How and when did your particular air gun collecting bug actually bite.

[Grayling]

What I was going to say is;

Cant wait for John's (Johnbaz) addative !

Mmmmm....

John.

Thanks for your post John, in regards to JB he isn't called GKJB for nowt John, JBs post will be more like War and Peace if he goes into detail

I think I swapped it for a Mitchell 300 reel.

The first gun I bought then was an early standard which I got from a shop in Weybridge I remember, from then the usual happened...took it to work (I used to work on the Brookland circuit in the old Hawker sheds, and a few of us had various "toys" and the space to use them at dinnertime), and someone would say "Oh..I've got an old air rifle", or "my mate has one to sell" etc. etc.

I try to keep it sensible, and shoot everything in strict rotation...but of course like most on here, the lure of the "next best thing" is a bugga to shake off!

ATB, Ed

Enjoyed that Edster . Noticed the Mitchell 300 bit to mate. I love all the Mitchell range and have 42 in my collection at the moment. And have renovated numerous of these reels in the past. I have literally hundreds of pounds worth of spares. All except 440 spool housing back plates, the holy grail part for all Mitchell fans. I still have my first two, a Mitchell 300C and a Mitchell 440 Match that I bought from my mothers Peter Craig catalogue in the late 70's. I'm after a decent early half bail arm 300 from the late 40's early 50's at the mo. Even now they are the only reels I use while out fishing.

[Blackrider]

Thanks for your post John, in regards to JB he isn't called GKJB for nowt John, JBs post will be more like War and Peace if he goes into detail



Enjoyed that Edster . Noticed the Mitchell 300 bit to mate. I love all the Mitchell range and have 42 in my collection at the moment. And have renovated numerous of these reels in the past. I have literally hundreds of pounds worth of spares. All except 440 spool housing back plates, the holy grail part for all Mitchell fans. I still have my first two, a Mitchell 300C and a Mitchell 440 Match that I bought from my mothers Peter Craig catalogue in the late 70's. I'm after a decent early half bail arm 300 from the late 40's early 50's. Even now they are the only reels I use while out fishing.

Mitchell 300's mmmmm. now me n you really have some catching up to do !

jOHN.

[Grayling]

Mitchell 300's mmmmm. now me n you really have some catching up to do !

jOHN.

If you are a Mitchell fan also then yes mate, kindred spirits or what .

[Blackrider]

If you are a Mitchell fan also then yes mate, kindred spirits or what .

Oh my word but Yes !
How long have yer got, are you a Carper, a Redmire buff perhaps ?

John.

[Grayling]

Oh my word but Yes !
How long have yer got, are you a Carper, a Redmire buff perhaps ?

John.

Well I am a passionate Grayling fisherman really John and long standing member of the Grayling society. I also love catching Tench, Bream, Dace, Barbel and Crucian Carp. Carp are pretty far down on my list to be honest. Although Redmire pool is the Twickenham of the fishing world and I would love to just walk its banks, let alone fish there.

[Blackrider]

Well I am a passionate Grayling fisherman really John and long standing member of the Grayling society. I also love catching Tench, Bream, Dace, Barbel and Crucian Carp. Carp are pretty far down on my list to be honest. Although Redmire pool is the Twickenham of the fishing world and I would love to just walk its banks, let alone fish there.

Say na more on here, I'll catch up on the 15th June !

John.

[Grayling]

Say na more on here, I'll catch up on the 15th June !

John.

Looking forward to it John .

[edbear2]

If you are a Mitchell fan also then yes mate, kindred spirits or what .

I got back into Pike fishing last year after a 40 year break mate...I'll tell you a funny story when we next meet...All my kit was off the bay, a nice 300 with 3 spools in a bag for £15 odd quid, and a cracking (unused looking) Lee of Redditch 9'6" fibreglass spinner with safety twist ferrule, all agate rings and champagne anodizing for not much more...I use old re-hooked snapdragon plugs and vintage spoons and Colorados, and last time out got some sniggers from the multi-rod carbon youngsters...as I did in the shop when I asked what the hell a "jerkbait" was

I caught an 8 pound Pike in front of them, and you should have seen their faces

It's a bit like shooting old guns, or maybe I am just awkward (or believe that fish don't worry if you have spent a grand on tackle as long as you stick something in front of them that looks edible).

Sorry to wander off topic........most unlike me!

ATB, Ed

[Grayling]

I got back into Pike fishing last year after a 40 year break mate...I'll tell you a funny story when we next meet...All my kit was off the bay, a nice 300 with 3 spools in a bag for £15 odd quid, and a cracking (unused looking) Lee of Redditch 9'6" fibreglass spinner with safety twist ferrule, all agate rings and champagne anodizing for not much more...I use old re-hooked snapdragon plugs and vintage spoons and Colorados, and last time out got some sniggers from the multi-rod carbon youngsters...as I did in the shop when I asked what the hell a "jerkbait" was

I caught an 8 pound Pike in front of them, and you should have seen their faces

It's a bit like shooting old guns, or maybe I am just awkward (or believe that fish don't worry if you have spent a grand on tackle as long as you stick something in front of them that looks edible).

Sorry to wander off topic........most unlike me!

ATB, Ed

The amount of older guys who stop for a gab when they see one of my Mitchells is amazing Ed (I rotate these like you do your rifles). But like you I do get sniggers when seen out with my old style tackle. Most are surprised when they find I use them on purpose in favour of the newer Shimano baitrunner types and actually enjoy using them . They are even more surprised when they find out I collect and renovate them too AND HAVE OVER 40 . Mitchells seem to peak and trough price wise and are really cheap at the moment. I love using these old reels, just like I love using vintage BSA's even my centrepin reel for long trotting is an ancient Trudex of 1950s vintage. I love stripping and rebuilding them both too. Although my rods are purpose built, long and very ''tippy'' to middle in action as most of my fishing is fast moving rivers or large glacial mountain lakes. Couldn't give a toss what the younger ones think Ed most I've met are all the gear no idea anyway .

[wotswot]

well chaps from what I can see we all suffer from the same disease! we all seen to have this within us, with me it all started with cap guns cowboy stuff,air rifles as I grew. then model aeroplanes and engines I have 200+ engines some new some very old most still in original boxes,take them out fondle and lube um then put away again.. silly but I love um..then girls followed by motor bikes then lots of beer! and on to cars most of which I still wish I had like the enclosed pic of my pride and joy my rs2000 my lovely wife said it needs to go as it's not used... big mistake!!! sold it 5 years ago for 7k it's now worth 20k.. It now seems to go full circle back to guns.the thing that worries me my young son seems to be going the same way!! one thing I like a lot is that most people that have this disease seem to get on so well. after only a few days on this forum I meeting with the famous edbear, it was like i'd known him years.. funny old world?? keep up the good work chap's.. alan

[wotswot]

sorry chaps got carried away there and forgot the photo ... so here she is or was!

[wotswot]

http://s1291.beta.photobucket.com/us...tml?sort=3&o=2

sorry.. here it is....

[Grayling]

http://s1291.beta.photobucket.com/us...tml?sort=3&o=2

sorry.. here it is....

Oh that is nice, VERY VERY NICE, always wanted one back in the day, just couldn't afford an RS2000 bloody expensive then, even more so now. I had an all black 1976 (P registered) 1600 Ghia MK2 with twin choke webbers and Janspeed exhaust. I did manage the RS alloys on mine though, eventually.

[wotswot]

Oh that is nice, VERY VERY NICE, always wanted one back in the day, just couldn't afford an RS2000 bloody expensive then, even more so now. I had an all black 1976 (P registered) 1600 Ghia MK2 with twin choke webbers and Janspeed exhaust. I did manage the RS alloys on mine though, eventually.

Gary, I had a 1976 1600 ghia in metallic blue with a black vinyl roof and a set of minilite alloys!! which set me back 3 weeks wages! those were the days my friend.. regards alan... then there was a sp250 (dont start!)

[red bob]

coming from a village with one street lamp and one road sign you had two choices for pass times ,either the only girl worth looking at in the village or take to the fields poaching .so bartering with the local travellers[gypsy's] for some antiquated airgun ; i started with a cadet which i was reliably informed by the said gypsys would knock down a rabbit at some unbelievable distance which i of course believed . i traded up to a meteor from the same people [god was i gullible] but i did spend some of my happiest childhood hours with a mate tornado and meteor in our grubby little hands traipsing round boothys fields much to his annoyance;hilarious now i think about it, he used to chase us in his old tractor as he was so rotund! his old man i remember was arrested when he loosed off both barrels of his shotgun at the milktanker doing the rounds.
when i finally acquired an airsporter i was sure i had reached airgun nirvana;as i lived on a big nursery my mates would turn up and take a pick of my rather odd collection of used and abused airguns ;i recall an old scorpion grafted into an equally old stock being amongst my box of treasures!! we couldnt shoot pistols accurately so it seemed the simplest solution,i recall someone turning up with a hurricane which try as we might couldnt hit anything smaller than a lawn mower grass box ;we concluded with our errr limited experience that it must be so powerful it was inaccurate.my last purchase before i gave up airguns temporarily was a webley, which model i cant remember except on the box when it arrived from kays catalogue was the inscription "webley probably the best airguns in the world" .after 20 plus years away raising family, paying mortgage,i came back to it and have made up for lost time acquiring every model i dreamt of but couldnt have back then .my all time most loved model as so many here already know is the fwb 124s followed closely by a series 2 mk3 but when i want to rattle a few cans the old cadet major is still simple honest plinker with loads of memory's.