I was very lucky to add an R8 to my stash recently. Here in the US, this is perhaps the best-known member of Weihrauch’s original HW 50 rifle “family.”
The HW 50 was introduced in 1951 or so—HW’s first post-war air rifle design—and made for 45+ years in many variants (the current “HW 50” is quite different, introduced as the “HW 99” in the late 90’s). The excellent HW 55 target rifle was made from the same basic kit of parts. The old 50’s and 55’s are very solid rifles--the smallest HW design using the famous threaded-on rear receiver--and with the R8, the action gained not only a more “American” stock, but a synthetic piston seal and auto safety.
Here are two shots of the R8 (bottom rifle), together with a 1960-ish HW 50 with deluxe checkered stock, and an early-70’s HW 50S with plain wood and Williams aperture sight:
And a couple solo shots of the new toy. I gotta hand it to Doc Beeman on this creation—the Gary Goudy styling, lovely finish, and well-executed details make for a very appealing rifle. You get the feeling this is what an R7 wants to be when it grows up!
It’s interesting to compare the handling of these guns. The plain-jane 50S is really the most comfortable overall to me; it’s slender and rounded in the hand, balances slightly nose-heavy, and I love the secure feeling of my fingers sinking into those fore end grooves. Dimensionally it fits me like a custom bird gun, coming to the shoulder quickly with the sights perfectly aligned.
The R8 handles well too, of course, but differently. It's noticeably heavier, with the balance point about 1.5” farther to the rear; and more comfortable around the grip, adding really excellent checkering and placing the hand closer to the trigger. It sits slightly higher on your shoulder so I imagine would be a bit better for scope use.