Brainteaser

[Garvin]

A brainteaser for the collectables crowd:

Can you think of instances where a spring-powered production airgun crossed the invisible line that made it inelegant, expensive to manufacture, or even downright ugly, limiting its mass appeal and thus commercial viability?

The vintage airguns that had staying power tended to be those where the challenges of powering the gun didn’t come at the expense of streamlined looks.

I’m thinking of the compact Webley pistols and ingenious BSA rifles as success stories and, off the top of my head, the Certus/Parker Precisiion/Westley Richards ‘Highest Possible’ pistols and the Kynoch Swift rifles as among those that just couldn’t compete.

Strangely, one recent example that seems to have bucked the trend is the Weihrauch HW45, which has always looked painfully top-heavy to me.

[averageplinker]

Sterling underlever immediately springs to mind!

[frogboy]

The BSA Military Pattern, just too expensive for people to buy.

[cinedux]

Improved B. Didn't live up to it's name.

[Lakey]

Record Champion - similar problem to the HW45, only worse. Hugely top heavy, with the full depth of the cocking lever only adding to the problem.

The oval piston profile was a cool trick to limit the width of the gun, without which the pistol would have been as wide as it is high.



Lakey

[cringe]

maximum ugliness, I think Hammerli model 401, cringe.

[Benelli B76]

Record Champion - similar problem to the HW45, only worse. Hugely top heavy, with the full depth of the cocking lever only adding to the problem.

The oval piston profile was a cool trick to limit the width of the gun, without which the pistol would have been as wide as it is high.



Lakey

Do you know how to fix these ? Have one here now which we want to sell.

Baz

[eyebull]

The HW45 - as well as having no real quality spring pistols to compete with these days - is redeemed by its excellent trigger, high power and decent accuracy, as well as being well built.

I always thought the BSA Scorpion was fugly to be honest, but at least it was functional, unlike the ill-concieved BSA Magnum.

[kevin.ronnie]

Top of the tree for me has to be the Browning Air star.

[pnird]

I'm surprised at eyebull - as the greeks might say, he's got it a bit hysteron proteron! If ever there was an ugly item, it's the BSA Scorpion, which looks as if someone had cut the ends off an air rifle. The Magnum is much easier on the eye, as well as controllable when shooting!

John

[eyebull]

I'm surprised at eyebull - as the greeks might say, he's got it a bit hysteron proteron! If ever there was an ugly item, it's the BSA Scorpion, which looks as if someone had cut the ends off an air rifle. The Magnum is much easier on the eye, as well as controllable when shooting!

John

The Magnum may have looked kind of ok, comparatively, but it was not made for human hand nor eye. I hear fairly good things about the Scorpion as far as shooting it is concerned (not tried one myself), but my own 240 Magnum is so inaccurate that it isn't even any good for can bashing at 6 yards. Literally the worst airgun I own.

[eyebull]

How about the Cometa Indian?

[colin57]

The Magnum may have looked kind of ok, comparatively, but it was not made for human hand nor eye. I hear fairly good things about the Scorpion as far as shooting it is concerned (not tried one myself), but my own 240 Magnum is so inaccurate that it isn't even any good for can bashing at 6 yards. Literally the worst airgun I own.

I must say when I first got my 240 Magnum I thought what the hell have I wasted my money on! But I persevered with it and now it is easy to hit cans at 20yds.

Have to agree the Cometa Indian looks vile.

[scooter48]

apparently the Webley service rifle was costing more to produce than it sold for. I love mine and I think its a superb rifle. I paid 450 for it eight or nine years ago, numbers match. I have only fired a few times but I look at it a lot and admire the engineering.

[eyebull]

Have to agree the Cometa Indian looks vile.

If you think that's bad, wrap your eyes around the Umarex Wildlife