Airmasters Mastersport FTS/Vmach

[RustyBuzz]

This is a great write up Richard and brings back a lot of memories.

I remember spending quite some time at your shop in Luton back in the mid 80's with my mate Keith Mountford. He commissioned an all singing, all dancing FT rifle based on the HW77. It was the one with adjustable palm shelf and the adjustable but hook. A terrific rifle.
You kindly fitted a set back trigger to my HW77 (bought brand new by me in 1985). I still own this rifle and will never let it go.
Every time we visited, you all were very enthusiastic and passionate about the sport of FT - a great bunch of chaps to be around.

Thanks, that's very kind.

I remember you guys and Keith's Rifle. I think you were Iceni members, or have I got that wrong?

There was an FTS that looked remarkably like Keiths come up for sale on the BBS 10 or so years ago, think it went for £450ish after quite a wait.

[njaw]

Thanks, that's very kind.

I remember you guys and Keith's Rifle. I think you were Iceni members, or have I got that wrong?

There was an FTS that looked remarkably like Keiths come up for sale on the BBS 10 or so years ago, think it went for £450ish after quite a wait.

Yep, that was us Richard. I enjoyed hovering around your workshops. I must have been in my late teens at the time (I'm now 50)!
The rifle was indeed sold on the BBS approx 10 years ago by me. When Keith left the airgun world, I bought the rifle. After a few years ownership I sold it due to lack of use, but I wish I'd kept it now. Great times.

[Shed tuner]

Thanks for the invite.

I have often thought about coming along but life keeps getting in the way, if you know what I mean.

One day.....

not much more than an hour for you; Folks drive from all over the country, stop making excuses

[murkywaters]

This advert is from Airgun World July 1986 where they done a feature on Airmasters -

[Mach 1.5]

It could be the case that the 77 FT is rarer than the FTS as people wanted the all singing and dancing FTS, myself included. July 1987 I visited Airmasters, travelled on national express to Luton to be measured for my FTS. I remember going up the stairs and gazing at a least 15 stock blanks and John saying which one do you like? That one there with the nice grain please Mr Welham. Stock only as the action was a venom 77 lazaglide with Mach 1 trigger. I wanted the best of both worlds and this combo had it. Still got the tshirt they did.Mach 1.5

[RustyBuzz]

Yep, that was us Richard. I enjoyed hovering around your workshops. I must have been in my late teens at the time (I'm now 50)!
The rifle was indeed sold on the BBS approx 10 years ago by me. When Keith left the airgun world, I bought the rifle. After a few years ownership I sold it due to lack of use, but I wish I'd kept it now. Great times.

It was tricky to find, but here’s Keith’s FTS in its full glory



Richard

[njaw]

It was tricky to find, but here’s Keith’s FTS in its full glory



Richard

Yep, that's the one.
What a rifle! Whoever owns it now is a lucky chap. I might even buy it back. It forms part of my airgunning history.
I remember that actual picture. Didn't it feature as a colour double spread?

[RustyBuzz]

Yep, that's the one.
What a rifle! Whoever owns it now is a lucky chap. I might even buy it back. It forms part of my airgunning history.
I remember that actual picture. Didn't it feature as a colour double spread?

Possibly, this was from a photographic print we used on our exhibition stands.

[Mach 1.5]

Now who would like an FTS Stock made for the 99s!! Mach 1.5.

[AC all day]

It was tricky to find, but here’s Keith’s FTS in its full glory



Richard

Pure unadulterated airgun porn!!
Bring back those prices too....
Stunning pics keep them coming...

[RustyBuzz]

Richard thanks for this detailed Airmasters background. If you have no objection, I'll copy it to my gallery as a lasting history of the company?

I have a Bowkett-tuned FWB124 in a John Welham (?) Airmasters stock - IMO the best designed Sport stock ever, with lovely hand cut chequering. I particularly like the way the fore end covers the breech block and is curved instead of the FWB's backward rake and exposed breech, a factory design that made me wince every time I picked up my d/l Sport 127 throughout the early '80s...

I thought that I had better expand on the Airmasters back story. Airmasters was a brand of the company ‘Knok Down Targets’.

The first knock down targets were very unreliable. They took too much energy to register a hit and when the HW80 came along, before the chrono was introduced, a hit on the faceplate, anywhere above the kill area would trigger the target. So in early ‘82, if you had a .22 80 your kill area was around 4” square.

This was cause for considerable frustration for most competitors so one Saturday afternoon my old man, John, sat down to design a better target. By ‘Any Answers’ the next day he had the design for what would become the ‘Knok Down’ target.

This target was rapidly adopted by NARPA and then BASC and became the standard. Webley became the distributor and that, along with the custom work, created enough income for John and Dave to go full time and to launch shop in Hibbert Street.

The component manufacturing was a very important revenue stream for the business. This became Dave’s main focus, although he was still the main man with anything FWB. We manufactured targets, silencers, trigger shoes, scope mounts, set back triggers, target boxes, etc all onsite.

Attached is our full offering for targets.

[Garvin]

Thanks for this addition, Richard. Now added to gallery entry:

https://forum.vintageairgunsgallery....rgun-shooting/

[Matt]

Pure unadulterated airgun porn!!
Bring back those prices too....
Stunning pics keep them coming...

Was that sold a few years ago on this site?

Matt

[Craig-P]

I thought that I had better expand on the Airmasters back story. Airmasters was a brand of the company ‘Knok Down Targets’.

The first knock down targets were very unreliable. They took too much energy to register a hit and when the HW80 came along, before the chrono was introduced, a hit on the faceplate, anywhere above the kill area would trigger the target. So in early ‘82, if you had a .22 80 your kill area was around 4” square.

This was cause for considerable frustration for most competitors so one Saturday afternoon my old man, John, sat down to design a better target. By ‘Any Answers’ the next day he had the design for what would become the ‘Knok Down’ target.

This target was rapidly adopted by NARPA and then BASC and became the standard. Webley became the distributor and that, along with the custom work, created enough income for John and Dave to go full time and to launch shop in Hibbert Street.

The component manufacturing was a very important revenue stream for the business. This became Dave’s main focus, although he was still the main man with anything FWB. We manufactured targets, silencers, trigger shoes, scope mounts, set back triggers, target boxes, etc all onsite.

Attached is our full offering for targets.

Richard, if I’m not mistaken this photograph is in an A5 sized AirMasters catalogue. I’ve loving held onto a copy since I picked it up at the midland game fair in the late 80’s/early 90’s. The centre spread is a few Shamals in ft/s stocks, previous to that page, the 77’s and the FWB’s.
We moved house a few years back and I can’t find the catalogue now (it’s here still - but in a box ‘somewhere’). If you have the photographs from that catalogue I’d be over the moon to see them again.
Cheers mate, Craig

[Mach 1.5]

Took my FWB Mastersport out today and even by today's standards it can't be beat, maybe equalled but not beat. Dave Pope once said that Airmasters could tune a FWB Sport better than Venom...enough said. Mach 1.5