That wasn't a typo so for everybody looking for a sexy HK45 review.....move along, nothing to see here.

I got to thinking the other day how much my .22LR shooting has been curtailed not by the much maligned late unpleasantness but frankly due to my own design. You see much of my .22 itch is quite frankly scratched very nicely by my airguns. Shut it.....I hear you mumbling stuff about 12 years old....Ralphie....blah blah. The fact is I have been shooting airguns for recreation as an adult for a long time.

The .22 shortage never particularly punched me in the proverbial jimmy for two reasons.
One, I have ALOT of .22LR on hand. Not because I was hoarding per say but would buy a box here and there whenever, wherever over the years and banked quite a bit.
Two because I have so many nice airguns that I enjoy shooting that I sort of really took to them even more so for my "22LR" needs during the great .22 drought.

I know, I know. Get on with it, tell us about your toy gun, sigh.

So what I am going to talk about today is an HW45 .22 caliber spring powered pistol. Made by another great German firm, yet I don't believe they hate me as much as that other Teutonic purveyor of polymer pistols.



So once more into the breech shall we? Again please note these are my own personal thoughts and put to a rating of 1-5. They are also thoughts specific to this gun or those generally like it.

VALUE - 1
Let's talk about the cost of good quality airguns. They are expensive. Yes you can go buy good quality .22s for a helluva lot cheaper and frankly you can by cheap toy level airguns for a helluva lot cheaper. The value from a gun such as this is intrinsic to its ownership, build quality, history, performance etc. not due to the bottom dollar.

At the end of the day its a $400 "BB gun to most, and I get that but allow me to go beyond the money aspect.

TRIGGER - 5+
Here is where we start getting into that intrinsic value. The triggers on HIGH Quality airguns are usually phenomenal. Quite frankly they put the GREAT majority of firearms triggers to shame. The HW45 offers a very adjustable, very crisp, wonderful bang switch. Basically going from this to something like a stock Ruger Government competition makes the trigger on the Ruger feel like a VP70......that is broken.....and filled with gravel. You really have to experience good airgun triggers to appreciate them. Not the local Wally World stuff mind you. Good guns.

ERGOS - 5
So the profile looks like a little bit like you took a 1911 and tenderized into a cutlet. The reality is, it feel damn near just like a 1911 in the hands and love it or hate it, the 1911 isn't exactly known as an uncomfortable gun. The safety is ambi and easy to get to and it just feels good in the hand. An added benefit is it will take any of your favorite 1911 grips. That being said if you put something with skulls or the Punisher logo.........just be aware you just tried to make an air pistol dudebrobadass.....and I will point and laugh at you........just as much as you are all pointing and laughing at me right now. :P

COCKING STROKE - 4
Ok, let it all out. Most of us have the mentality of a 9 year old.....I know I generally do.....so take moment let the jokes fly....I will wait.

So in order to cock this airgun you pull back on the rear "hammer" unlocking the upper from the lower. You then swing the upper in an arc to compress and lock the spring. Cocking is not super difficult but the first time may feel odd.

The interesting thing about the HW45 is the fact that it can be cocked to low power by locking at about 90 degrees or full power by swinging and locking the rest of the way. Once locked open, feed in your pellet and return the upper to its locked close position. The return trip of the upper is completely resistance free due to the fact this is made by Nazi.......errr I mean due to the fact that the spring has already been compressed.

RELIABILITY - 5
These are built very well and are inherently simple machines. Spring, sear, piston, few seals etc. These have been around for a very long time and people don't break them.

RECOIL - 1
Ok bear with me here. Believe it or not these things recoil like a sonofabitch. That is one of the things I like about them. They recoil more then a .22LR generally and they due so like all spring airguns do with lots of movement and vibrations across the spectrum. This combined with the veritable lifetime the pellet stays in the barrel after you pull the trigger makes shooting very challenging and rewarding when you get it right. You want to want learn about trigger control and consistency......here's your huckleberry.

Most folks have a hard time wrapping there head around the fact that a "BB" gun can recoil but keep in mind a very powerful spring is pushing a very large piston and all the kinetic shenanigans that come with it.

ACCURACY- 3
Mechanically these are very accurate guns, they are however very difficult to master shooting. They are traditionally seen as plinking type guns and not any kind of competition guns. The accuracy is certainly there but you really have to be on YOUR game. Where as a pre charged pneumatic or single stroke pneumatic just sort of farts out a PFFT of stored gas making them very easy to shoot, this thing sort of fires like a trebuchet in your hand.......making it a wheeee bit more challenging. Learning to shoot a good, higher powered spring piston airgun will teach you a lot about shooting.

The other wildcard that all shooters should be familiar with is ammo selection. Just like you cannot throw any old Remington Thunderbolt in your .22 pistol and have it work......errr I mean group well , you cannot just throw any pellet into high end pellet gun and expect it to do great. Luckily Crosman Premier is fairly common in stores and is pretty decent, if not always consistent ammo.

CARRYABILITY- ??????
You gonna skin that smokewago.......wait what the hell?? Safety tips kids. Don't carry around airguns and play with them in public. You are likely to end up with a late, late term abortion.

I feel the need to point out here that airguns are NOT TOYS. They should be handled exactly like firearms for all intents and purpose, with the same rules applying. Obviously you can use much simpler backstops and can shoot them where you generally cannot shoot a firearm safely but at the end of the day TREAT THEM WITH THE SAME RESPECT YOU DO A FIREARM End of sermon.

SIGHTS - 5
The HW45 comes with a very nice set of adjustable fiber optic sights.

SO LOVE IT OR LIST IT? (I am so sorry my wife has been watching this so much it has crept into my soul)

I love it. It give me just as much enjoyment plinking then most .22 pistols. Yes you lose the ability to rapid fire and have to load and reacquire your target but for me that slowing down and focusing on the shooting and the mechanical aspect of it, is very enjoyable. Well that and my wife would "LIST" me if I started capping off .22LR in the house.....woman, sheesh amiright.

I love all my airguns and none of them are cheap. Most cost as much or more then nice firearms, but if you have never handled an airgun beyond what you find at the local large mart then you may want to do yourself a favor one day and give a good one a shot. I would argue all day, every day that an HW30s rifle is better in almost every measurable way then a 10/22. All I am saying is they are not for everybody, and they are not inexpensive but if you are a gun guy at heart I bet you might just be surprised at how good a decent airgun can be.

As always take care and shoot safe.........and "YOU'LL SHOOT YOUR EYE OUT KID!!!!!"

Thank you for the review. I have been meaning to pick up an air pistol. I have 3 pcp air rifles.
.22,.30,.357 during the great unpleasantness i would shoot air rifles at 50 and 100yds instead of 22lr.

So when the left side was low i used the ammo on the right.

Wow. Really interesting review. I have never paid much attention to them. My son has a couple from when he was younger and would plink in the back yard. They are the big box brand I am sure, but I might pull one out and give it a try.

I've enjoyed my Beeman P1 in .177 for many years.

I dunno...reminds me of a Hi-Point...

quote:

Originally posted by soggy_spinout:
I dunno...reminds me of a Hi-Point...

Handle and shoot one of these air pistols.
You'll be impressed.

Dsgrouse,
If you are looking air pistol and you are used to PCP I would go either PCP pistol or SSP. I have an HW75 that is wonderful but I have to say my favorite is a Chiappa FAS 6004. It is a wonderful target gun. It feels like cheating vs the HW45s.

I just realized when I read this thread again, that I was clueless. My son has CO2 guns, but these are manual pneumatics I presume. Single shot maybe?

Youtube is your friend! I had to go watch a video to see the differences; air v. spring v. gas. I am now a little more ejumacated.

have not had the chance to shoot a high quality air pistol,

do have a couple of mid level air rifles,


buddy had the pump up Crossman 177 pistol,
he worked downtown in a bakery, lots and lots of rats in that area, who were active around dawn,,

he would go in at 4am, and as soon as the sun started coming up, take a break and shoot rats in the back parking lot,

endless supply of targets,, for about 30 minutes he said,,

the HW45 has been on my short list for a long time.

I agree with you on the HW-30. Effortlessy accurate, especially for a springer.