Ensign Galaxy query

[Garvin]

I've had a query on the gallery forum. Can anyone on the BBS help please?



Hi everyone, I am new to this forum, I was born and raised in England 1971 and moved to the USA in 2014... I am now revelling in buying up some of my 80s era collectibles, Theobens, Air Arms etc.

My latest acquisition is a mint boxed with paperwork Ensign Galaxy, I've managed to find a bunch of the metal cartridges although would love some more.

What I am lacking though is the ability to charge them, I bought a slim Jim pump but I think it's just got the pistol brass charger adapter.

Has anybody got any ideas how I can charge of these please?

I've contacted best fittings but these are illegal in England so most companies are reticent even talking about how to charge them despite me living in the USA.

Thanks everyone, James

[micky2]

Hi Danny, l think they used a bench type charger. if l rember right.

[AC all day]

Hi a bit of my expertise for once...
You can charge the mk2 metal cartridges with either the slim Jim pump or the bench pumps... It all depends which fittings you have.... You can also convert one to the other with special bushes for speedy changes.... I have various adapters and heads that could be supplied.

[wickerman]

I had one many years ago made by Saxby and Palmer I liked the concept but charging was a lot of effort and the cartridges leaked was the size of a 20 bore cartridge the pump was a massive heavy contraption......later they made the Herald using the pistol cartridges a much better system.....they also converted old lee enfield......now all banned in this nanny state
https://i.imgur.com/IUh7GAq.jpg

[colin g]

I have a box of air cartridges and pump in one of the cupboards, Cannot remember if they are for the Galaxy or elite as i had both back in the day. Col.

[airgunwerks]

Brocock used to make an adapter to charge it from a scuba tank, maybe call them and they may have some NOS?

[Geezer]

The original cartridges were plastic, but fragile. They were replaced with (black) metal. There were also conversion kits to put the insides of a plastic cartridge in a (silver) metal body.

The original charger was a huge bench pump. Huge but quite easy to operate. Later the smaller, cheaper, “Slim Jim” was standardised for these, as well as the air revolvers, Lee-Enfields and later Heralds etc.

In my experience (v early production Royale, later production Galaxy, LE, 2x Heralds), all generations of the Saxby-Palmer/Ensign/Brocock system were (a) cool, (b) interesting, (c) labour-intensive, (d) not very accurate, (e) thoroughly unreliable.

[AC all day]

Hi Geezer,
I used to shoot UIT with an Orion 6 and humbly did OK... I used selected cartridges and a lot of work, but way cool

[urx]

Imstill have amwide selection of the brocock and other aircart guns on fac.
The ‘20 bore’ carts guns for me were rather disappointing but the omes using rifle sized carts were much better
…roughly .303 sized.

My absolute favourite though was the taurus made from stainless…a thing of reasonable quality.
A Smith 29 would have been nice but the law changed before i could sort that. I did manage to get a 92f that ran on 45acp sized carts…7.92mm as i recall and true semi auto


Anyway…back on topic….the bench pumps do turn up now and again but the dive tank with ramcharger is a better faster and more convenient way to charge carts than the bench hand or stirrup pumps.

[Garvin]

If I'm repeating myself, apologies... I had one of the early Brocock (S&P?) revolvers with the cut-down cylinders that exposed a portion of the brass cartridges. They were so unreliable (maybe it was a firing pin problem?) that fewer than half the cylinders discharged when fired, even when I replaced the valves. The pistol was beautifully made and I loved it, but in frustration I bought some .38 cal blanks to propel the pellet and cut down a cartridge to direct the blast, without thinking about whether brass was strong enough to contain it. No doubt it was horribly illegal. I had a section 2 firearms licence (yes, that flimsy bit of paper) so felt qualified to try. I was only about 17 at the time, so young and pretty daft!

The blank detonated with an almighty bang and the pellet shot out of the barrel inaccurately and fragmented against my Sussex Armoury pellet catcher. The brass cartridge tube swelled up solid in the exposed part of the cylinder! I kept the pistol in a drawer until the Brocock ban came in many years later, stripped it to bits, and disposed of it.

[Josie & John]

If I'm repeating myself, apologies... I had one of the early Brocock (S&P?) revolvers with the cut-down cylinders that exposed a portion of the brass cartridges. They were so unreliable (maybe it was a firing pin problem?) that fewer than half the cylinders discharged when fired, even when I replaced the valves. The pistol was beautifully made and I loved it, but in frustration I bought some .38 cal blanks to propel the pellet and cut down a cartridge to direct the blast, without thinking about whether brass was strong enough to contain it. No doubt it was horribly illegal. I had a section 2 firearms licence (yes, that flimsy bit of paper) so felt qualified to try. I was only about 17 at the time, so young and pretty daft!

The blank detonated with an almighty bang and the pellet shot out of the barrel inaccurately and fragmented against my Sussex Armoury pellet catcher. The brass cartridge tube swelled up solid in the exposed part of the cylinder! I kept the pistol in a drawer until the Brocock ban came in many years later, stripped it to bits, and disposed of it.

Hi Danny,

I would have probably tried something similar at that age!

I used to own a Brocock Specialist, which as you say were very well made but the weak link was the cartridges. Mine were regularly lubed but it was a rare occurrence for all 6 to discharge from one cylinder and with consistent energy. All very frustrating and of no use for the competitions I bought it for.

John

[AC all day]

@urx...i shot a mod 29 in Aircartridge it was produced way back and was probably one of the reasons all the de ac legislation changed.... Brocock guns and Crown aircartridge guns were NEVER firearms so could be sold as airguns, the problems came when people took de activated guns and re engineered them to take aircartridges, all would never fire a live round, BUT once a firearm always a firearms (its reverts to original status if you modify a de ac in any way) and it started with World wide arms and their No4s

[springfieldm6]

If I'm repeating myself, apologies... I had one of the early Brocock (S&P?) revolvers with the cut-down cylinders that exposed a portion of the brass cartridges. They were so unreliable (maybe it was a firing pin problem?) that fewer than half the cylinders discharged when fired, even when I replaced the valves. The pistol was beautifully made and I loved it, but in frustration I bought some .38 cal blanks to propel the pellet and cut down a cartridge to direct the blast, without thinking about whether brass was strong enough to contain it. No doubt it was horribly illegal. I had a section 2 firearms licence (yes, that flimsy bit of paper) so felt qualified to try. I was only about 17 at the time, so young and pretty daft!

The blank detonated with an almighty bang and the pellet shot out of the barrel inaccurately and fragmented against my Sussex Armoury pellet catcher. The brass cartridge tube swelled up solid in the exposed part of the cylinder! I kept the pistol in a drawer until the Brocock ban came in many years later, stripped it to bits, and disposed of it.

I seem to remember that, for a short while, until I assume they got stopped, a company advertised in Airgunner cartridges for brococks which used a primer to fire a pellet. Even to my young, excitable mind it came across as something probably illegal and best avoided..

[AC all day]

The primer powered carts were designed for users on section 1 ranges.... As always they got misused and another nail in the coffin.

[James Brewer]

Hi, I live in the US and have a mint Ensign Galaxy... I managed to get some metal cartridges too but can find a pump anywhere to charge them ... can anyone help me out with an old Slim Jim pump ... happy to pay a healthy amount for a good one ... Thanks