Quote Originally Posted by TonyL View Post
Ah, you see, Pete.......although my "later safe zone" may well be more HW biased, my earlier zone was well and truly BSA fuelled. My first "proper" air rifle was a Meteor Super (I sort of conveniently like to ignore the Relum 822) and I loved that little rifle. Joined a club where they shot rimfire at 25 yards, listened and learned and we got on very nicely together. And took a few bunnies and woodies and hundreds of rats.

I also later had a Mercury and the Mercury Challenger. For a good few years, that earlier Mercury was my only gun and we grew to know each other very well.

In the years that I haven't owned BSAs I've missed that great big gaping breech arrangement (especially with the larger 5.6mm bores). I know mine is a 5.5 and Hobbies are actually quite a tight fit when loading. Your .25 must be SO easy (as long as the fit isn't too tight).

Now, and I have also said this many times......in my opinion many UK sporting air rifles are more graceful in their lines and handle more naturally as "walk about field guns" than many of their German counterparts. The German tackle, in my eyes, bestowing more of a "deliberate, targetty feel", if that makes any sense? And I love the stock of Joffy's Airsporter Carbine. That really is a thing of graceful boingery beautifulness.

The early HW77K does feel very neutral and natural, though.

And I also have that Gamo that you also kindly let me have those lovely bits for. By the way, have you forgotten to do something??

Like my TX a lot too, but sorta more in a clinical way. And my Slavia 634 is a keeper, too.

So, I will always love and respect my HWs. Love every one of them. But that doesn't mean that love is exclusive to one brand, in'it? And I love all things boingery and could easily envisage (when funds allow) a Webley or two and an Air Arms sidelever or two too. As well as a LJ Light Pattern.
Not forgotten Tone, just not been able to get to the bank recently, should be going in today as have another cheque to bank, I have to admit I was put off Airsporters for a while because of their awful accuracy, although my faith in them has been rekindled since the arrival of my Airsporter S carbine, which luckily seems to be pretty accurate, with modern pellets as well (so no searching for old 5.56 Wasps) for an old tap loader.

Like you, I also had a lovely Challenger (my first one which cost me £40 but was in awful condition and needed a lot more money spent on it) that was worked on by Tony Wall and that was used for many years and has put more rabbits in the pot than any other rifle I've owned since, I stupidly traded it in for a AA Pro Elite, which strangely I struggled selling (it went for £160 posted in the end) but which I could probably sell ten times over now for a stupid amount, I have had a few HW's, which I have to admit the 95's have been excellent but the 77/97's I've never got on with.

The .25 is a dream to use now but the first .25 barrel I got from Knibbs was one of their cheap 'seconds' barrels and was as tight as a nuns chuff to get pellets in, the only real thing I don't like about it is the cost of the pellets (and the amount you get) and you could quit easily chuck £15 worth of pellets down range without thinking, it's that addictive to shoot, my neighbour (who luckily shoots) was working in his garden and didn't hear me shooting my .177 Prosport but wondered what the hell was going on when he could hear the .25 lumps hitting the target, I have to go and put the metal paper target holder straight again after about 5 shots, they hit that hard.

Pete