First Airgun.

[Abasmajor]

This time of year always reminds me of the first air rifle I ever owned courtesy of Sant Claus in 1953. We also had a TV installed that same year specifically to watch the coronation of Queen Elizbeth 2nd, but it certainly came in handy for the limited programmes broadcast at the time.
My dad was working for British European Airways then and was stationed in Germany which was probably why he brought two Diana air rifles home my brother and I at Christmas. I remember we weren't allowed pellets to shoot the guns without my dad being present, but we quickly learned that the buds growing on a small evergreen bush in the garden appeared to be almost exactly .177 calibre.

What was the first air gun you could call your very own rather than something borrowed from your elders?[





Brian

[Geezer]

.22” Webley Typhoon in June 1978.

Which I now realise must have been quite an early one, as production only began in March 1977, and was at low levels until later that year.

Traded (youthful stupidity) a few years later for a friend’s ASI/Gamo Paratrooper Repeater.

[hyscore100]

I have a Original model 25,bought off a kid in my class 45yrs ago.

[ptdunk]

A Relum Super Tornado back in 1987, and a Record LP2.

Funnily I bought another Relum for purely sentimental reasons recently and it’s pretty accurate.
Took it down to the club today and it was surprisingly fun to shoot, and accurate enough for plinking out to 30yds. A good wet weather option.

I think Protek might have given it a bit of a service before I bought it.

Matt

[Mark D]

Diana Mod 15 - aged 8 when living on my grandparents farm. Had to share with my brother who was 1 year younger. We were allowed one tin of pellets per week.

When we ran out of pellets, nails, screws, bits of potato and anything else we could ram into the breach

Apologies to all those with a sensitive disposition

[Josie & John]

It all started with a chrome plated Gat I was gifted in 1978. Wish I still had it.

John

[career707lover]

My first very own airgun was a second hand ASI Paratrooper. Non repeating version in .22. It was low on power, even by Paratrooper standards (probably needed a new spring with hindsight) but it was surprisingly accurate. Come to think on it; I don't think I've ever had a rifle with the pistol grip type configuration since.

It's funny this thread should come up as I actually have no guns whatsoever at the moment and briefly thought about another Paratrooper (purely for nostalgia) but decided I'm going to go for a pistol/pistols and sort of see where it goes from there. Trouble is most of the pistols I like are older e.g. BSA Scorpion, 240 Magnum, HW45 (dual power), Crosman 1377 etc and rarely come up.

Thanks for starting this thread, will definitely be interesting to see what other members started out with

[Matthelm]

A Webley Hawk Mk.1 in 1972 bought from Harold's Sports of Hayes, a Christmas present from my late sister. Didn't take long for the rearsight to fall apart, way too fragile for 12yr old..lol

[mrto]

.22 Meteor around 1968.

[laverdabru]

Pistol - early '70's, pre war tin grip Junior passed on from one of my older bro's when he bought a Mk 1. He'd had it since the '50's, I lost it in a house move sometime in the '80's.

Rifle, mid '70's. 50's Diana 27 (alloy trigger?) .22 bought from 'Dodgy Joes' secondhand shop in Shepton Mallet.

ATB

Bru

[edbear2]

Not really a "proper" air rifle .......As a nipper I was mad keen on Westerns, I had a rifle that you put oil in and it made a ricochet noise when quite you fired it, but then got a Daisy Winchester "Spittin Image" This must have been 1968 or so, but looking back I have no idea how my parents found one, I think they had been around for several years by then but in the U.K.

My elder brother and his friends had all sorts, so I was used to shooting when given a go (even Webley B/A .410 and 9mm Garden at that age!) and we had a BSA type target holder in the garden....soon learnt the BB's are not to be shot at these as they come straight back at you!

ATB, ED

[Garvin]

I had these pistols in this order, but I like to think only of the last one, two or three years after the first. The first two were not good. The Gat was hopelessly inaccurate and the RO72 was accurate but poorly made.

1. .177 Harrington Gat
2. .177 IGI RO72 (Sussex Armoury Panther Deluxe)
3. .22 Crosman 1300

[Kuyajonathan]

1968 brand new BSA Super Meteor .22 £14, plus Niko sterling 4x20 scope £4.50, mum paid 1/2, rest from my paper & butchers rounds. Still have this in original box, polystyrene , pelgun oil, target holder & targets, plus receipt. Around same time got Webley senior .22, used from friends neighbour. Paid about £4, Xmas tips from Butchers round, From memory I think it's mid 50's when searched serial number in 70/80's, again still have this, as garden plinker.

[Geezer]

Not really a "proper" air rifle .......As a nipper I was mad keen on Westerns, I had a rifle that you put oil in and it made a ricochet noise when quite you fired it, but then got a Daisy Winchester "Spittin Image" This must have been 1968 or so, but looking back I have no idea how my parents found one, I think they had been around for several years by then but in the U.K.

They were introduced in 1961, so it’s not at all a surprise that some had come over to the U.K. by 1968.

In my experience (late 70s onwards), until very recently Daisies were widely available over here. It’s on,y the last few years where whoever the importer now is seems to only be half-assedly bothered to distribute a few Red Ryder type BB guns, one cheap CO2 BB pistol, and none of the rest of the range, with no advertising or marketing.

[Mzee]

Webley Senior, 1958, Nairobi, while in the RAF.