As A kid what did you use yours for

[BRET22]

When you were kids what type of things did you get up to with your airguns, were you only allowed to use them in the garden or did you have free range to go where you wanted with them????

[gary smith]

I lived in a small seaside village in the North east of England we all had either an air pistol or air rifle and we used to wander at will where ever we wanted no one said anything.
on the beach, in the fields,up the beck good days many many thousands of pellets fired many targets destroyed Gary

[Turnup]

I had a GAT type pistol. Was allowed use in the garden, but used to sneak out with it for some roaming in the woods, plinking at inanimate targets with my mates. One of my mates had a Webley pistol which was much more accurate and made me envious.

[johnbaz]

My very first gun was a Webley junior Rifle (but possibly smoothbore!) I used it to accidentally shoot my dad in the bum!! Never did see that gun again


Later on when I acquired another, we used it for shooting at matchsticks/lollypop sticks, Plastic soldiers and any other stuff that we could jam in to the cracks in the brickwork of the garage in our yard!!



John

[AC99]

My very first airgun was a Diana mod2 Gat when I was 11 or 12 and only used it in the garden but my next one was a Diana mod16 smooth-bore rifle and as lads we used to take our guns over the fields and through public woodland shooting at various inanimate and live targets with only limited success although I managed to bag a pigeon once! Later, beyond the 'kid' stage, we progressed through the Cadet Major ranks to Webley Mk3's and Airsporters.

[BRET22]

My very first airgun was a Diana mod2 Gat when I was 11 or 12 and only used it in the garden but my next one was a Diana mod16 smooth-bore rifle and as lads we used to take our guns over the fields and through public woodland shooting at various inanimate and live targets with only limited success although I managed to bag a pigeon once! Later, beyond the 'kid' stage, we progressed through the Cadet Major ranks to Webley Mk3's and Airsporters.

Oh Yes the Diana model 16 now that really was a cracking powerful gun well at ten years old it was

[gaz999]

mod 16! you were lucky I had to work my way up to a mod 15 after several gats etc , by the time I was 13 I'd got a mod 22 if I remember correctly

[Mr D]

One summer in my later early childhood, during a sojourn in Matebeleland. I killed a thimble-scorpion on the banks of the Limpopo with my uncle's break-action Greener in No.2 bore. Although the calibre is hardly relevant as the size and ferocity of the thimble-scorpion is, as you know, not amenable to its destruction by airgun pellets either singly or by volley-fire. It was only the extreme militarism of my uncle - some say he had a drop of Prussian blood in him - that saved me, as he had fitted the Greener with a spike-bayonet of considerable size.

If you haven't killed a thimble-scorpion with a bayonet-thrust before the age of ten, then there is no point in me sharing the details for you will surely not believe me. Let us say that at the village, the Mbelelekweke elders presented me with a young goat and a night of dancing and feasting in celebration of my courageous act.

[davymole]

Was a Diana, what model to long ago to remember it was around 1964 then quickly into shotguns roamed freely where ever the gamekeepers were,nt: had lots of private estate,s plus the Duke of Westminsters land to roam over,he never missed his Pheasents had too manywhen in season used to go beating watch the guys with the posh shotguns miss everything ,me with my Henry Monk or single 16 was a great time growing up in them days

[WILBA]

My 1st gun was a webley hawk mk2. Had both .177 and .22 barrels. Was allowed to go rabbiting with next doir naughbour who was a 30yr old man my mum knew. He use to take shotgun and me my hawk. Had a few rabbits at close range as thats all the old gun was good for power wise. . Loved that gun

[trevor1]

I947 was a great year for me.I was mowing lawns,earning money and my "trading gene" was on the ascendancy.One day,a neighbour ,four years my senior, appeared at our back door.In his hand he held an item that made my heart skip a beat.It was an air rifle! "Wouldya like this Trev?"he asked.WOULD I! "Oh yes,"I managed."It'll costya a half crown",he rejoined. Well,a half dollar was what I charged to mow a lawn and at the time I was well fixed for coin. In a trice,a deal was done. Ken(the elder fellow) went on his way-(probably to buy a half-crown's worth of fags!)whilst I sat on our back porch and examined my purchase. I found out how to cock the darn thing but was disappointed to hear a weak dull thud when I squeezed the trigger.Not much going on in there,I thought.Best try it with a BB.It's a funny thing,I always had a few BBs in my pocket-no mystery though,I'd pick up previously shot ammo in the vacant section across the road.A lot of BB gun shooting went on in our street-particularly after all the kids had crowded the Crystal Palace to watch the exploits of the Durango Kid. Having primed my weapon I dropped a BB down the muzzle and pulled the trigger. Alas,no BB rocketed down range.Seems Ken had sold me a dunger.

Rather disheartened,I set about dismantling the useless beast. Many many minutes later I had my CRACAJAC in pieces.The insides were chokka with black grease,bent nails,broken matches and bits of gravel.I removed most of this muck with my hankie and a bit of cloth taken from the tail of my shirt(which I figured was a surplus piece of rag).Black grease spreads and sticks,I seemed to have the stuff all over me.However,the gun's bits and pieces were relatively clean,giving me a great sense of satisfaction. The reassembly of the gun did not go without incident and a couple of blood-letting injuries.But I got there! Now,when cocked,a burst of dirty air came from the muzzle.I popped another BB down the spout and fired at the hedge,some 20 yards away. My CRACAJAC lobbed it's missile straight into the foliage.This is GOOD,I thought.

I then repaired to the front yard,closed from the street by a big swing gate.I put a tin can on the gate and paced a few yards back from it. With great authority the rifle swung to my shoulder and I let fly at the can.It wasn't my fault I missed it(must have been the wind).My errant,overshot BB flew out into the roadway and by chance,mere chance,went through the rolled-down window of Mr Lorrison's pre-war Oldsmobile,inflicting a flesh wound on his cheek. Have you ever been dragged down to the Balmoral Police Station by your collar?NOT a pleasant experience,I can tell you. ""This kid,"roared the injured gent,"shot me in my car!Do something about him!". A huge overweight constable glared at me."What's your name?"he demanded. I'll never know what prompted my reply,well I DO know,it was a thing my dad used to say if everything was going wrong. "B*M,B*GG*R,B*TCH",I shouted. Where-upon the policeman grabbed a razor strop and belted me soundly.In those days it was OK for a copper to administer discipline on the spot,worse luck for me.

In all this hullaballoo,my not so trusty CRACAJAC went missing.I really didn't feel it was worthwhile complaining to anyone about this loss though......

[DT Fletcher]

Remember like it was yesterday. 53 years ago. I had just turned 10 and we were moved into our first new home. Mom was thrilled with the new landscaping and horrified at the rabbits coming out of the canyon to feast on it. Her only hope of killing the rabbits was me. Tried slingshot and some other things with no luck. Then, without telling me what was up, she took me to Sears and went straight to the gun counter. After talking to a salesman, we walked out with a Sears version of the Crosman 600, a box of pellets and Powerlets.

With such a setup, death came quickly to any rabbit I could get my sights on.

[Mzee]

When I was about eight I was lucky enough to be given a tin plate Daisy with a detachable barrel insert which you took out & loaded a pellet into. It also doubled as a pretty good pea shooter - haven't seen a pea shooter for a long time, come to think of it. My friend & I were asked one day to do something about the butterflies & associated caterpillars on his dad's cabbages, so I ran home for the Daisy & we spent a happy morning shooting at them. Unfortunately, his dad didn't appreciate the collateral damage done to his greens & our fun came to an abrupt halt. The pellets were at a bit of a premium, so when we ran out we had to improvise with berries.We also discovered that appropriately sized slugs (molluscs) could be stuffed into the breech & would splatter against the wall or land on the house roof. After all, it was a 'slug gun'.

[Andy001]

Shooting in a garage, with a gat gun. Targets.....fruit and veg and cardboard boxes.

[urx]

swapped all sorts of childhood toys for my first air rifle..a rather tired and broken meteor.
sorted the broken sear, new spring and seals and a refinish with varnish(argh) of the stock and we were set.

down in the town the papermill had been demolished a few years back leaving random buildings standing in a wasteland.
many a happy summers evening was spent wandering down there pinging cans and other such about. cycling throught eh town with the rifle on my back. noone bothered as I bothered noone.

the local garage used to sell marksman pellets in cardboard .22 boxes as I recall..

Eventually upgraded to the much superior HW35 with venom tune which started an appreciation of nice triggers..and which is why I have a HW35 in my cupboard now...