Specialist Air Rifle Services

[sparko]

I know it is still early days ... But do you, the emotionally involved think any one would take up the mantle and try to follow on in the shoes of Venom & V-Mach.

I realise this is a relatively small but specialised market ... Yet there is, or will be demand for services of this calibre.

Speaking from experience.

Over to you 👍

[Hsing-ee]

Airmasters and Venom were the two big ‘tuners and modifiers’ back in the day. Venom sold good kits as well. But today they are a dozen or more excellent tuners and modifiers offering bespoke solutions to improving a springer, some of them far more radical than Venom. The knowledge and skill is more widespread and diverse now so people can go after particular solutions. True there are only a few stock makers to choose from but CS offers a good range at a low price to the individual wanting to get a better fit. There’s fewer people willing to spend a fortune on a full custom springer since the PCPs arrived. There are several good spring guide kits available and several different aftermarket brands of piston and breech seal. It’s a bit like the market for airguns in the U.K. was once completely covered by Webley and BSA; there are many more options today.

Venom were pathfinders and now there’s a whole complex market.

I think their main legacy are the innovations included in the Air Arms springers, the TX and the ProSport, which basically offer a Venom type tune out of the box. Apart from all the old Venom custom rifles that drive the collectors into a frenzy ...

[Geezer]

I wish, but I doubt it.

Professional tuning began in the States in the 70s as a luxury offering from ARH and Beeman, as an extra to their main business of selling European “adult airguns”. The tuned stuff may even have been “loss leaders” to attract publicity and business.

In 1978, Beeman would sell you a factory FWB Sport for $144 (standard 121) or $173 (124); the Beeman tuned custom version was $299, and the ARH version $478 - $1800 now. I doubt they sold many.

The genius of Venom and Airmasters was to capitalise on the early/mid 80s huge interest in high-performance springers, whether for FT or hunting (or just pride of ownership or bragging rights) and to make it a full time business including tuning, replacement parts (eg silencers), custom stocks and, in Venom’s case, reblueing.

And their products were genuinely much better than almost anything from a factory.

But that was a particular time. PCPs killed off the custom springer business. Attempts to replicate the Venom model with them (Stalker comes to mind) were more popular with the magazine writers than the public.

Consider also the wealth of knowledge now available on the internet about how to do it yourself. Most of the best tuners now are enthusiasts who share their experiences free of charge for the benefit of all and have absolutely no wish to start a business.

Plenty of people could, and some do, run an airgun tuning/repair/parts business on the side as a sort of money-making hobby. Some try to make that a full time business, but often discover that it isn’t very profitable, and that dealing with a lot of customers, rather than doing a few odd jobs for mates, is hard and not worth the hassle: it stops being fun when you come home from your job in order to go to your other job with your lathe in your shed.

So, sadly, no. Things have moved on since 1981.

[rapidresponse1]

it would be nice to think some one would take over

[Jesim1]

Airmasters and Venom were the two big ‘tuners and modifiers’ back in the day. Venom sold good kits as well. But today they are a dozen or more excellent tuners and modifiers offering bespoke solutions to improving a springer, some of them far more radical than Venom. The knowledge and skill is more widespread and diverse now so people can go after particular solutions. True there are only a few stock makers to choose from but CS offers a good range at a low price to the individual wanting to get a better fit. There’s fewer people willing to spend a fortune on a full custom springer since the PCPs arrived. There are several good spring guide kits available and several different aftermarket brands of piston and breech seal. It’s a bit like the market for airguns in the U.K. was once completely covered by Webley and BSA; there are many more options today.

Venom were pathfinders and now there’s a whole complex market.

I think their main legacy are the innovations included in the Air Arms springers, the TX and the ProSport, which basically offer a Venom type tune out of the box. Apart from all the old Venom custom rifles that drive the collectors into a frenzy ...

I'm of a similar mind, times move on, and so does the development, these tuners in their day were some of the best available, but now they are collectors pieces and not any better than some of the more modern tunes done in "sheds" (read as fully set up machined workshops ) that are now in circulation. All that would be carried over is the name, not necessarily any improvements beyond others already available in what is not a huge money making market.

[Steyr]

I can do a springer improvement kit

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Roughneck-R...c=1&th=1&psc=1

[venoman]

I will be taking over the popular stage one kits.

[Mach 1.5]

Venom, Airmasters and Ken Turner did wonderful stuff. Masters of their art hence why some of there stuff is copied to this day some 35 years later. Often equalled but never bettered. Mach 1.5

[tinbum]

I can do a springer improvement kit

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Roughneck-R...c=1&th=1&psc=1

I believe that is a stage 2 HW35 kit.

We start at stage four and go as far as stage 17. For this highly specialised service we press your trousers and pick dog hairs from the inside of your gunbag

[TonyL]

I can do a springer improvement kit

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Roughneck-R...c=1&th=1&psc=1

You beast!

[Geezer]

I will be taking over the popular stage one kits.

That is good to know.

[Captain Bongo]

I believe that is a stage 2 HW35 kit.

We start at stage four and go as far as stage 17. For this highly specialised service we press your trousers and pick dog hairs from the inside of your gunbag

Stage 17, you say? That's Tunerwang!

[Steyr]

You beast!

Yeah... you say that but you luv me really.

[maximus]

I will be taking over the popular stage one kits.

Well done, hope it works out for you

[p.j.]

I will be taking over the popular stage one kits.

Good news, I'm sure this is what Steve would have wanted.