Weihrauch HW 75 Pellet Pistol

The Weihrauch HW 75 is a great way to start into the world of 10m pistol shooting. This single stroke pneumatic pistol is recoilless providing a completely smooth shooting experience. Suitable for informal matches, plinking and casual target shooting as well as an all-around training pistol with match accuracy. Perfect for all-day shooting!

There is a pistol in the Weihrauch stable that does not get the praise, or indeed the press, it deserves. The HW75 is only available in .177 calibre, unlike the spring-powered models which come in .177, .20 and .22., and it is based upon the spring-powered HW45, but has a single-stroke pneumatic powering system. It has the same safety catch and trigger blade, and from a cursory glance, without looking at the grips or the big ‘HW75’ emblazoned in white stencilled lettering on the left side of the action, you might not be able to tell them apart.

Different strokes

However, there are marked differences in the operation of the two guns; on the HW45, the exposed ‘hammer’ at the rear of the action is pulled back to unlock the top part of the action to cock the pistol, then the hammer locks onto the top action when the spring has been compressed, whereas on the HW75, the hammer is an actual hammer in the true sense of a gun.

I would recommend applying the manual safety catch before performing the cocking/charging sequence. The safety catch is a small lever behind the trigger – a matching pair of levers actually, because there is one on each side of the pistol’s frame. When the catch is vertical, alongside the grip outline, it is in its ‘safe’ setting, showing as an ‘S’ moulded into the frame. Push the lever forward and an ‘F’ is revealed instead. For some reason, there is only a red dot, along with the F, on the left-hand side of the action, and nothing on the right. As I mentioned, the safety catch is not automatic, so do remember to use it.

Another bonus with the HW75 is that you can de-cock the hammer to make the gun safe again by taking the safety off, holding on to the hammer, then pulling the trigger and slowly guiding the hammer back to its starting point. I’d then put the safety catch back on. It’s best to leave it on ‘safe,’ cock the hammer and then only take the safety off when you are ready to shoot. When you pull the trigger, the hammer drops back to strike a valve release pin.