who introduced .22 Diabolo pellets?

[ptdunk]

I've read previous threads about .22 with Haviland and Gunn and Quakenbush, but they would have been slugs and Darts.

was the .22 Diabolo pellet introduced by BSA to go with the first .22 standards?

Anyone know the earliest advert for a .22 waisted pellet?

Thanks,
Matt

[trajectory]

I'd be interested to hear the answer to this t. From memory I think L J introduced the waisted pellet in this country about 1914 . Haven't got a source for this but I think it's something I read a while back. Whether he was the first or not I can't be sure. but I also remember reading that there were diabolo pellets on the continent around 1900. No evidence to back it up either, just what came to mind so a bit of proof would be interesting.hopefully someone can be of help.

[ptdunk]

I'd be interested to hear the answer to this t. From memory I think L J introduced the waisted pellet in this country about 1914 . Haven't got a source for this but I think it's something I read a while back. Whether he was the first or not I can't be sure. but I also remember reading that there were diabolo pellets on the continent around 1900. No evidence to back it up either, just what came to mind so a bit of proof would be interesting.hopefully someone can be of help.

I’m pretty sure the .177 waisted pellet came out in 1904 or 1905 in England but we don’t know exactly who invented it. One of the candidates is Bonehill but I can’t remember the other one.

What I want to know is who introduced the .22 waisted pellet, as I saw a video recently where someone seemed to suggest it was BSA in conjunction with bringing out their no.2 bore standard in 1909.

I think they got the info from John M’s excellent book. I checked and John doesn’t say BSA invented the .22 diabolo pellet.

Was the BSA the first .22 rifled air rifle? I read the Quackenbush no.5 was only rifled for its bullet firing capability.

Cheers,
Matt

[Josie & John]

I can't add much more than is in the BSA book Matt.

BSA originally recommended Kynoch pellets then offered the Adder in both calibres. The Adder name was registered in 1907 and was being advertised by BSA as a diabolo pellet in 1909. It was probably introduced at some point between 1907 and 1909.

Lincoln Jeffries also offered a .22 pellet in a C.1906-08 catalogue but sadly the one I have a poor photocopy of is not dated.

If I had to offer an opinion, it would be BSA or LJ as they offered the first mass produced .22 air rifle. Anything earlier is likely to have been experimental, so I guess the Adder / LJ pellet were the first successful .22 diabolo style.

I would suggest asking John Atkins as I know he is a mine of information on early pellets and I wish he'd write a book on the subject.

John

[45flint]

I vote for Adder cause thats what I have!! Pictured here with my 1914 Sporting.

[ptdunk]

This from John Atkins, seems .22 waisted pellets were made at least as far back as 1906, if not earlier. I do really miss Johns contributions in Airgunner......

'Yours is a really good question I've never really thought about before. My attention was always on who made the first .177 waisted and not on .22 and .25.
Over the weekend, I went through all ads.I have of the period 1900 to 1906 and all editorial write-ups and reviews. More-or-less all is concentrated on .177 calibre for match shooting. I can't see L.J., for instance, worrying about .22 at that time c.1905 as 6-yard match shooting was the main focus for-him and most then.
Calibres are seldom mentioned in the old ads. or write-ups... so no help! They were all about .177” target shooting for clubs, etc.

As for rifles, September 1907 LJ's started in .22 followed by IMD’s in .22, in Nov., and then another year before despatch. Then many more months elapse before announced in TSGR:

'MAY 1909: BSA introducing a new air rifle in .22 calibre (for the first time). Suitable for shooting small birds, etc, Sure to be popular.Outdoor air rifle shooting in Summer catching on, Trend welcomed by Lord Roberts.’ (Leading the way to more .22” sporting shooting).

So any early batches of .22 pellets made by various makers specifically to fit the proposed new .22 LJ./BSAs would have a one year and 8 month long wait before any BSA .22 shooters bought a box…. Of course, a few would buy the new shape .22 diabolo to see how it performed in their smoothbore a/guns over the usual hollow or solid slugs.
But no, in answer to your original question, the two dates were quite far apart. i.e. .22 waisteds were around before anyone could actually buy a sporting model .22” BSA a/rifle.

So I don't know who made, the first .22 waisted - nor have I ever met anyone who did! Sorry! (If I don't know for sure, I say so!) I have narrowed it down to 4 makers, One being the Bank’s Bulfin you are thinking of.
The question remains: Any .22 waisteds on sale prior to this? I think there probably were at least two.
The ‘Bulfin' name registration under Class 19 no. 279,642, Application date 7.2.1906. by B. R. Banks & Co., Ltd, Devon Works, Gillet St., Kingsland Road, London. (Class19 [XIX] covers guns and Class 20 [XX] covers ammo).

[IMG][/IMG]

No mention here this .22 size were anything novel and out of the ordinary, so they may even have been commonplace in early 1906 in .22" and .25” - maybe arriving hot on heels of the first waisted .177” diabolos from Kynoch.

KYNOCH

Kynoch are another obvious thought - the first appearance of the ‘modern’ waisted air rifle pellet, developed in 1904. Most likely it was introduced by E. Bowen and George Kynoch of Lion Works, Birmingham as the .177 Kynoch ‘Match’ followed immediately by their lighter weight .177 Kynoch ‘Witton’. Their .25" Lion brand waisted followed to suit 25 Kynoch ‘Swift" air rifles but their .22" Swift waisted pellet does not appear until later.

Another contender was Cox and Son of Lozells (BSA tried Cox brand BEFORE recommending Kynoch Match or Witton for the .177 BSA's in the early days, pre any B.M.M. of Adderley Park). See Knibbs’ book page 43. (Possibly the Cox ‘Wonder’?) I think Kynoch 'Lion' were only made in 25”. The Kynoch ‘Mitre' slug was not a diabolo shape - just a slug. The Bishop's Mitre device was registered to Kynoch Ltd. 1.4.1908. No, 301,858.

Also of course, Bonehill’s ’Britannia’ pellets - first low waisted type pre Frank Clark's involvement in taking Bonehill's pellet making machinery in early 1916 when CGB got too busy with war work for making a/gun pellets. It’s just possible the very first Britannia Pellets were actually Cox's ‘Aston’ bought in and packaged at CGB's Belmont Works. They appear identical -when placed side-by-side.

By the way, when I asked Bernard Hinchley if he knew of any connection between the Cox boys (Fred, Arthur and bros.) of Britannia air rifle fame and Joe Henry Cox. the pellet maker and patentee of a pan mag. air rifle of Guildford St., Lozells, Bernard was unable to make any direct connection between the two families, despite all his Birmingham contacts.

And finally an interesting fact from john about Bernard M Banks:

'Banks was an important slug maker overlooked by many collectors.

NOVEMBER 1894 Arms & Explosives . A.F.P. 18642 Ammunition for Air and Other Guns, B. R. Banks.

B. R. Banks & Co. Ltd. Engineers and Commission Agents of Devon Works, Gillet Street, Kingsland Road, London claimed to be the pioneer firm of makers of air-gun slugs in England. Very likely correct claim. If so, making pointed cup slugs even before Lanes of London.

Mr. Bernard Rodwell Banks having been the first to invent and manufacture air-gun slugs on a commercial scale in this country. In the past, he has often erroneously been called ‘Benjamin’ Rodwell Banks but his name was Bernard. This all started with Dr. Joe Gilbart who got his name wrong in his otherwise excellent Guns Review pellet series.

Bernard had patented his Banks’ Flanged Slug in 1892 (Patent No. 12742) - the flanged or angled basal rim to the parallel -sided slug providing a better air sealing fit in the smoothbore spring piston airguns of the day. I’ve shown .25 Banks’ Flanged slugs made solid and .22 versions of the same. '


Huge thanks to John Atkins for this, what a font of knowledge!

Cheers,
Matt

[Josie & John]

Thanks Matt, and to John A, as I know he looks at this section every now and then.

Fascinating stuff, as always John. Your monthly articles are much missed and it is a great shame we'll never see the conclusion of your excellent occasional series on airgun projectiles.

John

[micky2]

Thanks Matt, and to John A, as I know he looks at this section every now and then.

Fascinating stuff, as always John. Your monthly articles are much missed and it is a great shame we'll never see the conclusion of your excellent occasional series on airgun projectiles.

John

And like wise, the airgun collectors of this world are a lot worse off without John A articles. but we do still have a very good writer in your self. along with all the members on this forum.