)Would have put about 700 pellets through it & the gun seems to be dieseling with a “thwang” kind of noise. However, the noise & smoke is far less than what it was some days back so I guess it’s settling down. I am too much of an amateur to form an expert opinion on such matters, but the 1st cut on this is:
1.the gun is heavier than the RWS 350 which I possess in 0.22 cal. Please note: I said heavier..did not say “unbalanced”. In terms of balance, both are equally good.
2.the gun has a shade lower power than the RWS 350 – as of now that is.
3.Cocking is BEAUTIFUL. The action is really smooth & user friendly & it’s still new to boot! So I guess with usage it’ll improve further.
4.The RWS is definitely sleeker in appearance. It looks & feels like a lethal viper whereas the HW 80 looks more like a boa constrictor with a thicker girdle
5.Comparing the same stage of RWS 350 Magnum, the HW 80 seems to be more accurate but noisy. However, I will reserve my comment on this for some future date.
6.The “kick” in the 350 magnum is awesome. I miss that in the HW 80 to some extent.
7.In terms of penetration (at about 20 mtrs), the 350 scores over the HW 80. However, too early to conclude since the 350 is close to 8 months old & the HW only 8 days yet.
8.Since both my rifles are open sighted, as yet, the RWS 350 scores by leaps & bounds over the HW 80 in target acquisition. The front sight pole in RWS 350 is super sleek & therefore assists in better target acquisition. HW 80 has a bit of chubby front sight pole.
9.Bluing is deeper on the HW 80.
10.In pure aesthetics, the RWS 350 looks faaaar better than the HW 80. Also, the checkered grip on the 350 does assist in a better grip on the weapon.
My questions to the IFG gurus & other shooters who own / are better informed about the HW 80 & it’s temperament are:
1.Any special care to be taken apart from the usual oiling / lubing as deemed necessary?
2.Any recommended scope which can be used for this rifle? I have given up hope on fixing one on the 350 since it has a reputation of eating scopes. I would prefer keeping the RWS 350 open sighted & would look to scope the HW 80.
3.Does the HW 80 always have a “thwang” noise to it? Compared to the RWS 350, the noise is atrocious. Any way to reduce this?
4.Any solution to the chubby front sight pole? (apart from the scope of course)
Currently, I am using the following pellets in the HW 80:
•G Smith – high impact & high split
•Gamo Pro Magnum penetration
•H&W Diabolo waisted.
Surprisingly, all pellets are firing quite accurately in the HW 80. The G Smith high split gave horrible results in the RWS 350 which is not the case with the HW 80 currently.
Looking forward to your views & comments…cheers!
) & recently got the HW 80 once again.
caught on the source of sound today...the trigger guard was a bit loose...tightened tht n the sound vanished. The accuracy's getting better with each passing day.