A good gun......

[jonnyone]

Took a FWB Sport out last weekend to give it an airing and was impressed as per with its mild manners and sweet shooting characteristics.
Anyhow bearing that in mind and the fact that the squirrels did their best Lord Lucan impressions my mind started wandering back to the halcyon days of springer tuning. We all know the the big names of those days and I am not sure if I read this or imagined it, but didn't some (or all) of those tuning houses test and select the best of their gun stock in order to pick out those with particular or exceptional accuracy characteristics? Maybe putting the best aside and the others in the rack for general sale.
Clearly in this respect the barrel quality and lock up (on break barrels) have a particular bearing, but I'm guessing that just like anything mechanical (e.g cars) you can, for reasons perhaps unknown, have better examples of the same make n model?
I can't imagine any manufacturers pandering to the requests of any sector of the shooting fraternity to produce a gun taking particular care on this or that aspect of manufacture as they would likely argue that their QC process should result in guns of a known minimum quality.
But anyhow. Did I imagine that some companies did some sort of selection process in obtaining the best examples of a model to base their tuned and custom guns on or does anyone know if this actually happened with any of them?
Cheers
Dave

[Geezer]

I have never heard any suggestion that the classic tuners tested and selected their base rifles before beginning work on them.

And can you imagine the logistics and effort involved? You are, say, Venom in 1985; HW send you ten rifles. You shoot them all, with various ammo, pick the best two and send eight back? How much time and money is involved?

[bighit]

I have never heard any suggestion that the classic tuners tested and selected their base rifles before beginning work on them.

And can you imagine the logistics and effort involved? You are, say, Venom in 1985; HW send you ten rifles. You shoot them all, with various ammo, pick the best two and send eight back? How much time and money is involved?

Unless HW tested them or the importers and sent them to venom but that is possibly wrong.

Plus ,would they not go back to the importer rather than HW unless venom imported their own stock ?

[Mach 1.5]

Back in the 80's when I visited venom the customer chose the rifle from a rack of 77's or 80's let's say then gave it to them to tune. The customer made the decision not the tuning company. Mach 1.5

[jonnyone]

I have never heard any suggestion that the classic tuners tested and selected their base rifles before beginning work on them.

And can you imagine the logistics and effort involved? You are, say, Venom in 1985; HW send you ten rifles. You shoot them all, with various ammo, pick the best two and send eight back? How much time and money is involved?

Morning Geezer,
I wouldn't have suggested sending the guns back. Simply that those deemed run of the mill stayed in the rack whereas those picked out as being a cut above would be selected for customisation.
It looks as if I dreamed this up from somewhere anyhow. If anyone would have been discerning and operated such a methodology it would be venom and if they didn't do it then I doubt anyone did. And Paul knows a thing or two about venom as per his post here.
Thanks for the input chaps. In the words of that TV programme "myth busted"!
Dave

[averageplinker]

I have to admit it sounds like the kind of BS I can imagine some of the gun shop owners I have met and shooters selling their rifles on the secondhand market will have used. But I very much doubt that any of the well known and successful tuning companies would bother with such nonsense.
PS not all gunshop owners and private sellers are prone to BS!
PPS surely you would only need to select the best if you were tuning cheaper makes with poor QC? I think SMK claim their supergrade/deluxe models are specially selected and fettled in the UK. Could this be what you are recalling?

[Mach 1.5]

I did know a well respected FT shooter back in the 80's and when venom arms had a batch of 77's come to the shop he spent an hour choosing the right rifle to tune!!! Mach 1.5

[jonnyone]

I have to admit it sounds like the kind of BS I can imagine some of the gun shop owners I have met and shooters selling their rifles on the secondhand market will have used. But I very much doubt that any of the well known and successful tuning companies would bother with such nonsense.
PS not all gunshop owners and private sellers are prone to BS!
PPS surely you would only need to select the best if you were tuning cheaper makes with poor QC? I think SMK claim their supergrade/deluxe models are specially selected and fettled in the UK. Could this be what you are recalling?

I think it increasingly likely I've got wires crossed somewhere along line. Maybe from a mag or a book. Possibly even a documentary- possibly related to choice of Lee Enfield service rifles for selection for sniper rifles. In which case not only crossed wires but knotted too.
I only have an interest in quality mainly German and British air rifles. I think the Chinese have some catching up to do from what I've seen though there's no doubt they will get there soon.
Dave.