Side lever spring air pistols

[DrGunn]

This one dated to about 1850, shows there is nothing new under the sun.

There really isn’t…

That’s still only 5 different side lever spring air pistols in the last 170 years - why are there so few?

[DrGunn]

It was the last pistol I got from Europe before Brexit put a stop to all that but I guess that’s not what you mean ! Not much to add to geezer.

The balls are fed into a container that surrounds the true barrel using the little funnel you see in the box. It’s a fun little thing but not exactly precision machinery

Precision or not it looks like fun, I’m intrigued!

[Jerry Cornelius]

There really isn’t…

That’s still only 5 different side lever spring air pistols in the last 170 years - why are there so few?

The ergonomics aren’t great, since you can’t really use the handle to help when cocking. You get a twisting in the wrist unlike the “chest expander” movement of an over or under lever

The right hand lever is even worse, assuming you are right handed, because you have to shift your dominant hand from the grip to the lever

I must admit I have never noticed the fwbs being annoying so I guess the combination of left hand lever, mechanical advantage and fairly low power overcomes the inherent weakness of the design

[DrGunn]

The ergonomics aren’t great, since you can’t really use the handle to help when cocking. You get a twisting in the wrist unlike the “chest expander” movement of an over or under lever

The right hand lever is even worse, assuming you are right handed, because you have to shift your dominant hand from the grip to the lever

I must admit I have never noticed the fwbs being annoying so I guess the combination of left hand lever, mechanical advantage and fairly low power overcomes the inherent weakness of the design

I definitely agree with you about the Warrior - the combination of right hand cocking arm and front pivot makes it difficult to cock without swapping hand or pointing it at yourself - maybe the inventors were left handed?
There is definitely a knack to the FWBs but once mastered they are quite easy. Likewise I don't find the Record Champion too bad although it is pretty low on power so the forces are minimal.
Whats the HS71 like - I imagine that although the lever is on the right it requires a similar Knack to the FWBs but with your arms crossed?

Its interesting that of the small number of side levers spring powered air pistols identified so far, many also have other not so common attributes: 2 have concentric barrels and 2 are multi shot repeaters.

[Abasmajor]

An interesting modern variation on the side lever cocking mechanism is the Cometa Indian which has the cocking lever located on the side of the pistol, but operating in the vertical rather than the horizontal plane.



Brian

[Jerry Cornelius]

I definitely agree with you about the Warrior - the combination of right hand cocking arm and front pivot makes it difficult to cock without swapping hand or pointing it at yourself - maybe the inventors were left handed?
There is definitely a knack to the FWBs but once mastered they are quite easy. Likewise I don't find the Record Champion too bad although it is pretty low on power so the forces are minimal.
Whats the HS71 like - I imagine that although the lever is on the right it requires a similar Knack to the FWBs but with your arms crossed?

Its interesting that of the small number of side levers spring powered air pistols identified so far, many also have other not so common attributes: 2 have concentric barrels and 2 are multi shot repeaters.

It’s ok to cock. You can either rotate it anti-clockwise 90 degrees around the long axis, whereupon the side lever becomes a top lever, or put your left hand on the barrel and right hand on the lever and pull apart. I think this is better as it places no force on possibly 50 year old plastic that probably wasn’t that strong to begin with.

Either way the back of the pistol rests on the tummy, or it does with me anyway. Possibly this is an advantage over a front pivot, where the pivot point can’t be braced on the belly without pointing the muzzle at yourself. That would be particularly unwise in an hs71 type design where there would be a bb up the spout (I realise the chance of injury is about nil, but pointing any loaded air pistol at yourself while cocking strikes me as a Bad Idea)

That said I can’t remember ever thinking front pivoting was a flaw in the warrior design. None of them need a great deal of force.

[Garvin]

Great thread!

Browsing the JG encyclopedia really inspires me to think of spring pistol cocking methods and I can see why the author is so fascinated.

Each has its benefits and drawbacks, but none is perfect! External levers seem to have been used in all directions with the pivots front, back and middle. Direct pull, corkscrew and break-barrels, concentric and non-concentric, body-cocking (ie. Haenel 28, Hy-Score), detachable cocking aids, winding handles, you name it!

Mechanical compression by hand or machine, capsule or reservoir, all try and trap energy to propel that ball, pellet or dart accurately through a tube to the target.

As to which is best, there's probably no better guide than the consumer voting with their wallets. That creates a much more manageable group if you want to shoot, but in a way the failures are most interesting to collect.

[DrGunn]

An interesting modern variation on the side lever cocking mechanism is the Cometa Indian which has the cocking lever located on the side of the pistol, but operating in the vertical rather than the horizontal plane.

Brian

The Cometa Indian is an interesting gun, I’m not sure I’d classify it as a side lever though - it’s closer to a modern implementation of the AG Park crank wound but with a longer lever and less gearing. I’ve been told they are quite good, I’ve not tried one though.

[Jerry Cornelius]

The Cometa Indian is an interesting gun, I’m not sure I’d classify it as a side lever though - it’s closer to a modern implementation of the AG Park crank wound but with a longer lever and less gearing. I’ve been told they are quite good, I’ve not tried one though.

They are, but too much plastic. I sold mine

The cocking mechanism is a ingenious: the lever goes through nearly 270 degrees

[Lakey]

They are, but too much plastic. I sold mine

The cocking mechanism is a ingenious: the lever goes through nearly 270 degrees

I wholeheartedly agree. most of the metal parts are very good, but the pistol is let down by the plastic parts. Still a very capable performer, and an accurate pistol. Always causes interest when I take it down the club. I have one with a blued finish and one with the silver finish.
A collectable of the future me thinks .....

Lakey

[Geezer]

I wholeheartedly agree. most of the metal parts are very good, but the pistol is let down by the plastic parts. Still a very capable performer, and an accurate pistol. Always causes interest when I take it down the club. I have one with a blued finish and one with the silver finish.
A collectable of the future me thinks .....

Lakey

I keep thinking I ought to get one of those.

[eyebull]

I keep thinking I ought to get one of those.

Came close a number of times, but seeing a number of reviews by people who had a more sober outlook on it after the novelty had subsided put me off purchasing.

[ogilkes]

There is also the Chinese copy of the FWB 65, commissioned by Titan but made later by Industry Brand in Shanghai https://forum.vintageairgunsgallery....hinese-copies/ . I think there was an earlier Chinese side lever too.