethole. She delivers a bit more felt-recoil than a conventional 12 ft/lb spring rifle. But she is amazingly consistent and very smooth, thanks to Andy's care of her internals and that's where her barrel's accuracy builds from. She has no vices or bad habbits. Just a smooth, sweetly consistent let-off with none of the jumpy recoil you might expect or, no loud bangs or twangs.

 

After splattering stones at all ranges and taking the head off a Teasel plant at 45 metres with a tidge of holdover on the reticle, it was time to go hunting.

 

Friday evening I set-up a hide on a newly sewn rape field that's beginning to show greenery. It's along a particularly beautiful stretch of undulating landscape with fields rising and falling gently along the edge of thick, dense tree lines that run as far as you can see.

 

I put a couple of plastic woodpigeon deeks out to 30 metres into the crop and settled back into the cozy little hide of tall grasses and low tree branches and waited for what might show. Being an artist, I've repainted these birds in more accurately-occuring natural shades of greys than the makers originally did. Watch Youtube vids for how these birds really look and copy what you see. I use Humbrol enamels which are airbrushed onto the deeks and in no time, they look a bit more natural than semi-glossy "battleship grey" plastics!

 

With better white marks around the neck and tip-feathers these deeks now look a bit more convincing. And it works. A woodie came down and was instantly zapped at about 28 metres. It was added to the deeks and another four pigeons were headshot around the 30-metre mark. The pellet really hits hard and removes a fair bit of the birds' skull! I left these where they fell and the light faded to dusk. When decoying, you have to be ready to shoot fast. No thinking about it. You are on-aim as the bird is flaring down into landing and shoot as soon as the feet touch the dirt and the head shows a steady target. They are no fools and do not hang about if anything remotely isn't right. No matter how hungry they are or tasty looking the crop. And the slightest sound or trace of you and they'll just leave you cold!

 

Three rabbits were added to the bag from this one hide. Including a nice, smart 65 metre headshot bunny, hit hard with humane punch to spare. Rest assured, I never take pot-shots on wildlife. I know exactly from long practice what my rifle and pellet will and will not do, in my scope, through my hands. It either gets shot dead cleanly as can be. Or it gets clean away.

 

I know some of you guys like to mooch but I love static hide shooting. Nothing beats a nice cozy den to get comfortable and well hidden in and watch the sun settle into the golds and purple violet of the evening sky. And the most wonderful aromas of the grasses and ferns and wild herbs and garlic start to rise as the ground cools for the day. I love this time of a warm day turning to evening; when all is quiet and the scents of the fields fill your senses with their perfumes.

 

And you see the most remarkable wildlife from a well hidden viewpoint. There are foxes, stoats, Mink, weasles, all species of birds, badgers and wild deer on my permission as well as squirrels and rabbits. There's always something to be seen popping out from the depths of the trees..

 

On Saturday evening it was down to the harvested corn fields and a walk along the field's woodland edge. I missed a couple of standing shots on rabbits at close ranges but that's my fault. Swinging-up and snap shooting is not good spring rifle technique! This came good with dropping to one knee and taking a calmed-down shot on a 25 yarder rabbit that popped out and froze right in front of me. That revives moral and confidence and my foray ended with three rabbits and a squirrel for the night.

 

Tonight, Sunday, was back to my hide on the rape field. No pigeon anywhere but, I had three rabbits bagged at some decent long ranges from prone position. My best position. All my game shot clean and decisively with all the powerful punch and accuracy my beloved HW80 has always delivered. If I miss, it's my fault, and only my fault. This rifle is one of those that come along once in a lifetime.

 

Lastly, all my shot game goes to an old folks' home near where I live. The residents cook is very good and knows what to make with it. They'll be really glad for the rabbit and woodpigeon pie they'll be having tomorrow!

 

I've been very fortunate with my Weihrauch rifles. I have the most gorgeous HW77 and HW97K as a pair of truly awesome underlever rifles.

 

But my HW80 is a break-barrel in a league entirely of her own. Accurate as a PCP, powerful and graceful in equal measure. A genuine pleasure to own and shoot.

 

Happy birthday, my dear HW80, old girl. Here's to many years more shooting together yet!

 

Thanks for reading Gentlemen.

 

Simon

Edited September 23, 2013 by pianoman

[Craig Fosse 286]

A very very nice read mate, told in such a way I'm almost there with you, (I would say conducting the 65 meter headshot) but that's just kidding my ability haha !

 

Atb

 

Craig

[j j m 6,533]

good write up mate

[Skot Ruthless Teale 1,701]

Excellent write up Simon it feels like I was tucked away in the hide with you.

 

I must agree it has been beautiful over our end in the last few days, I was hunting Friday night and Saturday morning, and would have loved to have got out for a bit yesterday but had a few things to take care of so I didn't get chance.

 

I only managed a rabbit and 2 woodys but I was very happy with that, and to have my beloved hw100 back. Cant wait to get a good springer again tho

 

We should sort out a nice springtime springer hunt over at your place early next year would be nice to experience your permission and shoot beside you again.

 

oh and happy birthday to your german lady

[Elliott 436]

Nice read Simon, the HW80 sounds like a real gem

[Daz39 962]

the quality of write ups on here are greatly improving, loved that read, wishing I could get out right now.

[acculead 32]

great story and well writen, its great to just sit outside on a warm evening and if your hidden well enough, its surprising the ammount of wildlife that passes, unaware that your watching ........

[pianoman 3,587]

Nice read Simon, the HW80 sounds like a real gem

Cheers Elliott.

It really is mate. It's not quite like any other HW80 I've tried or owned before or since. Nothing, no amount of cash will induce me to part with it.

 

Sounds like you enjoy hide shooting too acculead.

 

I was out one dawn sunrise in the high summer and watched a wild deer, a doe, quietly walk out of the woods to nibble on one of the low branches of trees by her. She gave a look back and her little fawn wandered quietly out to join her mum for breakfast. I watched them in the scope for ages as she pulled the branch down for her little one to eat and I was just in awe of how beautiful they both looked.

 

I'm not an anti or anything like it but, in all honesty I could no sooner shoot one of these creatures than I could a child. Deer shooting is not for me thank you very much. It was a magical moment. One of many I've known over the years on my permission.

 

Thank you Gentlemen for the kind comments and remarks.

 

Simon

[risingfriend 1,042]

Nice write up Simon and just goes to show the quality of a good spring rifle and a bit tlc over the lifetime can achieve. Keep em coming mate ATB Aaron

[pianoman 3,587]

Thank you Aaron that's really kind of you mate.

 

To me a Weihrauch spring rifle is a thing of simple, genuine beauty. It is a collection of a spring and quality parts in a cylinder and a superlative barrel, mounted on a straightforward beechwood stock. And that's it.

 

Not quite as sophisticated or as beautiful as an Air Arms TX200 or Pro Sport, but, my God, they shoot superbly well and get on with the job in any weather. Genuine one-hole groups at 30 metre hunting-zero ranges for the .22 HW80 and HW77 I have; and 40 metres zero for my .177 HW97k. You cannot ask for better accuracy than that.

 

It's the same story with the lads who are buying the HW98 nowadays. A fine gun in anyone's hands.

 

These guns will last you your lifetime if they are looked after properly. And they can restore to superb performance again easily, if they are not so well cared for.

 

I'm really, REALLY looking forward to competing in the David/Goliath meet at Old Downs on October 13th. There's going to some almighty spring rifle shooting on display then. And it'll be someone with a Weihrauch springer who's going to show a Hell of a score!

 

Regards.

Simon

[silentshot1 206]

Loved that and you're so right, can't beat hide shooting both for the excitement of decoying pigeons in to a pattern and for what you see around you.

 

Was out with my 77 on Sunday and after 70 odd shots, blowing the cobwebs off my springer technique, was over the moon with the accuracy! Love it.