My first rifle was an A.S.I Sniper in .22. When I was 14 I got my Mercury. It cost me £35 from John Stevens airgun centre. I'd read "The calibre question" article in Airgun World and decided .177 was for me. Trigger is a bit crap, but it seemed I could hit everything I aimed at with the open sights.
I've still got it 42 years on, but it needs work. The breech jaws seem to have spread slightly. If anyone knows a cure for that I'd be grateful to hear it.