[QUOTE=BTDT;1471788]Excellent work. Thanks for that.




Jim, coming from you that is a real compliment thanks.

Just to continue the debate and this excellent thread, I think that the BSF also started the movement towards using .177 for vermin control.I started using this calibre in late 1977 after the early articles in AGW by Eddie Barber buying a BSF B55 std and had MAG fit it with an 'Export' spring which had an unusual purple hue to the tempering. I was using a .22 BSA Airsporter before that which was the best model available so I was told . Bear in mind that airguns were not actively promoted much by gunsmiths and their attitude was that you were looked down upon ( and this did not change for decades, and is still to be found today in certain shops ) many sports shops sold airguns but only the UK models for example a BSA Mercury was about £30 when an Original 50 or HW35 was double that.

This was when the Webley MK3 could still be found in the shops ( although production finished in 1975 , the Diana G77 and 79 and BSA Airsporter and Mercury were the best of British.

Few shops had the German HW, Originals, East German Haenals or BSF's.

Anyway, back to the B55, It had the power in .177 that the BSA 's, Dianas and Webleys of the time did not .

Beeman went on to enthusiastically support and promote .177 particularly with the FWB Sport and subsequently HW80 /R1 (although he later changed to .20) with his Airgun catalogues

Pre AGW, I used to read Guns Review and the author of 'airgun scene' Dennis Commins also promoted .177 (though he was a Target shooter )and DR Hughes had started to import and promote through the magazines small ads column BSF, HW and Original and offered new lubricants and decent German ammo like H&N to get the best out of these guns.