Your collection - where next?

[Garvin]

Collecting is funny old business. Airguns I wouldn't have touched with a barge pole suddenly become "must have" items a few months later. Guns I found ugly only recently somehow morph into the finest designs I've ever seen.

Since returning to airguns after a 20-year gap, my rekindled interest started with a fetish for the German 10 metre match guns that I coveted but could never afford in the 1980s. This led to a curiosity about 1950s German springers of the non-match variety. Then I veered off in pursuit of pre-War BSA underlevers, an interest that soon transformed into a fondness for pre-WW2 airguns of all descriptions.

Not sure where I'll be heading next. Funds are low so I'll probably have to concentrate on filling in the gaps in my Airgun World collection for the foreseeable future.

What strange directions have your collecting interests taken you in?

[red bob]

blimey dan looks like you have summed my predicament up very accurately
there was me thinking i wouldnt touch a circa 30s press steel diana 16 ever! then one turned up and in vgc and i couldnt help but notice all the little forming details and how well considering its age it had lasted then came across one made post war in scotland with the tooling nabbed from the jerrys and i appear to be hooked;got a feeling this will be a niech yet to be considered collectable ummm what say you?
regards bob.

[I. J.]

In my case Im going to have to be more selective with my collecting due to numbers and its physical size. Im stopping buying rifles because I feel sorry for them.

ATB
Ian

[Jerry Cornelius]

Guns I found ugly only recently somehow morph into the finest designs I've ever seen.

Too true. There I was happy with Webleys, old british iron, realised classic Crosmans are pretty good,, and out of nowhere the urge to buy a Milbro Cougar hit me. Mmm, plastic !

Fortunately space alone means I have to stick to pistols.

[TopDog]

Well; firstly I just collected anything which interested my eye either from a cosmetic or engineering point of view.

It got silly as you can imagine and there was no BBS in those days. However, I loved having my collection on racks around the walls of my office (I worked from home!) since I could gaze, select one that caught my eye, fondle it, fire a few shots down the garden range, wipe it with an oily rag and put it back again only to select another next day etc.

Then came Hungerford and Dunblane and displaying guns was not a very good idea, so a harsh prune ensued in the early 90's. Then it wasn't as much fun anymore since my display cabinet had to be obscured (and only holds 6 rifles anyway and they were/are the primary hunting ones and those I jerst lerve! So pruning time again in mid-late 90's, leaving just 16 rifles and 6 pistols.

Then, pruning time again early 2009 but started to see some interesting things which had appeared during my time-out phase from procuring so had to have one of those, Oh and then there were the ones I never acquired earlier which were rated highly, so better have one of those too and, just for good measure, better get a sample of each of the ones I regretted selling before; HERE WE GO AGAIN!

So; discipline David, stop this silly game of buying guns to put in cupboards and get down to 6 (plus perhaps 2 for ready use; say 8 altogether!); 2 PCP's (one in each major calibre); same for springers - that makes 4; 2 more as challenging restorations and 2 as pure indulgence. Have sorted the hunting PCP's and Springers; now let's see if I can get the rest down to 4. IT IS JOLLY GOOD FUN THOUGH; ISN'T IT?

There are worse addictions; or so I'm told!

Happy airgunning in whatever form grabs you!

David ( a trying to retire old fart!).

[Lakey]

Hmmmm The collecting game! Interesting passtime!

I started collecting pre-war BSA's after a chance go with one at a friends house. The gun was his fathers, and my friend used it ( very successfully) to gain food for a few ferrets that he had. I fell in love with pre-war guns and started to collect. I used to be a successful sales rep so all my frequest bonuses went on airguns. 5 became 10, 10 became 20, 20 became 30 etc etc etc. However now I find that instead of adding endlessly to the collection, I find that I have moved from a purely collecting phase to more of a using phase, and I am getting a great deal of pleasure actually firing the guns and realising just how accurate they are with a bit of practice.
I still collect odd guns that catch my eye, however mostly I have stopped adding to the collection, and now have time to enjoy what I have.

Lakey

[hwvixen]

I'm too a "changed man".......I'm using my collectables now...where as before they were inanimate objects of wood n metal that I couldn't afford in my youth & could now.I've had plenty of "minters"...but to me...now...an old airgun thats been used/around,maybe for 80 odd years that needs some love & attenention is much more fun....

Use you airguns....you know it makes sense...i'm Chris & i'm a ......

[Hsing-ee]

Hmm.... I thought I had got all the rifles and so on that I ever wanted...


BUT

There's always another one that I want!

For example

BSA Buccaneer (sorry gedfinn2, too dear)
BSA Merlin (not available except for a King's Ransom)
BSA Airsporter Mk 2 (would have to be in good nick instead of rough like Last Time!)
BSA Airsporter 'S' in .177 ...
BSA Mercury 'S' to experiment in increasing the swept volume ..

Weihrauch HW55 (to tune up to the Max)
Weihrauch HW77K, early model (because I regret selling mine!)

BSF B55 Deluxe
BSF S80
BSF S55 Tyrolean ...

Then a few Feinwerkbaus.. Maybe a Webley Omega? HW35 Export in .177...

It's a consuming thing! Should really sell all my rifles and keep one nice Feinwerkbau Sport or a ProSport and my original BSA Meteor... maybe if I move to New YOrk ...

[barryeye]

My dad introduced me to air rifles when I was 10 but they had always been a memorable part of my life prior. Dad’s 1910 BSA under lever was my first be all and end all but by the time I left school and was earning a crust I had read many copies of the Shooting Times and Guns Review. My first savings venture had a Webley MKIII as the target. Took me six months but I got it. I was happy. It was the top of the range British Made (and it had to be British) “hunting” .22 air rifle. I have since changed my mind about that.
Above all it was not a curious looking antique contraption but a Modern air rifle that looked and felt like the real thing.
Quick flirtation with 12 bores and then off to live in New Zealand. Did not take long to opt for what I saw as the formula one of shooting. I have since changed my mind about this as well.
Practical Rifle shooting with mostly modern military type rifles. Good fun but interest took a sudden drop when I discovered and fell in love with Martini Henrys and from there to Enfield muzzle loaders.
New work situation now gives me very few days free and as a result my infrequent visits to the range have almost ceased all together. Had a brainwave. Took dads old BSA out into the garden for a plink Fell in love again. Rummaged at back of gun cabinet for my old MKIII. Disappointed in the accuracy I blamed myself again but still had lots of fun with it.
Unadulterated nostalgic fun.
I then found this actual forum and was blown away by the depth of knowledge and passion for things past.
My wife and I once had the pleasure of a guided tour around an exhibition of original Botcherchelli's. Have no idea how to spell his name. The passion and knowledge of our guide made us like and appreciate the artist even more. And that is how it has been here for me. I’ve gone from two to a dozen rifles in a few years. Most of them are classics but far from mint. They are what I like to call “Good working specimens”.
Social occasions in our family often include a safe but informal back garden shoot. The veteran rifles and pistols are very popular. A couple of weeks ago a group for dinner ended up on the deck keen to destroy some old chipped crockery that I had been collecting for just such an occasion. Side by side Airsporters and Falkes reduced the collection to shards. Good time was had by all.
I didn’t set out to be a collector of air guns but it happened.
Here names known to us all but each of different character have informed and entertained us. Thank you gentleman.
I have two air rifles that I have owned for over 45 years. How many men can say that about any other inanimate object they may own?
I’m hooked.
Thanks lads.

[edbear2]

My story is like many others I expect....

(Blimey, this is starting to look like an agony aunt thread)

Where was I, Oh yes......I was lucky enough to grow up in the 60's... (born in 1957)....When it seemed every young lad and his brother/dad had airguns....I dabbled with shotguns later (clays and practical...have never shot anything alive with a shotgun), and Have done a fair bit of pistol and rifle shooting when it was possible to shoot as club guest at a range without actually having a F.A.C.....In the early days most of my friends had second hand cadets, cadet majors, a few older german break barrels.....mostly junior sized guns, with the odd mk1 meteor.....the "bigger kids" had the tornado's, airsporters and mk3's ...But my first new gun was a daisy bb Winchester of all things!...bought as a Christmas present...I was so pleased to get something new and boxed, I didn't have the nerve to say I would have preferred a Meteor......After that, up to the age of 16, I had practically every available gun there was (but never owned more than 2-3 at once)....but always second hand, or swapped for pushbikes that I used to do up, My second new gun was a .177 mercury in about 1971...making it one that I wish I had kept!!....Cant even remember where that went!.....anyway, maybe it's like cars...you stick with your first brand, but my favourite guns to shoot were always airsporters or mercurys (plus the odd standard that a friends dad had).......maybe it would have turned out different if I had had the chance to have owned a quality german gun......so anyway.....I have always had at least one gun in the house all my life, and dabbled with titan/falcons a few years back, But my main interest is prewar stuff as I just like the appearance, balance, and quality of these.....Cant explain it really, but I also like anything old and well made....I have vintage tools, drawing instuments etc. that I use daily at work.....a 50 year old whitehouse planishing hammer for example has better balance, weight and quality of manufacture than a new £60 snap-on offering!......Things were just made better then, and to make say a Improved Model D these days, in the same steels, with a barrel that is not formed around a mandrel like these days, but is a forging that is drilled, honed, spillbored, machine rifling cut, hand straightened etc., with a hand fitted and lapped in tap....would cost a fortune......I still think these are the best value for money in the world of airgunning in terms of quality, style, usability and best of all......they dont lose half their value before you get them home

[BSFNUT]

BSF S55 Tyrolean ...

I assume you mean the Venom Bavaria as BSF did not make a factory Tyrolean unlike Weihrauch , Walther, Feinwerkbau.

[I. J.]

The passion and knowledge of our guide made us like and appreciate the artist even more.

And theres quite a few 'artists' on this forum.

Great thread. Makes me feel well at home.
Like Chris states earlier:

"Im Ian and I'm a airgun collector. "

ATB
Ian

[Hsing-ee]

BSF S55 Tyrolean ...

I assume you mean the Venom Bavaria as BSF did not make a factory Tyrolean unlike Weihrauch , Walther, Feinwerkbau.

Hmm... a fellow BSF nut showed me one a while back BUT my memory might have been playing tricks ... Perhaps it was a BSF S54 Match? It certainly had a large stock, just cant remember the cheekpiece shape... Came with a diopter. Nice, solid rifle.

[harry mac]

I used to have quite a nice collection of Webleys and BSAs. Webley: MkII Service, Falcon, MkIII 2nd pattern 177, MkIII 3rd pattern 22, full set of Hawks, Osprey, Junior rifle, Junior pistol (MkII), Premier, Premier MkII, MkI pre war straight grip.
BSAs: Imp Mod D, MkII Airsporter, Mercury S, Centenial.
The majority got sold off when we needed furniture for our first house. Those damn necessities always seem to get in the way!
I'm slowly building up another air gun collection, but I now mainly concentrate on British service rifles.

[Muskett]

I started very young with a BSA Cadet. I was hooked and shoot all manner of guns and rifles. However, I still have a soft spot for air rifles and recently bought up most of the air rifles that had caught my imagination in my youth but couldn't afford.

I ended up doing quite a few miles to find some of the more difficult stuff. Wow there are some lovely collections; some huge and some small. There is a soap opera of characters out there with great knowledge and real enthusiasm. Most make a very good cup of tea.

I have cut my collection right back as it was getting out of hand. I have handled and shot those rifles that had really bugged me: "were they really any good?" I'm now happy to settle with ten keepers and ten shooters all from the last 30 years. But it won't stop me tinkering and keeping a look out for friends.