I do not think of myself as a collector, rather a tinkerer. I started off after many years away from airguns, buying stuff I wanted as a kid. I bought a Webley Mk3 which was a gun I could not afford. Then out of curiousity, I bought a dog rough Webley Hawk. Once I joined here and had acquired a few more guns, I found that due to lack of information about stripping some guns, that I somehow started the "Idiots guide". I would then buy cheap examples of stuff I did not have so I could strip them and write up the strip down. I would buy some guns because they were cheap and I used to get them working as a hobby to take my mind off where I lived/housing problems.
I explained to someone that I would buy a gun that was not working for £25-£30, get it working, fitting a piston washer, breech seal and a mainspring that would fit AND it would still be worth £25- £30 .That is why I have kept so many of them, plus the thing that once I have done them, I feel that they should (mainly) stay.
I like to be able to plink, so things that are not much fun to have gone. These are gats, G4's, Webley Stinger, Zenit.
I've had a lot of help off here and have been sold some guns cheaply as people know I will get them working and will not break them for spares on that auction site. A couple of things that spring (see what I did there) to mind are the Relum Repeatier from Ogilkes (barsteward to do that!) and the Tell 2 from Garvin. There are now pics of a stripped Tell 2 on the internet, which I have not seen before.
Some things I do not really like but as they are from my youth, I keep them. A couple of Relums are a bit of a bugger to cock. The Paratroopers are Gamo's, which I don't like for some reason and I have a couple of Crosman 1300 pistols, which I don't really like either.
I have got rid of any other later Crosman or Daisy that have come my way and all other Gamos have gone as well.
There are a few things I regret not buying (A cheap Anschutz 275 on here), being one. I do have rougher examples of collectable guns. I somehow ended up with a lot of Meteors (16 I think).
I have recently passed of a mk4 Meteor and a Webley Hawk mk3 to a mate to use with his grandson and to show him how to strip them. There were no sights with the guns, but he will use a scope. Not having sights and being rough, but working, they were not worth much and I would not break them. The thing is, they are worth something to get a youngster into shooting.



Ok--I have bought REALLY rough guns because I feel sorry for them