My speculations about the Linden & Funke and Falke air rifles

[Shed tuner]

i'm tempted by the "they all copied the airsporter" theory...

Explains both the similarities, and the divergence in construction / tooling.


Hard to see that if they started with the same ideas/employees, they have consciously gone into direct competition with virtually the same design.. why not just make them together in the same factory, and rebrand them / change sights/stock options (like the old lathe makers did).

[greenwayjames]

John Bowkett said that he had an interesting transitional prototype Airsporter pass through his hands when he used to buy and sell in the 1980's. It surfaced local to him probably via one of the factory clearouts. From the loading tap back it resembled a normal Airsporter but it had an underlever in the same position as the pe-war ones. The difference was that the underlever was in box section pressed steel. He did a deal with John Galloway and swapped it for a car boot load of vintage air rifles. Mr Galloway said he was keen to own it and keep it in his own collection. Which I doubt.
JB also remembers servicing an oversize "Merlin" with tubular magazine on top of the air cylinder. The owner, a local keen fisherman, bought it in a BSA clearout sale of the Shirley plant to shoot rats while out pursuing his main hobby. Despite many offers he wouldnt part with it at the time, 1980's, as he was over the moon with the way it performed.

[micky2]

Strange that they look so alike, but that Airsporter is something different, l would like to know it works, with the tube being under the barrel.

[Garvin]

Strange that they look so alike, but that Airsporter is something different, l would like to know it works, with the tube being under the barrel.

Mick I'm guessing the loading must be automatic, perhaps with starting to close the cocking lever pushing a ball into the loading tap (a bit like the Haenel 28R repeater loads balls), then the tap rotates 45 degrees as the lever clicks shut, or something like it?

[micky2]

Hi Danny, thank you for your theory, yes l would go along with that. it does make into a repeater without it having a small magazine where the breach is. which sometimes looks like a sore thumb on some rifles.

[Garvin]

For more pics of this BSA Airsporter repeater, see here:

https://forum.vintageairgunsgallery....ter/#post-9306

Unfortunately the owner didn't photograph it with its stock removed, so we can't see the loading mechanism much more clearly.

[Dornfelderliebe]

For more pics of this BSA Airsporter repeater, see here:

https://forum.vintageairgunsgallery....ter/#post-9306

Unfortunately the owner didn't photograph it with its stock removed, so we can't see the loading mechanism much more clearly.

I've tried to compare with mine and still can't see how they did it. So neat and the magazine looks so suited to the rifle it looks like it could have been designed like that.

[Lakey]

Quote Originally Posted by micky2 View Post
"Strange that they look so alike, but that Airsporter is something different, l would like to know it works, with the tube being under the barrel.
Mick I'm guessing the loading must be automatic, perhaps with starting to close the cocking lever pushing a ball into the loading tap (a bit like the Haenel 28R repeater loads balls), then the tap rotates 45 degrees as the lever clicks shut, or something like it?"

The loading Tap would no longer need to rotate, as it doesn't matter which way the ball ammo went in, and if as supposed some kind of vertical transporter/slide moved the balls from the magazine into the bore, there would be no need for a tap lever, on a tap that didn't need to rotate.

Just a thought......

Love this thread - "Every Day is a school day "

Lakey