The Tale of a Long Lost Air Pistol - and the MPL.

[zooma]

I have a lovely example of the early type .177 Weihrauch HW70 spring powered air pistol, and it was the first "brand new" air pistol that I ever bought.

These "first type" HW70 air pistols had a really nice brown tortoiseshell patterned moulded grip that was much better looking than the later plain black plastic type (with safety) that you can buy these days IMHO - and of course these early types never had a safety device fitted !

I remember saving my meagre apprenticeship wages to buy this from a big gun shop called Crudgingtons (now long gone) that used to be in Green Street, Bath, sometime around 1969 - 1970 not long before we got married and moved to Exmouth.

During the move to Exmouth the cardboard box got a bit damaged and I remember putting some black gaffer tape around the edges to keep it in shape, which seemed a shame because since I bought it the pistol had only ever had a few shots in the back garden - and that was not "approved of" by the neighbours and so it traveled down to Devon with only having had 20 -30 pellets put through the barrel.

I later shot the pistol in the 6 yard NARPA air pistol competitions when my shooting range in my new home in Exmouth consisted on me standing outside and shooting it into the garage where the targets were held with masking tape against a cardboard box stuffed with rags!

The pistol was part-exchanged soon after in a sports shop in Exeter against a new Original Model 6 when I started the Exmouth Air Pistol and Rifle Club in 1971 as I liked the idea of having a recoilless air pistol to use for target work - despite hardly ever shooting the HW70 since I bought it new!

Being newly married I could not afford to keep it and buy a new Model 6 so the last time I saw my HW70 was in its tatty box on the counter in this sports shop in 1971.

I thought that would be the last time I would ever see this modest little HW70, but it turned up for sale here on the BBS just a few years ago - still in the original repaired cardboard box - and still in superb condition. What were the chances of that happening after 45 years or more?

It turns out that this little air pistol had (at some stage) followed me up to Lancashire from Devon and was being offered for sale by a well known local gunsmith! When I saw the pictures I recognised my "not so clever" but very recognisable box repair and so I could not resist buying it back.

It looks like none of the previous owners (I guess it must have had more than one?) had shot the pistol any more than I did, but it seems to have had a recent service sometime along the way as it shoots superbly well (with good power) and has a really nice smooth light weight trigger release.

Its an interesting tale of a nice (comparatively inexpensive) little .177 air pistol that is still more than capable of shooting well in the MPL - despite being over 50 years old.

I was going to list it this evening and offer it for sale along with a couple of other inexpensive air pistols that could be used in the MPL air pistol competition, but in the end I changed my mind from writing the listing to sell this little HW70 to writing this instead.

Perhaps after 50 years I should actually give this little air pistol some use - so I have entered the MPL 6 yard Air Pistol postal competition and this is the air pistol that I will be using.

[zooma]

I just tried to add the serial number for this HW70 to the Weihrauch database to find out exactly when it was made, but this valuable resource does not seem to be working at the moment.

Let's hope it will come alive again soon so I can complete the history of this little air pistol from when it was made to the current time.

[T 20]

What a great story Zooma, I'm glad you got it back.

I could tell a similar story about a tractor --- but I won't.





All the best Mick

[zooma]

What a great story Zooma, I'm glad you got it back.

I could tell a similar story about a tractor --- but I won't.

All the best Mick

That sounds good Mick - I would like to hear that story - and if you could end the story by telling us that you will be shooting the next series of MPL targets with a classic springer from the back of your tractor it would make a really good story to put here in the Target/Competition shooting section

......yet another unashamed attempt to gain another new entry for next years MPL postal competition.....

[T 20]

That sounds good Mick - I would like to hear that story - and if you could end the story by telling us that you will be shooting the next series of MPL targets with a classic springer from the back of your tractor it would make a really good story to put here in the Target/Competition shooting section

......yet another unashamed attempt to gain another new entry for next years MPL postal competition.....

Best if I give the story a miss, Bob.

And unfortunately due to me having lost my natural balance (Labyrinthitus) I best give the pistol shooting a miss as well --- it could be bloody dangerous for anyone within range.



All the best Mick

[zooma]

Best if I give the story a miss, Bob.

And unfortunately due to me having lost my natural balance (Labyrinthitus) I best give the pistol shooting a miss as well --- it could be bloody dangerous for anyone within range.


All the best Mick

I am sure that I would be even more dangerous on a tractor Mick.

Stay safe!

Bob.

[Paul SE]

And unfortunately due to me having lost my natural balance (Labyrinthitus) I best give the pistol shooting a miss as well --- it could be bloody dangerous for anyone within range.



All the best Mick

What about the supported pistol shooting Mick off the back of the tractor

[Agt. Smith]

Sounds like a good opportunity to get that baby out of mothballs and back on the firing line.

I've never owned a 'springer' - but several guys at our range use them for 10m every week.

Good luck in the MPL !

[zooma]

Sounds like a good opportunity to get that baby out of mothballs and back on the firing line.

I've never owned a 'springer' - but several guys at our range use them for 10m every week.

Good luck in the MPL !

Thanks Paul,

From what I have seen so far - I will need a lot of luck to get very many of the holes in the black bit with this little air pistol!

Last night's pellet testing session showed me just what a challenge I have taken on - and realise just how good the current range of match pistols really are

Stay safe,

Bob.

[RobinC]

Great story Bob,

And there must be hundreds of ex Zooma guns out there, the number you've sold!

And after finding it, you nearly sold it again, shame on you!

I off course, still have all my pistols bought from my first in '72, a Wobley Premier, closely followed by my FWB 65 bought new a couple of weeks later, after realising that the Wobley was not a target pistol, (more a door stop!), but I could still not bear to part with it, and I've retained every one of my match Air pistols over my target shooting career since, plus a couple of curio's, (just counted 11!), I even have my Toz 36, Centre fire revolver (now deactivated) but of course neither of us are collectors!

We even have most of Pam's Target Air rifles over the same time span (just counted 5!) even the LGV Spezial that she won the recoiling class at NARPA's Cosford in '72, all except, of course her Special Original 75, that we all searched for for 10 years, before I gave up and built a replica of it!

So Bob, the old Weihrauch? keep it, shoot it, even frame it, but never sell it!

Take Care and have Fun
Robin

[zooma]

I off course, still have all my pistols bought from my first in '72, a Wobley Premier, closely followed by my FWB 65 bought new a couple of weeks later, after realising that the Wobley was not a target pistol, (more a door stop!), but I could still not bear to part with it, and I've retained every one of my match Air pistols over my target shooting career since, plus a couple of curio's, (just counted 11!), I even have my Toz 36, Centre fire revolver (now deactivated) but of course neither of us are collectors!

We even have most of Pam's Target Air rifles over the same time span (just counted 5!) even the LGV Spezial that she won the recoiling class at NARPA's Cosford in '72, all except, of course her Special Original 75, that we all searched for for 10 years, before I gave up and built a replica of it!

Hi Robin - its really nice to hear from you again .

I remember you telling me (so clearly - and so often !) that you are NOT a collector.

The main difference (regarding our toy collections) is that I think you just have more space than myself to store your own "non-collection" than I do, so I have to make some very difficult decisions from time to time if I am to continue to enjoy and experience all of the airguns that I would like to try and own (at least for a while).

.......and I am also under a (most unreasonable) strict "weapons control" directive that includes the "one in - one out" rule so I need to remind myself that we are all only temporary custodians of our airgun treasures.

Given the above - some of my treasures will give a lot more people some pleasure than yours will - but only because I cant keep them all at the same time

.......but I am still working on resolving this problem and I have always regarded it as a "purely temporary" restriction

Keep smiling - and Stay safe!

[Paul SE]

Bob,

Your account of your HW70 finding its way back to you is very interesting, and shows how some of those guns that are sold are kept within the airgun community, and often moved on between collectors.

When I first got into 10m air rifle shooting in the early 1980s, I owned an Original 75 that I purchased from a fellow club member at our airgun club in Bromley, and I won many trophies and competitions with it.

When I stopped shooting 10m air rifle in the early 1990s, I sold the gun through an Airgun World advert to, if I recall correctly, a chap 'Up North'.

The serial number of the rifle was 023562 with a manufacture date of 01-80.

I did post a thread on the BBS a while ago to see if any BBS members owned it, or if it could be traced, but with no luck.

Interestingly, the rifle was originally a prize in a 'Target Gun' competition that my mate won, and as he was a Feinwerkbau 300S owner, he sold the Original 75 to me.

I wonder what happened to it and where it is now

[I. J.]

What a great story Zooma, I'm glad you got it back.

I could tell a similar story about a tractor --- but I won't.
All the best Mick

I used to own 12 tractors but I sold them all.

Im an ex tractor fan.

That little story about the HW70 should be into a film and sold to the Insomnia Society.

[zooma]

I used to own 12 tractors but I sold them all.

Im an ex tractor fan.

That little story about the HW70 should be into a film and sold to the Insomnia Society.

How nice it is to hear from you again IJ - hope everything is going well for you on t'other side of t'big hill

[I. J.]

How nice it is to hear from you again IJ - hope everything is going well for you on t'other side of t'big hill

Everything is fine here in Gods country. I'm often commuting over t'big hill to take part/run the Rochdale AGC 50M Bench rest (Type) competitions between Rivi R & Rochdale AGC.

Ive even acquired some special stickers for those who shoot over 230 (ex 250)


Tis true - no rest for the wicked.