The Weihrauch HW97K is an iconic airgun. Just like its predecessor – the legendary HW77 – the awesome underlever combines solid build quality with fixed barrel accuracy and an excellent trigger.
Distributed in the UK by Hull Cartridge, a business which has a longstanding synergy with the Weihrauch brand, the HW97K featured here has a recommended retail price of £580. While that is not cheap for a spring-powered airgun, it amounts to very good value when you consider that you’re buying one of the best off-the-peg spring-powered airguns in the world.
Weihrauch is a German brand, and that is very apparent by the impressive standard of engineering on the HW97K. This airgun is absolutely solid and has been built to last for years. It is beautifully engineered, and the finish of the metalwork looks flawless. Weihrauch’s bluing really does set the standard for the rest of the airgun industry to follow.
Below: The Weihrauch HW97 is a beautiful underlever airgun - it looks the business and shoots very well too
The K in this airgun’s name denotes Carbine and it’s about 1020mm long. I would certainly describe it as an adult-sized airgun as it tips the scales at just a shade over 4kg. Again, that weight is testament to its solid build quality, it also helps to keep it steady on aim and also dampens down its modest recoil.
There are several versions of the Weihrauch HW97, including laminate and thumbhole stock options. I guess this one is best described as the standard model. It has a traditional yet stylish ambidextrous beech stock with some nice patterning in the grain of the wood. The stock has a long forend, which will accommodate a variety of hold styles. The forend has an elegant taper and forward sweep at the front end and is adorned with substantial panels of very neat stylised stippling on both sides.
The HW97K’s stock features a steep, chunky pistol grip that really fills the palm, and there’s more of that lovely stippling on both sides of the grip. The very pronounced cheek-piece is quite high, which is perfect because this is a scope-only airgun with no open sights, and that high cheekpiece ensures good eye alignment with your chosen optic. Finally, the butt is finished with a rubber pad that has a neat black spacer separating it from the beech stock.
Below top: The long forend features some very neat stippling
Below bottom: A high cheek-piece ensures good eye alignment while a thoughtfully sculpted pistol grip gives good trigger attack
Scope mounting is via a dovetail rail that gives you more than 200mm of clamping space. There are three holes to accept a recoil arrestor pin but, with decent mounts, I wouldn’t expect to have any problems with scope creep. The positioning of the pellet loading port does mean there’s a risk of longer scopes obscuring it. That said, the scope I used for my testing is quite long it didn’t get in the way.
The HW97K has a 300mm barrel that incorporates a tapered silencer / muzzle weight. It didn’t appear to do a lot to reduce muzzle report, so I will assume that it’s more of a muzzle weight – either way, it looks good. Incorporated into that muzzle weight is the retainer mechanism for the underlever. Press the button at the front and the underlever can be drawn down to cock the spring. It is a very smooth and surprisingly easy cocking stroke given that this is a full-power airgun.
Below top: The scope rail on the Weihrauch HW97 has holes to accept recoil arrestors, not that scope creep is likely to be a problem
Below bottom: Underneath the muzzle brake is the retaining mechanism for the underlever that delivers the HW97's smooth cocking stroke
Apart from cocking the spring, the downward stroke of the underlever also opens the loading port ready for you to load a pellet, which is a fairly straightforward task that gets quicker and easier with practice. The cocking stroke also activates the crossbolt auto safety catch and there is an additional anti-beartrap mechanism to keep your fingers safe while loading. With the pellet seated in the breech and your fingers safely out of the way, return the cocking lever and it clicks securely back into its retainer mechanism.
This HW97K features Weihrauch’s Rekord trigger unit, which is simply excellent. The trigger blade has a stylish gold finish and has a gentle curve and grooved surface which feels great. It’s an adjustable two-stage unit. Adjustment is very simple but, as ever, I tested it on its factory setting. First stage weight and travel felt just right and were followed by an obvious stop before a very positive, creep-free second stage release. This is the sort of crisp and predictable trigger that breeds confidence when tackling targets.
As I’ve mentioned, there is a crossbolt safety catch that is automatically set by the cocking stroke. It is positioned at the rear of the cylinder and can’t be reset by pushing it back once you’ve pushed the button across from the left and into the fire position. You can, however, reset it without firing by drawing the underlever down again until the safety button pops back out on the left.
Below top: Just like everything else on the HW97, the loading port is cleanly engineered and neatly finished
Below bottom: The two stage Rekord trigger on the Weihrauch HW97 is about the best trigger you will find on a spring gun
The gun in this test is .22 calibre, though the HW97K is also available in .177 calibre, plus .20 and .25 to special order. The review gun was churning out a healthy muzzle energy of 11.1ft/lb with H&N Baracuda 15 pellets. It was pretty consistent too, with variation staying within 12 feet per second over a ten-shot string. Being a spring and piston airgun – free from the hassle and expense of refilling with air from a tank or pump – the HW97K does have a bit of a kick. That recoil is pretty modest though, and it’s swift – it comes straight back into the shoulder and the firing cycle feels fast and efficient with no prolonged twangy reverberation.
When it comes to accuracy, the Weihrauch HW97K is a favourite with target shooters and can hold its own against most PCPs, as long as you do your bit. Competition shooting aside, it’s also a fun gun to use for plinking and is more than capable of tackling live quarry. I’m not the greatest shot with recoiling airguns but, thanks to its fixed barrel accuracy, even I can still achieve ragged single-hole groups at 30m when shooting the HW97K from the bench. It is a versatile gun though, and comfortable to shoot from most positions – and that’s why it is as popular with hunters as targets shooters.
So that’s is the Weihrauch HW97; a thoroughbred German fixed-barrel springer. This airgun has stood the test of time and, thanks to its constant evolution, still remains bang up to date. It is a brilliant, fuss-free allrounder that should give years of excellent service with very little maintenance.
FROM: Hull Cartridge
WEB: Weihrauch UK
MAKER: Weihrauch
MODEL: HW97K
TYPE: Spring-powered underlever
PRICE: £580 for model featured
LENGTH: 1020mm (40in)
WEIGHT: 4kg (8.8lb)
Article first published 7th October 2025
