Got My Walnut Sterling HR81 Deluxe .22 Today

[Gareth W-B]

As it says, got my walnut Sterling HR81 Deluxe .22 today, hand delivered by BBS Good Guy kevin.ronnie this very evening, and what a wonderfully engineered bolt action underlever it is: FANTASTIC . What’s more, being made in Essex about twenty miles from me at the old Sterling Works (where the WWII Bren guns and Sterling Machine guns were made) it is both a bit of local and national air rifle history too (like my Airgunaid SP-5 .20 cal Hunter ), and is of a superb quality equal to any a BSF, and it is mine (cheers Kev ). Right then gloating over, time for a brew. ATB: Gareth W-B.

[johnbaz]

well done gareth

i really miss the one i had, i would buy another tomorrow but they seem to hold their prices too well (that coupled with the fact that i'm always skint )

john.

ps, i can't wait to see a pic (mine was only on a beech stock )

[Gareth W-B]

well done gareth

i really miss the one i had, i would buy another tomorrow but they seem to hold their prices too well (that coupled with the fact that i'm always skint.)

john.

ps, i can't wait to see a pic (mine was only on a beech stock).

Thanks for that, well made and well finished aren't they , and as for photos, if anyone could host one for me and/or tell me how to get it displayed myself with an idiot guide as I don't do technology , I still have the photo kevin.ronnie sent me saved somewhere (some how ) which I could quite happily send on to someone to sort. Meanwhile, bump ttt for a bit more gloating : Gareth W-B.

[exmoor beast]

Anyone know the difference between an 81 walnut and an 83 deluxe. I have a walnut .177. deluxe (palm swell, h/cut chequering, crinkle finnish, new in box!) but mine has more chequering & a nicer shape stock to one I saw in an old Sterling advert. I did hear the 83 was the .177 & .20 derivative but little or no information available. Tools were sold to U.S who made a few but thats it.....??

[Lakey]

Gareth,

This couldn't be it by any chance..... could it ???




All the best and have fun with your new purchase from Good Guy Kev, please pass on my regard's


Lakey

[Gareth W-B]

Anyone know the difference between an 81 walnut and an 83 deluxe. I have a walnut .177. deluxe (palm swell, h/cut chequering, crinkle finnish, new in box!) but mine has more chequering & a nicer shape stock to one I saw in an old Sterling advert. I did hear the 83 was the .177 & .20 derivative but little or no information available. Tools were sold to U.S who made a few but thats it.....??

Hi again matey, how is my old Superstar doing? Hope you've still got the box and stuff too . Your HR83 sounds great, and yes, I have learned that the HR83 was the one to have in .177, and that the HR81 the one to go for in .22. Why? Ain't got a clue . ATB and see if you can't put up a picture of yours (and the box) here too, so we can see the visual differences ... and ...

Gareth, This couldn't be it by any chance .... could it ??? . All the best and have fun with your new purchase from Good Guy Kev, please pass on my regard's. Lakey

Hi Lakey, hope all is good with you too my friend. Yep, thats the kiddie, and the photo too. How'd you manage that ??? Ahhh, sussed it. Reckon you must have been considering it at some point too eh? Whichever, cheers for hoasting the photo for me (must learn how to do that ) and will pass on your best to our Kev . ATVB to you too: Gareth W-B.

[red bob]

so you have joined the happy few who have the great pleasure of ownership of this fine air gun ,i missed out on the walnut but mine is in pristine condition and always gets comments at the club [favourable]on the whole.i was told the piston is leather not sure if this is true,and what about the unuseual eggshell finish on the top slide.the bolt action is great too ,i thought this might be prob night shooting but turned out ok even with my plates of meat.
anyway happy shooting brave choice considering the opposition but im sure you wont regret it i never have.

[Lakey]

Hi gareth,

Yep you got it, I looked at Kevs gun as well but since I was getting the webley falcon at the time I declined. However I kept the picture that kevin sent me.

It never ceases to amaze me why these guns aren't appreciated more than they are. The build quality is truely awsome and most of them are tack drivers. I have a walnut 81 same as your new one, howver mine is a left hand stock version.
Then I have three HR 83's - two .22 and one .177.

I love em and wouldn't mind getting a few more depending on funds

Good luck to you my friend

Lakey

[Lakey]

Here is a picci of the standard HR83 for comparison with Gareths HR81

[exmoor beast]

I originally thought the 81-83 were years of manafacture but I believe some 83's had 81 stamped on them!!!!! Is there anything in one of the Hillier books?

[Gareth W-B]

Here is a picci of the standard HR83 for comparison with Gareth's HR81

Thanks again Andy, wow, the stock shapes were actually quite different then, weren't they? ... Still unmistakably related though, and now that I have a walnut HR81 in .22, I have simply got to have a walnut HR83 too ... and ...

I originally thought the 81-83 were years of manafacture but I believe some 83's had 81 stamped on them!!!!! Is there anything in one of the Hillier books?

Nothing in my Hillers book (the big green fourth edition), so your guess is as good as mine but I am with you in as much as I thought the HR81 denoted made in 1981, and the HR83 made in 1983. But an HR83 stamped HR81 ? Reckon that the stamping guy must have been moonlighting from the Milbro Diana factory and employed his version of humour at the Sterling works as well ha ha! Cheers all: GWB.

[Carter]

As it says, got my walnut Sterling HR81 Deluxe .22 today

TWAAAANG!!

Told you it was a good 'un

[99CLOMP]

the HR83 had a modifed trigger but it was worse than the 81 so they put the old trigger in the 83 that is why you get a 83 (sometimes)stamped 81

[Gareth W-B]

the HR83 had a modifed trigger but it was worse than the 81 so they put the old trigger in the 83 that is why you get a 83 (sometimes)stamped 81

Now that is information worth knowing. Thank you heaps matey. Will have that in mind when (not if ) the time (and finances) comes for me to go looking for a walnut HR83 in .177. Cheers : Gareth W-B.

[99CLOMP]

Gareth,when I ordered my HR 83 from G Bourne in Newcastle-u Lyme, it turned up stamped 81 so I REFUSED it, on contact with the factory they told me the 83 stamping tool was broke so they stamped it 81, SO I bought it, the NEW trigger was so brittle it broke in the first week and was replaced by sterling with the 81 unit,rgds ANT.