The Beeman R7 - part two

Part one

Mid Era R7

I think to further understand what the R7 is, it is best to realize what it is not. This is not a “magnum” airgun, but the power that you get from a single cock of the barrel is still greater than 10 pumps from a Crosman 760. Your paltry 18 lbs of exertion will yield about 7 to 8 ft lbs at the muzzle, which is ideal for basement or backyard targets and plinking. It can even be called on for pest control or light hunting at modest ranges. The reality is it is probably more in line with what many shooters really need.

This is a FWB 124 Deluxe, just to compare length of forearm cut.

Speaking of performance, expect closer to what the factory states then what Beeman suggests. This means about 630 fps in .177 instead of 700 fps.

The discharge is about as quiet as a Springer gets and much less than CO2 or an unshrouded PCP.

Not a target rifle, but it holds its own

I have owned two R7’s and one HW30S.

The first R-7 was not as consistent as my HW30S, just luck of the draw. I had owned the R-7 for some time, and no doubt my early tinkering had something to do with that. The HW30S was kept longer because it is a special order black and nickel and was simply different from the rest of my collection. It sported a PW advanced tune for smooth, not power and it was.

HW30S with PW tune

Now speaking of tuning, Paul Watts builds a good case for it, however if any rifle is a good candidate for a self tune, this is it. If it has no ills, a sample kit of lubes and the spacers from JM will run less than $30 and be sufficient for many more tunes.

Slinging lead, the spacers stop galling but it is not so bad as is...

I actually used my first R-7 as payment on a Paul Watts tune for my HW50S.

While nothing is certain but change, I think I’ll always keep an R-7 or HW30S on hand. They are such a pleasure to shoot and built to last a life time all while delivering pride of ownership.