Airgun Obsessions of The 70s

[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?.

[Tea Kettle]

Being able to buy Marksmans from the local bike shop.

Or the paper shop at the bottom of the street. Bought by the thousands in .177 and .22 to shoot through my friends Webley Hawk Mk1.

All I wanted was a Webley Senior. Ended up with a GAT and a suspect Milbro/Diana. We stuffed everything down that barrel once it became clear we couldn't hit a backyard gate at ten yards.

Ferrets and my friends Lurcher.

[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.

[MartynB]

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.

True Tone, it was a differnt time, I was buying it monthly from W H Smiths for alot of years. After a test I bought a FWB 127, cost me £84

[Hsing-ee]

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.

This wins the ‘Mad Max’ post of the week award for pure feral ferocity. It represents a degree of atavistic savagery that I hitherto suspected in the tinbum but was unable to confirm due to highly evasive skills.

Nick is The Lord Humungous of the BBS, the Ayatollah of Rock’n’Rolla.

The past is another country, they do things differently there.

[MartynB]

This wins the ‘Mad Max’ post of the week award for pure feral ferocity. It represents a degree of atavistic savagery that I hitherto suspected in the tinbum but was unable to confirm due to highly evasive skills.

Nick is The Lord Humungous of the BBS, the Ayatollah of Rock’n’Rolla.

The past is another country, they do things differently there.

[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

[4end]

[QUOTE=Hsing-ee;8289765]Things that used to concern airgunners in the U.K. in the late 70s early 80s included
2. Headshots or heart/lung shots? Enough said. With most spring guns grouping about 1-2” at 20 yards with the pellets of the time, you can see how this was a thing.

Prior to all in the 70/80's in the mid 60's I had a Haenal in 177 that was so accurate I could take pigeons out of the top of the tall Elms that existed before Dutch Elm disease. The aim point was always the white check on the base of the pigeons neck, hit that and the bird would fall. Later rifles in the 70/80's included Original 35 in 22 and a 50 in 177 both OK but not as powerful as the modded Sharp Innova that must have been way,way above the limit that we have today. Scoped and after 40yds the pellet could heard passing through the brambles after passing through a rabbits head. As to its accuracy it must have been good as I do not remember missing much. In 83 I had a HW35, so different to the other rifles of the time, I kept it 3 weeks and have hot had another HW since.

3. Open sights or a scope? Many thought a scope would mean trigger snatching as the crosshairs danced over the mark, or that hunters would try to shoot quarry at unrealistic distances. Fogging & fragility were also seen as minus points.

My first scope was a 2.5x32 Viking that was used for a period before the cross hair wires broke from continual recoil. The magnification was so low it never warranted anything above 35 yds. After it broke I went back to open sights and did not buy another scope for years. I often think it could be in use today if I had left it on the Sharp.

[WILBA]

[QUOTE=4end;8290345]

Things that used to concern airgunners in the U.K. in the late 70s early 80s included
2. Headshots or heart/lung shots? Enough said. With most spring guns grouping about 1-2” at 20 yards with the pellets of the time, you can see how this was a thing.

Prior to all in the 70/80's in the mid 60's I had a Haenal in 177 that was so accurate I could take pigeons out of the top of the tall Elms that existed before Dutch Elm disease. The aim point was always the white check on the base of the pigeons neck, hit that and the bird would fall. Later rifles in the 70/80's included Original 35 in 22 and a 50 in 177 both OK but not as powerful as the modded Sharp Innova that must have been way,way above the limit that we have today. Scoped and after 40yds the pellet could heard passing through the brambles after passing through a rabbits head. As to its accuracy it must have been good as I do not remember missing much. In 83 I had a HW35, so different to the other rifles of the time, I kept it 3 weeks and have hot had another HW since.

3. Open sights or a scope? Many thought a scope would mean trigger snatching as the crosshairs danced over the mark, or that hunters would try to shoot quarry at unrealistic distances. Fogging & fragility were also seen as minus points.

My first scope was a 2.5x32 Viking that was used for a period before the cross hair wires broke from continual recoil. The magnification was so low it never warranted anything above 35 yds. After it broke I went back to open sights and did not buy another scope for years. I often think it could be in use today if I had left it on the Sharp.

I have a Viking in the cabinet somewhere that came on my theoben olympus.