John Bowkett - Rook and Rabbit style PCP

[deadeye]

Hello all,
I found some old airgun mags in the loft the other day which all got me reminiscing but one article in particular really jogged my memory. It was one of JB's pieces where he shared some development ideas... He basically took an inline valve design and built a 5 shot rifle around it which was elegance itself, probably the most elegant air rifle I've seen. He said it was based on a Holland & Holland Rook and Rabbit rifle (the tiny valve and air reservoir allowed the action to be made to rimfire proportions) and was designed to run on relatively low air pressure and could be topped up with a Brocock Slim Jim pump.

This got me wondering if he ever took the concept any further - as buddy bottle rifles became more commonplace (the R7 was still quite a new idea at the time IIRC) I wondered if a buddy bottle could be used to top up in the field instead of a Slim Jim. That would make it a very handy hunting tool - apart from looking wonderful.

Any JB disciples out there know more about either this or similar designs JB has worked on? Oh how I wished I had the £££'s to invest in one at the time.

[AllanM]

I'm pretty sure Lawrie Amatruda converted a rook rifle from a firearm to an air rifle but I think he used CO2.

[MartynB]

Hello all,
I found some old airgun mags in the loft the other day which all got me reminiscing but one article in particular really jogged my memory. It was one of JB's pieces where he shared some development ideas... He basically took an inline valve design and built a 5 shot rifle around it which was elegance itself, probably the most elegant air rifle I've seen. He said it was based on a Holland & Holland Rook and Rabbit rifle (the tiny valve and air reservoir allowed the action to be made to rimfire proportions) and was designed to run on relatively low air pressure and could be topped up with a Brocock Slim Jim pump.

This got me wondering if he ever took the concept any further - as buddy bottle rifles became more commonplace (the R7 was still quite a new idea at the time IIRC) I wondered if a buddy bottle could be used to top up in the field instead of a Slim Jim. That would make it a very handy hunting tool - apart from looking wonderful.

Any JB disciples out there know more about either this or similar designs JB has worked on? Oh how I wished I had the £££'s to invest in one at the time.

I remember that, lovely looking rifle

[greenwayjames]

Hello all,
I found some old airgun mags in the loft the other day which all got me reminiscing but one article in particular really jogged my memory. It was one of JB's pieces where he shared some development ideas... He basically took an inline valve design and built a 5 shot rifle around it which was elegance itself, probably the most elegant air rifle I've seen. He said it was based on a Holland & Holland Rook and Rabbit rifle (the tiny valve and air reservoir allowed the action to be made to rimfire proportions) and was designed to run on relatively low air pressure and could be topped up with a Brocock Slim Jim pump.

This got me wondering if he ever took the concept any further - as buddy bottle rifles became more commonplace (the R7 was still quite a new idea at the time IIRC) I wondered if a buddy bottle could be used to top up in the field instead of a Slim Jim. That would make it a very handy hunting tool - apart from looking wonderful.

Any JB disciples out there know more about either this or similar designs JB has worked on? Oh how I wished I had the £££'s to invest in one at the time.

I am an editor on the JB fanpage which is where this is taken from

https://www.facebook.com/17835238887...type=3&theater

[greenwayjames]

This is another prototype with a different straightline valve of his design. Again from the facebook fanpage.

https://www.facebook.com/17835238887...08295275882022

[greenwayjames]

More straightliners, each of a different design and purpose. All from the fanpage under "PHOTOS".

https://www.facebook.com/17835238887...type=3&theater

[deadeye]

Wonderful stuff and thanks for sharing. I think the concept is fantastic and well worth further development. I would absolutely love one of the 5 shot pump up variety - air rifle perfection.

Thanks again.

[AC all day]

I too have to say 'thank you for sharing'....what a fantastic trip down memory lane, JB has had some fantastic ideas that should have gone a whole lot further....I too would love try one of his rook rifles or maybe add one to my collection.

[MartynB]

Likewise, I've had some very interesting conversations with John over the years, he's very talented