Airgun Obsessions of The 70s

[Hsing-ee]

BSF 55's are really crude and so it the pistol.

I remember AGW testing a FWB in .177 and a MAG Bsa Mercury in .25. The bloke shot a rat in a barn with the FWB and it kept on coming and leapt over his shoulder. With the Mercury, he just hit them and they stopped.

I still don't understand why there are so many different types of pellets now. All you need are Diablo and wadcutters. I did once try some Champion Hunter flat point pellets. They seemed to be pretty accurate in an old Meteor I had.

I never liked the look of the Jackels other than the Woodsman? Paratroopers look like toys. There used to be a Sussex Armoury shop in Shambles Square in Manchester. A fine selection of right wing types used to hang about drooling over coshes, blackjacks and billy canes.

Haha the old anti-BSF sentiment! The 55 is not THAT crude, just not as well finished as the price would indicate.
100% on the pellet shape, should have been settled ages ago.
The .177 vs .25 story, while plausible, is almost certainly AGW fiction. And yes, Rod Lynton owned up to making up test results at one point .. he was a friendly bloke though just liked exaggerating and erm 'fibbing'.. writing things like he shot pigeons through the head at 40 yards with a Crosman pistol and trap-thrown clay pigeons with a Jackal AR7. John Darling was the real hunter type.

Brilliant bit of mass observation about the truncheon-fanciers in Shambles Square. They were probably just re-enactors wanting to get their cosplay outfits for the Battle of Cable Street.

[flyingfish]

They were probably just re-enactors wanting to get their cosplay outfits for the Battle of Cable Street. [/QUOTE]

Liberty! Justice! Reasonably priced love and a hard boiled egg!!!

[coburn]

Eley Wasp, Webley Specials or Milbro Caledonian were my major decision in the Seventies.

[Hsing-ee]

Eley Wasp, Webley Specials or Milbro Caledonian were my major decision in the Seventies.

Wasps were pretty top drawer stuff, both in .177 and .22. Remarkably accurate for such a dumpy little round, with the skirt to head distance being seemily too short to give best accuracy.

The modern non-Eley ones are awful.

Milbro Caledonian were typically assymetrical, never seen one that wasn't, but still more accurate than the rather pleasing looking Marksman which came in carboard boxes like pellets should.

[coburn]

Wasps were pretty top drawer stuff, both in .177 and .22. Remarkably accurate for such a dumpy little round, with the skirt to head distance being seemily too short to give best accuracy.

The modern non-Eley ones are awful.

Milbro Caledonian were typically assymetrical, never seen one that wasn't, but still more accurate than the rather pleasing looking Marksman which came in carboard boxes like pellets should.

I remember in the very early 80's locating a source of very cheap Wasps at a farm supply shop near Guildford. I mentioned this to my fellow club mates, orders duly taken, off I went the following weekend from Epsom down to said shop near Guildford. The return journey on my Honda C70 proved interesting as the weight of thirty odd tins of Wasps in the top box had their effect on the handling.

[AC all day]

I remember in the very early 80's locating a source of very cheap Wasps at a farm supply shop near Guildford. I mentioned this to my fellow club mates, orders duly taken, off I went the following weekend from Epsom down to said shop near Guildford. The return journey on my Honda C70 proved interesting as the weight of thirty odd tins of Wasps in the top box had their effect on the handling.

Ooooh thats geat!!
Buying airguns and pellets in 'NON' gun shops, my local fishing tackle shop sold loads of Relums...
Or in fact just gunshops, I lived in Medway in Kent and we had 7 shops within 7 miles....now there all gone!

[Papa g]

Eley Wasp, Webley Specials or Milbro Caledonian were my major decision in the Seventies.

I’d add Marksman pellets to that list, certainly used all of the above in my .22 meteor, that gun shot more vermin than any other I’ve owned since, certainly kept my ferrets well fed back in the 70s, great times I miss them.
Regard Graham

[Hsing-ee]

I’d add Marksman pellets to that list, certainly used all of the above in my .22 meteor, that gun shot more vermin than any other I’ve owned since, certainly kept my ferrets well fed back in the 70s, great times I miss them.
Regard Graham

'A well-fed ferret' is a concept completely unknown to today's generation. Maybe analogous to an iPhone with a full charge?

[MartynB]

'A well-fed ferret' is a concept completely unknown to today's generation. Maybe analogous to an iPhone with a full charge?

Like it

[Dornfelderliebe]

Being able to buy Marksmans from the local bike shop.

[TonyL]

'A well-fed ferret' is a concept completely unknown to today's generation. Maybe analogous to an iPhone with a full charge?

Like it

I like that, too. Loved my ferrets. They netted us plenty of bunnies.

My catapults and, later, Meteor andMercury nailed hundreds of rats.

[Papa g]

'A well-fed ferret' is a concept completely unknown to today's generation. Maybe analogous to an iPhone with a full charge?

Brilliant!😂😂😂
Regards Graham

[gunshop]

I’d add Marksman pellets to that list, certainly used all of the above in my .22 meteor, that gun shot more vermin than any other I’ve owned since, certainly kept my ferrets well fed back in the 70s, great times I miss them.
Regard Graham

this enough choice of Marksman pellets for you?

https://www.airgunspares.com/airguns...html?brand=467

[richywilk]

The Daddy scope mounts of the day were Ernst Apel before sportsmatch took over

[MartynB]

The Daddy scope mounts of the day were Ernst Apel before sportsmatch took over

I had a one piece for HW, wish I'd kept it, have a pair of 30mm EA dovetail mounts