New British Made Air Rifle

[Hsing-ee]

The Mercury most people will have met had a PAINT finish, a school-desk plain varnished beech stock, a plastic bendy one-stage trigger, and a rather boingy firing cycle.

It was also a sod to strip due to its assegai-like back block with its impossible curve, a heavy spring with a good bit of preload, and a piston head that would turn, not to cheese as some people would have it, but into an intransigent substance which scientists have named Spoilyrweekium.

Compared to that, the HW35 was like a nice bit of Lego. Any monkey with a screwdriver, a punch and a open-ended spanner could strip and tune it without getting a hernia or fifteen stitches or a new shed window.

The Mercury did handle really nicely though, like a shotgun. But then if you like shotguns, go buy one instead.

[Geezer]

Agree with some of this but not all.....

My first "proper hunting break barrel" was a Mercury. A "wobbly, pin" one. And I learned that rifle inside out and we had many successful rabbiting and ratting forays. But when I first then looked inside a HW35 and then my FWB 127, it became apparent that internal finish / quality of engineering / solidity of build / materials were poor relations to the German rifles. I later also owned a Challenger (complete with daft sxope rail) and that wasn't really much better. And, yes, it did have a bolt, but it wasn't the mega solid one as used by Weihrauch and, as up above, some more "budget" rifles.

Firing cycle as standard, maybe the Mercury was a little nicer than a 35. But by the late 70s, many could perform a simple "spit and polish" fettle, which then transformed the 35's manners. And the triggers were far superior, aiding longer range consistently repeatable accuracy.

As you say, the arrival of the 77 was probably the final nail in the coffin. Webley did fight back with the Omega and Eclipse, but it was too late.

I have, however, had a couple of tries with the Superstar and find it a lovely rifle to shoot. Nice underlever catch, too.

And then we had the Venom inspired lovely Brum Longbow......

Tone has hit the nail on the head. The 70s-early 80s British guns just weren't as good as the HWs/FWBs/Diana 45. The Omega was, but it came out 3-4 years too late, and against the HW77, which was 20-25% cheaper and quickly became the FT gun of choice. Same basic issue for the Superstar and later for the 'bow and 'hawk.

Ironically, if anyone could make a "classic British" springer now, it would be Hatsan. They have access to cheap walnut, an existing production line, and labour costs in Turkey are low. So I think they could turn out a credible high-quality and beautifully-finished copy of the Mach 1 or an improved Longbow for around £300 retail. But it would have to compete with AA and the Germans, all established brands, and why bother when they can sell thousands of cheap 20+ ft/lbs springers to Americans?

In the UK, the factories are mostly shut, the skilled workers are mostly retired. We'd have to start from scratch - which is too expensive for anyone to do.

[Geezer]

The Mercury most people will have met had a PAINT finish, a school-desk plain varnished beech stock, a plastic bendy one-stage trigger, and a rather boingy firing cycle.

It was also a sod to strip due to its assegai-like back block with its impossible curve, a heavy spring with a good bit of preload, and a piston head that would turn, not to cheese as some people would have it, but into an intransigent substance which scientists have named Spoilyrweekium.

Compared to that, the HW35 was like a nice bit of Lego. Any monkey with a screwdriver, a punch and a open-ended spanner could strip and tune it without getting a hernia or fifteen stitches or a new shed window.

The Mercury did handle really nicely though, like a shotgun. But then if you like shotguns, go buy one instead.

That made me laugh. But it's true. The Mercury is quite nice in some respects but was just not as good as it's slightly more expensive German competition in the 70s and 80s.

Hope your move north is treating you well.

[look no hands]

Agree with some of this but not all.....

My first "proper hunting break barrel" was a Mercury. A "wobbly, pin" one. And I learned that rifle inside out and we had many successful rabbiting and ratting forays. But when I first then looked inside a HW35 and then my FWB 127, it became apparent that internal finish / quality of engineering / solidity of build / materials were poor relations to the German rifles. I later also owned a Challenger (complete with daft sxope rail) and that wasn't really much better. And, yes, it did have a bolt, but it wasn't the mega solid one as used by Weihrauch and, as up above, some more "budget" rifles.

Firing cycle as standard, maybe the Mercury was a little nicer than a 35. But by the late 70s, many could perform a simple "spit and polish" fettle, which then transformed the 35's manners. And the triggers were far superior, aiding longer range consistently repeatable accuracy.

As you say, the arrival of the 77 was probably the final nail in the coffin. Webley did fight back with the Omega and Eclipse, but it was too late.

I have, however, had a couple of tries with the Superstar and find it a lovely rifle to shoot. Nice underlever catch, too.

And then we had the Venom inspired lovely Brum Longbow......

It certainly makes you wonder why BSA dropped all their decent springers, even the Airsporter had evolved into something better with the RB2 and if they had retro fitted the Superstar trigger (I still say it's better than a Rekord) into the RB2 trigger block and fitted it into a decent stock then who knows where it would be now, instead they just concentrated on the shoddily built Supersport/Lightning, I would have loved to have been in some of the board meetings when they came up with the bright idea of dropping their entire underlever range, now if they had dropped them to concentrate on making the "Air Arms break barrel" then I could have understood but they haven't as they've got steadily worse over the years and have morphed into a "BSAmo", which is even worse.

Pete

[secretagentmole]

The Gamo PCP rifles are made in Birmingham.

[buttloaves]

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/dogz...159-1.jpg.html
From an earlier thread, very nice, nocks the spots off HW for me.http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...DSCN0157-1.jpg
Wonder if the Turks can make that for around £350ish?

[look no hands]

The Mercury did handle really nicely though, like a shotgun. But then if you like shotguns, go buy one instead.

Strangely enough I bought my first Airsporter because of that very reason, I thought it looked like a shotgun and as I couldn't afford or be able to have one whilst I lived with my parents then the Airsporter was the next best thing.

Pete

[Geezer]

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/dogz...159-1.jpg.html
From an earlier thread, very nice, nocks the spots off HW for me.http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...DSCN0157-1.jpg
Wonder if the Turks can make that for around £350ish?

Turkish Longbow SE? Thats sort of what I meant, if they could put decent internals in them. Nice stocks, though.

[robs5230]

The market as the manufacturers see it is just not there. I'd give my left nut for a compact break barrel that looks like a fenman, weighs the same as a 99 and with the build quality of an Air Arms. In fact I'd give both nuts. Thing is, it looks like I'll be keeping my nuts.

[look no hands]

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/dogz...159-1.jpg.html
From an earlier thread, very nice, nocks the spots off HW for me.http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...DSCN0157-1.jpg
Wonder if the Turks can make that for around £350ish?

The Turks did make it (it's a Turkbow if I'm not mistaken) and it was about £350ish at the time (might have been even cheaper).

Pete

[buttloaves]

The market as the manufacturers see it is just not there. I'd give my left nut for a compact break barrel that looks like a fenman, weighs the same as a 99 and with the build quality of an Air Arms. In fact I'd give both nuts. Thing is, it looks like I'll be keeping my nuts.

What a shame

[buttloaves]

The Turks did make it (it's a Turkbow if I'm not mistaken) and it was about £350ish at the time (might have been even cheaper).

Pete

Just Googled that, it was a bird in snazzy top, i wouldn't pay £350 for it.

[Geezer]

The market as the manufacturers see it is just not there. I'd give my left nut for a compact break barrel that looks like a fenman, weighs the same as a 99 and with the build quality of an Air Arms. In fact I'd give both nuts. Thing is, it looks like I'll be keeping my nuts.

So you want a Birmingham-made walnut Webley Longbow, except you want to buy it in return for testicles?

[clarky]

The Mercury most people will have met had a PAINT finish, a school-desk plain varnished beech stock, a plastic bendy one-stage trigger, and a rather boingy firing cycle.

It was also a sod to strip due to its assegai-like back block with its impossible curve, a heavy spring with a good bit of preload, and a piston head that would turn, not to cheese as some people would have it, but into an intransigent substance which scientists have named Spoilyrweekium.

Compared to that, the HW35 was like a nice bit of Lego. Any monkey with a screwdriver, a punch and a open-ended spanner could strip and tune it without getting a hernia or fifteen stitches or a new shed window.

The Mercury did handle really nicely though, like a shotgun. But then if you like shotguns, go buy one instead.

I think you maybe confusing the Meteor.
All the Mercury variants were blued. My later mk5 then an S then 635 all out shot my 35 in power terms and accuracy ...even if that record trigger was always better.
There was little doubting the more solid build of the 35 though...
FWB probably killed it but the 77 certainly did.
I had forgotten the Omega ....never owned one .

[buttloaves]

So you want a Birmingham-made walnut Webley Longbow, except you want to buy it in return for testicles?

He may become too can't be arsed to use his new gun with his nuts off, wonder if he considered that when he decided to use them as currency.