Haenel Model 303 Air Rifle .22

[Brithunter]

Hi All,

       Well as we are having Waskerly Wabbit problems in the garden and even my air rifles have not been returned still I found myself with a small problem. So finally decided to look for a suitable one for the purpose. After picking myself up off the floor and getting the heart beat back under control at the shock of the prices ...................................  Yikes they have taken a huge leap. In fact I was paying less for my BSA's and Parker-Hale's  .

      So my mind went back to those that I knew like this  Haenel Model 303. So I started to search the adverts and the gun sights and once again the old ticker took a pounding ........................... sheesh things have really moved price wise since I last brought one :o.

     Anyway some number crunching and I arrived at a figure I could stretch to and began a serious search and found this:-












It has one of the best figured Beech stocks I have seen. Far better than my Feinwerbau Sport Model 127 that I purchased new back in 1979.


Haenel still used the British No2 bore of 5.6mm for .22 unlike a lot of European makers who use 5.5mm. The Feinwerkbau is 5.5mm.






Surprisingly I find the iron sight picture very good. The sights are clearly based on the Old Mauser style on the 98's.


This Haenel has two breech seals, one in the barrel breech and one in the air cylinder end. As the rifle was very dry this one it seems still uses a leather piston washer I had to soak them in oil for  good few hours before trying it out.

  The plan now is to try and get new seals and washers plus a new spring and give it a going over and service. I have to restore the screw head as they are somewhat chewed up :angry: and get some proper 13mm mounts for the scope. For now it has a bodged one piece mount fitted that came on a used scope I brought several years back. Ok it's sort of holding but these springers of this vintage are brutal on mounts and scopes.

  The scope fitted right now is an old Nikko Sterling Special 3x32 that I had repaired. It's the one with the new Duplex reticle that Action Optics made up and fitted for me. The other evening it took it's first victim ..................................... a 3/4 grown garden raiding wabbit. One shot to the neck and it flipped about and was over. After the re-build and service I expect it will perform even better...

  There is some finish restoration to be done two and there was some sever live rust on the steel butt plate. Perhaps it's time to consider getting a set up to restore the blacking............................................ something to consider methinks.

  Oh yes this is the Feinwekbau:-



It's a better quality rifle but then it was not made under the auspices of the Communist control unlike the Haenel which is marked " Made in GDR " shown in the first photo.


Now to see about some proper mounts .

[gitano]

Nice rifle, BH. No problem owning this?

Paul

[Fieldmor77]

Nice one B.H, at least you will be back looking through a set of sights again, some expired Rabbit pic's coming up?

[Brithunter]

Nice rifle, BH. No problem owning this?

Well there should not be but one never knows in this county after all they took my Feinwerkbau Sport model 127 in .22 and the BSA Meteor in .177 plus Dad's 1932 Heanel Model 15 tinplate in .177 Smooth bore. If they had not done so I would not have needed to buy this one would I?

Nice one B.H, at least you will be back looking through a set of sights again, some expired Rabbit pic's coming up?

Ahh well the first Waskerly Wabbit to meet it's demise has already gone down the old Dogs throat.. I broiled it for him as the ole feller is on his last legs. Sad how he has wasted away the last few months. He would be 15 next month.  

Now the Haenel really needs  re-build a it's a bit lacking on power which is restricting the range quite a bit, 20 paces it's ok but beyond well it's lacking to what it should be as I would expect dead Wabbits at 40 paces no problem. New springs and seals would help a lot I am thinking. I can find a spring and even some spring buffers to smooth it out but the seals are proving more troublesome.. I might have to send it away to a specialist