Originally Posted by
VALE BOY
Concerning the matter of a new British break-barrel......
I think it must be extremely difficult for any manufacturer, irrespective of national origin to design and develop, market and subsequently sell a 'new' air rifle of any power-plant type due to costs involved and how it can be recouped from potential sales from what I consider to be sadly, a dwindling market.
How many young people under the age of 20 are taking up the sport or have the desire or inclination to purchase and shoot an air rifle nowadays, particularly when you take into account ever-increasing restrictive legislation, social attitudes towards guns and shooting in general and also the way more sophisticated technology with people using computers, laptops, iPads, X-boxes, smartphones etc and the way they dictate so many folks ( especially young folk) recreational time and their lives in general.
Airgun shooters of an older generation or dare I say it, of more mature years, had the benefit of more opportunities to be aware of air rifles and pistols, thanks to adverts in publications ranging from comics and magazines and family mail-order catalogues, all of which were evident in many family homes.
Shooting was readily available on farmland, open countryside, disused industrial premises,back gardens etc.. usually without restrictions.
In addition for those folk growing up in the 50's and 60's, there was the 'toy-gun culture' sparked off by the plethora of cowboy programmes or 'Westerns' as the were called, on the telly.
Between the BBC and ITV there must have been in the region of a dozen of more of these type of programmes broadcast weekly and having a huge influence on mainly young boys but girls also, resulting in huge sales of cap guns each Christmas and kids birthdays as well. The natural progression to go from a cap gun to and air pistol and rifle was commonplace and easy to do , as lots of toy-shops, sportshops, Ironmongers even bicycle shops and sometimes Gents barbershops would have a selection of Airguns, pellets and accessories for sale.. Sadly no longer the case.
I don't like to be pessimistic, but realistically, is there a potential market out there ( certainly in Britain) to make it justifiably financially viable to pursue new innovations in what looks to be, on the face of it, an older generation target group?
The hard facts are, it takes prospective economic projections linked to subsequent realistically attainable sales figures to merit such industrial endeavours.... Unless some billionaire, who is into Airguns by chance, who has money to spare to indulge a whim, like Lord Hesketh, 30 years ago with the Hesketh motorcycle... and sadly even that wasn't sustained.
I think many of us on the Forum and elsewhere who fall onto the 40-80 age range have been really fortunate to have lived there lives in such an innovative and varied production industrial period where we've benefited from choice and availability in a social atmosphere which has been relatively relaxed, not just concerning Airguns but many other aspects of life in general.....
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