If the Browning (Rutten) AirStar is not the oddest airgun made postwar, what is?

[45flint]

To me the electric Airstar is about as odd as it gets. Taking nominations for anything odder? Kept it postwar cause if we go too far back weirdness can come in too many directions with guns impossible to collect.

[Benelli B76]

I wouldn't call it odd, but innovative. For fun I would vote for the Larc 19A 3000 round bb, 2500 RPM freon powered.

Baz

[Garvin]

To me the electric Airstar is about as odd as it gets. Taking nominations for anything odder? Kept it postwar cause if we go too far back weirdness can come in too many directions with guns impossible to collect.

There was a truly grotesque 'survivalist' airgun (1970s?) with a plastic stock with storage compartment in it. My mind has blanked out the horror of any more details, so I can't lay my hands on a pic right now. Not so much weird as undiluted crap, I suppose.

[Benelli B76]

For "odd" I would vote the Barnes Pneumatic range(New Windsor MD), especially the First Model .45 and Alpine.


Baz

[AC all day]

This is such a pain.....i would have to go against all my feelings and say Ensign arms Elite.....
Aircartridge moved on so much from here but the originals were big bulky and not too reliable, with a massive bench pump....ooh and quirky recoil (valve hammer bounce).

[Hsing-ee]

To me the electric Airstar is about as odd as it gets. Taking nominations for anything odder? Kept it postwar cause if we go too far back weirdness can come in too many directions with guns impossible to collect.

If CO2 guns didn't exist then it could be excused or even blessed as an air-rifle for people who have a disability which means they cannot cock a spring gun. However, CO2 have been around in number since WW2 so that can't give it a reason to be.

I would agree and say that yes the AirStar is the most thoroughly odd post-War airgun.

[junglie]

To me the electric Airstar is about as odd as it gets. Taking nominations for anything odder? Kept it postwar cause if we go too far back weirdness can come in too many directions with guns impossible to collect.

I agree it's the oddest air rifle I've seen .Also the noisiest to cock(electric ratchet battery powered ) what a racket it made! you'd stand no chance of a second shot hunting with it.

[Benelli B76]

This is such a pain.....i would have to go against all my feelings and say Ensign arms Elite.....
Aircartridge moved on so much from here but the originals were big bulky and not too reliable, with a massive bench pump....ooh and quirky recoil (valve hammer bounce).

Air cartridge rifles were introduced in the 1870's, the Galand Giffard.

Baz

[45flint]

This is such a pain.....i would have to go against all my feelings and say Ensign arms Elite.....
Aircartridge moved on so much from here but the originals were big bulky and not too reliable, with a massive bench pump....ooh and quirky recoil (valve hammer bounce).

I agree these are odd, I have looked at them for sale but could never go for it because of reliability issues with cartridges that I read about. And pumping each cartridge with that enclosed hand pump, just seemed too much of a pain. At least with the AirStar odd means all you do is push a button.

[Geezer]

There was a truly grotesque 'survivalist' airgun (1970s?) with a plastic stock with storage compartment in it. My mind has blanked out the horror of any more details, so I can't lay my hands on a pic right now. Not so much weird as undiluted crap, I suppose.

I think that was a Gamo or maybe a Cometa. Didn't it have a compass on the stock, and/or various survival type instructions on it, like, I don't know, a star map to help find the Pole Star?

This is such a pain.....i would have to go against all my feelings and say Ensign arms Elite.....
Aircartridge moved on so much from here but the originals were big bulky and not too reliable, with a massive bench pump....ooh and quirky recoil (valve hammer bounce).

I agree these are odd, I have looked at them for sale but could never go for it because of reliability issues with cartridges that I read about. And pumping each cartridge with that enclosed hand pump, just seemed too much of a pain. At least with the AirStar odd means all you do is push a button.

Entirely my experience. Unreliable. Supposed to be recoilless, but the hammer bounce was massive. Nice looking and handling, though, with surprisingly nice iron sights. Also if you were carrying it cocked and accidentally bumped the bolt handle upward, the bolt would fly open at high speed and cut through your thumb. Don't ask how I know that. You learned to keep the thumb placed on the bolt handle.

The later Herald wasn't much better, just more expensive.

Two more nominees (though I think the Rutten still wins):

- S&P/Brocock Sabata revolver rifle.

- Black Fox.

[cinedux]

There was a truly grotesque 'survivalist' airgun (1970s?) with a plastic stock with storage compartment in it. My mind has blanked out the horror of any more details, so I can't lay my hands on a pic right now. Not so much weird as undiluted crap, I suppose.

Including flares!.Plastic with distinctly geometric design. Poor sellers.Trev
There are plenty of neat electric guns-mostly for playing indoors..

[frakor]

There was a truly grotesque 'survivalist' airgun (1970s?) with a plastic stock with storage compartment in it. My mind has blanked out the horror of any more details, so I can't lay my hands on a pic right now. Not so much weird as undiluted crap, I suppose.

This is the one!

The (umarex) Survival MX/1 air rifle, I wonder how many Survived (pun intended), :-)




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Frank

[Garvin]

This is the one!

The (umarex) Survival MX/1 air rifle, I wonder how many Survived (pun intended), :-)




-------------------------------------
Frank

That looks like the 'military' version, Frank. The civilian one is even more ugly I think.

[Benelli B76]

This is the one!

The (umarex) Survival MX/1 air rifle, I wonder how many Survived (pun intended), :-)




-------------------------------------
Frank

Danny and Frank, I think that must win the prize on this thread. Never seen one of those, glad I was living in sanity overseas when that came out. I thought the SA80 was bad enough. Must have been caused by the fallout from Chernobyl in the northern hemisphere, I was safe in the south.

Baz

[hwtyger]

Some FWB matchpistol with its barrel twisted around the cilinder