Talking Of Air Rifles......(Salad Days)

[Rimfireboy! 1,463]

Thinking back, even as a very small boy drooling over the airguns in the pages of mums catalogue, I always had an interest, if not a fascination with guns and shooting. Back then, shotguns and even rimfire rifles were for sale in the catalogue. I had a toy gun that fired plastic bullets from a spring loaded cartridge and I'd set up toy soldiers to shoot at across the living room. I had a dabble with making blow pipes and discovered that the longer the pipe, the more speed the projectile would achieve. This was long before I gained any knowledge of pneumatic air guns. First I had to do my time with catapults. As kids we'd spend time searching the hedgerows for a suitable fork in a branch, cut it away with our shieth knives and whittle it down to how we wanted it, and with a bit of the strongest elastic that we could find, pebbles in hand, we were away. It wasn't until some years later that a friend of mine showed me his 'proper' catapult. It sported a wrist brace and tubular bands and I couldn't believe it's power. I ended up buying it off him for a hard earned pound. I used it most days until the bands were no longer repairable. Then, out of the blue, my uncle came across, carrying an air rifle. He asked if I wanted it? Well, that was a move forward for me, fantastic. It was a BSA Merlin .22, a small lightweight air rifle like a kids copy of the airsporter. I had many a happy time with that little gun, in fact I literally wore it out. It wasn't very powerful but I spent much of my time stalking around the yard after sparrows. Along with a gat gun and a couple of Webley pistols, I was well set up. A friend had an ASI Paratrooper, an early model, it seemed really powerful and it even had telescopic sights. He took aim at a starling that appeared to me to be way out of range of an air rifle, me being used to the old Merlin. John uttered the words, 'he's saying his prayers now' as he squeezed off the shot. I was amazed to hear the 'thock' of the pellet hitting home, and the bird knocked backwards in a puff of feathers from the ridge tiles of the roof. It was time for me to move on, I needed a better rifle, and it came in the form of a big underlever air rifle, well it seemed big at the time. 'The Webley Mk 111' was inscribed on the cylinder. A 1960 model, that I still have today. What a powerhouse I thought, now I could shoot proper quarry, like rabbits and pigeons. Many more airguns have come and gone since then. I still have my Webley pistols, my Webley Vulcan that I had new in 1979, but two airguns that I most regret selling are my Sheridan blue streak and my Venom BSF B55 Custom. How I wish I still had them now.

[mackem 27,539]

Fantastic read,i remember seeing pics of the BSF but as a kid it was beyond my pockets,i used to net salmon as a boy,saved up my salmon and paper money and remember getting my first proper airgun,wembley vulcan Mk2 from the fishbowl pet shop in sunderland opposite mowbray park,the first day i had it i shot a rabbit at what seemed an incredible range (probably 25 yards),I think a guy called Rod Lynton did a review of th sheridan blue streak in one of the airgun mags years ago,happy days.

[meathumper 29]

Sounds exactly like my childhood except my first was a bsa meteor in .22 flavour. I swapped a German army survival knife for it.

[mackem 27,539]

I just remembered getting an ASI paratrooper repeater from my mates mams catalogue,they used to have 2 pages of guns in there,one shotgun and one rifle page.

[charlie caller 3,654]

Nice read, could have been me writing that my very first rifle was a Webley mk111 that was far too big for me at 8 years old,I remember the happy carefree days when we used to wander for miles with the air rifles, nobody bothered so long as you did no harm and stuck to squirrels.rabbits,pigeons etc, I feel sad for lads now, as I think I am probably from the last generation to have known such freedom and oh yes the tuned BSF b55 I had what a rifle, I regret selling (or as I seem to remember swapping it for a Sharp innova) that rifle, happy days, now long passed but i will always remember them,sometimes with a slight lump in the throat

[villaman 9,983]

Same with me that story , had my BSA Meteor in Xmas 1973 ,never putt that gun down until 1978 ,that was the year i found girls drink and at the time i thought of nothing else, silly me , at least my gun never left me like my first bird f***ing bitch

[charlie caller 3,654]

Rights of passage my friend, rights of passage

[pianoman 3,587]

Great memories here Gentlemen. The things we knew that would never be allowed today!

My dad first took me shooting when I was about 8 years old. I well remember seeing all manner of air rifles and shotguns in my mum's Great Universal catologues. I had an aunt who was living in Australia and she sent me my cousin's Webley .22 junior air rifle through the post. It packed a hell of a wallop and could knock down a rabbit very well. It was possibly way over 12 ft/lbs power but nobody seemed to care about that, or the fact that you could wander about the village and the lanes with an uncased shotgun, rifle or whatever and no-one battered an eyelid!

Dad had a beautiful .22 centrefire rifle that he'd "liberated" from a German farmhouse during his wartime service and that rifle was the first I ever shot with, before getting my cousin's air rifle. It was a really beautiful bolt action rifle. He sent it home in parcels of stripped down pieces to my gran's house and re-assembled it when he was finally demobbed and returned home in 1946..

He also sent home a stripped down MP40 'Schmiesser sub machine gun complete with magazine and a Walther PPK and holster, two Lugers and a P-38 9mm pistols, a Webley 38mm service revolver and a Raden 9mm automatic. God knows how he managed to get the parcels past security, I think he was mates with the postal guys, but there they were, along with what seemed endless supplies of 9mm and .38 ammo. Every bonfire night, he'd fill a steel dustbin full of sand and, amid the bangs and noises of everyone's back garden bonfires, he's blast away in our back garden! It was great fun to watch. the bin get blasted and dig out the spent slugs. Then came the weapons armistice in the mid 60s or thereabouts and he handed in the Lugers and P-38s etc to the Police. but, legally had the MP40 deactivated under the terms of museum and artefacts. It cost a lot to have it done and he couldn't afford to have all his war trophys deactivated. But today, I have it now, tucked safely away in my home. Still, with Birmingham deac certificate.

After all that, I was hooked on hunting with air rifles and the Webleys of the mid 1970s and early 80s were absolutely beautiful air rifles. Really nice wood stocks with full chequering and white spacers and rich, deep blueing. They were extremely accurate with Eley Wasps. Then Weihrauch started to gain a firm hold on the hunting air rifle scene with their brilliant HW35E and the HW80 that came after it. The Rekord trigger was and still is, one of the best ever found on a spring air rifle.

Then the Feinwerkbau Sport break barrel came along in 1979 or so and I had that in .22, along with an HW80K both with the first scopes I ever had. Both Tasco models with wide-angle TV-screen type objective lenses.

Anyone remember those?! Good scopes for not a lot of cash, courtesy of Uttings. I've had Air Arms TX200 rifles and still have a lovely TX200HC Mk.III .177 carbine. But I'm a Weihrauch man through and through and I've got three of their very best. HW80.22 FAC. HW77 .22 and a .177 HW97K that I'll never be parted from.

Great to remenisce about how you got started in shooting, whatever you shoot with today.

Best regards all.
Simon

[mark williams 7,561]

Absolutely relate to all above - brilliant youth i had with air rifles.

First gun i ever had was a pistol( Milbro G10 ) out of a Blackpool junk shop, my Dad bought me when he was in a good mood. That pistol was so weak my mates Gat put it to shame.

Then my Dad found out that the law forbids me having an air pistol at 10 and i would have to wait an "eternity" until i was 14 to be legal "ish". I was devastated to say the least and spent the next 4 years snaring, trapping and using a sling shot, (some tales there too ).

At 14 my hunting world opened to a new chapter,- my Dad said "stick to the wilds that you love so much" and bought me a Relum Tornado, what a beast of a looking gun at that time.

I collected Baby Sham bottles off the tip we shot over for weeks and when i had 60 of them my Dad took me to the local pub and i got £6 back, he then took me to the local sports shop and i bought a brand new 4x15 scope for my Relum for exactly £6.( i was fecking robbed !)

The next year was 24/7 on the tip and fields re- zeroing every morning,afternoon and night.

My school even had me do a seminar at the front of a few hundred pupils on air rifle hunting and the Relum Tornado scoped up.

So next came BSA Meteor , then my BSA Mercury , BSA Air sporter, then my beloved FWB 127 Sport (.22) with a 3-9 x 40 scope, sling etc, etc i used that rifle for the next 38 years and it has now given way to todays weapons and high spec`.

A youngster today would find it very hard to have the youth and happiness we had, - such warm memories

Edited August 18, 2015 by mark williams

[Flipper_Al 1,012]

Has a BSA Scorpion pistol back in 76

[ratbuster 807]

Yes, happy memories,

 

First " gun " I got was a Gat pistol, which I swapped for a pen knife and that's how it all started. First proper gun was a Diana model 1 (which I still have today as well as the Gat pistol) Shooting air rifles was something quite common in the 60's. My dad and all my uncles and cousins had an air rifle; mostly German or British made. The thing to own in these days was the Sheridan pump up rifle in .20 (5 mm) caliber, the Super Magnum rifle of the 60's, no regular air rifle count reach that type or power; shot completly through both sides of a tin ash can.... (or so the story goes )

Every sunday morning (after church ) the gents went shooting, while the ladies had their coffee. Catapults, air rifles and proper fireworks, nobody seemed to worry about having kids use them. Sometimes there were little incidents , but that got sorted without involving the police or health and safety paperwork....

 

I really likes the old postorder catalogs, besides air rifles, they also had a nice collection of ladies underwear..... still fond of nice lingerie

 

It's all gone now, catapults are classed as Section one weaponry in this country ! (totally forbidden, even a fishing catapult is not allowed ) air rifles are still available ( we don't have a power restriction on them) but you're not allowed to do anything "fieldsports wise " with them, and knifes are also rather restricted.

 

Taken from an old ARGOS catalog, sadly no underwear this times boys...

[charlie caller 3,654]

I shot my first rabbit aged 13 with a Crosman .22 pump pistol that my dad bought from a mate at work, I remember it as if it was yesterday, about 20 yards away across a bank, shot him in the neck and down he went, I was prouder than any deer stalker shooting his first stag I used to take that pistol everywhere in my little rucksack, I am sure that thing was doing more power than it should have, as I dropped all sorts with it, I really was hardly ever in the house, then I got a BSA Mercury, and sold the pistol, even after all these years, using section one firearms, foxing, deer stalking, and having shotguns from age 17, I have never lost my love for air rifles, and cant imagine I ever will

[mark williams 7,561]

I shot my first rabbit aged 13 with a Crosman .22 pump pistol that my dad bought from a mate at work, I remember it as if it was yesterday, about 20 yards away across a bank, shot him in the neck and down he went, I was prouder than any deer stalker shooting his first stag I used to take that pistol everywhere in my little rucksack, I am sure that thing was doing more power than it should have, as I dropped all sorts with it, I really was hardly ever in the house, then I got a BSA Mercury, and sold the pistol, even after all these years, using section one firearms, foxing, deer stalking, and having shotguns from age 17, I have never lost my love for air rifles, and cant imagine I ever will

Why do we all love the air rifles over the years?

 

Nothing tests your skill and prowess as a modern day hunter other than an air rifle and above all your fieldcraft skills.

To hunt with a shotgun, fac firearm etc, etc just doesn`t wash with any respect i would hold for a true hunting man/woman and an air rifle.

Edited August 18, 2015 by mark williams

[johnbaz 363]

My very first gun was a Webley junior air rifle which was bought for me by my gun loving grandpappy!! My gun hating father wasn't happy about me having it

I was eight years old, I had a brand new Webley Junior rifle (Well, A long gun as many were smoothbore and so don't qualify to be called a rifle!!)

The gun came boxed with a steel target holder, Targets and red plastic reusable pellets..

I had no idea about gun safety at the tender age of eight and left the gun cocked and loaded overnight! The next morning my dad was on all fours raking the fire to set a new fire going, I raised my gun, aimed at his bum and squeezed the trigger!

There instantly followed the crack of the piston driving the pellet from the muzzle and I knew instictively that I was about to be in a world of pain (Milliseconds after my dad )

Sure enough, He jumped up screaming and administered a half uppercut with an open hand!, He slapped me so hard that it sent me flying over the sofa

I never saw the gun again and my grandfather was keeping a low profile too! The next day I was still smarting that i'd never seen the blued thing of beauty again and was sitting on the sofa that i'd involuntarily hurdled the previous day, I was playing with an old yellow handled Stanley screwdriver when my dad with his nose in the newspaper, Dropped on to the sofa, I quickly stuck the screwdriver between the cushions, Handle down!!

There was another blood curdling scream followed instantly by me becoming airborne over the settee again!!

I gave up all thoughts of further revenge as I don't think I would have survived even to adolescence nevermind adulthood

I had many more hidings, all of which were eminently deserved as I was a bit of a nuisance as a kid, I'm totally the opposite now though and haven't been in trouble for decades apart from with the wife each time I walk in with another gun

 

 

 

John

[bigmac 97kt 13,812]

My first rifle was a bsa meteor 22 it was a cracking rifle or so i thought then came the bsa buccaneer 22 witch had the plastic stock went out Xmas day with it when the snow was up to my knee,s lol

 

but i just had to get out with it ha ha ,,,love,d that rifle, thanks dad

 

Then came the tornado big odd looking thing was not that impressed with it mind

 

Then the air sporter feck me what a rifle i kept hinting to my dad that that was what i wanted for Xmas but when i got up on Xmas day and ran down there was a chopper bike and no sine of the rifle i was gutted

 

but as time went on and i was doing odd jobs and saving so i could buy this rifle my dad say,d to me get your money and come with me .

 

He took me to the rfd,s and i was looking at a vast aray of rifles i was like a kid in a sweet shop looking at shot guns ,shell guns, air rifles but the air sporter stood out from them all BUT i was still £20(a lot of money back then) short of owning it

 

i told my dad that i did not have all the money to get it ,

 

his reply was

 

Well son iv watched you do all the odd jobs and iv watched you put all your money away

 

iv watched you work and iv watched you do with out so you could get what you wanted

 

You have learned one very good lesson here

 

you have to work to get what you want

 

and thats some thing that has stuck with me all my life

 

Kids now,er days tend to get things handed to them on a plate some thing i am guilty of my self .

 

My dad bought me the rifle and told me to keep my money so i bought the scopes

 

I was the envy of all my mates i had a air sporter in 22

 

then the 97 hit the seen and i never looked back i had the 97 for years .

 

As has all ready been say,d what is it about air rifles that gets under your skin and takes hold of us lol

 

atvbmac :thumbs: