Arminius HW357

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bud45

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Just looking for an honest opinion: I've seen the threads from last year or so of the .22 and .38 caliber wheelguns, but has anyone ACTUALLY had their hands on & shot the 6" .357 model? I've just handled one, but not shot it (severe anti-weapon policy at our workplace, so I was shown it under cover behind the truck door!), and it looks very tight & pretty well-made. Since I can't carry my 2" S&W Model 19 in the Management hunting area (must have at least a 4" barrel), I was wondering if the Arminius would be worth carrying in the woods. Don't want to carry anything expensive, in case I get dumped in the river or lose it in the swamp, but was looking for at LEAST the power of a .357 in case a hog trees me!

No flames, please just honest opinion and a fair market value...the guy's hurtin' & only paid $40 for it. If it's worth my tuime, I'll have a NCIC run on it....Thanks.
 
I've never owned or shot one. I can only pass on what I've heard & read. Arminius is a German manufacturer (for whatever that's worth - but German stuff is typically pretty good). New guns from this maker were very inexpensive - like "Saturday Night Special" inexpensive. The guns are typically ugly & cheap looking. However, the guns are actually of good quality - have pretty good actions - are durable - and and are pretty accurate.

If it looks okay - for less than $100 - I'd take a chance on it. In no situation, though, would I see giving more than $200 for anything from that manufacturer. It sounds like the perfect knock about woods gun that you are looking for.

PS:
If this one doesn't work out; look at Taurus, Rossi & older Charter Arms .357's & .44Spls. All are fairly inexpensive manufacturers that produce pretty good pieces. For the partcular purpose you cite - perhaps you should consider something in .44 Spl.
* In about a 25 to 30 ounce weight range gun - you can find something with a shorter barrel (3") that would be lighter & handier to carry.
* For your needs, the caliber is a very effective round - regardless of velosity or bullet configuration - especially from short barrels.
* The .44 Spl produces much less muzzel flash, less noise and less perceived recoil than a .357.
 
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HW model numbers are usually associated with Weihrauch, a German manufacturer who does mostly high quality airguns and target .22 firearms.

Is Arminius a manufacturer or a seller?
 
sub-Rossi

I had an Arminius - .22lr revolver. It's German, but it's cheap, clearly not high-quality (inspect it), low-end . It worked, but I got rid of it before I had a chance to test longer-term durability. Arminius has a reputation similar to, or actually a bit below, Rossi in my location. Might be good for a cheap knock-around woods gun.
 
JohnKSa, upon looking at a Google search, I found some stuff, with the main "hit" being a dealer down in Australia who was really touting 'em as good guns- the .357, I mean. The other sites were all in German, so I didn't waste too much time. In just handling the gun (which I had to do with my & my friend's back to a camera!), it seemed to be pretty good quality. Too, I believe the Germans make good stuff- I suppose Arminius is a mfr., but I'm not sure.

There are at least six versions of the HW357, several of which were competition pistols, so this leads me to believe accuracy would be a high standard in this particular line....

Maybe my buddy will let me do a more cursory inspection & test it's ability before I make any decisions...!?

Any other info/practical experience with the HW357 is appreciated...please, no "I heard that so-and-so" experiences!

Bud
 
Quote:
"...please, no "I heard that so-and-so" experiences!"
------------------------------------------------------------------
Well then, this will probably be a pretty short thread. Considering that personal experiences with these guns is probably similar to that of owning or driving a 1975 Ford Pinto. Just because somewone never owned or drove one doesn't mean they don't have valid opinions regarding them.
 
OK, if you page down on this URL, you will find several entries that show Arminius revolvers associated with the Weihrauch name. I'm assuming that Arminius is a seller or brand name, not a manufacturer.
http://www.akah.de/structure_defaul...232tnK2b27827282f474/R/0/N/1476858/ON/1476859
Further searching seems to establish that Arminius revolvers are definitely manufactured by Weihrauch.

I have seen exactly one Weihrauch firearm and it was a .357 or .38 revolver (can't remember the caliber.) It seemed to be good quality but was unremarkable (nothing unusual to distinguish it from any other revolver as far as I can recall). I didn't get to fire it, and really my only interest in it revolved (sorry, couldn't pass it up) around my ownership of several Weihrauch airguns. Beeman imports and sells Weihrauch airguns in the U.S. They re-label them as Beeman and assign them model numbers beginning with an R for rifles and a P for pistols. However, overseas Weihrauch sells them with an HW (Hermann Weihrauch) prefix model number.

I have never seen any quality complaints about any Weihrauch products. In fact, they enjoy an excellent reputation for quality. That assessment is based on my own experience with their airgun products and from feedback from other HW airgun owners. Unfortunately their firearms are not often found in the U.S. so my experience with them and my contact with those who use them is zero.

There's a revolver checkout procedure at the top of the revolver section of TFL. If it checks out ok using that procedure then I would say you're probably getting a pretty good revolver.
 
JohnKSa, I got a sheet of paper my buddy sent home for me to research the revolver (good pun, by the way!) and with the description, it does have, "H. Weihrauch" stamped in the right side, along with other stuff. Apparently, it was imported by I. I. E. Miami FL, since that's stamped there also.

Yeah, I'm not looking for anything stupendous or anything, just a simple woods gun; it's hard to make it up a tree with a wild hog on your tail, so I'd rather have some power in a pistol and if I drop it in the mud, no big deal. My auto doesn't have a 4" barrel, either & I didn't want it confiscated or lost in the swamp, either!

Nick 96: Point well taken about the '75 Pinto, but you know how rumors get spread: first you cut your finger and by the end of the day, someone's called yo' mama & told her you completely lost your arm!:banghead: Sometimes, it's hard to keep credible info credible, so I was actually looking for first-hand experiences. Also good points on the other mfrs., but when I hunt in the management areas, they specify the pistol barrel MUST be 4" or more. I think I may be able to get this one for about $50-60. I already have a S&W .357 (2" bbl.), so that's one less caliber I'd have to buy, although a .44 Spl. would be nice!

Thanks guys for your input! I'm going to give it a close going-over before I really decide.
 
Well, look at it this way. $50 to $60 is less than the cost of three premium factory loaded boxes of .357. I doubt it would blow up or anything so serious. And as far as nailing a pig at 10 feet - most anything should do that. So just offer him $60 for it. If it breaks after 200 rounds or so - pull it apart - take a sledge hammer to the pieces - and throw it in the trash. I expect it would end up being perfectly servicable for your stated needs for years to come though. And hey, if your friend is strapped for cash, you've earned a little good karma in the process (go ahead and throw in a burger & fries with the deal?).
 
Wow, I got possession of the HW357 today and it looks like it's been fired very little- if at all- it's clean as a pin! Nonetheless, it has a little Hoppe's solvent smell to it, but only if I get it very close to my nose. Looks like it was bought & put up, more or less...there's actually a slight dustiness in the chamber! It's very tight, no space between the chamber and barrel.

The rear sight is adjustable for windage and elevation with a standard screwdriver; both front & rear sights are large & square- good if you're not wearing your glasses during the hunt!

I'm thinking very hard about it...just waiting for my commission check to come in. I think it'll be a good investment! Thanks, all!
 
Probably a Crazy Question-

Greeting's All-

Isn't Arminus (makers of a .22LR caliber revolver called a "Burgo"
model) kind'a kin to, or sleeping in bed with Rohm (makers of the
infamous RG revolvers)? Inquiring minds would like to know.

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member
 
All right, here's part of the problem. There have been at least 3 Arminius firearms brands.

One operated between the 20's and 1945 in Zella Germany making "well made, reliable and good value at low price" gate loaded revolvers according to Pistols of the World.

Hermann Weihrauch of Mellrichstadt began using the name in the middle 1950s. Weihrauch started making bicycles and sporting guns in 1899. After the war, the company was re-established in Western Germany and began making revolvers as well. Pistols of the World calls them "Substantial pistols of good quality..." These pistols were sold in the U.S. until around 1969.

Gunmarks implies that FIE made Arminius revolvers in the U.S. after imporation stopped. I'm guessing that FIE owned the rights to the name in the U.S. Prior to the '68 Gun Control Act, FIE was purely an importer. In the wake of the act, when the import of HW pistols stopped, FIE began making their own pistols and it sounds as if they sold some of them them under the Arminius name. FIE went bankrupt in 1990.

There is a third Arminius--it is the trade name of Gregorio Bolumburu of Spain. That's all I have been able to find out about it.

Currently EAA is the exclusive importer of Weihrauch firearms to the U.S. The DA "Windicator" revolver is made by HW. In the early 1990s, there were several models of Windicator but now there's just the 2" and 4"barrel options on a single model (looks equivalent to the old EAA Standard Grade") available in .38 and .357.

Soo, it looks like there have been at least two makers of Arminius revolvers--(Two of them named Arminius in Germany and then FIE in the U.S.) It also looks like various HW products have been sold under various names in the U.S. (FIE, EAA, Weihrauch, Arminius, HW, Beeman, ?).

It also appears that the price (and maybe the quality?) of the Weihrauch firearms runs the gamut. The target grade Windicator (when it was still being imported in the early 1990s) sold for around $500 while the standard grade goes for around $250-$300 today. Still in the webcrawling I've done on this topic, I have yet to find anything negative about the reliability or function of the guns.

Then there's the mystery of the third Arminius in Spain that I can't find any information on...

I can't find any connection between Arminius and Rohm or HW and Rohm-- other than they're both revolvers made in Germany. I did find one quote saying that a particular HW revolver was virtually identical to one revolver that Rohm made.
 
armimius 44 mag

i have an arminius By-H.weihrauch made in w. germany in the town of mellrichstat. on the side it is stamped 44 arm I was told "44 army" many of the parts are the same but I am need a hammer and a couple other. These parts I haven't found yet. Mainly because I don't have a model # or schematic of the gun. It was imported by F.I.E. MIAMI/FL A .
I am not sure but I think it is single action. Many of the old repro b/p's parts fit. Not the hammer or a couple other parts. The ruger super blackhawk is nearly identical internally can anyone post pictures of the parts so I don't order the wrong ones.
THANX
 
I was given a .38 Arminus and it shot ok - I sold it for $125 and was told by several people that it was worth that or a little less. I guess I would stick with a known commodity.
 
I found this old post by googling H.Weihrauch I hope someone can direct me to a parts manufacturer that has the parts I have already tried numrichs ie E-GUNPARTS.com
 
As a last resort, you might try contacting Weihrauch to see if they have any old stock. But be careful about importing gun parts, it's easy to run afoul of the law.
 
thanks for the help

I am going to take it to a smith he should be able find or make the parts I need.:)
 
Arminius owner

I wanted to let you guys know that my HW 44mag is a great weapon. The trigger however is VERY light. I have almost blown my toes off when pulling my 44 to finish off a large east texas white tail. As a 6 shooter though, it needs a lot of tlc. Also, I have been able to hit paper at 100 yards with it.
 
Posts like yours make me wish I had bought the HW 38 I saw years ago. Of course I probably would have traded or sold it by now if I had...
 
I just brought home a Arminius HW .357 from my mother's house. It had belonged to my uncle, her brother. He bought it new in 1980, still has the receipt, for $138.50 (along with a .38 for $108.00). It looks as though it's never been fired.

According to the guarantee in the owners manual:

This revolver is distributed by the

Firearms Import and Export Corp.
2470 N. W. 21st. Street
Maimi, Florida 33142
and is made in the factory
of Sporting Arms


Hermann Weihrausch o.H.G
D 87744 Mellrichstadt
West Germany

It also includes a blow up schematic of the weapon as well as a parts list.
 
General Gun Discussions

I have a 357 Weihrauch Arminius.It is in very good condition except for a broken grip. Does anyone know where I can get parts for this gun? Thank You ,James email is [email protected]
 
It seems that this is the most informed thread Ive seen on hw guns, I just swapped for a beautiful hw4mag thats been worked over by a smith who knows his way around a gun and I am very happy with it, I would however like to something of the value of these guns if anyone can help
 
i picked up a used hw3 in 32 s&w long (posted in another thread). this was a used gun, with finish wear but a pristine barrel. when i got it home, i noticed the barrel was loose, even though it was pinned. punched the pin, removed and cleaned the barrel, and reinstalled with new loc-tite and pin. went to re-intall the front sight and noticed that it was no longer at the 12 o'clock position. there was no way that barrel was coming out without some major effort, so i took it to the range to make sure it would at least test-fire ok. it did - as long as the hammer was cocked slowly. if cocked rapidly, the cylinder would bind and not allow the hammer to fully cock about half the time.

i cannot speak intelligently about the previous owner(s) care of this revolver, so this may be of no use to you. i was disappointed - i expected more from a german firearm. i paid $95...
 
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