Best air rifle back in 1950'/60's ?

[coburn]

Still the HW35 or Original 50, as top airguns for the 60's. Just because nobody strived for better, did the Airsporter or MK3 make a good choice?

I have an 50E that my late friend bought new in 1962, makes any British made underlever look crude in in comparison.

[T 20]

Options were limited back then and the Airsporters were the most modern at the time.

How many German rifles reached our shores at the time is anyone's guess.

The Falke 80 would have been a good choice for those with very deep pockets.

A lot of 50/60's rifles in use must have been pre war models still going strong, which does widen the choice with their triggers smoothed out over time or fettled by the shed tuner of the day

I've shot a Falke 80 and a Falke 90 John.

They're nice and well made and all that, but they do nothing over and above what a MK1 Airsporter will do --- I've no idea how they're accuracy compares.



All the best Mick

[HW777]

I've shot a Falke 80 and a Falke 90 John.

They're nice and well made and all that, but they do nothing over and above what a MK1 Airsporter will do --- I've no idea how they're accuracy compares.



All the best Mick

How do the Falke's compare to Airsporters in build quality Mick ?

There are a number of makes that have not been mentioned, BSF, Sharp, Benjamin and Sheridan to name a few

If would appear air guns were viewed as lowly creations to the shooting set some 70 years ago and even now If you mention air guns in certain circles you are not deemed worthy until you have your shot gun or fac ticket.

Webley & Scott and BSA are gone in all but name, I really think they could have done better 70 years ago but as mentioned above, that no doubt had a lot to do with it.

All the best

John

[VALE BOY]

I would describe the Falke 80 and 90 as similar to the Mk 1 and 2 Airsporters with the concealed cocking lever which pulls the piston on cocking rather than the more conventional ‘pushing’ method and automatically opening loading tap but made with Webley Mk3 build quality.
They are extremely nice to shoot and it’s such a shame they only had a very brief production run of several years in the mid 50’s.

[Geezer]

I have an 50E that my late friend bought new in 1962, makes any British made underlever look crude in in comparison.

Really? I’m a huge fan of the older Dianas/Originals, but what made it better than a Mk1/2 Airsporter or Webley Mk3?

[MDriskill]

"50's - 60's" is kind of a broad brush. Airguns and markets evolved greatly in those 20 years.

The HW 35 is a fine rifle and a personal favorite, but Weihrauch was but one of many small German makers in the 50's, and the 35 did not acquire the Rekord trigger until the late 50's. And I was under the impression it was not a big deal in England until after it was imported on a serious basis and began to be featured in the UK magazines. I leave it to others to debate when that was (late '60's?)...and discuss the possible influence of advertisers?

If I'd been a kid in England in 1960 - give or take a few years either way - it definitely woulda been a photo of a Webley Mk 3 sporter with PH peep sight pinned to my bedroom wall.

[tikkapaul]

interesting question.

I'm going with early airsporter mk1/2, as the HW35 was too "foreign"

Got to agree shot more with Airsporters than any other including PCPs

[where's it gone]

In the late 60's I remember my dad had a BSA Meteor in .22 for shooting rats down the chicken house which was about 20ish yards away down the garden. It had all the power and accuracy, open sights, to do the job

[Faerie]

If would appear air guns were viewed as lowly creations to the shooting set some 70 years ago and even now If you mention air guns in certain circles you are not deemed worthy until you have your shot gun or fac ticket.

Much less than 70 years ago, in my own experience.
40 years ago I was keeping my village including the 2 local pubs supplied with rabbits, all taken with air rifles, but still encountered a lot of snobbery from the FAC crowd for not being a "proper" shooter. Oddly, it was usually from target shooters, while those who were hunters were very accepting, perhaps because having done it themselves they knew that stalking rabbits can be every bit as difficult as stalking deer. Some reckon it's even harder.

Every small town had it's gun club in those days and you could acquire an FAC simply by joining your local club & (assuming you didn't "blot your copy book" during your probationary period) the members would support your application, and it then became almost a formality that you'd be granted a license.
The downside of this was that if you shot air guns & weren't a member of a gun club then you were assumed to be either a mere "wannabe" or worse, someone who'd had their application turned down. Hence airguns were seen either as children's guns or for those unfit to hold an FAC.

[45flint]

What if it was the 1960’s and I told you I could sell you a air rifle with the following characteristics:

1. Power 12 foot pounds
2. Match grade aperture sight
3. Recoilless operation (repeat this twice lol)
4. Fully adjustable trigger
5. Bolt action loading (just like a firearm)
6. 30-35 continuous shots with no cocking
7. Wood and steel - very affordable price point.

You would have thought it was a dream? Look at the last variant below from the Gallery.

https://forum.vintageairgunsgallery....man-model-160/

[airpowerd1a]

No not target....what the common man would be using for vermin control, informal target and back garden plinking.

The criteria

Accuracy

Build quality

Power

Acceptable trigger ( no creepy critters )

And I think it's already a given that Eley Wasp were the best pellet

Bsa airsporter mk 1best of British airgun of that time, with power and accuracy required for vermin control.
But also most elegant, sleek air rifle ever made and probably accounted for a great number of vermin in a time when we were far less controlled.
The hw 35 quite possibly the finest mass produced air rifle ever produced but not widely available in Britain in the 50s and 60s.