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Thread: Salutations, dream air gun and also what was your first(gun I mean....)?

  1. #1
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    Salutations, dream air gun and also what was your first(gun I mean....)?

    Hi all,

    New to this forum but am in no means new to air gun! Although I might be one of the youngest members where at 23!

    Just thought id introduce myself and ask you all what your dream air gun is.

    Well first my name is Jake, from good 'ol Yorkshire and I have been into old antique air guns (well, any gun really) since before I could even say the alphabet. I blame my grandfather for this since he got me into them.....

    He has been shooting for almost 60 years now! But now that he is in his 80's, he has calmed down a bit. And with that he has seemed to very kind and give me all sorts of fine air guns over the years (He'd give me an old shotgun to if I had a licence!)

    But going back to my first air gun. It was an old SMK B2 Custom (The only thing "Custom" about it was it had a less ugly stock on it) when I was 12/13. Did not use it much and sold it later on for a nice profit .

    Since then I have been given a old Park Rifle Co LTD RH93 in .22, really nice gun. Powerful, good looking, nice shooter but bloody heavy!

    I also have a couple of BSA's, one being my grandfathers first air rifle he got off an old RAF serviceman who was lodging at his parents house in Metheringham Lincoln. They were the last people to live in Orchard House before it became the vets (My grandfather was even born in the house!).

    The BSA my grandfather gave me is a BSA Club Standard in .177 (Serial no CS33089) . And after I found a job (More importantly a paycheck!) I have since bought another old BSA, this time its a first batch improved model but only marked as "BSA Air Rifle" (Serial no 10110), I then bought a Webley Mark 1 air pistol (Straight grips and serial no 41038 batch 032) which needs a little TLC (but shoots fine) and a Accles and Shelvoke The warrior (2nd variant serial no 2101) which is in great condition but without original grips.

    I will also be coming into a Webley Premier D series air pistol soon (Given to be by my grandfather) which is in great condition.


    Phew ok that's that out of the way, lets get onto our dream air guns!

    Now i have a few, such as I will by a Giffard rifle one day! as well as a IMPROVED MODEL BRITANNIA when i get the chance. I will be looking for a nice mk2 webley service in the near future but I really want to hold off until I find one that is in a nice case and complete with the three different barrels but I may be waiting for some time....

    But I think if there is one I would really want it would be one of the first Lincoln Jeffries air rifles (The ones with the H prefix) but I doubt i would ever find one let alone buy it! (Well, it is a dream though).

    Anyway thanks to listen (or rather reading) to me ramble on. Nice to meet you all and all the best for the future

    Also here is a link to some images of my current air guns, soon to be expanded!

    http://s44.photobucket.com/user/HutG...?sort=3&page=1

  2. #2
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    Hello and welcome to the forum.

    Your certainly have an interesting collection there and a great grandad to have introduced you to the sport and collecting.

    I find the Park a particularly interesting rifle; both rare and unusual along with quality manufacture. How do you find shooting it?

    Cheers Rich.
    WANTED: Next weeks winning lottery numbers :-)

  3. #3
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    Welcome, Jake! It's great to have a younger member on here for a change. Good for your grandad getting you into vintage airguns. You'll probably still be a collector yourself in 60 years, if it's still possible then!

    Your choices of future collectables are sound - the Lincoln 'H' is not so rare that you'll find it out of reach, I hope. Be patient and a good one will turn up eventually. I think collectors in a hurry have changed the market a bit, by making high prices possible for the right guns and making everyone else dissatisfied with asking 'ordinary' prices. So hold your nerve and don't be tempted to buy the first one that comes along!

    As for dream collectables, I'm in the market for a Westley Richards 'Highest Possible' (again). I used to own one when I was about your age but had to sell it to raise money. 30 odd years on, I'm hoping to recapture a bit of my youth!

    Vintage Airguns Gallery
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    In British slang an anorak is a person who has a very strong interest in niche subjects.

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by averageplinker View Post
    Hello and welcome to the forum.

    Your certainly have an interesting collection there and a great grandad to have introduced you to the sport and collecting.

    I find the Park a particularly interesting rifle; both rare and unusual along with quality manufacture. How do you find shooting it?

    Cheers Rich.
    Hi Rich,

    Yup he is a great influence on me despite what my mother might say....

    As for the Park RH93, its really 'fun' to shoot. The grips and stock are nice and comfy to hold (Although if you are left handed you might have a hard time finding one since most I have seen have right handed stocks, not a problem for me but will be for others). The trigger is really crisp, it even has a trigger adjustment screw if needed. Build quality is great, really well engineered which I think may have led to its downfall since it must of taken so much time and money to make these things, that the price they were selling for brand new was way too much most were willing to pay for a under lever springer. But a fine rifle none the less.

    Now there are some "bad" things, bad is a bit of a strong word since the problems I have with the air rifle are purely my opinion and to be frank, one of the issues I have can be fixed.

    One is that the rifle is simply very heavy, unless you were shooting at a table it can wear you out carrying it about all the time, but at least it makes for a good work out! (but again I might just be a weakling...)
    The weight is due to the build of the air rifle (It has two(I think) pistons and a rather heavy duty bike chain to cock them)

    The second is that on mine after about 20-30 shots (one after the other) the automatic safety becomes really stiff. But this could be sorted with a bit of oil or if need be, a strip down and clean so not a fault with the rifle really.

    Overall it is a very good air rifle and one that I shall be keeping in my collection for a very long time.

    All the best
    Jake

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Garvin View Post
    Welcome, Jake! It's great to have a younger member on here for a change. Good for your grandad getting you into vintage airguns. You'll probably still be a collector yourself in 60 years, if it's still possible then!

    Your choices of future collectables are sound - the Lincoln 'H' is not so rare that you'll find it out of reach, I hope. Be patient and a good one will turn up eventually. I think collectors in a hurry have changed the market a bit, by making high prices possible for the right guns and making everyone else dissatisfied with asking 'ordinary' prices. So hold your nerve and don't be tempted to buy the first one that comes along!

    As for dream collectables, I'm in the market for a Westley Richards 'Highest Possible' (again). I used to own one when I was about your age but had to sell it to raise money. 30 odd years on, I'm hoping to recapture a bit of my youth!

    Thanks for the reply!

    I actually saw a couple of Highest possible's sell at auction the other month (Both in good condition and even both were in the original box/case (at least I think they were original))

    Cant remember the Auction house but I saw them on the Salesroom website. Nice pistols, I seem to recall they sold for about £400-£500.

    Jake

  6. #6
    Join Date
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    Hi Jake,

    Welcome to the BBS. Sounds like you have an interesting collection there.

    The Lincolns do turn up at fairs now and then, so well worth attending and letting dealers know of your wants.

    I have seen a few cased Webley Services over the last year but please remember a 3 barrelled cased set is unlikely to have left the factory that way and is almost always a set put together more recently. Original Webley endorsed cases are almost never encountered.

    Great to have someone in their 20s join this forum with a passion for older guns. I was once part of a circle of collectors during my early 20s and we always thought of ourselves as being among the youngest collectors in the country at the time. Some 30 years later, we're still looking for new items!

    My most desirable 'dream' acquisition is an original Webley factory supplied cased Service air rifle.

    Good luck with your collecting endeavours.

    John

  7. #7
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    Hi Jake,
    Welcome to the best forum in the cosmos - lots of advice freely given by experienced and considerate members - you will not be disappointed. I am an old fogey, but, just an apprentice to this forum. Nice to see a young stud continue dabbling in the old stuff. Sadly, a declining interest in the old vintage and classic motorcycle scene by the young leaves one wondering what will become of it all when expertise of fettling by us oldies, as we die out, go with us to the crem......And on that happy note:

    Good luck and enjoy......
    Last edited by SRV1; 18-12-2017 at 08:43 PM. Reason: Spelling

  8. #8
    ccdjg is online now Airgun Alchemist, Collector and Scribe
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    Quote Originally Posted by Huttles94 View Post
    Thanks for the reply!

    I actually saw a couple of Highest possible's sell at auction the other month (Both in good condition and even both were in the original box/case (at least I think they were original))

    Cant remember the Auction house but I saw them on the Salesroom website. Nice pistols, I seem to recall they sold for about £400-£500.

    Jake
    Unfortunately the grips on these were made up, as were the cases they were presented in, so explaining the low prices reached. It is a hard fact of life that for serious collectors, vintage classics need to be 100% original to fetch top price (cosmetic condition is not quite so important), and for a sky high price they need to be housed in their original box or case. Those Highest Possibles would have fetched about £700-800 if they had original grips, and with their original boxes could have reached £1500.

  9. #9
    micky2 is offline The collector formerly known as micky
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    Hi Jake and wecome to the BBS, lucky you to have a Grandad that as got you started in the antique/vintage airgun world of collecting. it sounds like you already have a good start with the guns you have and the ones you will be looking to buy. good luck in you hunting. nice to have some young blood for us old guys.

  10. #10
    Join Date
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    The Park is a fine rifle, one of my favourite spring rifles of all time. I've had a good many rifles from a whole lot of manufacturers over the years. Sure heavy, but fantastic. I presently have a 91 in .177 and is my bedroom window sniping machine, I live in the countryside.

    So many rifles to be had. Welcome and enjoy the hobby for what it is. Some here have huge collections, other but a few. Some don't even shoot their rifles much, others shoot lots. Wealth of knowledge here.
    Its fun.

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