Canadian Airgun Forum

A few comments about this gun. Some may recall I said I'd get one as soon as they crossed the pond...and God only knows I need another HW45...but this one is somewhat different. That's what I'll discuss, the differences with a standard HW45 from the last several years. It's mostly all about the looks, but not JUST the looks...

The gun is called a duo-tone: this means the upper frame (the part you cock with) is black, and in this case the remainder of the frame is silver-grey. It is not nickel-plated, rather a sparkly crinkle (unsmooth) finish. I may be jumping a bit ahead of myself, but I'd say this is *probably* essentially a very slightly modified (holes for an extra pin) HW75 lower frame. I can most definitely tell how unworn the moulds (or whatever they use) are compared to the regular HW45's ones...I previously commented how worn/pitted the surfaces look compared to those of HW45s from many years ago. The "mould" used to make this frame is essentially perfect; possibly because many less HW75s were made or else these are completely new moulds (I don't know enough about manufacturing to judge what's more likely). All the other parts, like safety levers, trigger, hammer, and pins etc. are black.

The lettering on the side is hard to describe in color, almost looks like it was "burnt" in...it's not exactly black, kind of a creamy color with a slight black outline (??). The serial number is not engraved in the grip frame like previous models, but appears to be laser-etched into the upper frame on the opposite side to where the caliber info is very lightly engraved. This change was necessary because of...

The grips... These are an ambidextrous target style made of cream and grey laminated woods with a large flat bottom. They fasten to the frame with two fairly large screws from the bottom of the grip flat. The pull weight adjustment is still accessible from there. The grip has an engraved "separator" line, and the finish is different on either side of it. The upper part where your thumb and index finger rest is finished beautifully satin smooth. The lower part where your hand and other fingers rest is rough; kind of looks like the surface of a VERY hard sponge. The very lowest part of the grip and the bottom are also satin smooth. Note that regular 1911 Colt grips will *probably* not fit here (though some wrap-around types might), I couldn't say for sure until I tried it, but the frame is cut-in to accomodate the wrap-around grip and I don't know if there are threaded parts underneath for the 1911-position grip screws. I have not had this gun long, and though the grip appears totally symmetrical, it feels slightly better in my left (wrong!) hand...I have to guess my hands/fingers are different sizes. I'll get used to it soon enough.

This gun comes with the Tru-Glo sights that all the HW45s come with now: red front, green rear. The sight frames are metal and the fiber optic installation seems quite sturdy, though especially in the rear sight the fiber itself does look somewhat delicate. Wow, these sure work very well even in low light, they pop right out at you. The front sight does not have enough frame above the fiber IMO so that you could ignore the fibre and just use the "black" if you wanted to. May take some adjustment for some, and probably not ideal for what seems to be kind of a "target" plinker if that's not too contradictory, but should be plenty fine for average plinking and the Glo is handy for us middle-aged guys...

That's it for the differences. If you have an HW45 that's several years old, one other current HW45 feature you'll notice is how easy the top frame is to close: it's an easy two-finger job compared to once, no need to consider pulling back on the hammer to ease it. The current guns also come with two cocking stages in all calibers, but power is so reduced at the lower one that you will have to specifically set up for it at just about any range.

The finish on this gun is perfectly executed. Whether you like it or not is one thing, but the way it's done is one aspect that people mean when they talk about "German guns".

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Why, whenever there's a shooting, do the politicians go after the people who didn't do it?

A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well. - Murphy's Other Laws

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Jonathan

Moderator

^ Yeah, I know I need a pic! Soon... That is a pretty good one, better than what I had seen before buying as far as matching what I have, but still not great at showing the real finish and textures which I tried to describe because they're different from the more common HW45 model and best felt.

Not to offend anybody, but if I was buying an HW45 for a girl or a pimp, this is the one I'd choose! I preferred the look of the original/prototype Silver Star grips, but these ones are actually functionally better than I expected because of the rough part. I think the black/grey laminate looked much more appropriate for the black/silver color scheme, can't imagine why they changed it...

Enough fashion reporting... Though I do want to emphasize the quality of the finish compared to other current HW45s...some people may not realise how flawless they used to be, before the moulds got worn, and this model is top notch in that regard.

The gun shoots like other HW45s, so nothing to say there.

_________________
Why, whenever there's a shooting, do the politicians go after the people who didn't do it?

A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well. - Murphy's Other Laws

Thanks for the info Craig.

It seems as though there was more care in applying the finish in this HW45 model. That's nice to see. A thick finish can cover up the small surface imperfections.

I'm not sure I would like the tru-glo front sight but I would have to try it to be sure. Currently, I prefer a square blocky post on my pistols. Hmmm... but my aging eyes migh like a tru-glo.

The grip looks like the same contour as the HW75 I had. A 1911 grip will not fit, since there is no metal in the frame bottom to screw it to.

What calibre did you get?
Velocity?
Where did you buy from?
Price?

Thanks,
Todd

Hi Todd,

I'm not sure it's just the finish...don't want to scrape it on purpose to see how thick it is...pretty sure it's the "mould" is fresher...you'd see what I mean if it was in hand, an exceptionally consistant look. But heck, I don't know what they can do nowadays, though you know what they say about needing an even surface to start with if you expect an even finish.

Well, if you don't like the Tru-Glo, in your and my cases we just swap the top frames in a minute to the other black one and use the Tru-Glo top frame with the red dot. However, I specifically wanted to use open sights and did want to try the Tru-Glo for that, I do find it useful so far though I had no issue with the black sights either.

I got mine in .22 which AFAIK is all that's available here right now, from D&L. I am not sure what caliber I will set it up as, possibly will leave it as .22. I was originally planning on changing it, having one HW45 in each of the calibers. However, after playing with .20 again in another 45, I still do not find it more worthwhile than .177 or .22 due to pellet selection/availability reasons; I'm not going to use .20 just because I have it IOW so my plans have changed.

Powerplant appears identical to the black/white-lettered version and seems to give the same performance, no diff there so far but it's probably not broken in yet (though I don't expect a huge change). They have really made the action pretty slick over the years, much reducing the closing force. The cocking linkage is not quite as good/solid-looking to me as it once was, but is obviously strong enough.

_________________
Why, whenever there's a shooting, do the politicians go after the people who didn't do it?

A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well. - Murphy's Other Laws

I don't know what people feel the etiquette is to posting their own experience in "someone else's" review thread, but feel free in this one, I sure don't mind, info is info, and this is largely opinion anyway...

I have put a fair number of pellets through this pistol considering the short time I've had it. Did I ever mention the action is very slick? Now, I thought the black/white-lettered HW45 was very noticeably slicker than the slightly older black one, and MUCH more so than the even older blue-grey one. After shooting them all back-to-back-to-back, the Silver Star setup is ridiculously smooth. Effortless...HW30Sish...girly... It still takes some effort to cock, and to hit a small target, so you won't feel totally debagged when you put this pistol back in your Prada gun tote...

I don't know if this is a manufacturing tolerance issue, but I don't think so, I know what creates the closing force and it is IMO designed lighter. Very nice! Also, contrary to my expectation (and this gun has not stopped significantly white-smoking yet, though it is NOT new-dieseling per se, I've had one of those before!), the gun's velocities with some pellet types have settled in somewhat higher than the penultimate HW45 I got maybe 8 months ago. Velocities often are such that TCooper's numbers in his review are very close...I have always considered them the "ultimate" goal just because my other 45s fall short of matching them by quite a bit (to me). This aspect may be powerplant "manufacturing tolerances" or luck of the draw, but it's still rather encouraging and suits the extra degree of care that seems to have been spent on this HW45 version.

I suppose it's pretty obvious to those familiar with them, but the trick of the Tru-Glo is to line up the 3 dots, and not the sight edges as with the previous sight versions. I presume this is why the "black" above the front red dot is so slight, to minimise target obscuration. For those not used to them (or at least me...), it does take a little time to unlearn the "natural" edge alignment method the eye seems drawn to...putting 3 dots in a row is pretty easy too.

_________________
Why, whenever there's a shooting, do the politicians go after the people who didn't do it?

A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well. - Murphy's Other Laws

Hi Craig,

Possibly, the new Silver Star has some decent factory lube that accounts for the smoothness. My 2002 HW45 is quite smooth/slick with the moly paste inside. This example has the black letter "engraving".

Do you use the top edge on the front fibre optic post to determine your POA? Line up dots and put top edge where you want pellet to hit?





Cheers,
Todd

Hi Todd,

It's not a matter of lube re the closing force, it's a whole different level of force compared to way back. That's what I meant by "slick". Some people have said they would even cock the trigger when closing the top frame to make it easier. I never do, even with the comparatively substantial force needed with my first HW45, I'm used to it. The white-lettered one is noticeably less force than that, and the Silver Star *another* level of force less even (like 2 finger easy, really no effort at all). I have not taken the newer HW45s apart to have a look at how the parts that may affect this have changed...I remember I looked into it a bit a ways back when I last mentioned this to you...and now I forget what I had found... Anyway, perhaps I should have described it as "light" instead of "slick", owners of newer models (from this century??) won't know what they're not missing...

Re the lube thing in general, there was a big blob of grease put on the breech seal. Aside from some of this getting into the barrel at the breech, the bore was spotless clean. Whatever chamber lube they used, or how much of it, it sure gives a LOT of white smoke, much more than the last one ever did. There was never any audible or chrony-measurable dieseling and the velocity went up with initial shooting (as opposed to a down trend if there was some initial dieseling).

As for the sights: the fibres are *very* near the edges of the post/notch, and are surrounded by a tiny bit of metal on all sides of the dots re the sight picture, that pic above is not the greatest representation of it. Now don't go by me because I'm new at this sight, but so far I have it set up so I just line up the 3 dots right under where I want to hit. Basically the same as with the solid post. The slight (and I mean slight) bit of metal above the front post fibre would not affect any but the very best HW45 shooters...I imagine...I have no way to tell! I have not chosen the pellet I will "permanently" set the sights up for yet, and in fact I have not even selected the caliber I'll keep it as for sure (it would void warranty I presume if I changed it)...still sussing out the new toy.

I cannot get the trigger adjusted quite the same as the other HW45s. The factory setting seemed awfully lame compared to what I'm used to. The original owner of the first HW45 I got had the trigger adjusted to within an inch of its life, kinda scary at first. I adjusted the next HW45's trigger to match it, but it was only an adjustment of pull weight from factory setting IIRC. This SS trigger was factory set nowhere near the last one (in fact, at first I thought the trigger was broken I had to pull it so far and hard, I was not used to needing so "much" force so didn't apply it), I'm still playing with it, but I already have screws a and b fully clockwise and lightened c (as I call it) a couple turns anti-clockwise. I wonder if the trigger guts are slightly changed? Probably not, just needs to be worked in... I have no idea what HW45 trigger setups others like, and I'm really not hugely fussy, just trying to "copy" the other guns. Actually, it's very good the way it is now, just different and it would be nice if they were all ~ the same...might as well obsess on it though, that's what toys are for...

_________________
Why, whenever there's a shooting, do the politicians go after the people who didn't do it?

A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well. - Murphy's Other Laws

Hi Craig,

It sounds like your HW45-SS has a weaker Safety Rod Spring (Part 9042). A weaker spring, in conjunction with a smooth top on the Hammer (Part 9783)... and some good lube on the hammer-to-pin(8905) will give a "slicker" closing of the pistol frame. Someone could likely chop a coil or two off the spring if they were concerned with the closing effort. A slight polish and lube on the hammer's contact surface wouldn't hurt either.

http://my.tbaytel.net/~coopers@tbaytel. ... TS_DIAGRAM

Cheers,
Todd

^ Yeah, I figured they changed 9042 some years back. I don't want to take my newer 45s apart to look though, until absolutely necessary. I do kinda like the way the action on the oldest one jumps open because of the stronger spring, but the lighter spring is all-round more pleasant. I have put a bit of moly on the usual spots, just for wear really.

I think the SS is broken in now, it behaves like the others. I am not the best describer as I don't even notice the gun's recoil or weight due to familiarity, some commonly-mentioned detractors to first-time HW45 purchasers. The grip size is chunkier than the usual slab grips, and also a bit larger than the Beeman combat grips in the lower palm, would be comfortable in a slightly larger hand than they might. Bear in mind with the SS you have almost no choice in grips (I presume the HW75 one will fit), totally unlike the other models, so this could be an issue for some. I do not like the cream color in the laminate, would much have preferred black and it would "match" better. I wonder why they changed it from the originally-advertised prototype...could it have been because of the way they rough up the grip?? (The prototype had smooth grips.) If anybody knows how they did that, please tell. It looks to me like it could have been done with a pulsed laser, and if so I suspect the black absorbed too much light/heat and didn't pit so evenly compared to the other lighter-colored laminates. Speculation...

_________________
Why, whenever there's a shooting, do the politicians go after the people who didn't do it?

A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well. - Murphy's Other Laws