Under Lever Battle: A Review of
Two Wonder Lever Air Rifl es Member Henk van Bronkhorst
THE HW 97 K AND THE TX 200 HC: A TWIN REVIEW
Many accuracy-minded air gun-
ners have a special interest in under lever rifles. When reading the well- frequented Web sites dealing with air guns, you see these ubiquitous ques- tions about under levers come up all the time. “Which one to buy: HW 97 K or Air Arms TX 200? Which is better: 97 or 200?” It reminds me of the question: “Which calibre is better, .177 or .22?” I myself dodged the question and ended up buying both guns in .177 calibre, de- livering about 12 foot pounds of energy (“fpe”).
Choosing between the main types
of spring piston air rifl es, being barrel cocking (or break barrel), side lever and under lever, many shooters nowadays turn to under levers. Break barrel rifl es are the examples of simplicity, rugged- ness, light weight, and quick and sure handling and pellet loading, making them very good for hunting. But the of- ten longer and lighter break barrel rifl es also are prone to barrel play through wear at the breech jaws and to catching more wind, making for wobbly shots. While the number of barrel cocking rifl es sold still seems to be dominant, under cockers have taken a nice piece of the market. And when hunting is not the only purpose, the under levers appear to offer a good compromise between accu- racy, weight, and rapid loading. Even if the main characteristics of under levers are not very different from those of side levers, under levers are currently sold in greater numbers. Some side levers deliver more power than under levers, which puts under levers in the more versatile mid-power class. Under levers seem to be a good
choice for obtaining the accuracy needed for longer range precision hunt- ing, pest control, general plinking, and the newly developing air gun sports of Field Target (“FT”) and Hunter Field Target (“HFT”) shooting. Compared to break-barrels, their fi xed barrel design
Weihrauch HW 97 K in blue laminate (top) and in beech with laser cut panels (bottom). Note sturdy, straight line barrel-to-butt design.
guarantees better long-time accuracy and their front weight distribution al- lows for more stable aiming, especially in windy conditions. An added benefi t is that the under levers can be obtained in carbine versions of less than 40 inches. Thus, these rifl es make for compact, stable, and potentially very accurate sporting air rifl es. Their symmetric build increases sideways balance. In engineer- ing terms as used for motorcycles, the result may be called “mass centraliza- tion.” Their design features make them generally heavier than barrel cockers, at the same time more complicated in engineering, more expensive, and less easy to load. Some people seem to be put off by all this, especially by the heavy weight. But under levers recently seem to be attracting an ever increasing number of followers.
In this high quality and mid-
power air rifl e range, two brands are standing out prominently, each offering masterpieces of under lever engineering which by now may be called classics. After all, they still are around
after other high-end under levers have disappeared from the market. I think that is why the question so often comes up about which one is better: the Weihr- auch HW 97 K or the Air Arms TX 200? This contribution does not try to give a direct answer to that question but I will not shun critical opinion, either. But I hope it will help you to make an in- formed choice. Both guns were tested in their original out-of-the-box condition. BACKGROUND OF THE PAIR The story really goes back to the
early eighties (1983), when Weihrauch launched its HW/Beeman 77 and 77
Air Arms TX 200 HC with new model walnut stock. Note ball detent latch.
www.varminthunter.org Page 147
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