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Thread: Relum Tornado

  1. #1
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    Relum Tornado

    Hi all
    This is my first post, but been reading for over a month now. Wondered what to post first, didn't want to pose a string of questions straight off.
    Then, whilst indulging in my other hobby in my workshop, making swarf, I recalled a recent repair job for my brother-in-law. I made a replacement front trigger guard screw with the concentric trigger adjuster inside it recently for a Relum Tornado of his that had been kicking around for a few years.
    Well we tested the rebuilt gun yesterday and if all twenty shots fired had grouped like that as one shot you'd have one excellent shotgun pattern but as an airgun what a load of rubbish. I can't believe that I lusted after one of these in my early teens, but then anything underlever was a status symbol in those days (late 1960s).
    So to the point, the topic for discussion, this IS a discussion forum after all, does anyone have any fond (or otherwise) memories of these rifles and have I done the right thing repairing it, or should I have left it to rust away gracefully?
    Jef
    AKA Porthos, a Piskateer of Renown.
    I am a pistaholic, and proud of it

  2. #2
    phil384's Avatar
    phil384 is offline Likes to eat trifle wearing scuba gear
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    Funny you should mention lusting after a Relum, I used to as well. There was a rack of them in my local army surplus shop in Romsey and my mates and me would go in and drool over them. I couldn't afford one and wasn't old enough to buy one. The owner must have got pretty peed off with us in hindsight. I remember them rusting away even when new because nobody bought them. Maybe having my sweaty hands (and dribble) all over them didn't help

    As for your question, I'm not sure they will ever be collectors items
    Daystate Air Ranger FAC - Kral Bullpup & NP03 - CZ 452 .22lr - Lithgow 17hmr - Remington 783 .223 - Franchi 612vs 12G - Renato Gamba 12G O/U - Hatsan Escort 12G
    Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.....

  3. #3
    phil384's Avatar
    phil384 is offline Likes to eat trifle wearing scuba gear
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    Oops, where's my manners

    Welcome to the mad house
    Daystate Air Ranger FAC - Kral Bullpup & NP03 - CZ 452 .22lr - Lithgow 17hmr - Remington 783 .223 - Franchi 612vs 12G - Renato Gamba 12G O/U - Hatsan Escort 12G
    Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.....

  4. #4
    Bertie Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by jefL
    Hi all
    This is my first post, but been reading for over a month now. Wondered what to post first, didn't want to pose a string of questions straight off.
    Then, whilst indulging in my other hobby in my workshop, making swarf, I recalled a recent repair job for my brother-in-law. I made a replacement front trigger guard screw with the concentric trigger adjuster inside it recently for a Relum Tornado of his that had been kicking around for a few years.
    Well we tested the rebuilt gun yesterday and if all twenty shots fired had grouped like that as one shot you'd have one excellent shotgun pattern but as an airgun what a load of rubbish. I can't believe that I lusted after one of these in my early teens, but then anything underlever was a status symbol in those days (late 1960s).
    So to the point, the topic for discussion, this IS a discussion forum after all, does anyone have any fond (or otherwise) memories of these rifles and have I done the right thing repairing it, or should I have left it to rust away gracefully?
    Hi Jef,
    This is only my second posting on this most useful forum and although I haven't read 50% of it yet, what I have has been most educational and entertaining. There's a host of knowledgeable and witty enthusiasts here.

    I think you've done the right thing in refurbishing your Tornado as I would suppose that it will be a collectors item one day - if not now. I had one for a very short time in 1966 (I think) and I worked in a certain govenment establishment where they had the most sophisticated measuring equipment to establish the Tornado was producing just short of 7 foot pounds muzzle energy. Maybe further use plus pellet selection would have improved on that figure but I couldn't be bothered and sent the gun back to to the catalogue company.

    I never checked out its accuracy as I was so disappointed with the power and as for its looks, well it didn't have the svelte lines of the then current Airsporter, but to me had a certain agricultural charm. Anyway, it has been said that beauty lies in the eye of the beholder!

    I wonder if the inaccuracy can be cured by re-crowning the barrel. Just a thought.

    Have fun and safe shooting Jim and I hope you enjoy the Tornado and do come back with an update sometime.

    Bertie.

  5. #5
    Toady Guest

    Fond memories

    About 10 years ago I bought one of these for a pitance from one of my then students. I went to the gun shop and got an oxspring and rebluing fluid etc. Spent a couple of weeks polishing, bluing, refinishing stock, tuning etc. made a luvverly job and OK accuracy. Took it to gunshop - I will not mention which one - with another gun (Saxby Palmer .223 Airgun!!!! Special zinc rounds and worth a fortune Converted from a Parker Hale Midland .308 I believe Oh well the value dropped with the "Brocock" ban anyway ) I mentioned to the gunshop owner that it felt a bit pokey. He took it out the back to chrono it and came back ashen faced - did a deal but he didnt tell me what the power was

  6. #6
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    Relum Tornado

    Probably just as well you got rid of it, with a spring strong enough to take it over 12fpe it was probably only a question of time before the piston popped out of the front of the cylinder to say hello. Not the best engineered rifle I have seen.
    Jef
    AKA Porthos, a Piskateer of Renown.
    I am a pistaholic, and proud of it

  7. #7
    hotspot Guest
    Hi all,

    As a young teenager back on the 80's I had a tornado...at the time I was petty good with it.. I had no problems repeatedly hitting a 2p coin from the end of my garden (probably about 25 yards)...I used to be very proud of that

    Mine also had an ox mainspring. It would happily punch holes through 1/4" roofing slates...or anything else you pointed it at for that matter (much to my dad's dismay )....as a 13 year old it never occurred to me that it was probably way over the limit.

    A bit rough around the edges but well worth the pittance that they sold for!

    Thanks for the trip down memory lane

    Martin

  8. #8
    urx is offline 2,602.00 GBP −10.00 (0.38%) at the close
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    when I first started shooting I had a salvaged bsa meteor and my mate had a relum tornado, wouldnt say either were brilliantly engineered compared to what can be had for not much these days, but they were good enough for the time and I spent many an afternoon after school wandering around the local derelict land giving tincans a really hard time for as long as my cheapo milbro caledonian pellets lasted 8)
    the relum seemed slightly more powerful and probably was....good days
    Gun control means using both hands.

  9. #9
    Deep Guest

    Tornado

    My second rifle was a tornado ( first was a little Milbro and i wore it out). I wanted an underlever, i especially wanted a W+Scott mk 3 but was well pleased with the Relum ( SUCKER that i was then ) This was 70s and catalogues selling guns and tall tales from friends was the only source of knowledge.My friends with a mk3 and early airsporter werent very impressed but i could hold my own with it and i never found it innacurate but it didnt hold a candle in the looks dept. So one Xmas my mate gets a his second brand new break barrel Relum from Kays catalogue after the first one broke. I had the tornado about 18 months by now and only tuning it had was 3in1 oil regularly.
    So one day he brags about how powerfull his gun is and we argued . So to settle we found a tin can with a thick base . They were thicker then and the only way to chrono your gun we knew off. I went first and put a healthy dent in this can. He took his turn and the little S**t went straight through this can.
    I took the humilliation well for a teenager. I beat him up on the spot and bought an airsporter mk6 asap.

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