Originally Posted by
Geezer
To be clear, I’d love someone to do what you, Lakey and others suggest - just make a new, possibly better, Eley Wasp.
But it won’t be a big manufacturer. It would be a small maker like Pax was, aiming at a very niche market. I just don’t know if the economics would make it a going concern. The pellet market is highly price-competitive (just look at how many threads on here, often from guys with £1000+ rifles wearing £300 scopes ask for the cheapest place to buy pellets).
On how many of the mythical 4 million are 5.6, I’ll argue the toss.
I’d suggest that 70-90% of BSA LJs, Airsporters, Webley Vulcans and all the other classic 9-12 ft-lbs classic sporting springers are .22”.
But the alleged 4 million will include huge numbers of Gats, RO71s, G10s, tinplate break-barrels, all .177”. In classic sporters, significant numbers of HWs, BSFs, FWB124/7s, Diana 35s and 50s - mostly in .22” but 5.5mm variety. Lots of 10M match guns, all .177”. IIRC, bell target is also traditionally shot with .177”. FT guys were all using .177” from around 1982-3. HFT shooters from the outset. .177” as a hunting calibre took off from the early 90s. That’s a long time ago (even if it feels like me like yesterday).
Only a minority of airgun users are hunters. In many models, .22” was not offered. Where there was a choice, the lower cost of .177” pellets, or the rules of a target discipline, either made it a desirable choice, or mandatory.
Finally, I’d note that although Pax are now sold out of 5.6 Defiant, they still had them available as new old stock (perhaps slug-gun can confirm?) for at least a couple of years after they stopped making them.
That back of a fag packet analysis still suggests to me that the number of people who (a) own No2 bore guns, (b) shoot them much, (c) need/want the best level of accuracy from them, (d) know about the 5.6/5.5 thing, (e) don’t get decent performance from Superdomes or whatever is pretty darned small.