"Nostalgia aint what it used to be."

[Gareth W-B]

Nattering yesterday to Gareth and a few others the subject of ' the good olde days' appeared, as usual when a group of collectors of most things get together. I think it was generally agreed that a large proportion of the Collector sales market is now catering for the 'Rose Tinted Glasses' brigade and the deprived youth punters. The people who, now older, can afford to buy the rifles they could only lust after in their youth.

Yep, that is what initially drew me to collecting, but now it is an on-going incurable eclectic obsession . Ha ha. May the "farce" be with you . Atb: Gareth W-B.

[fat man]

I am not the only sad old git then trying to recapture long vanished youth then!! , old guns lets be contentious are my favourite.What of the new batch of super guns will our kids be chasing as classics in 25 years then! allways assuming the poloticians ( spit on floor ) sorry have not banned them all by then, will it only be the criminals who will have them !!! ah what a great country it may have been once !!!!

[I. J.]

What of the new batch of super guns will our kids be chasing as classics in 25 years then! allways assuming the poloticians ( spit on floor ) sorry have not banned them all by then, will it only be the criminals who will have them !!!

Not unless all the batteries have gone completely flat or the air cylinders gone pop due to corrosion.

ATB
Ian

[T 20]

Having the gunshop owner ask some bloke in his shop to buy my pellets for me because I was underage.

Asking the gunshop owner which was best
Frank Brewin sport or Wayhayrick 35.

Nicking my mums 3 in 1 oil from her sowing machine to soak my Eley wasps in because they seemed to go faster with it.

Filling the skirts of pellets with match heads and covering them with wax because it made a loud bang when you shot at something solid.

Tying your Airsporter to the crossbar of your bike and pedalling anywhere you liked without a second glance from anyone.

Getting stopped by the local Bobby and being told to get your arse up to the churchyard and shoot some Squirrels for the Vicar.

Driving to the local newsagents (2 miles ) in a 200cc Villiers powered Go Kart
to get some Beatalls then getting the Bobby to give you a push start.

Been there done that

When and Where did it all go wrong ?

I'm welling up a bit now

All the best Mick

[barryeye]

The question I ask myself is will the young shooters of today be as nostalgic about the modern crop of air rifles as I (we) were when I first started shooting air guns in the late 50s and 60s. I suspect not. I know that I am bias and classics may still be being made but I feel they will not be as much sought after as the classic British B.S.A.s and Webleys. I have no evidence for this just a gut feeling.
At 60 I qualify as an old fart but as with music I think my generation had the cream of the centaury. A golden age if you will. In a 100 years when the generations around me have blended into one I suspect that air gun collectors of 2100 plus will be seeking the pistols and rifles of my grandfathers, fathers and my time. (1900-1970) Not that of my sons and grandson. Just a feeling I have.
Barry

[I. J.]

The question I ask myself is will the young shooters of today be as nostalgic about the modern crop of air rifles as I (we) were when I first started shooting air guns in the late 50s and 60s. I suspect not. I know that I am bias and classics may still be being made but I feel they will not be as much sought after as the classic British B.S.A.s and Webleys. I have no evidence for this just a gut feeling.
At 60 I qualify as an old fart but as with music I think my generation had the cream of the centaury. A golden age if you will. In a 100 years when the generations around me have blended into one I suspect that air gun collectors of 2100 plus will be seeking the pistols and rifles of my grandfathers, fathers and my time. (1900-1970) Not that of my sons and grandson. Just a feeling I have.
Barry

And one I agree with.

How can you get excited about circuit boards and pcps? Pre charged, with very few exceptions, even load the same or very similar. You have no choice of barrel cockers, under levers, over lever, side lever, pump ups, twin springs, sliding sledge, etc. Pcps, while very accurate and, in some cases well made, dont have the 'character' or diversity of a classic air gun.
Mind you, after saying that, I would still love to be around in 20 years time getting 'excited' over anything.

ATB
Ian

[JOHN K]

Ah Those Were The Days.... I Can Remember Buying The Marksmens When I Were 12 I Used To Go Up The Street To The Pet Shop To Get Them Thats After I Had Climbed Over The Paper Shop Wall At The Back And Nicked Some Pop Bottles .then I Would Take Them Back In The Shop And Get The Money For Them. Wot About The Hustlers Pointed Pellets ?? And Those Top Bulldog Pellets Ha Ha Ha Those Were The Days.
Atb
John.

[Phil Russell]

The benefit of the 'good old days' and 'good old guns' is that they are purely mechanical and you can fettle them to your hearts delight. PCPs are nice, indeed I own and shoot a couple, but somehow they lack the 'life' and sheer mechanical build quality of the older spring guns.
Cheers, Phil

[T 20]

If I was a 12 year old kid again the gun I'd want to be tying to my pushbike crossbar would be a HW77. Out of all the guns produced in the last 30 years the 77 stands out in many ways.

The 77 was the gun to have when it came out, for sporting use and for field target shooting.

The 77 was sold in way over 100 different variations from numerous tuning firms, so it could be a really collectable one day.

The build quality of the gun is such that I'd expect most of them to last for at least the next 100 years.


Don't get me wrong I'm not the worlds biggest HW77 fan, I don't even use mine that much but I have to admire the build quality of them and the simplicity of their design.

All the best Mick



PS. John K
I cant believe you nicked bottles to pay for your pellets.
I blocked the return coin shoots on phoneboxes to buy my pellets.

[hawkeye]

I am not the only sad old git then trying to recapture long vanished youth then!! , old guns lets be contentious are my favourite.What of the new batch of super guns will our kids be chasing as classics in 25 years then! allways assuming the poloticians ( spit on floor ) sorry have not banned them all by then, will it only be the criminals who will have them !!! ah what a great country it may have been once !!!!

Where did you used to buy your guns and pellets in the 60s-70s ?
I spent my young days in my home town of Ebbw Vale bought my first airgun from the indoor market there a Diana g16 the mid 60s but the local haye merchant "Brutens" used to sell airguns along with Hornby and Triang trains
it was a real Aladdins cave and there were also a couple of hardware and cycle shops that sold pellets ,our nearest proper gunshop used to be in Abergavenny .
We used to used a box of 500 in a weekend of plinking ,when I started work my first big gun was a Relum break barrell and among my collection I still have both of them .
Brian

[I. J.]

My first airgun was a Diana (Milbro) G34 which I used for many happy years. My second an almost new Airsporter - where are you now G103294, both .22.
We used to use are airguns responsibly on the local council owned common land and along the canal tow paths, ignored by the local police and passers bye. I remember on one occasion about a dozen of us were walking along the canal tow path, all with a very mixed variety of air guns, Gats to Airsporters when the police arrived. A quick "Behave yourselves lads!", which we did, and we were on our way seeking empty bottles floating in the 'cut'.
Nowadays the copper would be arrested for letting us!
I really feel the kids of today are missing out on all the fun.

ATB
Ian