Just a question for my interest..

I continue to be surprised by the strong interest in and market for, pump up rifles such as the sharp innova and ace, but also the Sheridan streaks, what is it that makes them so good?

Some people absolutely rave about them - the auctioneer Gavin Gardiner has a collection of old Sheridans, which he clearly loves and it was following a conversation with him that I went out and bought a bluestreak a while back.

While it is an interesting rifle to have a short plink with, it does not have a lot going for it. It will take a maximum of 8 pumps and delivers about 10.5 ft/lbs. So a lot of energy put in. I have read of course that earlier Sheridans could achieve legal limit with half as many pumps - Gedfinn has made this point before, but its still taking a lot more energy than cocking a springer. The trigger is awful, partially negating the benefit of its zero recoil. As such I find myself reaching for anything else, be it spring, PCP or CO2 when I want to knock cans over. I've not even considered hunting with it.

As for the Sharp rifles, having seen one of the fabled Innovas, a rifle I lusted after in my youth, I was disappointed to see all the plastic. The Ace is said to be much better, but I've not handled one.

So what am I missing about these rifles? They lack the ease of use of a decent springer and are generally cheaply made, or is it just that there is limited supply that makes them desirable?

I should finish by saying I like all airguns - especially ones that are a bit different, but I'm not seeing why pump ups are so great!