Sterling airguns

[WILBA]

I sort of understand your point about price BUT--and it is a very big BUT-the way Whiscombe prices have gone since John packed up has made people think that maybe the right price for 'quality and quirky' is higher than the market thinks at present.
Also how much would you expect to pay for a Venom Varminter/Mamba etc and I don't need to remind you that they are based around a standard platform? I think there would be considerable demand for a high end self powered air rifle be it a single stroke pneumatic, gas ram or spring powered. After all (relatively) plain and simple PCP designs sell for over a grand these days and there is something special about a rifle being self powered rather than relying on a compressed air source.

then why is my park only worth £550 then nick? its a walnut thumbhole and in stunning condition. and if you put it side by side with that ugly duckling they were gonna sell my park looks stunning in comparison! fact is they looked far to quirky for most tastes. and the price new was far to high for a springer base fitted with a ram or not. johns guns command high prices as they are in limited numbers and have a big following. i prefer my park to a whiscombe as its a tenth the price and 4-5k for an air rifle is just rediculous!

[arnie2b]

Tony explaining what's going on.

[RichardH]

then why is my park only worth £550 then nick? its a walnut thumbhole and in stunning condition. and if you put it side by side with that ugly duckling they were gonna sell my park looks stunning in comparison! fact is they looked far to quirky for most tastes. and the price new was far to high for a springer base fitted with a ram or not. johns guns command high prices as they are in limited numbers and have a big following. i prefer my park to a whiscombe as its a tenth the price and 4-5k for an air rifle is just rediculous!

Holts have a park for auction at £1400ish tomorrow

Let’s see how that goes.

[Hsing-ee]

Holts have a park for auction at £1400ish tomorrow

Let’s see how that goes.

PMSL

[Shed tuner]

Holts have a park for auction at £1400ish tomorrow

Let’s see how that goes.

Amazingly it didn't sell

It's still available for the same money in the unsold lots auction. I guess they think it's worth more; "This example was Roy Hutchinson's second prototype of the Park Rifle"

[RichardH]

Lots of the expensive stuff goes to the US, exchange rates are very favourable right now for yanks buying british guns.

Even with its provenance it’s still looked toppy to me though..

Maybe next time.

[RichardH]

Is that the one that didn't sell last time, but the 2 Whiscombes in the same auction sold for 3k+ including?

Not sure, looked ambitious to me but you never know

[oldcurmudgeon]

This rifle is the one that didn't sell last time, and as was pointed out to the auctioneer the rifle was overestimated and that the information published was wrong.
It is not a prototype as listed and there were more than 400 produced, as I myself have two in the 700 range and have seen one with a four figure number.
Someone at Holts needs to do their homework, true value is between four and five hundred pounds, the last one I bought cost me 400 and was in .177.
The difference between a Park and Whiscombe is both in numbers produced and quality.
One is handmade with only 400 available and the Park was produced in greater numbers, maybe 1500 or so.
HTH 😊

[WILBA]

This rifle is the one that didn't sell last time, and as was pointed out to the auctioneer the rifle was overestimated and that the information published was wrong.
It is not a prototype as listed and there were more than 400 produced, as I myself have two in the 700 range and have seen one with a four figure number.
Someone at Holts needs to do their homework, true value is between four and five hundred pounds, the last one I bought cost me 400 and was in .177.
The difference between a Park and Whiscombe is both in numbers produced and quality.
One is handmade with only 400 available and the Park was produced in greater numbers, maybe 1500 or so.
HTH 😊

do you honestly believe though that the whiscombe is worth £2500+ more than a park though? and as for quality the park is not to far away from a whiscombe. maybe a better bluing ect. also most of the whiscombes have to be double cocked also!

[Big Seth]

[QUOTE=WILBA;7611122]do you honestly believe though that the whiscombe is worth £2500+ more than a park though?

Yes

[nurek]

[QUOTE=Big Seth;7611380]

do you honestly believe though that the whiscombe is worth £2500+ more than a park though?

Yes

[WILBA]

[QUOTE=Big Seth;7611380]

do you honestly believe though that the whiscombe is worth £2500+ more than a park though?

Yes

then you have far to much money to waste mate.

[MartynB]

do you honestly believe though that the whiscombe is worth £2500+ more than a park though?

Yes

In fairness, it's what someone is willing to pay if they want something

[WILBA]

Park is a production air rifle, Whiscombe is more like a custom airgun made and hand assembled by a craftsman.

What do you think a custom like a Venom Mach 1 or 2 is worth?

I'm not saying I'd pay 4-5k for a Whiscombe, but people do...

As for the double (triple on the 80!) cocking, yes it's quirky, but what about the bike chain on the Park

Also, the trigger on the Whiscombe has no equal when it comes to airguns (maybe only the German FT guns come close), and they easily achieve 12ftlbs (30ftlbs in FAC), the Park especially in .177 struggles to get 12ftlbs out of it.

thought there were problems with the fac whiscombes? whats the cocking effort on a whiscombe like at fac?

[kennyc]

thought there were problems with the fac whiscombes? whats the cocking effort on a whiscombe like at fac?

You work the cocking lever 3 times as its a ratchet system so effort is ok they are extremely well made and accurate rifles , designed to be a dedicated target rifle in a time before pcps. I used to be in a club with John whiscombe and he often would bring his personal rifles out to play. A very ingenious design