Pianomans Stock Referb

[bigmac 97kt 13,786]

Back safe and sound Simon ,We had a good time mate and looking forward to getting back down and getting on one of your perms just a pity the weather was not good this time .

 

Lads he calls me a gentle giant But he is just the same and if we think we can shoot a spring rifle then think again this mans knowledge of spring shooting is second to none I can tell you he would put the best pcp shooter to shame no mater what rifle you use .

 

He truly is amazing with a springer,

 

And as for his paintings you may think there good on his web site but when you see them in front of you ,,,wow,,

 

still cant get my head around how he makes a planes glass canopy look just like glass ,you would think he had cut a piece of glass out of a window and put it on his painting it just looks like glass and as for the sea ,,,,,,,,you just have to see one in front of you to get what i mean .

 

Well hear are some of the photos of the man him self with his pride and joy and some you have all been waiting for the action placed back where it belongs in this stunning hw80 stock and in the hands of the most gentlest man any one could ever hope to meet .

 

and for his second love of his life Helen what a wonderful woman ,you made us both feel welcome and nothing was any bother to you all our love to the both of you .

 

atvbmac :thumbs:

 

 

 

 

[bigmac 97kt 13,786]

few more

[bigmac 97kt 13,786]

the last ones

 

atvbjimmy :thumbs:

[villaman 9,983]

WELL....

 

Jimmy BigMac97KT and Nicola have just left us this morning to get home to Newcastle for a family function. It's been an absolute honour and a pleasure to have them stay with us. We had a lovely day yesterday reconnecting and of course, putting the refurbished stock back where she belongs with her action and getting her back into zero on my 30-metre garden range. He brought his stunning HW100 rig down with him and we set that up too with a range session...Well, I can see why they are so well loved by most of you lads here who have them.

 

I don't really have the words to properly describe the kindness and warmth of friendship from this great man. But, they rolled up yesterday with a box...And after coffee and Helen getting dinner underway, out came the most beautiful HW80 beechwood factory standard stock I have ever seen. And I write with absolutely no bias at all. I took the HW80 action out of her reserve stock and slipped her into this beautifully finished original.

 

It is a stunning finish and smoothness that you'd only find on a Best Quality English Gunstock costing a fortune. The photographs before and during the work Jimmy has put in do not do the finished item justice.

 

IT IS TRULY, ABSOLUTELY STUNNINGLY BEAUTIFUL. The swirls of rich deep reds and browns of the grain and the utterly beautiful gold flecks he's brought out are beyond my powers of description. Other than to keep repeating words of stunning, beautiful, exquisite etc.

 

First thing was, Jimmy showed me the fit of the Bisley Adjustable pad and made his marks precisely on the metal stock-shoe to finish it off with his grinder and set the pad. Once this was finished and fitted together the rifle was reassembled.

 

This pad has transformed the fit of the rifle to me to absloute perfection. Far from pushing the stock-length to over-length as I initially feared, it now fits me and my reach as well as only a purpose-built made to measure bespoke rifle.

 

we took it out on the range after dinner and loaded first pellet. You'd expect to rezero the riflescope after a few days off from shooting and a change of stock but, WHACK! Straight into the 30 metre target centre! A couple of fliers followed but the black dot of single pellet hole began to appear slightly left off centre. Once click UP and RIGHT and the shots went clean through the two and a half-inch thick plyboard target-boards and thwacked the concrete Paving slab I have as a backstop behind.

 

Good old SIMMONS WHITETAIL CLASSIC SUPERNIGHTVIEW. 4.5 -14 X 40 AO. Graphite coated. 30/30 Du-plex reticle. Another blindingly superb air rifle scope no longer made...

 

The little extra width of the butt-pad has given the rifle just the perfect amount of stabilising, restful back-pressure on my left shoulder. It has now rendered the rifle absolutely at the peak optimum oscillation for recoil management at the shoulder. This makes each shot almost100% consistently controlled as it should from a properly secure yet gentle anchor from the butt to the shoulder. You have to pay a fortune for a rifle that fits you to that extent.

 

The pellets hit the under-5p sized hole in the wood to smack the concrete slab and only three pellets were fliers and even these stayed within what would be within a lethal spread. Nothing of them was ever hitting alarmingly wide.

 

I draw a simple disc with a black 'sharpie around a 10p piece and a dot in the middle. Groups all shots within that space. That's all it needs to be for hunting zero with this rifle. And once she's warmed up the fliers calm down and the groups begin to flow and tighten with boring ease.

 

Finally, when the turret caps go back on, there is a quarter inch .22 group from a heavy recoiling spring rifle that's 18 years old, at 30 metres measured distance. And Jimmy was there to witness it.

 

He'll be home later and will post up the pics he took with his own thoughts on our day I'm sure.

 

But for me, right here, right now, I have standing before me what must be ...THE BEST PERFORMING, FINEST HANDLING AND MOST BEAUTIFUL HW80 IN THE COUNTRY.

 

Ive said this all weekend but, Jimmy sir. I cannot thank you enough. It has been a genuine delight to have you both stay with us and the cats......and the Ghosts!

 

(Poor Nicola's been looking over her shoulders and had the fright of her life when one of the little cats we have, got into their bedroom and brushed her feet in the night! :icon_eek:

 

This is an old house that is haunted by ghosts here. And I'm not taking the piss Gentlemen, this is a fact. It is a 3-bedroom cottage and former village bakery that has been a happy and well loved home for over 150 years. There are no bad or malevolent spirits here. Only good ones. An elderly man who wanders about and a beautiful young woman I saw once. Combing her long dark hair in the spare bedroom window. (Seriously. I passed the bedroom door and I thought it was Helen's daughter Rosie and thought nothing more. It was when she was staying with us..until I found Rosie and Helen sitting downstairs a moment later...!)

 

 

 

(And he's taken the old HW77 of mine to restore that. It has a lovely swirl of grain in the beechwood. God knows how this is going to look once this gentle giant has worked his magic on it! )

 

What can you say that properly acknowledges and states, about a great man as kind and generous with his talents and skills as this man, our Jimmy, among our company here?

Shooting his HW100 was something to behold. Just a sweet cycle of the cocking lever and he was whacking a half inch group in rapid succession. That rifle is as smooth and efficient as it gets. Hawke panorama on it is a lovely little optic for an air rifle. Got one on my HW97K and these are definitely worth having in your collection.

 

We shot in the garden till nightfall and went in to a few beers and a look over the guns. Proper stuff. Then supper and bedtime very happy.

 

We'll have Jimmy down with Littlehunter his grandson soon. I'll set to work on that little bairn's spring rifle technique with a few proper coaching sessions and a trip to my permissions.

 

Hurry and show the pics Jimmy when you get home buddy. We'll know you're home safe too.

 

Fondest love and wishes from us both, to you and Nicola dear pal.

 

Simon and Helen.

 

 

 

It's gonna be a lovely day today. The sun's shining, the weather's good...Off to the fields with the world's best HW80!

Sure it wasn't you Simon

[bigmac 97kt 13,786]

PS, Simon i want your 97 even if it is 177 lol

 

one of the finest 97,s iv had the pleasure to shoot

 

atvbmac :thumbs:

[tomburras 2,730]

sounds great! have any pics of it back together?

[Jonjon79 13,358]

Now it looks good. I'm impressed

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How much do you want for it?

[mattwhite 1,993]

What a rifle!! That's as good a stock as you would see on any airgun, shotgun, rimmy or centrefire!!!

[mark williams 7,551]

Lovely looking rifle indeed.

 

 

Simon, did Mac behave himself this time ?

I notice you only let him photograph you once you were prone and your belly was covered .​

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

" soft get "

 

 

atb lads

[villaman 9,983]

Looks absolutely stunning gun now it's all back together

By the way Smon , you should of cut the grass before mac came down Only saying like

[ratbuster 807]

Simon, that German Flecktarn jacket blinds in quite good with that Great Vintage German Mother of all Magnum Springer rifles ! (also covers your belly quite nice..... )

[tomburras 2,730]

sounds great! have any pics of it back together?

 

oops ignore that the pics didn't load when i was looking earlier.

 

it looks great i bet your made up!

[vizlauk 1,568]

A big hats off to big mac , the lad is the best mate anyone could ask for, he is more a brother to me as we have been through an awful lot of things together, he does have a heart of gold and will go out of his way to help others, thumbs up from me.

[bigmac 97kt 13,786]

A big hats off to big mac , the lad is the best mate anyone could ask for, he is more a brother to me as we have been through an awful lot of things together, he does have a heart of gold and will go out of his way to help others, thumbs up from me.

Right you twat, what have you done to Vizlauk aka Sean if you have hurt him in any way ill fecking kill you .

 

Your just as soft at heart as me bro love you to bits mate ill see you tomorrow

 

atvbjimmy :thumbs:

[pianoman 3,587]

What are y'all trying to say about my tumkin? 42inch waist ain't bad for a man of my years?

 

A big hats off to big mac , the lad is the best mate anyone could ask for, he is more a brother to me as we have been through an awful lot of things together, he does have a heart of gold and will go out of his way to help others, thumbs up from me.

I can only echo and second that sentiment Sean. Jimmy has been like a brother to me over this incredible kindness and I love him like a brother for it. and I don't care if he's gonna call me a soft twat for saying it.. Nicola is just the loveliest lady too. They are very well matched as a couple and it's lovely that she was able to come and visit us. I think she's really hit it off with Helen..

 

My rabbit hunting trip out today was a bit mixed, with spending parts of it in my car while it rained a drizzle on and off. But the 'renewed HW80 has another four rabbits to its tally and a collared Dove straight off a telegraph wire across the field I was shooting in. But there wasn't many more than that many rabbits out today and this evening. Heyho, the warmer, long summer evenings are coming and are going to be as memorable as the old days when this rifle and scope was brand new.

 

That new Butt-pad has really set the seal on her reach and gun-fit to my frame and arm reach. From a prone position it is really comfortable and has really improved the handling and comfort on-aim.

 

Jimmy you have turned an amazing rifle into a truly astounding one That is my final and official verdict on all you have done here. My HW80 has never been better. And that is seriously saying something bonnie lad believe me. I know even the best air rifles can be a compromise that, while they can be amazingly good, they are not always perfect. But this HW80 really is now.

 

Glad you like my .177 HW97K as well mate. It's a real cracker for birds as much as rabbits and sits equally brilliantly with the performance of my .22 HW77..That's my absolute pride and joy of my sub-12 ft/lb guns. The three of them are really at the pinnacle of what you can get out of a spring rifle really. I've always maintained a really well sorted and fettled spring rifle is every bit as accurate as a top of the line PCP and I hope I helped demonstrate something of that philosophy I have about my beloved spring rifles.

 

Well there you have it Gentlemen and a lifelong friendship with a lovely man and his even lovelier lady has strengthened from it all. Jimmy my home is your's and Nicola's home-from-home whenever you visit me and Helen. It's done a lot of good talking things about this life and shooting times of ours. We'll take Littlehunter out too when he can come down with you. I'd love to see little lad grow up as a shooter with as fine a collection of shooting memories as I have and, I'm sure you have too from out conversations this weekend.

 

All the best to everyone.of you good lads here.

 

Simon