Unknown airguns

[Garvin]

Can anyone identify any of these guns conclusively, please? (If possible providing evidence of their maker?).

[johnbaz]

Hi Danny

I've a Militia the same as the top one of the three you linked to, I suspect the owner already knows that it's in Hillers guide

Hillers piece

The break barrel with the lever release also looks like a gun in the guide, A Marco or another very similar (Copy?) Roland air rifle..


Info on Marco

The Roland air rifle..

Pic


And info



By the way, I have an old rifle that I thought was a Diana mod27 but there are subtle differences!!

Anyone know for sure? I found a couple of pics (Two different rifles) that were identical to mine but there was no info, Strangely, Both were on auction sites!!


Pic 1

Pic 2

Pic 3

Pic 4

Pic 5

Pic 6

Pic 7

The piston seal had been converted to O ring by a 'Gunsmith', It had completely the wrong sized o ring fitted and there was very little compression, An Ox spring was fitted and there was enough grease applied top cause an oil shortage in the middle east!!

When I fitted a correct O Ring the me doubled from 3ft lbs to 6ft lbs!! The breech seal seems OK but there's a loss of power through it as I suspect the detent lockup needs a stronger spring fitting!!



Cheers, John

[Shed tuner]

no clue, but that pistol of trev's is mad

[ggggr]

By the way, I have an old rifle that I thought was a Diana mod27 but there are subtle differences!!

Anyone know for sure? I found a couple of pics (Two different rifles) that were identical to mine but there was no info, Strangely, Both were on auction sites!!


Pic 1

Pic 2

Pic 3

Pic 4

Pic 5

Pic 6

Pic 7

The piston seal had been converted to O ring by a 'Gunsmith', It had completely the wrong sized o ring fitted and there was very little compression, An Ox spring was fitted and there was enough grease applied top cause an oil shortage in the middle east!!

When I fitted a correct O Ring the me doubled from 3ft lbs to 6ft lbs!! The breech seal seems OK but there's a loss of power through it as I suspect the detent lockup needs a stronger spring fitting!!



Cheers, John

I am not trying to deflect from Danny's original post, but I have a rifle very similar to the "Diana 27" thing you have John. I actually thought it was one when I bought it and it was not until I bought a "Proper Diana 27" that I realised it was wrong.
Mine does not have the Huntress on the cylinder or any markings at all I can see. It has a straighter gripped stock than yours and a spring steel rearsight but I think that may have been added later.
Regarding the detent lockup, if it seems sloppy even with a stronger spring, check for rocking with that plate thing that goes into the cylinder (I never even knew it came out). I placed a very thin shim behind the plate to give it a more positive lockup with the plunger.

I also have what I guess is a Milita, although it does not have a barrel release catch. It has the half octagonal barrel and the only marking I can see is 7764 on the underside of the barrel.

[ccdjg]

Some interesting enigmas there and I doubt we will ever know the answers to some of them, especially those which look like one-offs made by amateur enthusiasts.

The only positive contribution I can make is to the pistol with the "Gem-type" latch. This is a German pistol that appeared in several catalogues over the 1898-1908 period. It had no fixed name but was generally referred to as the "Precision air pistol" or "Boys Gem". There were two versions. As there were no markings on the pistols, the maker was always a matter of speculation and in fact this is the subject of some investigation at the present time. A detailed account can be found in the Encyclopedia of Spring Air Pistols, pages 117-118.

[Garvin]

Thanks John and John. I'll update the entries in due course.

johnbaz I'm pretty sure that you have an export model Diana 27, probably a later model than this one. There are lots of subtle variations between prewar 27s - I think Diana was constantly updating its models and tweaking them. Hardly any two examples seem exactly the same if you look very closely!

[johnbaz]

Thanks John and John. I'll update the entries in due course.

johnbaz I'm pretty sure that you have an export model Diana 27, probably a later model than this one. There are lots of subtle variations between prewar 27s - I think Diana was constantly updating its models and tweaking them. Hardly any two examples seem exactly the same if you look very closely!

Hi Danny

Thanks for that, Most I looked at were curved down on the flats of the trigger block- The one you linked to was perfectly straight like mine, Mine had no Huntress or any kind of info pressed in though


Cheers, John

[Garvin]

Hi Danny

Thanks for that, Most I looked at were curved down on the flats of the trigger block- The one you linked to was perfectly straight like mine, Mine had no Huntress or any kind of info pressed in though


Cheers, John

John I think that some of them came over here 'unbadged' with no markings, maybe for resale under someone else's brand. I once owned this one, with no markings and a pistol hand stock.

[johnbaz]

John I think that some of them came over here 'unbadged' with no markings, maybe for resale under someone else's brand. I once owned this one, with no markings and a pistol hand stock.

Brilliant!!

Thanks for taking the time to reply Danny- I know what to call it now!!


John