Help with H W 35 e Identification

[merlin5oaks]

Hello,can any body help with identification of this gun.

Its supposed to be an H W 35E But has not got any HW marks or serial number or safety and has two holes on top instead of three.This was pointed out by an H W expert !!! ?

Set inside a diamond are the letters E U S TA, with the S larger. Under that is Kal .55.

I realise its fairly old maybe mid 70s It shoots like a dream.Any help would be appreciated.And help with a value?.
http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/ultras...eat=directlink
Please click on link to view pics.
Thank you M

[HOMER]

Optima Lesure imported the 35E branded EUSTA in 1974 or 75 I have one purchased directly from them, I think you will find there are no other makers marks identifiying it as a HW product. This would have been to aviod the FAC requirement which was (incorrectly) required for the HW35E. I seem to remember the price was 69 pounds, be interesting to enquire from HW how many were so marked, I have yet to come accross another, yours is only the second I am aware of thus far. I believe the BURGO branding to be rather more common.

Regards
H

[merlin5oaks]

Thank you for that.How do you think the value is affected,would they be more interesting perhaps.Or is the HW name required as a status symbol.

Regards M.

[coburn]

I've seen HW's also named Hoffman but never EUSTA, but if yours is the same vintage as Homer's 74/75 then it should have the 13mm scope rails, no safety and the trademark HW 'click' on cocking.

Not sure on value £150 to £200 but its hard to tell condition from the photo's

Oh and IMHO the 35E is one of if not the best HW's ever made. A true classic

[HOMER]

Serial no of mine is in the 592 range, no safety, 13 mm rails, and certainly did have the click!. A search on EuSta comes up with "trade mark used by Alpina-Werke M&M Vorwerk Gmbh &co KG8950 Kaufbeuren". Apparantly the aforementioned maker manufactured Tinplate type Air guns / Toys, so I guess its possible HW may have purchased the name as a shelf company (clever German acccountants!) hence the use to supply the embryonic Optima Leisure?. A further search of the BBS archives show that forum member, Paddy SP has a Eusta 35 but I believe his has a 19" tube, so that's 3 so far!. From what I can remember Optima were an fairly successful company who developed their buisness to encompass sale HW 35'S,55'S as well as Fienwerkbau Sports,300's and 80's amongst others, as well as their well known and sought after "Moonlighter" range of scopes, Im sure their sales of 35E's must have run into the hundreds at least for the UK market.
I probably originally saw the ad in Guns Review around the date mentioned, if you would like a scanned copy let me know (it may take some time though!).

Regards
H

[coburn]

Homer

I have one of the later Optima adds from 1980 and they did indeed do the 35 and HW55, plus the FWB Sport.

Their add from 1980 lists a 35E at £84.50 which included 200 H&N pellets, 40 targets and free manual on the 35 written by a well known authority on the gun! oh and p&p included as well.

They must have sold thousands at that price. Mind you in the same mag some retailers were going the rifle on its own at around £77 - £79 mark. I bet a fiver bought a lot of beer in 1980. I bought my first 35E around this time for a mate who wanted one, I got it from Streatham Armoury in 1981 for a mere £47 second hand.

As I type this my local gunshop has a brand new 35 Export (now with the 19" barrel) in his rack.

[Nikkormat]

Their add from 1980 lists a 35E at £84.50 which included 200 H&N pellets, 40 targets and free manual on the 35 written by a well known authority on the gun! oh and p&p included as well.

I expect that is the manual available for download 2/3 down the page here:

Matt

[merlin5oaks]

I expect that is the manual available for download 2/3 down the page here:

Matt

Thanks for all the info.I can understand having handled and fired the gun over the past week why HWs are sought after.This one has a few marks on the stock not major.The blueing is 99.9% and even the age it is you can feel the quality.I took it to our local bell target club and started of a couple of arguments about its origin.I am glad you have vindicated the member who dated and verified it was HW against another expert!!! who because it wasnt
stamped hull cartridge said it was not an HW.I have found it very accurate even got a couple of bells.

[HOMER]

Homer

I have one of the later Optima adds from 1980 and they did indeed do the 35 and HW55, plus the FWB Sport.

Their add from 1980 lists a 35E at £84.50 which included 200 H&N pellets, 40 targets and free manual on the 35 written by a well known authority on the gun! oh and p&p included as well.

They must have sold thousands at that price. Mind you in the same mag some retailers were going the rifle on its own at around £77 - £79 mark. I bet a fiver bought a lot of beer in 1980. I bought my first 35E around this time for a mate who wanted one, I got it from Streatham Armoury in 1981 for a mere £47 second hand.

As I type this my local gunshop has a brand new 35 Export (now with the 19" barrel) in his rack.

The Optima ads in the 80's asways used a very sexy high contrast stock in the ads which must have enhanced sales I'm sure (I never saw one quite as good in the flesh though) pretty wood will always sell well. And I have still got "150 of the RWS Miesterkugeln ? which came with rifle, I bought another 35 E, as a "thanks you" for a mate over a Car deal (cheap RS 2000), which I was unfortunate to see again some years later complete with surface rust, completely buggerd stock (plain straight grain) and a barrel which looked like a corkscrew,too far gone for even me to fix. I bought this from a local ( Weston S Mare) guy who I believe imported them by the container load, as this would have been before the Hull involvment.
Oddly enough I bought my first 80 from Stretham Guns, are they still about?, oh and yep! a WHOLE lotta beer was available for a fiver then! I seem to remember 50 p a pint. TEN BOB my old Dad would complain, kids seem happy to pay a fiver these days,, bloody mad.

Regards
H

PS Thanks Nikkormat for the interesting link, should take up a couple of hours!!

[I. J.]

The Optima ads in the 80's asways used a very sexy high contrast stock in the ads which must have enhanced sales I'm sure (I never saw one quite as good in the flesh though) pretty wood will always sell well.

You mean wood like THIS?

ATB
Ian

[coburn]

Yes most 35E's never had stocks quite as good as the one in the add, but it looks like IJ's found a beauty.

Here is my 35E with my other 35K

http://i451.photobucket.com/albums/q...rn/HW35003.jpg

A fairly typical 35E stock but still far better than the Beech used in the current HW range, although the current 35E that I've just looked at has a much lighter colour but its still better than the std stock.

Streatham Armoury is long gone its owner Alan Gigg packed up years ago, If I bought a rifle off him he would often show me several to pick the best stock etc and let you run it over the chrono he had in the basement.

Regards

[johnbaz]

Hi

Here's an export stock that i have, it had been cammo'd but has some nice figuring..

Pic 1

Pic 2

Pic 3

Pic 4

It still requires plenty of finishing and the three bits of chequering re-cutting but i think will be OK when finished, the grain doesn't show up too well in my pics as i'm totally naff with a camera but is very nice in reality..

Here's the action after i polished it ready for re-blueing..

Here's a pic of what the rifle looked like when i received it..

BTW, it's a confirmed 1972 model with no safety but strangely a 20" barrel


John

[HOMER]

You mean wood like THIS?

ATB
Ian

And YOU sir are just a common or garden gun pornographer!! be gone with you!,,, got any more sexy picks????, CLOSE UP'S?? (of HW's that is).

Regards
H

[HOMER]

[QUOTE=coburn;4577587]Yes most 35E's never had stocks quite as good as the one in the add, but it looks like IJ's found a beauty.
Hmmmmm! YES though I suspect some INSIDER TRADING may have been going on,, though I believe SOME SAY that he trolls gun forums late at night looking for picks of the most beautiful and desirable Airguns available, then Photoshops them to make them appear his own!!,, I do believe he has 1 or 2 rather nice Relums though!!, so he cant be ALL BAD.

H

[HOMER]

Hi

Here's an export stock that i have, it had been cammo'd but has some nice figuring..


It still requires plenty of finishing and the three bits of chequering re-cutting but i think will be OK when finished, the grain doesn't show up too well in my pics as i'm totally naff with a camera but is very nice in reality..

Here's the action after i polished it ready for re-blueing..

Here's a pic of what the rifle looked like when i received it..

BTW, it's a confirmed 1972 model with no safety but strangely a 20" barrel


John

Hi John
Well you certainly get my vote for Canonisation sir, love to see picks when you have finished her.
Surprised the chequering did not come clean with the Nitromors & Toothbrush,or are you keeping the original for a guide for the tool?, that grain should look peachy when finished,? do you wash your re furb stocks with Oxalic Acid before finishing?, as it always seems to define the grain pattern even after the stripper. If thats the original bbl would that not be a
DeLuxe 35 as the under side is chequered?.

Regards
H
PS The Benjamin is NEARLEY finished, stock came up quite well.