Airgunaid

[BTDT]

Hmmm ... So did I ??? The SP-5 first came about in late 1979 however, so maybe for the first five months, a non tuned version, with maybe early experimental innards, was marketed alongside the successfully tuned item ??? Sadly, with Eddie's passing, we will now never truly know ...

Perhaps Eddie thought of the SP-5 as a production airgun, and the 'tuned' version (bearing in mind that 'tuning' at the time entailed sizing and polishing - essentially laboriously hand-finishing - components, and re-lubing) was the 1970s equivalent of today's 'blueprinted' airgun.

[Gareth W-B]

Perhaps Eddie thought of the SP-5 as a production airgun, and the 'tuned' version (bearing in mind that 'tuning' at the time entailed sizing and polishing - essentially laboriously hand-finishing - components, and re-lubing) was the 1970s equivalent of today's 'blueprinted' airgun.

You know what ??? You ain't 'alf a clever old stick Sir Jim ... Yep, bet that answers the Q, a blue-printing service . Will sleep happy now . Night night ZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZz ...

[sbd]

Do you mean THIS one?

...may be forced to *quietly* admit I like you

[I. J.]

You know what ??? You ain't 'alf a clever old stick Sir Jim ... Yep, bet that answers the Q, a blue-printing service . Will sleep happy now . Night night ZzZzZzZzZzZzZzZz ...

I hope Jims beard doesn't tickle you.

...may be forced to *quietly* admit I like you

Schucks.

Not everybody hates me. But then not everybodys met me.

ATB
Ian

[BTDT]

...may be forced to *quietly* admit I like you

Schucks.

ATB
Ian

Get a room, you two.

[Hsing-ee]

OK you lot.

The Anschutz 335 in either calibre, properly lubricated and sprung, was a well-easy tits-blown-off competitor to the Airgunaid SP whatever.

Get over it, its an experimental experiment that didn't hit the mark, if BSA or Webley had got their competitors to the HW77 out early enough then we would have never had the brilliance that is the TX200 0r the ProSport.

So here's three cheers for

KEN TURNER

you gang of retreads!

[I. J.]

you gang of retreads!

Maybe, but at least I can spell retards (just).

Ooooh - youve defiled the hallowed SP.

I'm still smiling at the 'Hungarian Swamp Donkey' description of yours.

ATB
Ian

[Hsing-ee]

RE-TREADS

not

retards. (a rude & ignorant American word for the mentally less gifted, very dangerous to throw around given recent political history)

Retreads are reconditioned tyres that are not safe for over 50 mph.

I still don't understand why Airgunaid chose the humble G80, which was a last gasp by Milbro to suck the last sliver of goodness out of the WW2 robbery of the Diana name. Fair enough, the Nazis were evil but I doubt that M&G were interested in Aryan domination, more like a global urge to speading plinking and 10m target shooting and picking off the odd rabbit and pigeon for for the pot.

Shortly after the end of SP5 production the .20 Diana/Original 45 made 12/ft lbs. And was an accurate, full-size rifle for men. Pow!

Airgunaid would have done better to stick by BSA or Webley. A BSA Mercury with extensive working on would have given a very fine rifle indeed, and ought would have cost no more than the ESS PEE FYVE! While a silk purse might have been made from a sow's ear, everyone knew it was a sow's ear in the first place and wasn't going to part with their cash.

[T 20]

Shortly after the end of SP5 production the .20 Diana/Original 45 made 12/ft lbs. And was an accurate, full-size rifle for men. Pow!

Airgunaid would have done better to stick by BSA or Webley. A BSA Mercury with extensive working on would have given a very fine rifle indeed, and ought would have cost no more than the ESS PEE FYVE! While a silk purse might have been made from a sow's ear, everyone knew it was a sow's ear in the first place and wasn't going to part with their cash.

Good point with the Original 45 and when they were introduced in .20" they were on offer at about thirty pounds less than a .177" or .22" 45.

The easiest 12 FTLB's English gun to convert to .20" at the time would have been the Vulcan as the Mercury's barrel is brazed to the breach where as the Vulcan barrel was glued in.


All the best Mick

[I. J.]

A BSA Mercury with extensive working on would have given a very fine rifle indeed, and ought would have cost no more than the ESS PEE FYVE!

You mean like the BSA Mercury 'S' which, I.M.O. is the best break barrel rifle BSA ever made and almost on a par with the Omega. Apart from the basic trigger, which seemed to get by passed in the re-design the 'S' is equal to most of the German stuff.

Can I be a remould retread?

ATB
Ian

[Punchsteve]

NOT according to the owners club. Theres about a dozen of us.

ATB
Ian

and should anyone else be fortunate enough to own a BSF Mod 60, and a Dremel, here is the address:

www.turning0into5withadremel.com

[Gareth W-B]

and should anyone else be fortunate enough to own a BSF Mod 60, and a Dremel, here is the address:

... Thassss funny .

[Gareth W-B]

.
Ha ha ... Hi Alistair, you’ve excelled yourself ... Haven’t had this much material to rip the P!$$ out of in a single post since that ‘retard’ Rixa was on here … Good sport.

RE-TREADS

not

retards. (a rude & ignorant American word for the mentally less gifted, very dangerous to throw around given recent political history)

Retreads are reconditioned tyres that are not safe for over 50 mph.

First then. Retard ??? American ??? Oh ho ho. Nearly fell off my chair. Even the untutored can disseminate the word’s French origins from the way it is constructed, although your definition is not too far off the mark (but still misses) http://www.answers.com/retard .

So to move on …Why oh why would we be retreads … C’mon, put yer hands up, your spell checker got it wrong and you meant retards, didn’t you -- or are you an enigmatic lateral thinker, who operates in the metaphorical ether, of Dacarte et al, while harbouring a fetish for rubber ??? Right then, that's the jolly japes out the way, now down to the constructive collector's corner info gleaning Q&As .

I still don't understand why Airgunaid chose the humble G80, which was a last gasp by Milbro to suck the last sliver of goodness out of the WW2 robbery of the Diana name ... Shortly after the end of SP5 production the .20 Diana/Original 45 made 12/ft lbs.

Airgunaid didn’t so much cease production as stopped abruptly following a ferocious fire which not only gutted the entire building it was located in, but the adjoining building, too, both of which were so devastated that they were deemed unsafe structures and demolished within days.

The space where Airgunaid had once stood remained a flattened rubble yard for a while until the area became subject to a compulsory purchase order, as part of the area’s road widening scheme. Ed tried to set up again in another building, but by the time the insurance moneys etc came through, the momentum had sadly gone.

As to why use the Milbro G80? Why not? Its tube and breech-block was equally as good a tube to house and operate with out-sourced components as any from Webley or BSA, and it was able to be pre-badged and embossed with the name AIRGUNAID in italic capitals by Milbro, whereas a tube supplied from another source, may not. It is worth noting here, that the Milbro factory also manufactured some components for Webley, post war, too.

Airgunaid would have done better to stick by BSA or Webley. A BSA Mercury with extensive working on would have given a very fine rifle indeed, and ought would have cost no more than the ESS PEE FYVE! While a silk purse might have been made from a sow's ear, everyone knew it was a sow's ear in the first place and wasn't going to part with their cash.

Ed’s best known custom project, the Vixen, which evolved in conjunction with Norman May, was based around a different rifle however, namely an HW35, and had the aforementioned fire not been so final in stopping Airgunaid’s R&D, I have every confidence that we would have seen a .20 cal HW35 Vixen in time, although the wonderful Original Mod.45 in .20 (an example of which I did once own), would still have been produced, I am sure …

I am the first to admit that the SP-5 .20 is left wanting in many areas however, not least the fact that no matter what you do, the front stock screws come loose every fifty odd shots. But development of the SP-5 was a journey into pastures new, namely air gun custom building and tuning, and as such, imo, is of significant air gunning evolutionary importance . Right then. Someone help me down of me soap box please, I gotta be at work by noon . Ha ha. Atb: G.

__________________

Ps. I know where Eddie Barber’s original prototype HW35 Vixen is, and Alistair, yhpm regarding that other matter, too, but shhhh .

[stillair1]

I had a .177 G80 at that time, could have well come from Ed's shop, but can't remember. Anyways after a bit of poilishing it reached just over 10ftlb drom about 9.5ftlb start. As tested through a period skan chrony of the time.

neil

[BSFNUT]

I had a .177 G80 at that time, could have well come from Ed's shop, but can't remember. Anyways after a bit of poilishing it reached just over 10ftlb drom about 9.5ftlb start. As tested through a period skan chrony of the time.

neil

Neil

was that the first skan with tin foil screens ?