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Pellet Guide · Weihrauch HW100

Best Pellets for the Weihrauch HW100: A Tested Approach

Ask which pellet is best for the Weihrauch HW100 and you'll get a slightly unusual answer: a lot of owners say theirs isn't especially fussy. That's worth knowing before you spend money on tins — but "unfussy" still isn't "identical", and the only way to find the difference is to measure it.

Why the HW100 is a slightly different case

The HW100 is a pre-charged pneumatic with a shrouded barrel and a 14-shot rotary magazine, sold in .177 and .22 (with .20 on some variants). Barrel length runs from around 410 mm on the carbine up to roughly 600 mm on the longer rifles. The detail that shapes your test, though, is the regulator: unlike many rivals, the HW100 has always been regulated, using Weihrauch's own chamber-based system.

That matters more than it sounds:

• The fill curve is mostly removed as a variable. On an unregulated rifle, half the job of a pellet test is avoiding the parts of the fill where velocity is drifting. Here the regulator holds velocity flat across most of the charge, so a difference you see between two pellets is more likely to be the pellet.
• You still have a floor. Once the cylinder drops to the regulator's working pressure, consistency goes. Published shot counts vary a lot by model — the classic HW100 fills to 200 bar for roughly 50–60 shots in .22, while the newer HW100 X fills to 250 bar and is quoted far higher. Know your rifle's number and stop testing before it.
• Sub-12 or FAC changes the answer. A UK sub-12 ft·lb HW100 and an FAC-rated one won't agree on pellet weight. Heavy pellets that stabilise well at higher power can fall out of their comfortable window at 11.5 ft·lb.

The "unfussy" reputation is real enough that it's repeated across owner threads — but read those threads closely and owners are still naming different favourites. Unfussy means fewer bad pellets, not one obvious winner.

Where Weihrauch HW100 owners commonly start

These are the pellets that come up repeatedly in UK airgun forum threads and published reviews for the HW100 and its close relative the HW110. Treat this as a shortlist to test, not a result — we have not run controlled tests on your rifle, and neither has anyone else. Note how varied the reported favourites are: that variety is the point.

.177

Pellet	Typical weight	Why it's on the list
QYS Streamlined	9.56 gr	Named specifically by HW100 and HW110 owners as their barrel's favourite — the most HW-specific recommendation on this list.
JSB Exact (4.52 head)	8.44 gr	Reported to edge ahead of the alternatives at longer range; the head size is part of the recommendation.
JSB Exact Express	7.87 gr	The lighter option; some owners report it shooting remarkably well where heavier pellets don't.
Air Arms Diabolo Field	8.44 gr	Made by JSB and a near-twin of the Exact — a sensible control in any test.

.22

Pellet	Typical weight	Why it's on the list
Air Arms Diabolo Field	16 gr	The most repeated .22 recommendation in HW100 threads; medium-heavy suits the platform.
JSB Exact Jumbo	15.89 gr	The direct JSB counterpart, usually tested alongside the Air Arms tin.
H&N Field Target Trophy	14.66 gr	Reported by HW100 owners for accuracy and for the antimony-hardened alloy, which resists damage in the magazine and in the pocket.
Air Arms Diabolo Hunter	varies	At least one owner reports their HW100 preferring the Hunter over the Field — worth a tin if the obvious choices disappoint.

Whichever you pick, buy them in two head sizes where the retailer offers the choice — commonly 4.50/4.51/4.52 mm in .177, and around 5.5x mm in .22 (the exact options differ between JSB and H&N). One .177 recommendation above is specifically for the 4.52 head, which tells you how much this variable can matter. Re-testing a single pellet across two head sizes is routinely the cheapest accuracy gain available.

How to run the test

The method is the same one in our pellet testing guide — the short version, adapted to the Weihrauch HW100:

1. Three to five candidates from the shortlist above, ideally spanning two weights and two head sizes.
2. Off a rest, bipod or bags. You're testing the pellet, not your hold.
3. One distance, the one you actually shoot — 25 or 50 yards for most field use.
4. Stay above the regulator. The HW100's reg does most of the work for you, but once the cylinder falls to its working pressure the consistency goes. Refill before you get there rather than testing on the last few shots.
5. Two or three 5-shot groups per pellet, all in one session, in similar wind. A single group lies.
6. Measure every group and compare averages. Not "that looks tighter" — the actual millimetres.

Wind is the variable most likely to corrupt the result, and lighter .177 pellets are the most exposed to it. If it's gusty, either wait or read reading the wind for air rifle first and test on the lulls. Use the group size chart to check what your numbers mean at your distance.

What to log (and why the lot number matters)

A pellet test is only worth as much as the record you keep of it. For every group, log:

• Pellet, weight and head size — "JSB Exact" alone won't be enough in six months.
• Lot / batch number from the base of the tin. Batches shift. If you find a great tin, buy more of that lot; if your groups suddenly open up, a batch change is the first suspect.
• Distance and group size in millimetres, centre to centre.
• Conditions — wind, temperature, and roughly how many shots into the fill you were, so you can rule the regulator in or out later.
• Velocity if you have a chronograph. Extreme spread and standard deviation tell you whether the rifle or the pellet is the limiting factor — see chronograph numbers explained.

Frequently asked

What is the best pellet for a Weihrauch HW100?

There's no single answer that holds for every rifle. In .177, owners most often name QYS Streamlined 9.56 gr and JSB Exact in the 4.52 head; in .22, Air Arms Diabolo Field 16 gr comes up most, with H&N Field Target Trophy close behind. Those are starting points, not verdicts — shoot three or four over measured groups in one session and let the numbers decide.

Is the HW100 fussy about pellets?

Less than most, by reputation. A recurring theme in owner threads is that the HW100 shoots a wide range of decent pellets acceptably well, which is not something you hear about every rifle. That's a reason to worry less about picking a bad tin — but the same threads still show owners settling on different favourites, so it isn't a reason to skip testing.

Should I shoot .177 or .22 in an HW100?

The HW100 is sold in .177 and .22, with .20 on some variants. In a sub-12 ft·lb rifle, .177 gives a flatter trajectory and more forgiving range estimation; .22 delivers more retained energy per shot and stays popular for hunting. Neither is inherently more accurate — pellet-to-barrel matching matters more than the calibre.

Does the regulator change how I should test?

It simplifies it. Because the HW100 is regulated as standard, velocity stays flat across most of the fill, so you don't have to work as hard to isolate the pellet from the air. The one rule that still applies: stop before the cylinder drops to the regulator's working pressure, because consistency falls away below it and you'll blame the pellet for the rifle.