Why don't Air Arms make break barrels?

[Rapidnick]

I know they used to because I had a Pro'elite, so why did they stop making them, Weihrauch sell thousands of them

The short answer is that their first offering was a failure. They are a very profit-orientated company and bearing in mind they don't even make a left handed Pro Sport because of limited demand says it all. They have concentrated their resources in making high value rifles and that I suspect is where they will stay.

[lensman57]

They could easily take up the vaccum left by Rapid/Impact if they wanted. Webely and the BSA are no longer thought of as highly as used to and are not really English anymore. A factory tuned bearkbarrel with a decent walnut stock, fit for purpose, about the £450.00 mark will have a viable market.

A.G

[Arthur John Smithsplease]

AA seem to prefer small changes.

They stick with what works.

Look at the S400/410 series for example. How long have they been around? And even the HFT500 and Ultimate Sporter look like derivatives of that design.

[Blackrider]

The short answer is that their first offering was a failure. They are a very profit-orientated company and bearing in mind they don't even make a left handed Pro Sport because of limited demand says it all. They have concentrated their resources in making high value rifles and that I suspect is where they will stay.

And "high value" PCP's at that Nick !

[oneseven]

The short answer is that their first offering was a failure. They are a very profit-orientated company and bearing in mind they don't even make a left handed Pro Sport because of limited demand says it all. They have concentrated their resources in making high value rifles and that I suspect is where they will stay.

I'd be willing to pay for it. Why would they not make money on a British made premium BB if they can turn a profit on the TX and PS?

Their PCPs do nothing for me.

[Rapidnick]

I'd be willing to pay for it. Why would they not make money on a British made premium BB if they can turn a profit on the TX and PS?

Their PCPs do nothing for me.

You are speaking purely personally. You may well be prepared to buy one but that doesn't make it a viable business proposition. The market is crowded AND their history with the PE will make them extra cautious.
AA have limited production space and choose to use that in making higher added value PCPs'.
Don't get me wrong-if they made a break barrel I'd certainly look to buy one too but I won't be holding my breath.

[mikehill]

If I was them I'd cease making the Pro-Sport and replace it with a break barrel around the same quality and price

[Geezer]

The UK isn't the biggest market for airguns.

The US is. The Pro Elite was designed for the US market. It had potential to take lots of sales off the HW80 and put a big dent in sales of the Diana 48/52. And the TX/PS.

For whatever reason, it just didn't catch on. Americans just didn't seem to want a more expensive more powerful HW80 class rifle, despite the fact that they love TXs. So I understand AA's caution.

I think the chances of them making a UK/Germany 12 ft/lbs (16J) level break-barrel are about zero. The market is already crowded and it would have to be very special to persuade enough people to pay a premium over an HW or Diana. It would risk ending up like the recent FWB Sport.

[TonyL]

Geezer, Muskett and Rapidnick - all excellent, valid points.

[TonyL]

Okay, the high-end AA break barrel may not happen.

Maybe there's a whiff of a chance of an AA labelled one, though, although I have no clue as to the age of this rifle.

At the last Boinger Bash, one of the chaps brought along with him an ex-prototype / test mule "Air Arms" break barrel. I had few shots with it;quite nice it was, too.

However, I said to the chap, "Here you go, I'll show you what that is". Basically it was a CZ Slavia break barrel with a CD trigger and (I seem to remember) a different stock. I produced my CZ634 out of the gunslip....and it was plain for all to see....same cylinder including dovetails and arrestor grooves and same breech block / barrel arrangement (apart from, unlike the 634, it didn't have the manual breech latch).

Also, when I got my 634, the two details of the internals that jumped out on this 25mm bore gun were the AA style piston seal and TX stylee synthetic band at rear of piston.

And, taking into account the collaboration re the S200, maybe this could be a reality? But I don't know how old this prototype is. If not recent, it may have been shelved years ago. Could be a much more cost effective way of getting a 25mm break barrel to market without an absolute fortune in development costs, with probably CZ footing most of the bill, or a split venture with shared costs?

[derekj]

Besides everything else Diana currently produce elegant, well engineered break barrel models either spring piston or gas strut coupled with the excellent T06 trigger.

[Geezer]

Besides everything else Diana currently produce elegant, well engineered break barrel models either spring piston or gas strut coupled with the excellent T06 trigger.

Paging barryg.

[Drew451]

Besides everything else Diana currently produce elegant, well engineered break barrel models either spring piston or gas strut coupled with the excellent T06 trigger.

They do but not enough UK customers buy them. This may be changing slowly and Diana are building on formats best suited to UK tastes according to Edgar Bros.
Personally, I think a 34 carbine with a proper moderator, kitted, in a 340 ntec style walnut stock would provide a real alternative to an HW break barrel or any hoped for Air Arms bb.
But how many of you would be prepared to dip a toe into it?

[oneseven]

You are speaking purely personally. You may well be prepared to buy one but that doesn't make it a viable business proposition. The market is crowded AND their history with the PE will make them extra cautious.
AA have limited production space and choose to use that in making higher added value PCPs'.
Don't get me wrong-if they made a break barrel I'd certainly look to buy one too but I won't be holding my breath.

Sure, but you'd agree that if they start to hear more demand for a particular gun they will be more likely to produce one. I still think it's a huge gap in their product range, a break barrel should be a staple for them. If people start emailing they might wake up to it.

[Clanchief]

It's possible they could do a run of 100 modded by them from a first company spec. A bit like when SFS bought 50 Longbows from Venom to turn into a SFS Phantom, even back then the run finished at thirty purchased as interest faded, thankfully I have one of the left twenty.

Perhaps AA or a custom tuning house could purchase 100 95's from Hans and re spec them in house and re stock them to a one off run of a tidy spec' d break barrel.

The custom house or AA would still be shelling out 40k for a gamble of what kind of mark up and turn around on your outlay, marketing and investment ?

Perhaps a pipe dream but what about a pay up front bbs boinger special, if you want one sign up and pay up to a custom house 100% of the estimated final cost, they will then source the suggested spec items and assemble to the design spec, only once the final true cost has been established and final payments made would the new one off rifles be able to be owned by the new individual of the collective.

There may be a minimal run that the first supplier Hans could do so maybe 30 to make it worthwhile for the U.K. gunmaker to assemble and turn out, kinda like MG of days gone by.

This may be the only way to see a limited run of a Break Barrel anytime soon.