Fortunately, obtaining a weapon isn’t as easy as it once used to be. Why fortunately? I guess because the public feels safer that way. Unfortunately the wrong people always manage to get their hands on weapons one way or the other which is why laws become more restrictive year by year. I never really wanted to go through all the hassle just to train pistol firing in Germany which is why I wanted to buy an air gun with specifications low enough to obtain it without a license. Finding the perfect product was easy as I had enough expectations to narrow the huge selection down.

First and foremost, I wanted a pneumatic gun with a pre-compression mechanism which doesn’t require the purchase of CO2 cartridges.

Second, I didn’t want a plastic toy. Although the Spanish manufacturer Gamo produces some of the finest plastic air guns available, they simply don’t weigh enough to train with fire arms in mind. The model Compact and PR-45 weigh 0.88kg and 0.74kg respectively due to it’s plastic frame and upper cover (which is the slide of normal semi-automatic pistols). These two weapons are very precise and endurable and for a price of around 185€ and 120€ respectively they offer a lot of “bang” for the buck; even more, the Compact features a walnut grip.

Nonetheless I had to find a product with a little more weigh so I was left with the HW 75 of Weihrauch, a German manufacturer. This gun weighs 1.06kg, exactly what I was looking for. The higher price tag of 270€ is justified by a couple of excellent features. Compared to other air pistols, the HW 75 is nearly recoil-less with a very sweet trigger. The trigger weigh as well as the sights can be adjusted with a screw driver to suit your needs. The largest part of the price difference is reflected in the build quality though. The gun is entirely made of steel, expect for the grip, of course, which is made of walnut wood. Like its smaller counter piece, the HW 45, it’s loaded by unfolding its slider from the lower frame, filling the built-in cartrige with air and allowing you to insert a bullet into the barrel. By folding these two pieces back together, the air gets compressed.

Now that I’ve moved into a flat (more on that in a different post) with a huge garden I could finally pratice a little on my own. On a 10m distance the sights had to be adjusted quite a bit indeed. For now the trigger is fine, although I plan to increase the weigh a little as soon as I’m done adjusting the sights.

I’m using the HW 75 to train regular fire arm pistol shooting but will sooner or later get into rifle precision shooting as well, if my free time allows it. I’ll plan to move to Switzerland soon due to work which will open up new possibilities in regards of weapon purchase, too.