Originally Posted by
Geezer
Very high build quality from a proper firearms manufacturer.
Some dodgy bits of design. The trigger for one (worse on the 83, which led to the 81 deluxe, which was, as I recall, an 83 with an 81 trigger). Fundamentally, the action has oodles of unswept volume, and is slammy.
Bolt action is/was cool, and safe, but does not compensate for poor performance compared to, say, an HW77.
Top-heavy. Not a naturally good-handling rifle.
It would have been (in the UK, not the US) highly competitive in 1975, marginally so in 1980. By 1982 (at a premium price), it could not compete well against the established then-modern springers.
A nice thing to own. But as an interesting curiosity, not as a serious field or target rifle. An FWB Sport or HW80 beats it in performance. Actually, a Webley Vulcan probably does.