Quote Originally Posted by ccdjg View Post
That is a very interesting question and one that I don't really know the answer to. You are right in that the system is basically what we would call now a spring piston mechanism. The term "strike pump" seems to have been coined by Arne Hoff in his 1972 book "Airguns and other pneumatic arms", and he has a whole chapter entitled "Strike-pump Guns". Wherever it came from, the term has now come into general use (especially by auction houses) as a descriptor for very early spring-piston airguns where the cylinder is concealed within the stock. It is also popularly used in Germany, as "Schlagpump".

If anyone knows of any use of the term before 1972 I would be very interested to know.
Thanks,
John
Arne Hoff doesnt sound like an English name. Do you think something may have got lost in the translation? Perhaps strike pump is the name given to spring piston guns in his native language? Only a thought.