Gun Trade Insider (GTI): Felix, you are the fifth generation of your family to run Weihrauch. What is the most important lesson your father, Hans-Hermann, taught you about the family business?
Felix Weihrauch (FW): As a long existing company with over 125 years of experience and history, we always have the need to transform the company based on the current circumstances and regulations. Therefore, it was always important to offer the classic designs as well as new developed products. The important lesson my dad told me is that you always need to keep your eyes and ears to the market as well as offering a good mix of products.
GTI: How do you, your management colleague Thilo Schallenkammer and your father work together to lead the company?
FW: As a management team, everyone needs to focus on specific topics as everyone has a business units they are responsible for. We have a meeting every day to discuss and focus on the day’s specific topics and make the important decisions for the company together. Furthermore, we try to be present at the shopfloor several times a day to stay in contact with the different departments and team leaders.
GTI: Weihrauch is a “classic” brand. How do you mix 125 years of tradition with modern technology?
FW: We never forget our roots, so it is important to remember where we came from and what we have achieved with our various models. We are permanently working on making our existing products even better and are always in contact with our dealers and wholesalers for the market needs. Based on these experiences we are always working on new developments and products for the specific markets.
GTI: The HW100 X has a 250 bar fill. Was this change to give more shots or to make the gun lighter?
FW: Our goal was to make both possible, the more shots and to lighten the gun. Only focusing on one of these points to find a solution was not our aim, we wanted to realise both.
Felix is the fifth generation of the Weihrauch family to run the company.
GTI: You are adding adjustable cheekpieces to many models. Why is gun fit so important for you?
FW: We added adjustable cheekpieces and buttplates to several models to make them fit as suitable as possible. We think that the gun should always fit the user and each person is different.
GTI: How was IWA 2026 in Nuremberg?
FW: IWA 2026 was quite busy. We presented our HW 100 X Series and the HW 35 – Edition 75 to the market. Furthermore, the IWA is especially important to us meeting all our customers from all over the world at one place and in a few days. Besides the public shows like Dortmund or Birmingham, we are very pleased that we still have an international B2B trade show in Germany.
GTI: Why is it still important to make almost every part “in-house” in Germany rather than buying components from elsewhere?
FW: As a German manufacturer we focus on quality made in Germany and want to have the knowledge and the processes in-house. Buying components from elsewhere does always mean having more dependencies from outside the company.
The Weihrauch name has been a fixture in German gunmaking for 125 years.
GTI: How do you feel about the global airgun trade right now? Is it a healthy time for the industry?
FW: From our perspective airguns have worldwide appeal. Over the years they have gained an important position on the market. Current tariffs, wars and uncertain future circumstances unfortunately do affect the entire world and the well-achieved globalisation and business activities.
GTI: With energy and material costs rising, how do you keep Weihrauch guns affordable for regular shooters?
FW: The price point is besides the quality an important criterion for the customer. As the costs, wages and materials are permanently rising, we are constantly focusing on all our processes to improve and make them more efficient. Therefore, we are also investing in new machines to optimise the production process. Standardisation does also help to keep the Weihrauch guns affordable.
GTI: You brought back the synthetic stock for the HW30. Are you seeing more demand for “all-weather” airguns?
FW: Our customers are focusing on airguns with organic and non-organic materials. Especially regarding the stocks, there are diverse needs and various possible applications. We needed to pause this specific stock for some time and have now relaunched it to our portfolio.
GTI: Many people still love the HW97 and HW35. Why do you think these spring-powered rifles stay so popular in a PCP world?
FW: Spring-powered models like the HW 35 or HW 97 remain popular because they work completely independently of compressed-air equipment, are extremely durable, easy to handle, always ready to shoot, and require a refined shooting technique. Many shooters also appreciate their classic steel-and-wood design. While PCP rifles may offer technical advantages, spring-piston rifles provide a unique and traditional shooting experience.
GTI: Are you planning to release special barrels specifically for shooters who want to use slugs?
FW: We are always testing pellets and are in contact with the main pellet manufacturers to get the best accuracy and performance from our guns.
GTI: How are you testing your rifles to make sure they stay accurate with lead-free pellets?
FW: We do have several shooting ranges in-house to shoot and test our products with the various pellets available on the market. Furthermore, we are also offering lead-free pellets branded with our label – F&T Green – available in .177 and .22 calibre.
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