Dodgy Diana User
My experience exactly. You'd order a good rifle and a good scope and it would come with pot metal single-screw mounts that crept all over the place.
I have about 35 years' worth of rubbish 1980s and beyond mounts that I have taken off guns or scopes, or test I bought new back in the day.
Recently picked up a late 70s Weihrauch 1 piece (identical to one in the 1978 Airgun Digest). It is well made, and has an arrestor pin. But the clamp jaws are fixed, and the one big clamp screw just sort of bends them a bit. Not impressive.
What do you recommend of the older stuff?
Even better looking than a HW35
To be honest I'd just stick with open sights on a Mercury due to the rear sloping trigger block not allowing the scope to come back enough thus giving crappy eye relief, even when the reach back one piece mount is used it's still not enough, so you end up cranking your neck forward to see down the scope, the other problem is the low comb on all of the Merc stocks aren't very good for scope usage, so just enjoy the excellent open sights.
Pete
Far too many rifles to list now, all mainly British but the odd pesky foreigner has snuck in
Dodgy Diana User
On the Merc/Airsporter, I am a long-necked stock crawler, so I have no problem using, for example, a Bushnell 6x32 in a Sportsmatch mount on my Mk5 'sporter.
The thing a lot of us did in the 80s when fitting a scope was to remove opens and add a silencer or muzzle weight. So there's a subset to this discussion about getting that element right for the classic look. Example: I have and at some point will fit to my old Airsporter a NOS Gunsport Hushpower slip-on silencer that I have lying around. It may not silence much, but it would complete the look.
Registered User
This Omega has a backsight plate and Whisper silencer of the period.
http://i820.photobucket.com/albums/z...e/IMGP6775.jpg
Moderators were more hype than use. (PCP's do benefit). There was only one good looking moderator in those 80's days and they were on Theobens, a company that made some of the best looking guns ever.
http://i820.photobucket.com/albums/z...e/IMGP6738.jpg
Some made for model moderators look good. The Webley Eclipse, and the Sharp Innova were two.
http://i820.photobucket.com/albums/z...e/IMG_4087.jpg
No for sight sometimes gave a rifle more attitude, some looked better than others:
http://i820.photobucket.com/albums/z...e/IMG_3951.jpg
The plates to fill holes do look good on some rifles when made nicely. My FWBSports have them and look better for it. Annoyingly the Webley Vulcan because of the breech area, alwas looks rubbish when the backsight is removed.
All these little things make the hobby interesting for an anorak like me
Admin Team
I just lob 3 or 4 inches off the BSA buttstocks. The walnut ones seem to cut particularly nice.Originally Posted by look no hands
Muddled
Just as important as the scope is the mount. I prefer Apel one piece because they are very secure and look the part.
Founder & ex secretary of Rivington Riflemen.
www.rivington-riflemen.uk
Registered User
I had a bit of a renaissance with open sights at the back end of last year. I can say it's disarmingly easy to put a group into an apple size hole at 100 yards with a 100 year old centre fire and open sights. Open sights are More than capable of 2p groups at airgun ranges. Keep it simple- it's very rewarding.
I'd hang on to a scoped option as well mind!
Registered User
Period mounts are no problem for anything after '82 - just use Sportsmatch.
Simples.
Same here, every younger airgunner brought up on scope only guns should by law have to spend an hour at a local smallbore range seeing what a BSA international / Tenex can do in the right hands!
As you say open sight groups can be a real eye opener to many folks who do not practise with what is often pulled off and thrown away on their guns.
ATB, ED
Makes Scrooge look Happy and Generous!
I like the open sights on my earlier Airsporters (Mk1 and 2 - the Mk1s I have don't have machined slots for mounts anyway) and scopes for the later ones!
The open sights on the Mk1 and 2 are much better quality than those on the later Airsporters and are in keeping with the age of rifle.
I like both!
ASM
I am a Man of La Northumberlandia, a true Knight and spend my days on my Quest (my duty nay privilege!) and fighting dragons and unbeatable foe, to right the unrightable wrongs, to bear with unbearable sorrow and dreaming my impossible dreams.
You can't say muntjack without saying mmmmm
I'm pretty sure Sportsmatch started up in the early 80s, so something by them would still be appropriate. They used to make a 1 piece mount specifically for the Mercury/Airsporter.
For the early Meteors and Airsporters with the wide, twin dovetails, Parker Hale mounts are ideal. They pop up on the Evil Bay from time to time.
The South of England has 2 good things, the M1 and the A1. Both will take you to Yorkshire.
Muddled
.... they just dont look as good.
Last edited by I. J.; 05-02-2017 at 05:48 PM.
Founder & ex secretary of Rivington Riflemen.
www.rivington-riflemen.uk
Registered User
There have been several Sportsmach types done over the years. Some look better than others, some look better than Sportmatch. The Trouble with most and Sporsmatch is they are overly bulky, and many have the rounded edge done. Just doesn't look right on more Classic style rifles.
Mounts always hard to have looking good. Apel do, but as already said need the arrestor pin to be secure.
Its not as easy as it sounds.
Iron sights differ from maker to maker. Some manufacturers do them better than others. I've always liked the BSA's. HW fine, FWB Sport not that great due to the rear sight. Webley MKIII's are a good one as are BSF's.
It don't mean a thing, if it ain't got a Spring
Always fancied trying iron sights on a Rimfire but as yet I haven't got round to it !
Maybe the CZ 452 delux would be a good bet or one of the Anschutz rimfires ?
“An airgun or two”………
Registered User
Both these rimfires have fantastic open sights and you can hit things with them. But you can hit more things further out with glass fitted.
http://i820.photobucket.com/albums/z...9/IMG_0444.jpg
My all time best was shooting a "possible" with a Lee Enfield No:4 .303 at 600m (under 2 MOA), but I had young eyes then.
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