Quote Originally Posted by Hsing-ee View Post
Yes they are, when the sliding-breech escaped from the Match rifle and Communist camps and made it to Sporting Rifle land it was all over. Dumping leather piston seals etc etc were all detail moves.

I think the most important thing has been the improvements of the pellets, and the dumping of the tap-loaders which, with a tiny number of exceptions, were shite compared to their break-barrel sisters. Your Diana 35 is probably far more accurate than any Diana 50 anyone on the board has got, and more powerful too.

There are a lot more to choose from now though, although all variations on a theme. I might get a Hatsan, as that is a truly modern springer.

No one will make a 22mm bore, it is as likely as Air Arms making a HW99S-type rifle. Not a big enough market...
I know everybody says that Air Arms say "there's not a big enough market (meaning in the USA), for lower power airguns".

But I've read this:

Finally, by upgrading the trigger and sights, and adapting the now well-known Beeman R1 stock design, we were able to rather easily create the Beeman R7 and R8 rifles from less sophisticated HW models. Despite its position as the most expensive mid-sized air rifle in the world, the R7 has always been a top seller, and even has come close to equaling sales of the R1 itself. This is not really puzzling to any reasonably intelligent shooter who actually has carefully examined and handled this gun and who knows that so many American shooters put quality well ahead of price. Frankly, even from my point of considerable bias, I really must say that it's a gem!
(my bold).
From: https://www.beemans.net/odyssey_of_the_beeman_r1.htm

I believe the R7=HW30 and R8=HW99 (roughly).

So who says an Air Arms middleweight break barrel wouldn't sell all over the world (in other words - in North America)??