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CHRIS WELLS
’
HERCULES 100X: HW97K-T
HEADtoHEAD!
Underlevers, it seems, are getting a facelift…
with brand-new synthetic ‘woodwork’.
Chris Wells tests two of the latest releases
X
O
ver the last few months, we’ve revealed two new synthetically-stocked
underlever sporters – so it was a no brainer to pit the two against each other in a
Head-to-Head test. The Shooting Party, brainchild of former Webley MD, Mike Hurney,
brought its inaugural rifle, the AirForceOne Hercules 100X, to the, well… party, back at the start
of the year. It’s a brand-new concept and design straight out of a high-tech Turkish gunmaking
factory, and the elongated design’s already carved it a niche in the market.
From new to proven, its opponent’s action has been around since 1994 – though it’s
undergone a number of improvements since that first version. The Weihrauch HW97, the most
famous of the German underlevers, recently had its range expanded, with the release of two
synthetic, thumbhole models (one with a silver action, the other all-black) to join the original
HW97K beech sporter and K-T thumbhole models.
The synthetic brigade’s making waves in the airgun industry, due to robustness, chic looks
and great field handling – but that’s more on the PCP side of things, so how will these two
underlever springers fare?
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FIRST LOOK
It’s the carbon fibre finish Hercules that I settled on testing – as, although the entire range
of 100Xs come with some kind of synthetic stock, it’s the CF that catches my eye. The rifle’s
long frame offset against the silver dappling really attracts me. I wouldn’t want to take it
hunting without breaking up the bright splatter – but that caveat aside, this AirForceOne just
looks fresh.
It’s a similar story for the 97K-T – and I’d have scored it the same if I’d picked up the
stainless barrel model version. Still, Weihrauch has produced a top-notch casing for its premier
underlever – with the deeply-sweeping butt to trigger relief lines giving the mostly traditionallyshaped 97 stock a bit of dark personality.
Hercules 100X

HW97K-T

TAKING STOCK
The hard plastic used on the 100X is surprisingly light, especially considering how long the
whole set-up is – and the size of the almost-Schnabel-tipped forend, which encapsulates the
trigger guard. It’s a thumbhole, with a fixed rubber butt pad, but the jewel in its crown is the
adjustable cheekpiece. A knurled thumbscrew on the butt’s underside allows you to release
the cheek, so you can adjust its height to suit the sights in use. That, coupled with a grippier,
finger-moulded pistol grip and unique rubber half-moons on the forend, make for a rifle that
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Left: The Hercules’ carbon-fibre stock (top) looks great and has the advantage of an
adjustable cheek, while the all-black HW97 benefits from an ambidextrous cheekpiece
Below left: Rubberised inlays adorn the Hercules (top), while stippled panels run along
the forend of the HW97, the larger panels affording greater grip
handles more comfortably than a rifle its length
should. The only thing that confused me was the
one-sided indent on the cheekpiece; the rest of
the rifle’s ambidextrous, so why isn’t that, too?
Somehow, Weihrauch’s composite stock
is nearly identical to its wooden variant – in
terms of weight, geometry and balance – which
certainly isn’t a bad thing considering the
success of that model. The well-shaped butt
sits nicely in your shoulder, and the addition
of large stippled panels on the forend mean
keeping your hands anchored firmly in place
isn’t difficult.
Hercules 100X

HW97K-T

BOTH BARRELS
AirForceOne has fixed its own barrel to the
Hercules, and it’s a sturdy component – though
doesn’t quite have the blueing quality of its rival.
It’s a full 16cm longer than the Weihrauch’s –
and though it complements the sleek-looking
rifle, would the Hercules handle better with a
shorter tube? I think so. The cocking latch is
secure and supportive, though, so there’s no
real muzzle flip on firing.
Fixed-barrel
rifles
are
inherently more accurate
than break barrels,
but adding a renowned Weihrauch bore into
the equation takes that even further. They’re
well produced, nicely-blued and – what with
the integral moderator weight – designed with
minimal muzzle flip. Plus, the underlever linkage
is extremely secure.
Hercules 100X

HW97K-T

COCKING
It’s a small thumb slide you’ve got to move
rearward on the Hercules in order to release
the long underlever from its seating. Then
working the long arm all the way back is easy –
probably, in fact, due to that length – and quite
smooth, though make sure you hear a positive
click at the end of the stroke. An anti-beartrap
engages upon cocking, too – so you can be
sure the trigger’s deactivated until you return
the underlever to its original position.
The Weihrauch’s underlever is actually only
two-thirds the size and its stroke isn’t as long,
so cocking isn’t quite as effortless – but it’s
extremely smooth. (And that, quite literally, is
German engineering in action!) It’s fitted with
an anti-beartrap, too – and the secure muzzleend bedding features the standard HW push
button release situated underneath the muzzle.
Hercules 100X

HW97K-T

INTO THE BREECH
I can’t fault either rifle for breech access – as
both have large apertures and are fitted with
anti-beartrap devices to ensure your fingers
are safe when the rifles are cocked. And that’s
something I applaud both guns’ designers for.
Hercules 100X

HW97K-T

TRIGGER AND SAFETY
A fair amount of heft is needed to
draw back the underlever, but the HW’s
action is smooth
56
As well as that anti-beartrap, the Hercules
features an in-trigger-guard manual lever,
situated forward of the trigger. It clicks
positively back and forward (to shoot), and
although it, and the trigger, are pressed steel and
so don’t look all that appealing, both work well.
The trigger is two stage, but isn’t adjustable –
but I found the factory settings (middle ground
in terms of pull weight) just fine.
On the other hand, the HW97’s famous,
two-stage Rekord unit is fully-adjustable – and
I did lessen its weight off a little for my personal
comfort via the small screw just in front of the
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HERCULES 100X: HW97KT
Right: Weihrauch’s 97K-T has an integrated silencer, but this means it has no opens
(lower). The Hercules will deliver a fair muzzle report, but offers the versatility of TruGlo
sights – it’s a tough choice
Below right: A 170mm Picatinny rail, usually found on live-round guns, is one of the
Hercules’s best features (top). The HW comes with standard, 11mm airgun rails
blade. It’s gold anodised, and while not adding
anything to the actual shooting – which is
unparalleled, in terms of its clean break – looks
incredibly sexy when juxtaposed against the
dark, deep black of the stock. The Weihrauch’s
standard safety is a simple lateral bar at the rear
of the cylinder, which clicks off to shoot.
Hercules 100X

HW97K-T

HOW TO WHISPER
It’s fortunate the Hercules doesn’t come with a
silencer, as – and I’ll go into this more later –
it’s a bit forward heavy. While the muzzle report
is by no means a roar, it is noticeable, and the
action’s got a bit of running noise to it, too.
Having said that, if you’re going to be cocking
and loading an underlever in the field the minor
muzzle crack isn’t going to be a worry.
On the other hand, the HW97 is fitted with
a steel silencer – and it really does mute the
rifle’s report. Plus, if you remove the integral
moderator’s end cap, it reveals a 1/2 in
UNF thread – and Weihrauch produce an
additional unit to screw on the end. Though I
didn’t feel it necessary, a second module would
push some weight forward as well – which
some might prefer, though I had no inclination
to do this.
Hercules 100X

HW97K-T

lens much bigger than 40mm. Standard of
finish and build quality on my test rifle were, as
always from the German company, absolutely
excellent – and the synthetic stock’s been
properly integrated around the action, with no
corners cut.
Oh (and bear with me a second here), I’ve got
to mention the box my HW97 arrived in. Normal
gun boxes are basic, with polystyrene wedges
to keep the rifle in some kind of position. But
Weihrauch’s new packaging features individual
cardboard inserts up and down the rifle, each
with securing tabs. Not only does that ensure
the rifle you receive won’t have been knocked
about in transit, but if you were ever looking for
a good example of Weihrauch’s meticulousness,
this is it!
Hercules 100X

HW97K-T

FIELD HANDLING
I’ve already mentioned the length of the
Hercules, and it does make for a rifle you need
to be careful with. It handles lightly, and is
more forward in its balance – but if you
set the cheekpiece securely in place for
your frame, and make full usage of
the thumbhole, it’s surprisingly easy
to control. In the past, I’ve
OVERALL FINISH
While the composite material used on the
Hercules’ stock does feel a little brittle and
light, it’s well-made and moulded. I’d prefer a
more-thoughtfully designed trigger blade but,
on the other hand, it works well. And the 100X
does have two top selling points: first off, it
doesn’t boast standard airgun scope rails,
but a 170mm Picatinny attachment rail.
It’s unusual, and means any scope
you do attach will be fully arrested
– though ensure you pick up the
correct mounts. But the icing on the
cake is the TruGlo fore and rear opens.
Although I usually scope-up (with a Mamba
Lite 3-9x for this test, on both guns), I like the
versatility of opens, and it only improves the
rifle’s appeal to have the option.
The integral moderator dashes any chance
of that on the HW97, but its standard rails do
the job – though you’ll need at least mediumheight mounts for any scope with an objective
Cocking the Hercules is almost
effortless thanks to the long lever
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HERCULES 100X: HW97K-T
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
RIFLE
Hercules 100X
HW97K-T
Make
AirForceOne
Weihrauch
Country of origin
Turkey
Germany
Type
Underlever sporter
Underlever sporter
Action
Spring and piston
Spring and piston
Calibre
.177, .22
.177, .22
Overall length
1,110mm
1,020mm
Barrel length
460mm
300mm
Weight
3.25kg
4kg
Sights
Tru-Glo opens, Picatinny
No opens, 11mm dovetails only
(22mm) scope ramp
Weihrauch’s quality shines through – even in
their packaging, which is first-class
made it no secret that I prefer shorter rifles, but I had no qualms with the
100X – as aside from being aware of how far the end of the barrel was
from my eye, I enjoyed manhandling the rifle in the field. It is man-sized,
though, and probably wouldn’t suit too small a person. A carbine version
however…
The HW97K fitted me perfectly, though. Its balance point is more
neutral and it feels extremely solid in the shoulder. Heavier by over half a
kilo, when you’re on aim, you’re rock solid. The thumb groove means your
trigger hand’s scripted into taking a comfortable hold on the pistol grip,
well within reach of the blade, too.
Hercules 100X

HW97K-T

OVERALL PERFORMANCE
Milbro Selects and Webley AccuPells were the ammos of choice
this time around; Selects for power and AccuPells for accuracy. At
Trigger
Two-stage, non-adjustable
Two-stage, adjustable
Safety
Manual ‘in-trigger’, resettable
Automatic
Stock
Thumbhole, synthetic – carbon
Synthetic black thumbhole
fibre (tested), black, camo,
(tested) – with black- or silver-
sport red, wood coating –
finish barrel; beech sporter,
adjustable cheek
with/without thumbhole
Power
11+ft/lb
11+ft/lb
Price
Black – £279; camo, sport –
Synthetic, all-black – £420 silver –
£289; wood, carbon – £299
£453; wooden – £435,
wooden thumbhole – £524
Contact
Range Right
Hull Cartridge
01825 760509
01482 342756
www.rangerightltd.co.uk
www.hullcartridge.co.uk
40 yards, the Hercules notched up 40mm groups. I couldn’t help
thinking that a few centimetres off the end of the barrel might close
up the long-range groups – as the more time the pellet spends in the
rifle, the more time you’ve got to flip it off course.
Long ranges with the 97K weren’t a problem. I hit 40mm groups
at 45 yards pretty consistently, and I was nearly single-holing the
paper at 20 yards. The HW97 is a popular HFT gun, but what with
its new all-weather guise, I’d predict its use in the field increasing
dramatically.
Hercules 100X

HW97K-T

AirForceOne Hercules 100X
Weihrauch HW97K-T
82/100
89/100
FI
VERNAL
DIC
T
The Weihrauch won, and that’s not a surprise – as the HW97’s
only gone from strength to strength since its launch, and newfound versatility in the shape of a composite stock only adds to
the range’s appeal. It’s great at long and short distances, has an
integral silencer that dulls muzzle crack and flip, and it boasts
Weihrauch’s own barrel and Rekord trigger unit.
But the AirForceOne, remember, is well over £100 cheaper
– and you’d be hard pressed to find a rifle that could compete,
especially at that price point. The adjustable cheekpiece is great,
and the stock is fantastically designed. Put an ambi cheek and
shorter barrel on the 100X, and it could well nip at the heels of
the HW – but as a sign of things to come from this new company,
it’s a very positive one.
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