Haenel Modell 303-Super Luftgewehr

[salmon creek gary]

During tourist travel to East Berlin in the early 1980s (before the wall came down), I was able to buy a pretty nice air rifle for a remarkably low price. My sons and I enjoyed plinking with it off & on over the next few years, but it went into storage in about 1993 when we all grew up and went separate ways.

I recently uncovered that air rifle among a number of other things that we haven't touched for decades. All the parts seem to be there, and it still shoots; however, it has developed some surface rust spots. Wondering about value (i.e. is it actually worth restoring?), I found some markings indicating it is a Model 303 Super, manufactured in Suhl, Germany (which was still GDR at that time), by the Haenel company. A little googling revealed that the Haenel company, founded in 1840, is a rather well-known manufacturer of firearms. Yes, it's the same Haenel that manufactured the Schmeisser.

I'll try to attach photos so you can see what I have; if I'm lucky, someone might be able to judge whether it looks restorable. I would also welcome advice regarding how to go about it (or who to have do the work, since that would be totally new territory for me). I'm responsible for the out-of-focus pictures. Photography is also strange territory for me, although I managed some decent shots of the rust spots. The detailed shots showing the markings and foresight (all identical to mine) were cropped from some pics that I found on-line.

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[Andy54Hawken]

Neat air rife for sure.
I would suggest using bronze wool and KROIL for the removal of the rust...
A little dab of KROIL on the rusted areas , wait a few minutes , followed by a light rubbing / brushing with the bronze wool.

As for value....I'll give ya $25.00 to take that old rusty Commie gun off yer hands....
Just kidding here of course....I do like GDR firearms....but I have no idea of the value of your neat air rifle.
Andy

 

[daved20319]

Looks like a poor man's match rifle, the stock design and sights are in line with that sort of use. Can't help with value, although German air guns are almost all high quality, and that one has some features that only top quality springers had. My suggestion would be to contact Pilkguns.com, they specialize in match rifles, both new and vintage, and if they can't give you a value, should be able to point you to someone that can. Andy's suggestion for rust is good, just don't get too carried away. A little rust won't hurt it's value much if it is collectible, major finish damage will. BTW, the sights alone could be worth a fair amount, they look like high quality, and being vintage will only add to their value. Personally, I wouldn't do a thing until I had some idea of its value.

Just out of curiosity, do you have any idea of its velocity? If everything is in good shape, it should be around 600 FPS, maybe a little higher or lower, assuming it was meant to be a match rifle. 800 would put it in the sporter category, much under 500 probably indicates it needs a tune-up, i.e. new main spring, breech and piston seals. Fairly easy job usually, assuming you can find parts, but you'd definitely want to do some homework first. Good luck, and if there's something I can help with, let me know.

Dave

 

[salmon creek gary]

Andy, thanks for the tip about bronze wool and KROIL. As to value, there seems to be little info on-line, only a hint that it might be worth a bit north of $25.

Dave, thanks for steering me - I'll be getting in touch with the folks at pilkguns. Velocity? No idea, but considering the lengthy storage time, it wouldn't surprise me if seals have dried. When searching info, I found some reference to a Sporter version of this air rifle. I think the E. Berlin shopkeeper told me that such air rifles are used for training. For what, I never learned; his English & my German didn't get beyond "training".

 

[turq]

Crosman sells a nice little tube of silicon oil for their air guns might help the seals if you can't find a rebuild kit right away.

 

[Elgamo]

I would estimate that Haenel at a realistic $325-$350. They were always a good medium+ quality. They were also good functionally. Yours is probably leather sealed. Silicone or Ballistol should rejuvenate the seals. The above information in the other posts seems correct to me.

 

[salmon creek gary]

Well, I finally got around to working with the Kroil and bronze wool that I bought in May 2020. (Yeah, time flies when checking the weekly update to covid-19 stats becomes a high point of existence.) Partial disassembly of the Haenel was easy. Some very careful rubbing with bronze wool has made the rust damage less obvious. "Vanish" would be wishful thinking, but it's still a big improvement over what I saw when I first uncased that rifle in early 2020. Once again, I want to thank everyone for their comments & advice.

FWIW to anyone who comes across this thread in the future. With hindsight, it is perfectly clear to me now, what I wish I'd known 30 some years ago: long term storage of a rifle in a fleece lined gun case is a p-poor idea.

 

[po18guy]

I think that, once re-furbed a bit, you will get a lot of enjoyment out of the gun. If it is hard to break the action for cocking, remember that the East German women's swim team had no such trouble. I was given an old Crosman that had rusted. I used Big 45 Frontier "mystery wool" and DuPont Teflon spray lube. It worked wonders. Since I had nothing to lose, I de-greased it and applied cold blue. After a rinse, I lubed it up well.

While I might not advise this method on your gun, it made a huge difference and the blue did not mess with the existing finish - it only blued the exposed steel.

 

[salmon creek gary]

. . . . I de-greased it and applied cold blue. After a rinse, I lubed it up well.

While I might not advise this method on your gun, it made a huge difference and the blue did not mess with the existing finish - it only blued the exposed steel.

Thanks for that info. As I worked with the bronze wool, I wondered about using cold blue if I accidentally took off some of the original blueing. My only previous experience like this was refurbishing the $12 shotgun I bought at age 11. My job then wasn't a half-measure; I took it down to bare metal so my uncle could hot blue it for me.

 

[po18guy]

Try a small area - perhaps under the wood.

 

[salmon creek gary]

Back again with a report. First, I deserve an A+ for procrastination. The Kroil and brass wool magic was completed less than a year after I started this thread. As reported earlier, that process worked just fine. I did buy some 92% alcohol and a bottle of cold blue, but I never saw any areas that needed improvement.

And that's where it all stopped. The parts laid around long enough to develop a coat of dust before I decided to test my memory of how all that stuff goes back together. Last week, with only a couple errors, I finally got it properly reassembled. It cocks smoothly and gives a satisfactory "PHFUP" when I pull the trigger. Now, it seems time to buy some pellets and set about scaring some empty soda cans.

Due to the age of this gun, I am curious (apprehensive?) about velocity; however, I'll admit to having no idea how to test that. Any suggestions are welcome.

 

[po18guy]

A basic chronograph is the best. You can use it for comparison of pellet weight/velocities as well as firearms use. The Acetech AC5000 is about $55 and is dedicated pellet/airsoft chrono. Here's ProChrono digatal for $100, which is an excellent deal - if he still has it.

https://offerup.com/item/detail/8f572fa0-6631-311f-aa70-4a3ccbc04705?q=velocity+chronograph

 

[Xaevian]

Back again with a report. First, I deserve an A+ for procrastination. The Kroil and brass wool magic was completed less than a year after I started this thread. As reported earlier, that process worked just fine. I did buy some 92% alcohol and a bottle of cold blue, but I never saw any areas that needed improvement.

And that's where it all stopped. The parts laid around long enough to develop a coat of dust before I decided to test my memory of how all that stuff goes back together. Last week, with only a couple errors, I finally got it properly reassembled. It cocks smoothly and gives a satisfactory "PHFUP" when I pull the trigger. Now, it seems time to buy some pellets and set about scaring some empty soda cans.

Due to the age of this gun, I am curious (apprehensive?) about velocity; however, I'll admit to having no idea how to test that. Any suggestions are welcome.

I can't wait until you fire it and let us know in the next year or 2.

 

[bivy53]

I use one of these on my air rifles. Cheap and accurate.

 

[Nowhere Kansas]

During tourist travel to East Berlin in the early 1980s (before the wall came down), I was able to buy a pretty nice air rifle for a remarkably low price. My sons and I enjoyed plinking with it off & on over the next few years, but it went into storage in about 1993 when we all grew up and went separate ways.

I recently uncovered that air rifle among a number of other things that we haven't touched for decades.

I came across this thread while researching my own two 303 Supers that, like you, I also bought in East Berlin in 1988 while it was still the DDR.
I'm betting we bought them in the same shop!
Having stored them in silicone sleeves they look new but I'm pretty sure the seals need rejuvenated.
Thanks for the silicone tip as I would have probably used oil on them and probably ruined them.