Weihrauch HW100 BP Carbine Test Review .22 Caliber

VALUE FOR MONEY

The Weihrauch HW100 BP Carbine is an unusual air rifle. It prioritizes different characteristics to most other competing PCP air rifles.

What we have is a very compact, light, beautifully-designed gun that’s a joy to handle and shoot. It has an outstanding trigger and is extremely accurate with mid-weight and above lead pellets.

This is clearly a high quality product. If the flawless finish and sophisticated design doesn’t convince you, the US Street Price of one cent short of $1,500 will!

The power level of 21 Ft/Lbs and limited shot count are both obviously direct functions of the designers’ priorities – compact handling and light weight. If you want more of either, Weihrauch has alternative versions of the HW100 – and HW110 – platforms that offer them.

For the right customer, this beautiful little gun would be very hard to beat.

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HW100 Bullpup Carbine

SPEED AND ACCURACY

The Weihrauch HW100 BP Carbine tested by HAM achieved a maximum Muzzle Velocity of 944 FPS with the lightest Gamo Platinum pellets. The highest with lead was 869 FPS with RWS Hobby pellets.

But these results will be of academic interest only for potential purchasers of this bullpup. They will be more interested in the Muzzle Energy that’s achieved with heavier domed lead pellets…

Here the Weihrauch HW100 Bullpup Carbine gives a pretty steady 21 Ft/Lbs of Muzzle Energy with all the standard HAM test pellets above 14 Grains in weight.

As you can see from the table above, these heavier pellets all give excellent accuracy, too. This makes it likely that the Weihrauch HW100 Bullpup Carbine will give great accuracy with pretty-well any mid-weight or heavier domed pellet: the ones it’s owners will want to use.

HAM Publisher Stephen Archer has never claimed to be the world’s greatest shot. This was an excellent group for him at 25 yards!

TRIGGER AND COCKING EFFORT

The trigger of the Weihrauch HW100 Bullpup Carbine is a two-stage design. The pull weight averaged just 14.7 Oz in the sample tested by HAM.

The first stage was very light. However – despite the light pull weight – the “stop” for the second stage was very easy to feel. Release was then clean and precise. This is a very easy, pleasant trigger to use. HAM Tester Doug Rogers noted that “This is probably the nicest bullpup trigger we’ve tested to date.”

The Weihrauch instruction manual strongly recommends that users do not make trigger adjustments themselves. However, given the feel of the trigger on this test gun, the HAM testers can see no reason to make any changes to the factory configuration.

The cocking lever is light and easy to operate. Weihrauch wisely resisted the temptation to make the lever’s handle rotatable – it’s fixed in position and all the better for it.

The location of the cocking lever makes it easy and convenient to operate with the gun shouldered in the firing position. This is far superior to the system used by many bullpup air rifles, which have the cocking handle right back at the rear of the action.

Doug Rogers confirmed that this location is convenient for left-handed operation also.

Again, these are all solid benefits that have great value in real-world use.

COMPARISON TO MAKERS CLAIMS

Weihrauch typically makes very few marketing claims for their products. This is true for the HW100 Bullpup. The closest we get to a claim is the cryptic “30 J” marked on the action. This probably indicates 30 Joules maximum power – approximately 22 Ft/Lbs.

The Weihrauch HW100 BP Carbine tested by HAM developed a maximum of 21.18 Ft/Lbs. That’s close to the claim.

However, it’s very likely that the long-barrelled version of this bullpup also uses the same breech with the same 30 J marked on it. The longer barrel would obviously give somewhat more power than the carbine and meet that 30 J marking.

CONSISTENCY

The Weihrauch HW100 Bullpup Carbine tested by HAM demonstrated impressive consistency.

Standard Deviation – the measure of shot-to-shot consistency in a string, was outstandingly low at just 3.98 FPS across the range of standard HAM test pellets. That’s one of the best numbers we’ve ever recorded and is very close to the “full length” HW100 we tested some time back.

One very unusual aspect of consistency is that the Muzzle Energy developed by the gun is very uniform across different weight pellets. It varied only between 19.20 and 21.18 Ft/Lbs across the range of standard HAM test pellets.

That’s very unusual – normally PCPs develop much higher energies with heavier pellets. In fact, the Muzzle Energy held very tightly between 20.96 and 21.18 Ft/Lbs across the four heaviest HAM test pellets. This means that full power is available across a range of pellets and not just the heaviest – a fact which could be of considerable importance to the hunter.

The shot count curve (above) shows that the Weihrauch HW100 Bullpup Carbine gives about 31 consistent shots before dropping off of the regulator. Yes, this is not a high number – however it is actually a very good performance from such a small ( 105 cc) HPA tank.

The slight peak in FPS from shots 26 to 31 indicates that this bullpup is tuned for maximum efficiency, accepting slightly lower power as a trade off for more shots. (See HAM Technical Editor Bob Sterne’s article on tuning regulated PCPs for confirmation).

All bullpup air rifles with a mechanical trigger separate the trigger and sear assemblies with a long rod. This is seen in the photograph below for the Weihrauch HW100 BP Carbine with the HPA tank removed. It’s also often accompanied by a rather variable trigger pull weight.

However, in this case, the trigger pull weight is extremely consistent. It varied only between 13.8 and 15.5 Ounces in HAM testing. That’s effectively perfect consistency!

NOISE LEVEL

The Weihrauch HW100 BP Carbine has a permanently-fitted silencer. This is very effective and – in the HAM Team’s opinion – is among the most efficient out there. This makes the gun very quiet. It’s definitely backyard-friendly.

(Note, that’s a Leapers UTG TBNR bipod attached to the gun in these photographs).

SIGHTS AND SCOPE

Of course, the Weihrauch HW100 Bullpup Carbine is not supplied with a scope. This gives the maximum choice for the customer, who will undoubtedly have his/her own specific ideas about optics.

There is a long set of dovetail grooves machined into the top frame of the gun. In addition a set of screw-on Picatinny rails are added at the front of this. We used these and mounted a MTC Viper Pro 3-18 x 50 scope using Leapers UTG Pro rings.

The long-necked HAM testers found this gave a very good eye position without the need for a riser (which is often required with bullpups).

The total weight of this combination was 8 Lbs 7 Oz. (The “bare” weight is just over 7 Lbs). That’s remarkably light and – although the scope looks somewhat large on the gun, the combination balanced very well for shooting.

SHOOTABILITY

Shootability and handling is what the Weihrauch HW100 BP Carbine is really all about!

Both left-handed Doug Rogers and right-handed Stephen Archer found it easy and comfortable to shoot. So the semi-bullpup style with forward-mounted cocking lever is truly ambidextrous.

Unusually, we also did not need to adjust the buttplate, although there is vertical adjustment capability available for this to be done.

There is a very comfortable, synthetic cover on the rear of the action. This gives a pleasant cheek weld that remains warm to the tough. Again unlike that of many other bullpup air rifles.

The Weihrauch HW100 Bullpup Carbine has a manual safety. This is also ambidextrous, with levers on both sides of the action. Like other Weihrauch PCPs, it can only be moved to “safe” when the gun is cocked.

Overall, the short length (23 Inches) and compact design make this new air rifle a delight to handle. The Weihrauch HW100 Bullpup Carbine shoulders well and is fast and easy to bring onto aim.

This is enhanced by the molded pistol grip which – like that on other Weihrauch PCPs – is outstandingly comfortable and obviously designed with considerable care. HAM Tester Doug Rogers described it as “Impressive, the best I have ever held” in his test notes.

The trigger guard has cut outs on either side. These position the user’s trigger finger safely away from contact with the trigger, yet leave it as close as possible for rapid access when ever a shot need to be taken. It’s details like this that really give this bullpup its 100% score in this section of the review.

The 14-shot magazine is simple to load, has no moving parts and is easy to engage in the receiver. It gives total reliability in operation. However, there’s no shot counter to indicate the number of pellets remaining and it can be blank-fired if the shooter does not remember how many shots have already been taken.

If it’s desired to fit a bipod, the Weihrauch HW100 Bullpup Carbine has an optional short Picatinny rail that can be fitted ahead of the trigger guard. This is secured by two screws and can simply be removed for freehand shooting if required.

APPEARANCE AND FINISH

Appearance of the Weihrauch HW100 Bullpup Carbine is understated and stylish. We like it!

Although it looks a little “dumpy” in photogaphs, the gun actually appears somewhat more svelte and slim in real life, we feel.

This Weihrauch is small, but it looks even smaller. There’s none of the “blockiness” that’s often seen with bullpup designs, due to the extensive use of curved surfaces in both stock and pistol grip.

The fit and surface finish of all parts of the Weihrauch HW100 Bullpup Carbine are outstanding! “Exactly what one has come to expect from Weihrauch” in the words of Doug Rogers.

As expected, the finish of the wood soft-touch covered stock, metal and synthetic parts are all flawless. The receiver is in typical Weihrauch deep black. It’s polished to almost a mirror finish!

The HPA tank has the traditional black-painted finish while all pained and engraved lettering is a model of sharpness and clarity. This is flawless finish…

BUYING AND OWNING

The Weihrauch HW100 BP Carbine is a specialist’s air rifle. As such, you wouldn’t expect it to be available everywhere. However, it’s readily available online from Airguns of Arizona and from Precision Airgun Distribution dealers around the USA.

As with other Weihrauch PCPs, this bullpup is supplied with two magazines. There’s also the separate, screw-in HPA tank, which can be filled away from the gun if required. Normally it’s left in place on the gun and filled using the fill probe.

Other accessories include an enormously-substantial brass degassing device that allows pressure to be removed from the HPA tube once removed from the gun. And there’s an equally-substantial brass tube adapter included too.

(If you don’t already have a Weihrauch PCP, don’t forget to buy an additional adapter that converts the fill probe to a male quick disconnect for charging).

Also visible in the photograph below is the short Picatinny rail for attaching a bipod and the voluminous documentation.

The Weihrauch HW100 Bullpup Carbine has the pressure gauge is located in the end of the HPA tube. This is not the HAM Team’s favorite position for this gauge. But – unlike many others – the short tank, long silencer design does mean that it can be read without the need to “look down the barrel”.

As with other PCPs from this manufacturer, the Weihrauch HW100 BP Carbine uses a low maximum fill pressure of 2,900 PSI. Although this limits the shot count, it does offer practical benefits.

This low fill pressure does mean that it’s easy to fill using a hand pump. It also means that you’ll obtain many, many fills of the HW from your separate HPA tank.

If you have a regular 4,500 PSI tank, you’ll need to refill that tank much less than with other PCPs that use higher fill pressures (say 3,600 or even over 4,000 PSI). This is simply because you have more “headroom” between the full tank pressure and the pressure requirement of the Weihrauch HW100 Bullpup Carbine. For many shooters without ready access to a compressor, that’s a big benefit.

Warranty of the HW100 is of the “limited lifetime” variety. However the removable HPA tank has a requirement to be re-tested every 10 years.

TEST TARGETS

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HW100 Bullpup Carbine

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