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Thread: Rapids

  1. #16
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    Oct 2009
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rapidnick View Post
    Great thanks for the heads up. Should be good for the brand. Do you know who distributes them in the UK?
    That video is nearly a year old and I don't think any have been made yet unless they have not announced them .


    Gunpower is the UK dealer for Airforce ,they were up for sale a short while back (the company was for sale )

    United Kingdom
    Gunpower
    PO Box 567
    Ashford, Kent TN23 5FP, UK
    Phone: +44 (0) 1233 642357
    Fax: +44 (0) 1233 613899
    sales@gunpower.net
    www.gunpower.net

    Airforce own BKL too so whoever brings in BKL products maybe another importer.

    United Kingdom

    Website:www.opticswarehouse.co.uk
    pretty sure they don't sell airguns though.

    If you go on the Airforce site and click RAW it goes to the RAW website.https://www.rapidairweapons.com/xcart/home.php

    Micheal Tawn is the Uk importer of RAW

    UK

    Tawnado Airguns

    The Barn, Hanneth Rd, Tydd Gote,

    Wisbech, Cambs. PE13 5ND

    United Kingdom

    +44 01945 420770

    www.tawnadoairguns.com


    Possibly the Theoben stuff may be sold from there .

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Jan 2008
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    Near Bude
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    3,271
    I was so dumb!!! I sold my MK1 in .22 to a friend when I went full bore mad. Immediately I realised I'd made a huge mistake. I could hit anything out to sixty five yards with ease. Totally quiet, endless shots per charge, light, short....
    And all this with a standard whitetail classic scope. What could it be like with a modern map crosshair scope?
    Anyways, eventually my mate got hard up and sold it back, unfortunately not in the same condition he bought it
    Anyways, it's back home now, not holding air, so need to get it sorted, I have bought a quick fill and all the kev g bits.
    Soon it will be back to its former glory.
    I've had two more in .177, and another.22 in fac, the two .177,s were highly tricked and suitably expensive, but they just didn't do it for me like my original. Probably nostalgia from a time when I was a one gun man and could wring every last drop of accuracy out of it because of that.
    They are out there Dave, but you'll have to see a fair few messed around with before you find" the " one.
    But it's definitely worth it.

  3. #18
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    Feb 2012
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    gateshead
    Posts
    25,965
    had a mk 1 in 22 for years great guns

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    lytham, lancashire
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    1,122
    I have a couple, a MK1 in .22 and and MFR in .20, both have been set up properly which I think is the key to Rapid ownership

    If they are running as they should, they are a match for anything out there at the moment, for accuracy and far better than a lot of modern stuff for reliability

    I am bored with the generic modern stuff that seems to spend most of its time back at the manufacturer for niggling and sometimes big faults, which in my opinion is unacceptable considering the price of the latest kit.

    Get a bad one that’s been butchered by some power crazy numpty however and you will regret it

    The dogs are however a great starting point for a custom guns and that adds to the appeal

  5. #20
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    Jun 2011
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    Unfortunately the dogs can still be expensive,. As mentioned I know nothing about Rapids and it's proving a bit of a minefield with Sssoooo many seemed to have been messed with.

    I'm after that elusive, one owner, not used it for years, totally trustworthy old boy who has decided to sell it scenario. Until that day I think I will leave well alone. Cheers chaps for all your help
    LOOKING FOR A BSA ULTRA IN .177 and .25

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    peterborough
    Posts
    864
    Quote Originally Posted by Rapidnick View Post
    As my user name might indicate, I am a fan of the Theoben Rapid.I will be the first to admit that it leaves some things out which many find annoying but on balance it is still a very fine air rifle.
    I currently own 2 Rapids-one legal limit .20 and the other a FAC .22-and both are late model Mk 2's with the latest series 4 triggers. The legal limit one has a scalloped loading port which makes single shot loading very easy whereas the FAC one is slightly older and just uses a magazine feed . Mine also have pressure gauges screwed in to the base of the block. As the legal limit Rapid mk 2 is regulated as standard the gauge shows the regulator working pressure NOT the pressure in the air bottle so only shows when your rifle has gone 'off the reg'.. For those who want to know how much air they have left in their bottle, several after -market mods are available. As all of these mean that the bottle is moved forward they all require stock drilling which many find unacceptable.
    The Rapids of whatever era are high quality rifles and will last a very long time. Some unkind shooters call them 'agricultural' and I don't really know whether this description is meant as an insult or compliment. Comparing one with other precharged air rifles will tell just by looking that you have a solid piece of engineering which will give you many years of service with minimal maintenance being needed. Maintenance is easy and modifications are all too easy which gives rise to the comment above warning against buying a second hand one unless you know what you are doing. That being said pretty well every fault seen in a second hand botched Rapid can be put right unless the block itself is damaged. In use the Rapid is as accurate as anything else. The barrels in regular use are generally of a high quality from leading German manufacturers. As most reading this will know the Rapid is what is called a 'bottle gun'-the air store is in the form of a 'buddy bottle' so called because its origins are from diving when a small amount of air is required as a back up or to help a fellow diver in trouble. No one can claim that they are pretty. I certainly would much prefer to use a tube preferably one with quickfill rather than having to remove the bottle for filling. Sadly these are not freely available so I prefer to use the 'MFR' type of 280cc bottle and valve allowing for much easier removal for filling than the standard 400cc and 500cc bottles. Some bottles have been drilled in the base to install a nozzle enabling direct filling but very few are available and many experts will caution against using this method on safety grounds. The absence of quickfill is regarded by many-myself included-as a disadvantage when the Rapid is compared with say the Daystate Air Ranger which is possibly the closest rifle to compare with the Rapid. If this bothers you then again after market modifications are available.
    One thing to me which stands out when comparing a Rapid to its rivals is the ease with which tasks like changing barrels and calibres can be a carried out. It takes me about 15 minutes to change the calibre of my Rapid. On balance the Rapid in every incarnation from the first Rapid 7 (this term is only accurately applied to describe early versions where the 7 refers to the capacity of the magazine and the marking on the side of the block) to the latest Rapid Mk 2 made up until the demise of Theoben. For those wanting the very latest then I advise you to look into the products made by RAW (Rapid Air Weapons) in the USA which remedy all of the disadvantages found in Theoben made rifles outlined above.
    Great answer, I will agree with almost everything except, I prefer the buddy bottleto a tube and not having a q/f and gauge doesn’t bother me in the slightest, (4 less o rings to develop a leak too).

    Fantastic rifle, that still gets a lot of approving attention at my local range, quiet, accurate and so easy to work on.

    Bb

  7. #22
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    Jan 2013
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    peterborough
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    Quote Originally Posted by Trumpetier View Post
    Unfortunately the dogs can still be expensive,. As mentioned I know nothing about Rapids and it's proving a bit of a minefield with Sssoooo many seemed to have been messed with.

    I'm after that elusive, one owner, not used it for years, totally trustworthy old boy who has decided to sell it scenario. Until that day I think I will leave well alone. Cheers chaps for all your help
    Yes, Ssoooo many may have been messed with, but almost none can’t be put right. All of mine have had extensive work done but I can assure you all are so much better than when they left the factory.

    FWIW, I saw a mk2 for sale about a year ago, on inspection and shooting a few pellets over the chrono, it was clear that someone have altered the power quiet dramatically, I used the fact it was “messed with”as a lever to pay what I wanted not what he was selling if for. I listed everything that was wrong with it, making it quiet clear the gun was illegal and the consequences of being caught with it and the difficulty of getting a RFD to put it right. By the time I finished, the seller was almost begging me to take it away. Just to ease his pain I gave him £250!

    I change the reg pressure, springs, altered the barrel transfer port along with a few minor improvements I now have a legal gun worth in the region of £600.

    If you buy s/h take someone with you who know what to look for, there are still some absolute bargains to be had, I know I did.

    Bb

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    harlow essex
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    507
    Had mk1,mk2,mfr,s-type for me the mfr so so point able no need for extra silencer longer stock no holding ice cold bottles on a winter day also able to fit bipod on stock I don’t like fitting them on the bottle simply the best alrounder but you would be happy with any of them

  9. #24
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    Nov 2004
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    Near Reigate, Surrey
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    Quote Originally Posted by bucketboy View Post
    Great answer, I will agree with almost everything except, I prefer the buddy bottleto a tube and not having a q/f and gauge doesn’t bother me in the slightest, (4 less o rings to develop a leak too).

    Fantastic rifle, that still gets a lot of approving attention at my local range, quiet, accurate and so easy to work on.

    Bb
    Pete I know what you mean about the gauge/QF and O rings. It always takes me a couple of attempts to get the rifle leak free.
    'It may be that your sole purpose in life is to serve as a warning to others'.

  10. #25
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    Nov 2004
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    Quote Originally Posted by Trumpetier View Post
    Unfortunately the dogs can still be expensive,. As mentioned I know nothing about Rapids and it's proving a bit of a minefield with Sssoooo many seemed to have been messed with.

    I'm after that elusive, one owner, not used it for years, totally trustworthy old boy who has decided to sell it scenario. Until that day I think I will leave well alone. Cheers chaps for all your help
    I think you will be waiting a long time for such a rifle and if and when you find one you will be competing with serious collectors with big wallets. Factory standard, totally original equals top prices. You say you know nothing about Rapids so let me assure you that very few 'bodgings' cannot be fixed reasonably easily and cheaply. The first area of 'bodge' is in the area of the hammer spring. Easy to remove and replace. The second is enhancing the size of the barrel porting which can result in erratic air flow but normally is OK .I wish bodgers would understand that unless you are running your rifle at 30 ft lb you will gain very little benefit over a well set up 12 ft lb one but you WILL be in serious breach of section 1 of the Firearms Act.. I own 2 Rapids at the moment-a legal limit .20 and an FAC .22. I run one at 11.5 and the other at 30 ft lb. Anything in between I leave alone and would do so even if I was unrestricted because the legal limit rifle is just so smooth and easy to shoot..
    The only area where I would run away from a Rapid is if the block itself had been modified.
    'It may be that your sole purpose in life is to serve as a warning to others'.

  11. #26
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    Jun 2011
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    middlesbrough
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    What are the tell tale signs of the block been messed with please ?
    LOOKING FOR A BSA ULTRA IN .177 and .25

  12. #27
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    Jul 2009
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    Bishop Auckland
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    Very difficult to tell a block has been messed with from the outside, and as others have pointed out most things can be rectified. The biggest giveaway to me is a cut out in the stock at the back of the block but even then the internals may be perfectly ok

  13. #28
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    Mar 2010
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    mountain ash
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    Bought two recently , both mk1 and both I would describe as near new condition, One was bought off a old gent who bought from new back in 1995 , had the original theoben slim silencer fitted and came with period scopes and all the paperwork , manuals, etc and 3x 7 mags which were still in packets and a 12 shot mag , I was very much sure that this had not been messed about with , The second one I had only days ago I know of the last 2 owners, both mates and one never got to use it , but came with the push on evo silencer on it and original cocking bolt and looking at the gun don't look like it's been used much at all,
    The more standard stuff on the gun would be a bonus for me to buy, Most ones been tampered with I would at least expect to see the barrel screw threaded, It may no be the case with most , myself I would prefer one as standard as possible if buying,

  14. #29
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    Nov 2004
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    Quote Originally Posted by madcarlos View Post
    Bought two recently , both mk1 and both I would describe as near new condition, One was bought off a old gent who bought from new back in 1995 , had the original theoben slim silencer fitted and came with period scopes and all the paperwork , manuals, etc and 3x 7 mags which were still in packets and a 12 shot mag , I was very much sure that this had not been messed about with , The second one I had only days ago I know of the last 2 owners, both mates and one never got to use it , but came with the push on evo silencer on it and original cocking bolt and looking at the gun don't look like it's been used much at all,
    The more standard stuff on the gun would be a bonus for me to buy, Most ones been tampered with I would at least expect to see the barrel screw threaded, It may no be the case with most , myself I would prefer one as standard as possible if buying,
    The first one you bought sounds really fantastic. To find someone who left magazines in their packets is rare indeed.
    'It may be that your sole purpose in life is to serve as a warning to others'.

  15. #30
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    Jun 2011
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rapidnick View Post
    The first one you bought sounds really fantastic. To find someone who left magazines in their packets is rare indeed.
    Just the sort rare find I would be looking for
    LOOKING FOR A BSA ULTRA IN .177 and .25

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