Rites Of Spring

Terry relights his springer fire, courtesy of a weihrauch HW97K.

I’m a spring-gun shooter; always have been, always will be. Of late, it would be more accurate to refer to me as a lapsed spring-gun shooter, due to the fact that shooting pre-charged pneumatics occupies the majority of my work and leisure time. This lapse isn’t a conscious thing; it just happened as reviewing and field testing commitments swallowed every second not demanded by my family, friends and essential outdoor activities. The fact is, I review and field test mainly PCPs, because that’s what most of today’s ‘major’ launches are, and when I need to restock the freezer with rabbits, squirrels and pigeons, I use either something I’m testing, or one of my own multi-shot, recoilless, easy-to shoot pre-charged pneumatics. With all of that going on, my beloved springers hardly get a look in. Frankly, this is unacceptable.

TIME TO CHANGE

For an airgunner who learned his trade with a spring-piston rifle, and who was introduced to the finer things of this shooting life via that same, beautifully engineered, thoroughly satisfying system, it’s nothing short of shameless that I’ve all but abandoned it. It’s even worse than that, though. My not-shooting a springer has eroded my technique, too. I’m in a lose-lose situation, and it’s high time I started sorting myself out.

My day job still calls loudly enough to rupture any eardrum, so getting back on track will have to earn its keep. That’s why I’ve combined a long-overdue review of a quality springer with a bit of a sermon on how to shoot one to the best of its advantage, and yours. Coming up is one of the most satisfying, and productive gun tests I’ve ever done. First, we’ll study the main subject, then we’ll cover the exploitation of its many vital qualities.

THE WEIHRAUCH HW97K