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

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  1. #1
    Grayling is offline Lego Leggaed letch and Lohan Lover with added Moist
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    How and when did your particular air gun collecting bug actually bite.

    It was Dingles post on my other thread with regards dreamed of loft finds that got me thinking how our views have changed and what was once seen as simple TAT is now seen as TREASURE . I'm fairly new to the airgun collecting bug and started collecting pellets at first. This again only started because I had many full and partial tins of Champion brand pellets. These were a local company to me on the Wirral. Once based in the Tarran way industrial estate in Moreton, now sadly gone . Where we got all our airgun ammo in the mid 80's while on pest control duties for a local dock based company in Liverpool and Birkenhead. Champion must have had one of the largest variety's of pellets types/designs than any company ever in the airgun industry I remember seeing literally hundreds of different types in the factory. They even made a special gold plated pellet that were being sent to Saudi Arabia for some rich oil sheik. And yes I actually saw a tin at the time and yes again I would dearly love to have a full tin now .

    Any way fast forward to about 2006 and me clearing out the loft in my mothers house to find about 40 to 50 various tins of Champion pellets, Eley Wasps, Prometheus, Titan Black, Nato airgun bullets etc. I then decided to try to get my hands on the old BSA underlever that was above the fireplace in my grandparents house when I was a child. I have just got my hands on this old rifle now, 7 years later. Although I did manage to get my hands on a Haenel Mod IVE in terrible condition (a BSA Club Standard copy). Happily mega wooly Mally Ally made the missing bits to get it shooting again.

    Going right back to the 70's although a very keen airgunner my air rifles and later rimfires were used on pest control duties around local council Allotment gardens, Leather Tanneries, Market Gardens, Grain warehouses, arable/dairy farms, Stables etc so were more tools than cherished items. This has now totally changed however. But I cringe now when I think of the rifles that were given to me by various family members, sadly no longer with us so I cannot ask them about these rifles or what the unknown ones were . I have mentioned on the earlier thread Meteors, Vulcans, Airsporters and I'm sure there was an original Mod 50 but others I just cannot remember. I know a Vulcan is still languishing in the loft. But all the rest were sold or swapped on, how I now regret this. I knew the old BSA underlever fed our family from before WW1 up until the late 40's but as my uncles flew the nest they all carried on feeding their families in Ration book Britain with their newly bought Airsporters and later Meteors, Vulcans etc AND I SOLD or SWAPPED them on . I kick myself over this now and like Dingle see myself as a prick because of this. I cringe even more when I think of the pellets I binned because they were oxidised . Old Pylarms, Webley orange and green boxes etc, oh the realisation .

    I am still active on the pest control scene, a HW100 is my weapon of choice now, the rimfires are long gone . Although I have now added many of the rifles I owned or wanted as a young man AA Camargue/AA Hi-power/AA Firepower and an ASI Paratrooper repeater which was the dogs danglies to little horrible Scousers when I was a kid. I now also own 9 various vintage BSA underlevers, 2 pre war Diana Mod 27s and the Haenel Mod IVE. Plus I still also have my very first rifle a 1964 vintage Milbro Model 23 junior rifle that I found in a bombed house (never found out how it got there) and my still treasured Venom 80 bought from the masters themselves in 1983.

    Like I said earlier AN OLD HEAD IS A WISE HEAD I just wish there was some one to tell me all this 30 odd years ago.
    THERE IS A LIFE IN PEACE AND STRIFE THAT WE ALL HAVE TO LIVE, WE GIVE OUR BEST THEN GO TO REST, WHEN WE'VE NO MORE TO GIVE.
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    Blackrider's Avatar
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    OK Gary, since no Bugger's pitched in on this Thread, I thought I'd better start the Ball rolling !

    Got my first airgun (pistol) in 1966 ! Yep, you guessed it, a "Harry Gat" !
    Lusted after an Airsporter (as we all did) but sadly couldn't afford one.
    Over the years I shot a good few airguns, Relums, Mercury's Webbo's etc. but didn't really get into the collecting bug.
    Throughout the 70 and 80's, I got more into fishing, not airgunning, so my interest wained.
    Picked it up in the mid 90's with the advent of the Theo. Rapid !
    Had three and a few "rammers" and loved the experiance !
    Started collecting about then with old Beezaz. my "collection" ebbed and flowed over the next few years. Sometimes I had 15/20, then it would drop to about 8 or so.
    A year back I had 29 including powderburners. This has dropped to 12 plus my c'fires.
    Out of the 12, I cant see myself parting with any, I've looked at it and each time I pick a gun out, I immediatly return it to the cabinet !
    Not saying I wouldn't sell for the right price but it'd be a hard bargain !

    OK, Thats Me !

    John.
    “An airgun or two”………

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    Blackrider's Avatar
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    What I was going to say is;

    Cant wait for John's (Johnbaz) addative !

    Mmmmm....

    John.
    “An airgun or two”………

  4. #4
    edbear2 Guest
    Hi Mate..I have never been a huge collector, I think the most I have ever owned at one time is 23 guns (I know to some that may seem a lot...but trust me it is 5-10% of what some have).

    I started early shooting as both my mum and dad and my older brother (by 6 years) all shot. My dad had a Mk 1 Airsporter that was out of bounds, but my earliest recollection was probably shooting a tin plate something at the age of 8-9 with darts in the garden when my older brother had his mates around. We were lucky in that my mum was warden of an old peoples home with a small wood and an overgrown orchard, although it was supposed to be private, it was a magnet for anybody locally with a gun of any type back then (mid 60's), so there was always somebody shooting something, and I would tag along for a go at an early age. It was a different time then and battles with webley pistols and rifles up to meteor size were fairly normal, with us wearing old donkey jackets that were way too big, and German and British helmets borrowed from home, and bike goggles...don't ask me why all my friends were able to find them...it just seemed normal back then that dads had this sort of thing upstairs

    Of course I had cap guns as well, and an Airfix slr, which lost it's bayonet and broke it's barrel (didn't they all?)


    By the time I was 10 or 12 I owned a couple of ratty break barrels, but had shot most stuff...My first new rifle was a daisy 1894 as I was a wild west fan and my parents thought I would love it...didn't have the heart to tell them. by this age I was doing paper rounds and learning from bigger kids all the tricks of scouring building sites and parks (and even the back of pubs) for discarded pop bottles to get refunds on, and even then used to go to junk shops and look for guns...I had a few Webley pistols, an early Diana 50 and after a lot of saving, one of the first Mercury MK1's to arrive in the place where I would always be found, Coles gunshop of Cirencester. (I was 14 when I got that...god knows where it went...I suspect big bruv).

    After that, I got a moped at 16, so the shooting went quiet for a bit as I explored the west country, but I always had at least 2 rifles sitting around...The diana lasted the longest, I think I swapped it for a Mitchell 300 reel.

    My parents parted company when I was 17, so never found out what happened to the old man's sporter, as I went to live with an ex-guards man with my mum, it was around that time that all my airguns went walkies (big bruv again!).

    I did some shotgunning then, but mostly practical stuff as I have never been much of a hunter, and had a friend who had a permission and rifles, so used to shoot there, and his dad had a BSA standard which opened my eyes to how well they shot in capable hands.

    By the time I was in my early 20's I had moved to a small flat in Surrey, and used to shoot a bit at Bisley (short Siberia) and Aldershot, but only had a Mercury. I suppose it was when I moved to near Aldershot in the early 80's and finally had a house and garden that I started plinking again and shooting more air...It was just less hassle, and a lot cheaper!

    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

  5. #5
    Grayling is offline Lego Leggaed letch and Lohan Lover with added Moist
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    Quote Originally Posted by Blackrider View Post
    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

    Quote Originally Posted by edbear2 View Post

    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.
    THERE IS A LIFE IN PEACE AND STRIFE THAT WE ALL HAVE TO LIVE, WE GIVE OUR BEST THEN GO TO REST, WHEN WE'VE NO MORE TO GIVE.
    Co-founder of Treats 4 British Troops

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    Blackrider's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Grayling View Post
    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.
    “An airgun or two”………

  7. #7
    Blackrider's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Blackrider View Post
    What I was going to say is;

    Cant wait for John's (Johnbaz) addative !

    Mmmmm....

    John.
    John Mate, where are you ??

    John.
    “An airgun or two”………

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    Quote Originally Posted by Blackrider View Post
    John Mate, where are you ??

    John.


    Hey up John

    I've been busy in the garden (more like jungle actually )!! been back and forth to the dumpit site and had a good clear out!!


    My very first gun was a Webley Junior rifle that my grandad bought for me when I was around 8yo, I didn't have it long as I accidentally shot my dad in the bum with it!! (never saw it again and wasn't allowed another until I was 14 )

    My next gun was also a little Webley Junior rifle which I shot my brother in the belly with (not an accident this time, he was goading me )

    My collecting started slowly as there were bills to pay, kids to raise but I stopped with the fags back in '06 and couldn't believe how much spare wonga I accumilated!!

    Work has dropped off over the last few months so buying has all but stopped now, the last gun I bought was a Crosman 2240 but I never received it, turned out the seller was a 23 year old company director that had just started scamming and I was his first 'trick'...

    I keep checking over on The Hunting Life forum to make sure that he doesn't scam anyone else, i've also 'outed' him on there as it's clear that i'll never get a reply from him (mutiple PM's, texts etc)

    Anyhow, that's the first time i've been conned in years of buying so I count myself as being lucky


    I recently got back in to fishing after a twenty year layoff, I dug my tackle out of the shed and, the same as most fogeys on here, prefer the rugged durability of Mitchell reels, I've about a dozen of them including one 1950's half bail arm 300, I was told on a fishing forum that it's a 'Bitsa' reel made up of parts that don't really belong together but it works OK, not that I use it...

    I have a Mitchell Match that I bought from the bootsale for a quid!!, It works fine but has hardly any paint on it at all

    I also have a blue one that I bought new years ago, it's still in good order and is so well made that it's a pleasure to trot a stick with (just blimmin heavy when fitted to my 13' Diawa Whisker Kevlar rod

    Last year I started buying carp gear to have a go in ernest, acquired a couple of new Diawa 21/4lb tc rods and a couple of 'fangled' baitrunner reels and the accessories but didn't get going, probably this year


    Just had Mel round at ours with a very nice Cadet major and Airsporter he's going to have a go at the Airsporter stock as someone has refinished it but it looks as though they picked it up wjhilst still wet

    Nice bloke is Mel, he's coming to the MM fayre too with his lad


    Cheers, John
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  9. #9
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    hi gary, this is too much for me, as my original post started some of us are like twins! it's like looking in the mirror! you may be better looking than me though! just a few of my old fords from a long list cortina mk2 lotus only reason I sold it it was a sh--ty dark red.. mk3 2000gxl then my mk2 escort days too many to count.. did see a mk2 on wheeler dealer a field escort mike had to pay £8000.00 for! stroke mine! then Dolomite Sprint! see the trend here? then mk4 cortina 2.0 ghia more room to move around in! but those crushed velour seat showed ever stain in the world!!!! please see pic below..god if i had them all now? I could go on but might be more fun over a pint or two one day..
    regards alan..

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

  10. #10
    Grayling is offline Lego Leggaed letch and Lohan Lover with added Moist
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    Quote Originally Posted by johnbaz View Post
    Hey up John






    I recently got back in to fishing after a twenty year layoff, I dug my tackle out of the shed and, the same as most fogeys on here, prefer the rugged durability of Mitchell reels, I've about a dozen of them including one 1950's half bail arm 300, I was told on a fishing forum that it's a 'Bitsa' reel made up of parts that don't really belong together but it works OK, not that I use it...

    I have a Mitchell Match that I bought from the bootsale for a quid!!, It works fine but has hardly any paint on it at all

    I also have a blue one that I bought new years ago, it's still in good order and is so well made that it's a pleasure to trot a stick with (just blimmin heavy when fitted to my 13' Diawa Whisker Kevlar rod

    Last year I started buying carp gear to have a go in ernest, acquired a couple of new Diawa 21/4lb tc rods and a couple of 'fangled' baitrunner reels and the accessories but didn't get going, probably this year


    Just had Mel round at ours with a very nice Cadet major and Airsporter he's going to have a go at the Airsporter stock as someone has refinished it but it looks as though they picked it up wjhilst still wet

    Nice bloke is Mel, he's coming to the MM fayre too with his lad


    Cheers, John
    Liked the half bail 300 John and an early Garcia Mitchell 440 for a £1, nice to see the Goldenknackers monica isn't just good for air rifles . It really is spooky how similar we all are in our likes, dislikes and how things panned out with kids, hobbys etc. In our little collectables corners great minds really do think alike . Still got my Daiwa Whisker Kevlar as well mate.
    THERE IS A LIFE IN PEACE AND STRIFE THAT WE ALL HAVE TO LIVE, WE GIVE OUR BEST THEN GO TO REST, WHEN WE'VE NO MORE TO GIVE.
    Co-founder of Treats 4 British Troops

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