Most shooters buying a spring-powered rifle will be only too happy to pick it up, shoot it and enjoy it, but many others will want to install a tuning kit. Changing some of the factory-standard internal components for better quality items, or at least those made with slightly different dimensions, tolerances or materials, can make a big difference to the way a rifle performs.
The Weihrauch HW57 is a spring-powered underlever, just like its better-known big brothers, the HW77 and HW97. But unlike these two rifles, where a pellet is loaded directly into the breech, the 57 uses a pop-up loading gate, which makes cocking the rifle a slightly different process.
Tuning kits are used to make a gun smoother to operate, more consistent in velocity and more accurate, and are useful for tweaking and improving a rifle that’s either already exhibiting a problem - or at the very least is in dire need of a service. But what about a rifle that’s performing well from the outset? Are there any gains to be made? Might any unnecessary tinkering actually make things worse?