Airgun Obsessions of The 70s

[TonyL]

New air rifles, pistols - Webley or BSA usually - from the local ironmongers. Never bought a new one then, but can remember buying William Rogers bowie & other knives in my school uniform. Pellets from there, or the local fishing/cycle/model shop. Beatall(?) were a cheap option. Marksman if I was a bit more flush, Webleys were a birthday/xmas treat. Secondhand guns from any number of backstreet 'junkshops', who weren't to particular about age - was it 15 then?.

I seem to remember the laws then saying you could own one at 14 but had to be 17 to buy one.

That ease of access back then, in my mind, says they really were the golden days. So many will have bitten the bug and hence why there will be so many old airguns tucked away that haven't seen the light of day for many years. Some do re-ignite the passion, though. With today's tighter rules and competition from Internet / social media / computer games etc., we're never going to see the influx we enjoyed back in those happier days.

It's so heartwarming to see any youngsters enjoying our sport. Like a first visit to a Boinger Bash. Or when I visited that bell target club a few months ago. And we need to put our arms around these young ones, welcome and encourage them in as they are the lifeblood for the future. It's great to see the smile on the faces of these youngsters when they connect with targets.