Just like to say hi to all the forum members and take a chance to introduce myself. I'm 44 and have been an airgun enthusiast since the age of 12 when my father bought me my first rifle.

It was tradition in our family (of 3 brothers) that your 12th birthday present was an air rifle. Since my two other brothers are older, they already had their guns and regularly went out shooting with my dad. Needless to say, I couldn't wait to turn 12 and be able to join them.

That first gun was a Webley Hawk Mk2 and served me well until I upgraded to a Meteor, selling the Hawk to fund the purchase. The Meteor was then upgraded (or so I thought) to Webley Osprey which was totally useless as a hunting gun. I got rid of that and bought a Sharp Innova which was a cracking little gun which suited my stalking-style hunting because I could keep it loaded and ready without damaging the mainspring. The Innova was then replaced with the classic HW35, the Luxus version with the 35 inch barrel and a walnut stock. Although it was second hand, it was in good nick and was a pleasure to use. I eventually sent it off to be Venomised and kept it for many years.

Finally, although I really wanted a PCP, I couldn't afford one and plumped for the next best thing, a Titan Mohawk single stroke pneumatic. That proved to be a fantastic gun which was incredibly accurate, quiet and powerful. However, the last couple of inches on the cocking stroke were a nightmare! Unfortunately, I hit some financially hard times and sold the rifle to my brother. He still has it now and uses it on his land in France where he has a farmhouse.

A few years passed without a gun in my possession but all that changed this weekend when I went with some friends to Cornwall where a friend's father has a cottage. He has a BSA Spitfire and we spent one afternoon plinking in the field bordering his house. The old shooting bug came back with a vengeance and the next day saw me at the gunshop with Visa card in hand. These days I can afford pretty much what I want but I realised that back in Reading I would have little opportunity to shoot and couldn't justify a £700 PCP. Although I scuba dive and have several cylinders, a PCP was a no-go. I finally went for a BSA Lightning and a 4X40 scope which will be the basis of my shooting for the time being. If I can find a club and/or land on which I can shoot locally, I'll certainly upgrade.

Anyway, thanks for reading this and I hope to be a useful member of the forums.

Safe shooting!

WhirlJack

PS It wasn’t until I joined this forum that I found out about the passing of my all time airgunning hero, John Darling. I was fortunate enough to spend an afternoon with John at Bisley many years ago. He was a terrific guy and will be greatly missed. RIP John.