Didn't live up to expectations

[mallyally]

First Mercury I ever saw was In Ben Brooks sports shop in St Helens It was 1971 or 2, I bought it and it was £21 Brand new Pretty sure it was stove enameled and it had a one piece cocking lever Funny now I cant for the life of me remember what happened to it

[jjjohn]

Check the loft mate.

[bootneckbob]

I did a long winded reply but pushed the wrong key and deleted it? Some shortcut I don't know about and don't like. So I'll keep this brief:
ASI MAgnum
Crossman AR15
Stealth Gunpower (although had about 3)

Bit unfair but I had a Colchester Gamekeeper. I knew it would need some TLC but the gunsmith I used just couldn't get it reliable. Kept blowing seals. Sold it on as a project for someone else with better skills.

PS Rifles that did meet expectations: My Mercury Challenger goes back in its box from time to time just so I can open it again! Has all the bits still (Pellets, lube and target trap). Yes, takes me back to being 14 getting my first rifle. I just picked up a really nice boxed Original 6G this week. My first pistol too.

[MartynB]

Bit unfair but I had a Colchester Gamekeeper. I knew it would need some TLC but the gunsmith I used just couldn't get it reliable. Kept blowing seals. Sold it on as a project for someone else with better skills

Shame as Martin Nettleton was still doing gunsmithing work

[madcarlos]

At early age I had a relum, Awsome gun at the time , In 177 cal aswell, Also had a early bsa meteor, A number of mercury's and air sporters, Also a couple of others like the ASi sniper etc, But then my first pumper, Wow, Nothing made over here could match the power and with no recoil, It really did put the others to shame, Anyway worked away for a couple of years then at 18 I had a hw77k in 177, I did originally want either the airsporter or hw77k in 177 , Being a bit impatient I jumped on a bus and went to Cardiff as the shop fhere had the hw77 in stock, It was that gun that give a whole new experience of an air gun and shooting, It was the beginning of the end of UK made guns,

[waynegrant2]

My first brand new air rifle was a BSA Super Meteor in .22. Bought from Hawley-Goodhall in Walsall town centre for the grand sum of £28.10. I was 10 at the time and progressed from my dads hand me down BSA Cadet of which i still have. I worked so damn hard to save for it, washing my parents cars reguarly and window cleaning etc. I still didn't have enough so i ended up selling some Action Man stuff to make up. The smell as mentioned from the oil etc. cannot be explained. I shot it day and night until the spring wore out. My Dad said i was using the wrong pellets for it ( Lanes Heavy if i remember) and should stay with the Pylarms!
I sold it to a mate of mine to buy a second hand BSA Mercury .22 from a second hand shop in Worcester Street in Wolverhampton.

[TonyL]

At early age I had a relum, Awsome gun at the time , In 177 cal aswell, Also had a early bsa meteor, A number of mercury's and air sporters, Also a couple of others like the ASi sniper etc, But then my first pumper, Wow, Nothing made over here could match the power and with no recoil, It really did put the others to shame, Anyway worked away for a couple of years then at 18 I had a hw77k in 177, I did originally want either the airsporter or hw77k in 177 , Being a bit impatient I jumped on a bus and went to Cardiff as the shop fhere had the hw77 in stock, It was that gun that give a whole new experience of an air gun and shooting, It was the beginning of the end of UK made guns,

My first brand new air rifle was a BSA Super Meteor in .22. Bought from Hawley-Goodhall in Walsall town centre for the grand sum of £28.10. I was 10 at the time and progressed from my dads hand me down BSA Cadet of which i still have. I worked so damn hard to save for it, washing my parents cars reguarly and window cleaning etc. I still didn't have enough so i ended up selling some Action Man stuff to make up. The smell as mentioned from the oil etc. cannot be explained. I shot it day and night until the spring wore out. My Dad said i was using the wrong pellets for it ( Lanes Heavy if i remember) and should stay with the Pylarms!
I sold it to a mate of mine to buy a second hand BSA Mercury .22 from a second hand shop in Worcester Street in Wolverhampton.

Much of what I read in these two posts rings bells with me. First rifle was a Relum (822?) junior break barrel which was pretty hopeless. And I bought my first "real" one, a new BSA Super Meteor in 1977/1978 at £28.50. And I can also remember that lovely smell on first opening and using that rifle. The little Meteor ended up accounting for many rats and rabbits and I'd learned to shoot properly with it after attending an indoor rimfire range that my boss at the time introduced me to. Lane's Heavyweights too....... I remember buying a tin and they were truly awful with the lengths varying by huge amounts! Then later moved onto to the HW35, Mercury, FWB 127, HW77 and 80 etc. And, yes, the HW77 was a definite game changer. The only one I ever bought that I was disappointed with was a Crosman 766. The barrel kept falling off, it being retained by a pesky little grub screw. Maybe with today's knowledge and experience I might have persevered. As it was it got sold and was used to purchase future springers.

[Farsight]

My most disappointing by far was a brand new .22 Webley Mk3 from Chaplin's, £40 in 1974.
Every shot was different ! The sintered trigger gradually deteriorated, but the main problem was leaks from the tap and -unforgiveably- the forend bracket screw holes . I think now that it should have gone back to the makers, but I eventually sold it back to the shop for half what I paid just to be rid of the thing.