Pump up pneumatics - why are they so great?

[oneseven]

Just a question for my interest..

I continue to be surprised by the strong interest in and market for, pump up rifles such as the sharp innova and ace, but also the Sheridan streaks, what is it that makes them so good?

Some people absolutely rave about them - the auctioneer Gavin Gardiner has a collection of old Sheridans, which he clearly loves and it was following a conversation with him that I went out and bought a bluestreak a while back.

While it is an interesting rifle to have a short plink with, it does not have a lot going for it. It will take a maximum of 8 pumps and delivers about 10.5 ft/lbs. So a lot of energy put in. I have read of course that earlier Sheridans could achieve legal limit with half as many pumps - Gedfinn has made this point before, but its still taking a lot more energy than cocking a springer. The trigger is awful, partially negating the benefit of its zero recoil. As such I find myself reaching for anything else, be it spring, PCP or CO2 when I want to knock cans over. I've not even considered hunting with it.

As for the Sharp rifles, having seen one of the fabled Innovas, a rifle I lusted after in my youth, I was disappointed to see all the plastic. The Ace is said to be much better, but I've not handled one.

So what am I missing about these rifles? They lack the ease of use of a decent springer and are generally cheaply made, or is it just that there is limited supply that makes them desirable?

I should finish by saying I like all airguns - especially ones that are a bit different, but I'm not seeing why pump ups are so great!

[MattyBoy]

For me with my passion for pumpers it is the light weight and recoilfree nature of these guns that I love.

Having the dimensons of an Orangutan also means that I personally find it quite easy to pump my Innovas up to 11.6 ft lb (around 7 pumps with my .22 and 11 pumps with my .177)

I did recently hand one of my Innovas to a friend who is slightly built however and he only managed 5 pumps then gave up and asked for the FWB 127!!!

A silenced Innova can be carried all day without a strap as it weights next to nothing. The triggers are not that bad and do not affect accuracy in my experience at any rate. You get used to them after a while and can "sense" the firing point.

I use a 11.6 ft lb .177 Innova on a bipod for rabbiting every week and it is deadly accurate to 40+ yards.

I agree the Sheridans are not really suitable for hunting but both mine shoot at 11.4/5 with 6 pumps and are very accurate at tin cans

[Mike95]

Only 4 pumps to 10 ft/lbs, quiet, light, self contained. You also have to remember that not so long ago these pump ups were banned in the UK as "dangerous weapons". The best way to encourage interest in something is to ban it!

I like the Ace and I also liked the Sheridan, but they are hard work for target use. They have a place in the airgun world and scarcity no doubt drives the market price. I have 5 Mark 1 Meteors but it is only through nostalgia for something made in England, nothing else. Webley pistols? 2 1/2 ft/lbs and difficult to hit a barn door but I have a lot of them!

Mike95

[brassbanjo]

They do have some things going for them. My first one was a Sharp Innova .177, I was amazed that such a small, light action could produce
12 ft-lbs, so it was great to take hunting. The variable power output was a fun feature too, you could use it indoors or in a backyard
on just 2 or 3 pumps. However, taking it round an FT course, the noise and effort of continual pumping soon gets old.
So while the Innova was quite popular at one point, once the PCP arrived on the scene interest dwindled.

For what it's worth, for purely hunting purposes, only a few shots are needed, and I think a good pumpup could be ideal,
to avoid SCUBA hassle. However it must be possible to recharge with (at most) 3 pumps, or (better still)
to fire a few good shots from a small reservoir. We now have the FX independence, though its expensive.
Perhaps in the fullness of time the price will come down and more punters will take this option

[edbear2]

They are great to shoot, like a pcp is....no recoil etc., but personally I find them a bit of a kerfuffle , all that clicking and clacking etc. compared to an under lever, or say a good break barrel.....each to their own, I just would not personally have one myself, except maybe an earlier nicely made one (someone posted some pics on a recent discussion similar to this......they weren't always plastic fantastics!)

Airgunners are a funny lot in some ways, for example at least 2 people I know would not have say a BSA prewar or Webley service rifle even as a gift, they just think they are a waste of time because they can't put a scope on

I also know a couple of younger shooters (still talking mid/late 20's here) who would not have ANY springer, even a TX or HW, as they have got used to shooting from the start with PCP's and as one frankly said to me when discussing older guns, and springers in general;

"I can't be arsed to do all that holdy thing to make it shoot straight".......(from someone who had to be shown how to "line up the metal things".......ie. foresight and rearsight to you and me!).

I did try to explain that like a lot of things, making an effort to master a new discipline is more rewarding when you get good results, but they are both members of the up and coming "instant gratification" generation, and to be fair when you are someone who has a Daystate with an MTC on top just for plinking and the odd rabbit, why would you be interested in trying to hit something at 30 yards with open sights on a 1911 air rifle.

Me personally, I love to try anything and everything before making a choice, and shooting some of the new PCP magazine fed guns at the Midland was great fun ......maybe I just like more of the challenge of the old stuff!

[OLD JUD]

Just a question for my interest..

I continue to be surprised by the strong interest in and market for, pump up rifles such as the sharp innova and ace, but also the Sheridan streaks, what is it that makes them so good?

Some people absolutely rave about them - the auctioneer Gavin Gardiner has a collection of old Sheridans, which he clearly loves and it was following a conversation with him that I went out and bought a bluestreak a while back.

While it is an interesting rifle to have a short plink with, it does not have a lot going for it. It will take a maximum of 8 pumps and delivers about 10.5 ft/lbs. So a lot of energy put in. I have read of course that earlier Sheridans could achieve legal limit with half as many pumps - Gedfinn has made this point before, but its still taking a lot more energy than cocking a springer. The trigger is awful, partially negating the benefit of its zero recoil. As such I find myself reaching for anything else, be it spring, PCP or CO2 when I want to knock cans over. I've not even considered hunting with it.

As for the Sharp rifles, having seen one of the fabled Innovas, a rifle I lusted after in my youth, I was disappointed to see all the plastic. The Ace is said to be much better, but I've not handled one.

So what am I missing about these rifles? They lack the ease of use of a decent springer and are generally cheaply made, or is it just that there is limited supply that makes them desirable?

I should finish by saying I like all airguns - especially ones that are a bit different, but I'm not seeing why pump ups are so great!

The Innova was a revelation after using bog-standard springers in the late 70's/early 80's. Compact/lightweight/accurate (To a degree....) and cheap! But for every plus there is a minus, slow to charge and load compared to a springer, noisy to charge, and a lot of plastic.

The Ace is a better quality rifle, but weight and compactness are sacrificed, and owners or potential owners need to be aware of the 'Wobbly Barrel' syndrome, easily cured though.

Neither the Innova or Ace can be regarded as rare guns, they are not common but they are COLLECTABLE. Hence the fairly good prices they achieve compared to say the Sheridans. What is rare about both models is finding a mint and original gun. If you consider that an Innova could be purchased for around the £50 mark back in 1980 and one in reasonable condition can fetch around £150 today then that says something about their desirability.

There are some serious pump up collectors who won't entertain the 'Cheap and Common' rifles such as the Sharps, Sheridans, Benjamins, ect. They prefer the single-stroke JB1 and 2's, Titan Mohawks, Parker Hale Dragons, all better engineered and more expensive. Each to his own i guess, and i own the guns from both camps, but there is a certain simplicity and fun factor with the Innova that appeals to me.

[Hsing-ee]

Old Jud is right, prior to PCPs they were practically the only sporting rifles which were recoilless etc and were 'different'.

The main reason they are raved about is a massive dose of nostalgia and rose-tinted glasses glued to the head.

[OLD JUD]

Old Jud is right, prior to PCPs they were practically the only sporting rifles which were recoilless etc and were 'different'.

The main reason they are raved about is a massive dose of nostalgia and rose-tinted glasses glued to the head.

Guilty as charged! I must admit to having thoughts of late about selling off my Sharps (And that includes my Victory) and going over to SSP's ...I must try and resist, i know i'll only regret it at a later date.

[Herpquest]

I'm saying nowt!!

[red bob]

very wise eric as your wardrobes are stuffed with various pneumatics and other items!! ;
the odd thing is they are an effort to prepare for every shot and to start with i avoided them with contempt
and only bought an innova as it was a genre that was missing from my humble collection ;but after a refurb on
the abused example i acquired and a rebuild by messrs eric/andy i seem to have bonded with it and now have both
calibres,on the plus side they are light,med sized east to handle,quiet especially with a quality silencer ,variable power,
and original in character,and against the clacking pump up and mediocre trigger.problem now is that ive wondered into
crosmans and others in that stable ;lord knows where it will end!.

[Lord-Sean]

In the eighties they were a lot more accurate than other cheap rifles and full power too.

[MattyBoy]

I'm waiting with baited breath for my mate Ged to get back from his trip to the drinks cabinet

[trevor1]

I reckon pumpers are simply more interesting than spring powered guns.But then,I like to fondle and admire my guns rather than shoot them!:-)
Pumpers are,of course,TRUE airguns.They don't depend upon an explosion of oil and air to send a pellet down-range...and they don't require accessory tanks of air to inflate them!
Nothing is more tactile than a Sheridan Sporter-a joy to hold and to shoot.
Having said that,for casual plinking with minimal effort I opt for a Crosman Model 160 CO2 rifle with a diopter sight!
A rifle that really suits my geriatric condition.:-)

[Rickenbacker]

Well, I bought a used Innova a while ago (because I never had one back in the 80s).

I hated it (maybe it had been 'clicked and clacked' too many times in it's past!).

It was cheap, nasty, loose, and toy-like... I second the OP. I'd prefer to use just about any airgun than that thing... recoil-less or not!

I luckily sold it quickly on for what I'd paid.

Now, I wonder how much I'd like an ASI Paratrooper, with the old rosey specs on!


Phil

[tradingnow2010]

Yeah i agree, pumpers are a pain in the ass to use ,give you biceps like donkey kong,usually quite awkward to load,"try getting a .177 pellet in an inova the right way around" there noisy and slow ,but hell i love em, self contained no hassle with divers bottle, gauges ,and other things that you need to get your rifle up and running, light ,always ready to use and brings back my youth..and to be honest i can put one pump in my innova just for plinking ..great fun.. i will say i would never use a pumper for hunting though because if god forbid you needed to take a second shot its much too slow...



my pump ups.. http://s1212.photobucket.com/albums/...%20COLLECTION/