Best Value Starter Springer Rifle

One of the crucial questions that iHunter gets asked is, “How do I get into air gunning? What should I buy? I don’t have a massive budget. I want to get a Springer; which is the best one?”
Well, it’s pretty simple, and we have a straightforward answer. Our recommendation is the Weihrauch HW99S. The entry-level air rifle by Weihrauch 99S.

Value For Money

And what’s so great about it is that the price we paid was around 220 odd quid for this second-hand air rifle. Now they are floating around for around 200 to 250 pounds, depending on where you go. (try our Marketplace) And I have to say, 200 quid for a Weihrauch air rifle that’s a bargain, but it does generate the question, “Is it any good?”
Well, the simple answer is yes, it’s fabulous. Weihrauch has a considerable heritage and pedigree. They’ve been making airguns for years longer than we have been around.
So, they have that heritage and pedigree, and they are incredibly well-respected in the airgun world, which makes them so popular. So, looking at this and knowing that price, what are you getting for that money? What gives the best value, new air rifle vs pr-owned air rifle?

Details of The Air Rifle

So, what have we got? First of all, the rifle starts. It’s 104 centimetres long. Forty centimetres of that is the barrel, and approximately 30 centimetres is the action; starting at that end, you’ve got a rubberized shoulder pad. Then you’ve got the cheekpiece. The whole gun is ambidextrous.
And that’s good because it means you haven’t got to worry if you’re a lefty or a righty. There is stippling on the pistol grip and nice stippling on the fore-end.
The action on the top inside it’s all given by a spring piston, and it’s incredibly reliable. It just repeats itself over and over again. In-house Weihrauch barrel, on the top, you’ve got adjustable sites for windage in elevation using this little dial system. And you’ve got the open sight at the front.
The trigger is the rekord, and it’s adjustable with a little screw at the back, and you can match it to whatever pull weight you want. It’s incredibly reliable and works very, very well.
And that is the whole package. You don’t need to put the scope on it; you don’t need to do anything clever with it. You don’t need to tune it. That’s all you need, a tin of pellets, and you are shooting.

Springer Starter Rifle

Power-wise, that spring piston system is very, very consistent, which is very important. With that consistency, you always know where the pellet will go. It’s running at around 10.8 to 11.1 foot-pounds, roughly 560 feet per second, with a 15.89 JSB pellet. These are the stats for the.22 calibre.
One of the reasons why we like the rifle so much is that, yes, you can get Springers that are cheaper, but if any of you have ever shot cheaper, they’re great. They’re fantastic. They’re brilliant, but some do not offer consistent accuracy.

Build Quality

The build quality on this is fantastic. Something to know is that when you do cock, the rifle, which is very easy to do, the auto safety does engage. It’s effortless to pull down to that click point and then pop the pellet in the top, always ensuring you keep hold of that barrel for your safety.
Something to note is when you pop the pellet in every time, you will see that gorgeous breach and how Weihrauch finishes it. You will struggle to find a better-finished breach on most other spring air rifles in the Marketplace.

Best Value Plinker

You put your pellet in, pop it back up, take it off auto safety there, and you’re ready to shoot, and it’s that simple to use over and over again. So, to answer the initial question, in our opinion, what is the best .22 spring airgun to get started in the world of airgun shooting? It’s this one.
It’s the Weihrauch HW99S. It’s Weihrauch’s entry-point rifle. It’s accurate and does what it needs to do. It’s the right price point, and you know that you’re going to get something that will last you a lifetime. You’re going to pass this down to generations in years to come. It’s just a fantastic bit of kit. Even if you don’t get the bug the 99s will still retain its secondhand air rifle value.

Cost of a New Weihrauch HW99S

The average price new is around the £275 mark, that is for both the .177 version and the .22 calibre with the TFSIR sights. If you do intend in shooting at increased ranges then we recommend that you upgrade with a suitable scope.

It’s designed to be used with open sights, so the stock has been specifically shaped to help the shooter get the most from the rifle.

The lower cheek piece means your head will always be perfectly aligned with the sights and the narrow forend makes the rifle easy to hold. A perfect fit for the whole family.

STATS

Charge Type	Spring Piston – Break Barrel
Calibre Available	.22, .177
Stocks	Sporter: Beechwood
Silencer	N/A
Safety	Automatic
Sights	TFSIR