Most underrated air rifle.

[secretagentmole]

The B2 was as cheap as it was nasty, becoming worthless in fairly short order...
Bby contrast I suspect the majority of Meteors just get handed down through families or given away as gifts getting the next generation started...

It may be cheap, it may be nasty, but like the Gat of old it has character and is a very effective way of getting people into the sport! Old Meteors usually wind up a pile of solid rust....

[harvey_s]

It may be cheap, it may be nasty, but like the Gat of old it has character and is a very effective way of getting people into the sport! Old Meteors usually wind up a pile of solid rust....

Usually when they've been left in damp shed which will ruin anything irrespective of cost.
The B2 however was usually delivered with rust included in the purchase price...

[Hsing-ee]

Puts me in mind of the Baikal IZH 53M - an accurate and robust spring pistol with a lovely long sightbase.
Could be considered under-rated?

Yes, that is exactly it. It's Russian, so no-one really knows where to place it as it - Russian 'things' have a reputation for crudeness, but also strength and a unique no-nonsense air to them. So, not crap and bendable like Chinese things. Perhaps shoddily made like Spanish things? Not really sure because maybe the 'basic' design doesn't allow for it, shoddy is something that goes with delicacy. So no-one really knows what to make of it. Without a clear 'brand' maybe no-one buys it... Everyone knows what a Webley is, even if its made in Turkey, but an air-pistol made by (or in) the Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant? That is really quite a mystery.

An underrated training pistol, or maybe something for practicing indoors without annoying the neighbours. Like a Weihrauch HW70 but cheaper?

[rhyslightnin]

Another +1 for the Eclipse

I think the transfer port is much less of any issue than people think. Especially if you get the chance to actually shoot one. I shot my mk1 Eclipse and mk1 77 side by side (both in .22) and there wasn't as much between them as the internet would have you believe. The 77 did shoot nicer but the eclipse was just as accurate and I really liked the loading port. Shouldn't have sold it really

Webley Eclipse. Always seems to get upstaged by the Omega and is discussed very little. Every bit as good as the Superstar in my opinion and massively underrated in general.

Oh and I'll throw another vote in for the B2. Gets a lot a flack when people compare it to their HW but it costs £30. Must be the best value rifle ever and all people do is criticise it!

Cheers
Greg

I would also go with the Webley Eclipse !
I had a Mk. 1 in .22 Caliber and used it for rabbits. It was very good. I liked it's balance and it was not too heavy having an alloy cylinder. It also looked good and was well made despite the hinged breech loading system being a little unusual but it worked fine !
A much under rated air rifle !

Yes, definitely! The loading is far from clunky. Transfer port is spring loaded so pops up when you release the catch, pellet in, then click it back down. Oh, and it completely removes the risk of your index finger and thumb being smashed to pulp if the bear trap (did they have one?) fails on the HW77, or dropping the pellet into the sliding port (come on Weihrauch owners, you've all done it!) and shaking the rifle upside down to get it out.

The receiver & breech on the Eclipse was engineering innovation. It was alloy to lighten it, not to save costs, and the deep black polished anodised finish was as good as the best blued steel. Very well balanced rifle and as already been mentioned very accurate.

I've shot Eclipse's for 15 years and never had an issue, and I've owned 4, still got 2.

Cheers
Greg

Well I have to say, in a world of wine racks & hatstands.. the Webley eclipse certainly gave me a breath of fresh air when I used one a fair few months back. I'd not bought my 77 then & I was considering an underleaver as part of the collection and I went out shooting for an afternoon with a friend. He had bought his first airgun in a shop without any advice or guidance from me & to be fair id thought he really might have been sold a hunka junk when he said he'd done the deed. So on using the gun I was really really pleasently surprised.. it was actually nice to shoot, as nice infact as some of the moderately tuned Springer's I've used at the bash. And to be honest it actually convinced me I needed an underleaver.
I've never seen one for sale, never heard of one before my mate had bought it & I've never seen or heard of one since until this thread. So as far as "under rated" goes I'd say this rifle is absolutely top of the list.
Nice guns very nice and wonderfully different!

[secretagentmole]

Usually when they've been left in damp shed which will ruin anything irrespective of cost.
The B2 however was usually delivered with rust included in the purchase price...

You mean it had enough metal to rust?