Airgun Obsessions of The 70s

[TonyL]

Family mail order catalogues selling airguns!

[laverdabru]

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?.

[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.

[MartynB]

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

Yes you could own one but also had to be supervised by someone older when shooting. Back in the early 80's I used to shoot in a couple of fields adjoining a car park of a busy railway station. When commuters came in, they often asked "after rabbitts ?", never any hostility

[Born Again]

I remember that you could go into W H Smiths and there would be a decent choice of airgun, firearm and country sports magazines on the shelf next to all the car mags, even imports from the USA.

[MartynB]

I remember that you could go into W H Smiths and there would be a decent choice of airgun, firearm and country sports magazines on the shelf next to all the car mags, even imports from the USA.

And I got the very first copy of Airgun World in W H Smiths in Highcliffe

[tinbum]

I remember 4x20 scopes that we would take apart and clean while out shooting on wet days. Pellets were usually Marksman, occasionally wasps if someone’s dad went to Scats farm store for us.

I lusted after an Optima Moonlighter, and now I have one on my very own, and very special HW80.

We knew someone who has a .177, we treated him worse than a ginger stepchild, but he still kept coming hunting with us.
Hunting! That normally consisted of us all running through the woods scaring squirrels into the trees. Once we saw one we would surround it and throw so much lead into the air that something had to hit it!
Occasionally we would lay in wait, but lost patience usually after half an hour or so, and we would start shooting at inanimate objects, animate objects, or each other.

Lastly there was pigeon roost shooting. There was a thick fir wood where they liked to go, we would get there before dusk and pick them off by silhouette in the darkening sky. Headshots weren’t an option and chest shots always failed as the crop usually stopped the shot. So the Texas bum-shot was born, and I still use it to this day.

[TonyL]

And I got the very first copy of Airgun World in W H Smiths in Highcliffe

I bought my highly prized and much read Issue 1 from my local, small newsagent.

[TonyL]

And I got the very first copy of Airgun World in W H Smiths in Highcliffe

To be fair, Martyn, I think that was pretty much the case until very recent times. The post-Covid era seems to be evermore digitising everything.

[Lumberjack]

Family mail order catalogues selling airguns!

That took me back. I can still picture one particular page in a catalogue - a Rangemaster and a Statical. Both in 0.22 of course.

The Rangemaster was the Chrissy present that year.

That started the whole downward spiral. Been hooked ever since.

As for the original post and the various comments about pellets. Hands up, yep I tried shooting many different "projectiles" out the barrel. Not all were made of lead and shaped like pellets. Sacrilege I know but I'm a reformed man now.

[TonyL]

Excellent!

Imagine how many lifetimes of shooting fun might have been instigated by those catalogues and wide availability of airgunnery toys.

[Lumberjack]

Excellent!

Imagine how many lifetimes of shooting fun might have been instigated by those catalogues and wide availability of airgunnery toys.

Agreed.

Should have stopped at the fishing rod section, but no, just went a few pages too far and that was it .. addicted.

I don't even think AA (Airguns Anonymous) counselling sessions can help now. Too far gone.

[TonyL]

Agreed.

Should have stopped at the fishing rod section, but no, just went a few pages too far and that was it .. addicted.

I don't even think AA (Airguns Anonymous) counselling sessions can help now. Too far gone.

Brilliant! I think many of us fall into that bracket.

[TonyL]

That took me back. I can still picture one particular page in a catalogue - a Rangemaster and a Statical. Both in 0.22 of course.

The Rangemaster was the Chrissy present that year.

That started the whole downward spiral. Been hooked ever since.

As for the original post and the various comments about pellets. Hands up, yep I tried shooting many different "projectiles" out the barrel. Not all were made of lead and shaped like pellets. Sacrilege I know but I'm a reformed man now.

Those catalogues had so many uses too......drool over the air rifles. And, er, some of the "other" pages. Hopefully pester your parents into submission. And then use said catalogue as a pellet trap / power testing device.

[MartynB]

Those catalogues had so many uses too......drool over the air rifles. And, er, some of the "other" pages. Hopefully pester your parents into submission. And then use said catalogue as a pellet trap / power testing device.

Or old telephone directories