Best Scopes for the Weihrauch HW97K

The first filter is recoil. A spring-piston rifle produces a sharp two-way recoil that can shift the reticle, loosen internals or crack a lens in a scope that was never designed for it. Look for an explicit airgun or springer rating on the listing. Airgun-specific ranges such as Hawke's Airmax are built for this duty, but always confirm the rating for the exact model you are buying. The HW97K has a reputation for a smooth shot cycle, but smooth is not recoil-free, and a springer rating is not optional.

Next, parallax and magnification. Choose a scope whose side-focus wheel or adjustable objective reaches down to about 10 yards, because centrefire scopes with a fixed 100-yard parallax will give you aiming errors at airgun distances. For general hunting, 3-9x or 3-12x keeps the field of view wide for finding rabbits and squirrels at 20 to 45 yards, and a 4-12x is a sensible step up. Reserve 4-16x or 6-24x for target work: higher power magnifies every wobble and narrows the view. Our guide to air rifle scope magnification explains the trade-off in detail.

Mounting matters more on a springer than on any other rifle. The HW97K has 11 mm dovetail grooves in the receiver, so you need 11 mm rings or a quality one-piece mount. Use rings with a recoil stop pin or an arrestor block, and check whether your rifle's dovetail has a stop hole for the pin to locate in. Without a positive stop, scope creep, where the scope slowly slides rearward under recoil, will wreck your zero. Tighten to the maker's torque, degrease the surfaces, and leave generous eye relief, because a springer's recoil moves the scope back toward your eye. The raised cheekpiece on the standard stock usually suits medium-height rings with a 40 to 44 mm objective. Our ring and mount height guide covers the maths.

Think about weight and handling. The HW97K is a substantial rifle at roughly 4 kg before you add a scope, so a long, heavy scope with a 50 mm objective and a bolt-on night vision clip-on will make it front-heavy. A compact 3-12x40 or 4-16x44 balances better and is easier to carry through woodland. That is why the compact 30 mm Airmax models are worth a look if you want an illuminated reticle for dusk and dim barns.

On cost, the live catalogue shows the Hawke Airmax 3-9x40 AO from around £169, the 4-12x40 and 4-12x50 AO models from around £188 to £219, and the 30 mm compact 3-12x40 and 4-16x44 illuminated models from roughly £260 to £340, at the time of writing. Prices and stock change daily, so use the live picks above. The HW97K's trigger and accuracy reward good glass, but do not skimp on the rings: buy secure mounts first, then the best scope you can afford.

Finally, zero it with the technique the rifle likes. Springers dislike a tight grip, so zero using the same relaxed hold you will use in the field, then check the zero at 30 to 35 yards with a three-shot group. Re-check after the first few hundred shots as the rifle beds in, and after any knock. Our guide to zeroing an air rifle scope has the step-by-step. As always, shoot only with the landowner's permission and a safe backstop; in Scotland an Air Weapon Certificate is required for an air rifle.