What makes the vendor think it’s a special military model?
What’s different about it..
The Bulletproof Monk
What makes the vendor think it’s a special military model?
What’s different about it..
A man can always use more alcohol, tobacco and firearms.
World pork pie juggling champion three years straight
Family history.Originally Posted by RichardH
Dave
Smell my cheese
Dodgy Diana User
Never heard of that. No mention in Chris Thrale's book either.
There was an ""Army" model Osprey Supertarget, with a Williams peep rear rather than a target diopter, but that doesn't appear to have been anything to do with the actual Army.
Incidentally, despite its name, there is no evidence I am aware of that the MkII Service was actually used by the military (except maybe a random Home Guard or two in 1940, when anything vaguely weapony was pressed into service).
I suppose it's possible an individual unit might have privately purchased an air rifle or two - for anything from target practice to pest control to just confiscating something from a squaddie and sticking it in the armoury (detour: in the 80s some RAF units reportedly used Theobens to cull birds on airfields; I have no idea if they had broad arrows or other MoD markings on them, an RAF Theoben with markings/provenance would be a novel collectable).
Apart from the Theobens, the only airguns I know of in significant use by the British AF are the old, now retired, Cadet Meteor and the current cadet BSA PCP.
Politically Incorrect
I too have never heard of a Military association for the Mk.111 Supertarget, or one with a scope rail, which means it hasn't got the name 'Supertarget' on the cylinder.
I've had a few through my hands including an early prototype model, but none had a scope rail.
If it's not in Chris's book, I would be very suspicious about it's claimed association.
Anything is possible with Webley, as, at the time they would configure a rifle to the customer's specification, for a price.
Are there any pictures available ?
World pork pie juggling champion three years straight
No pictures I'm afraid. I think at the current price, I'll pass.
Dave
Smell my cheese
You can't say muntjack without saying mmmmm
You can add the Anschutz 335 to that. We had about 10 of them in HQ Sqn Arms Store when I was based in Hohne. Although not "adopted" per se. I think most units would get permission to purchase air rifles locally, as the need arose. Certainly at regular army level, they would have been purchased as club guns, rather than being used for any kind of "training".
I think only the cadets actually use air rifles as "training rifles".
If it does have a Naval connection, I strongly suspect the MkIII in the original post would have been purchased by a ship or a "ship", for use in a unit shooting club.
The South of England has 2 good things, the M1 and the A1. Both will take you to Yorkshire.
Registered User
The Royal Navy had accomodation and training ships, usually de-commissioned warships. Perhaps it was one of a batch ordered for use by cadets on board? In which case finding the name of the ship might be a useful investigation.
Registered User
May be a self-made (collected from sec hand parts) rifle
Dont recollect any STs with scoperails. Only normal mk3s.
I do think there were early ones without theST name on it?
Army is only related to the Osprey ST. I think seller relates to this as both the mk3 and Osprey were both sold with 'normal' anschutz sight as well
If not sure its a ST, I would buy it
ATB,
yana
Calibre Specific User
Do the serial numbers match on the metal and stock?
Politically Incorrect
Does this rifle have the normal Mk.111 rear sight, or the dovetails for the fitting of such, as well as the dioptre sight, and is this a Parker hale 17b or 16m ?
The Bulletproof Monk
I'm pretty sure if it has a scope rail its a normal Mk3 with the optional parker hale sights rather than a supertarget
Lovely guns though, to make them at that quality today would be commercial suicide.
A man can always use more alcohol, tobacco and firearms.
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