The start of a 'collection'...

[Hellequin]

Having just trebled the amount of rifles I have this week (not difficult as I only had one previously!) I've been wondering, when does a collection become 'A COLLECTION'...? I'm not sure I'm there yet but, having had a variety of airguns over the years (spring & pcp) followed by mainly firearms for the past ten years, I think I've been bitten again by the 'older, spring powered air rifle' bug. By 'older' I mean mid-late 70's into 80's rifles

I've had a very tidy little BSA Supersport Carbine (.22) for some time. I did a thread on it when I got it as it came to me via family & initially I wasn't sure which model it was until I got hands on. It's a Brum model from 1996, completely original and almost unmarked due to the fact my dad-in-law bought it brand new, fired 6 (yes SIX!) pellets then stored it until it came to me in 2014.
It is currently in bits in the garage as to be honest it was a bit twangy and was running 11.9fpe so too hot for my liking. I'm replacing the spring with another BSA item, new breach & piston seals and it's now all de-burred and the relevant bits polished. I have a Tinbum tophat kit for it but will likely keep the original guide as it's a lovely fit in the new spring, and the only thing I'm waiting for now is some PTFE sheet to make a sleeve. I'm looking forward to seeing if I manage to tame the twang and make it a little smoother!

The new arrivals are a tidy Feinwerkbau Sport 127 and, just today, an interesting little ASI Sniper (.177) which I've picked up almost for pennies...

The FWB is a Mk2 (dated around 1983/4 going by the serial number) and shoots nicely, although I do want to fettle the trigger as it seems to have 'lost' its 2-stage feel and is a bit mushy. The stock is generally in very good nick as is the blueing, which hasn't faded much and just has the odd minor mark here and there; not bad for a 35-ish year old rifle! Open sights are present & correct although I'd like to put a decent (Jap) period scope on it at some point. For now I have a nice little Bushmaster 4x32 (gloss) which I might use as a stop-gap.

I've always liked the FWB Sport and so this, like the Supersport (but for different reasons) will be a 'keeper' which may well be treated to a full re-blue & stock refurbish in the future.

The ASI, needless to say, cost me a LOT less than the FWB! It is marked on the breech block 'Mod Expo' and still has the 'ASI Sniper' sticker on the action with gold lettering and words 'High Power' & 'Micro Accuracy' above and below the 'ASI Sniper' lettering. Whether it has either high power or micro accuracy remains to be seen but I won't hold my breath for either!

That said, it's clearly been looked after over the years as the action is in good order. The blueing has faded quite a bit on the barrel but there's not a spot of rust or pitting anywhere. The stock is good too, let down only by a large-ish scratch on the cheek-piece. All screws seem good and again, open sights are present although it's missing the foresight hood.

I've managed to put a few pellets through it and it is surprisingly smooth! The cocking action is near silent & very smooth, breech lock up is solid with a good 'click' and there's very little twang on firing. In the shoulder it 'feels' like it's putting out maybe around 5fpe but I've yet to chrono it so will see, as reviews suggest a properly functioning .177 Sniper can make around 8-9fpe. Either way it's perfect for what I wanted; a cheap 'different' back garden plinker.
The bonus with this ASI is that it also came with a box of spares including 4 main springs (at least one is knackered) some breech seals, a spare rear sight and a piston seal assembly. I know that Chambers stock some spares, so I will see if anything's needed when I strip it down but if it all looks good I'll leave it at a clean & re-lube, with maybe a PTFE sleeve made up.


So, that's me sorted for now and turning into a collector geek; three 'older' springers in the rack but I already have a couple in mind to be next on the shopping list.

I've a feeling it's going to prove addictive...