Ones that got away ...

[Arch.Stanton?]

and you cannot forget about
Once rang up an advertiser in a paper selling hunting stuff off . Got chatting and found he was more into shotguns than airguns and had just sold off all his airguns - missed the boat I thought . Related how he had "just" sold off an airpistol . A Crosman 2240 - well easy to come by I thought esp on here so no real losss . Then he said " in .25" , to which I said , well they never did .25 .....
To which he said , dropping in those immortal words " sold off cheap " , it was a custom by some guy called "Harper"

[keith66]

Ten years ago at the Bisley Vintage & classic arms fair browsing a stand fiull of parts & centrefire stuffsaw an air pistol & picked it up, started life as a Crossman Co2 job with reservoir in the pistol grip it was obviously heavily modified, i asked the guy how much? £100 he sez. It was a 9mm built by some bloke called Bowkett, like a fool i walked away & when i realised & went back it was gone.

[Arch.Stanton?]

..makes your eyes water !
Another close call was not mine but a friends . He was an old time collecter and had a fair bit of money for hobbies as he was retired . When / if I saw something and could not afford it which was often I would ring and let him know about it . Worked out to both our advantage as if I was fair with him he was likewise with me when we came to do swops . I found ref to what appeared to be an oddity and chased it up . It was a Daisy b.b airgun ( well I will collect anything airgun ) lying at auction , with a fairly hefty estimate , near £500 ! For a b.b gun I thought something was wrong so it warranted a shufty . Rang just to satisfy my curiosity - Yes it was a Daisy , yes it was a b.b airgun , and it was made of heavy metal not thin pressed steel like most vintage Daisy . And it had twin barrels
No idea what it was so passed it to my knowledgeable friend - I urged him to investigate as I had to get to work on the preview day .
On the auction day , I managed to get to the auction just after the start to buy something else , and from a distance could see it lying behind the auctioneer - yes it did look like a heavy substantial airgun - with twin barrels . Not much got passed my friend so I expected him to have rung in and placed a bid . When the Lot came up I bid on it - after £300 I was out and up and up it went ....reaching its estimate easily . And it was bought by someone in the hall .
Next day I went up to my friends - he had not even rang the auctioneers ! !
When I related what I had seen , then he got interested and rang a friend and gave a description over the phone - no idea said his friend but promised to ring him back .
After what seemed a very long time - the longest 4 mins ever , the phone rang and the caller related 'Daisy Double Barrelled bb airgun , Model 21 , limited production and one of the rarest post War Daisy's .......

There was shall we say , an awkward silence

[Murl]

Here, you have another chance, but be quick
http://www.auctionarms.com/search/di...2362&oh=216543

[I. J.]

Many moons ago I answered an advert in the local paper for a BSA Mercury (£80), thats when you could advertised guns in local freebie mags. Whilst examining the Mercury I happened to notice another rifle displayed on the wall. On asking to look at that rifle I found out it was a Kynoch Swift. "Oh, thats just a wall piece and the wife doesn't like it so you can have it for £50".
I didn't really want the Mercury, too tatty, not as described but I didn't want to loose the Swift so came away with both.
I may be slow but Im not THAT slow.

ATB
Ian

[le frelon]

A few years ago, a colleague brought in a pistol to be identified.
A near mint Tell 2. I did a bit of a write up on it's history and got rather carried away, rather good if I may modestly say so.
So good in fact, that after asking if I would 'take it off his hands' he then changed his mind because it was now 'so interesting' ! DOH.

That Daisy model 21 by the way, is still only a tin plate, at least mine is, and even the ultra rare wood stock salesmen's samples were the same metalwork.

Of course I might be wrong.

[wadcutter]

about 38 yrs ago when i was 16 somebody mentioned that he knew a old man who worked at joinery shop in atherton was selling an airsporter so when i found him he drove me to his house and dragged the rifle out of a wardrobe and it was a mk1 airporter in 99% condition and he showed me a sqaure tin of webley .22 pellets that was half empty and he said thats all it had ever fired and that he had the gun many years, the man wanted £10 for the gun and i agreed to come back in a week with the money,when i came back i only had £8 and mentioned there was a hiairline crack in the stock but he still wanted £10 and i should have mentioned the crack in the first place,anyway by the time i managed to get another £2 he had given it to his nephew.ten pounds was a lot of money for an airgun lout in those days and i am still gutted to this day it had all the etching and no missing parts or chewed up screws.also years ag i turned down a mint mk1 bsa meteor (£40) and a mk2 mint airsporter (£60) at an arms fair in horwich sports center but for some strange reason i bought a rubbish bsa mercury the mind boggles.

[Arch.Stanton?]

Murl believe it or not it was finding this on that site that prompted me to relate the story . Did try and copy the photo online for reference but could not . Thanks for the help anyway
Le Frelon - thanks for info - do you know of any online resource for this airgun - schematic or owners manual to download ?

[Murl]

I was working at the time BSA were making the prototype VS2000, I could have had one of those as I did some testing with it. Sadly my £27 per week YTS wages wouldn’t cover it.
Gutted now as you can imagine.

[edbear2]

bsa improved model D in .25.........you all know the story, and I bet it is still out there less than 15 miles from where I live

[I. J.]

I was working at the time BSA were making the prototype VS2000, I could have had one of those as I did some testing with it. Sadly my £27 per week YTS wages wouldn’t cover it.
Gutted now as you can imagine.

There was a local coastal gun shop owner ( no names ) who was offered one of the BSA VS2000 prototypes and said "No thanks, I will wait for the production models". I like to remind him of that nowand then.

My biggest miss? The tatty BSF54 which was for sale in a n.w. gunshop for £75. I had gone the day before but they were closed. I was stood in the shop the following morning, waiting to be served, when the phone rang. Yes, you've guessed it, they bought the BSF.

ATB
Ian

[Binners]

Here, you have another chance, but be quick
http://www.auctionarms.com/search/di...2362&oh=216543

A certain member on here has 2 like that but dare I sat it Mint Condo

[white ferret]

hi mate parts came today safe and sound nices doing bizz

cheers whiteferret

[Mark D]

A certain member on here has 2 like that but dare I sat it Mint Condo

That be that fine gentleman LA

Here are his very minty Daisy Model 21:

[Binners]

That be that fine gentleman LA

Here are his very minty Daisy Model 21:

I couldn't possibly comment