Quote Originally Posted by Geezer View Post
Not if by better springers you mean German Diana, FWB Sport, A335, HWs, etc. Nothing in that league.

The FEGs (Relum) were a decent competitor to Gamos and Milbro Dianas.

Some of the Haenels (303) were really quite nice in the sort of Meteor/Mercury/Victor/Vulcan competitor range too.

Slavias too, similar to the above.

The Haenel 310 ball-firer was at least 90% the equal of the similar Anschutz 275 and Diana 30, but about half the price, IIRC.

And the Haenel 311 match rifle was probably, in performance terms if not finish, the equal at 10M of a Webley Supertarget.

The Baikal IJ38 was for many years the best really cheap air rifle you could buy.

The Predom pistols mostly came here after the fall of the wall, but could have been highly competitive at the right (Gamo Center/Falcon) price level with typical NATO air pistols.
Yep. Excellent post. Not that I was trying to lure you out or anything..
Leaving the 311 vs Osprey Supertarget aside for now, I was really seeking opinions as to how close the Haenel 302/303 and the bigger Slavias got to what was commonly available here at that time. I have the Haenels well ahead of the Meteor, which iwas never a great watermark anyway, and closer to the Original/ Dianas of the time. A large Model 25 in fact. I have very scant experience of the Slavias but I think they are up there with the Haenels, and I'm thinking they could perhaps do everything you wanted a spring air rifle to do. And for a lot less money at the time.