Best Production Air Rifle of all time?

[Mach 1.5]

Just abit of fun. I have a few in mind but the winner is.....HW77/K ...Mach 1.5

[Steyr]

BEST in terms of what ?

Accuracy
Ergonomics
Value for Money
Build Quality
Efficiency

And that may change depending if you mean springer, PCP or other variants and hybrids

For PCP....

I would go for the HW100

[Trumpetier]

Done the most for modern air gunning , HW77/K, springer. Pcp, AA S400

[Geezer]

Chinese B2. The AK47 or Sten gun of air rifles. Simple, cheap, and reliable (and a B2 is more reliable than a Sten gun).

But the 77K runs it close with its rather finer construction standards and performance. Just more expensive.

Define "production". Does it include Whiscombes, ISP and other semi-custom small outfits?

Being vaguely serious for a moment, I guess the "best" is probably whichever German or Austrian aluminium-chassis PCP is currently winning 10M or FT matches.

You can make a case for the old pre-WW1 Lincoln-Jeffries BSAs. Compared to everything else at the time, they were streets ahead, which is why everyone else copied them for the next few decades.

[Shed tuner]

The pre-war BSA underlevers were a decade ahead of their time and blew everything else away
The Airsporter was the same, rather later
The FWB sport & HW35 were the same, but maybe just 5 years
The HW77 was the same

So all of them in terms of changing the game.

And PCP ? AA Shamal / GC2. Then AA S300/400

Not sure this means "best", but all defo game changers that set the standards in their respective decades...

[Geezer]

Because there is no right answer to this (apart from HW77K Mk1), I am going to decide that the best production air rifle ever is the Walther LG53 with double set triggers and Tyrolean stock.

[Inspector 71]

British.
Great aesthetics.
Barrel lock was great.
Ergonomic safety catch.
Accurate, hard hitting all-rounder.

[averageplinker]

Well the HW35 must be in with a shout given that it is good enough to still be in production after many decades!

[tinbum]

Theoben Fenman Profile.

[secretagentmole]

Theoben Rapid 7.
Multishot, reliable, the granddaddy of modern pcp rifles....

[MikeHW45]

Well the HW35 must be in with a shout given that it is good enough to still be in production after many decades!

I didn't want to be the first to say it, but now you have done it I have to agree!!

[rancidtom]

I would nominate the gun that introduced so many youngsters to shooting during the 60's, 70's, 80's and even into the 21st Century, the BSA Meteor. (OK so now it's a Gamo with BSA stamped on it). It has been a hugely popular entry level gun, widely used by cub/scout and cadet groups, as a fairground gun and there are many people who (like me) swear by them as a no fuss ratting gun. When I was a lad there was always one either behind the farm office door or in the cab of one of the tractors just to deal with random rats and rabbits.
Rusty and bumped with very little varnish left on the stock, but it still shot reliably, it got a wipe of oil once every month or two and a new piston seal every few years. I still have one, I always will keep one just because of sentimental value and the fact that it is still a useful gun for garden/shed vermin. I don't put Marksman pellets through it any more though!
Of course there are other guns that have managed a similar production span but probably sold in smaller quantity due to being more expensive or powerful and less likely to be seen as an entry/introduction gun.

[mallyally]

I can think of three FWB sport . Hw 77 and waither lgv

[KeithS]

Hw 100

[clarky]

Prosport ...because finally someone decided to make something that looked really good.
Ive often wondered why no airgun has been given the lines of a sleek 410 shotgun, or early Rook rifle ..shotgun style trigger guard etc.
It sort of got tried with that Imperial rifle company pump up and everyone when nuts for it except couldnt afford it.
BSA did prototype a Co2 rifle which had very beautiful lines but it got dropped.