Fairground airguns

[Josie & John]

That's the one, from what I can remember all those years ago.

I haven't been to a fair for a few years no but the Anschutz 275 was still being used prior to the plandemic.

The Dorset Steam Fair had some the last time I visited and so did a fair at the Black Country museum, albeit the latter was around 10 years ago.

I can never resist having a go.

Kind regards,

John

[where's it gone]

I haven't been to a fair for a few years no but the Anschutz 275 was still being used prior to the plandemic.

The Dorset Steam Fair had some the last time I visited and so did a fair at the Black Country museum, albeit the latter was around 10 years ago.

I can never resist having a go.

Kind regards,

John

I'm talking late 60's, in the day of a goldfish in a bag which must of started my fish keeping interest ( coldwater, tropical, marine and pond)
Was this rifle around in those days ?

[trajectory]

I'm talking late 60's, in the day of a goldfish in a bag which must of started my fish keeping interest ( coldwater, tropical, marine and pond)
Was this rifle around in those days ?

I think the 275 was around in the mid 1950s, they need shot which is a little smaller than the common steel bb's (4.4mm?) Ir else jams may well occur. Jams are also likely if re using damaged ir fired shot but otherwise they seem to shoot very reliably & I reckon good fun too.

[ptdunk]

This is the 49a (pretty much same rifle as 275) & 33 Senior

https://youtu.be/n8LFVJNEGCI

Extremely good fun.

Matt

[trajectory]

This is the 275 & 33:

https://youtu.be/n8LFVJNEGCI

Extremely good fun.

Matt

Ok, extremely good fun.

Just as an aside has anyone chronographed their '275? If so what values did you get, just curious ive never thought of them as that powerfull but those little lead balls seem to reach the target pretty quickly but you can watch them if the light & background is suitable, like little tracer rounds.

[johnbaz]

Here's mine..

Sorry, I've never chrono'd it but when I bought it years ago the gents house was open plan, He set up a paper target around eight or nine yards away, I took one shot and it was dead centre in the bull!, I didn't have another shot after that!

It seemed powerful enough for a spring with such a short cocking lever!!











John

[trajectory]

I don't recall ever seeing an advertised velocity for these but they do seem to have a bit of oomph to them.

[edbear2]

I'm talking late 60's, in the day of a goldfish in a bag which must of started my fish keeping interest ( coldwater, tropical, marine and pond)
Was this rifle around in those days ?

Yep, and stall holders had a gizmo bolted to the stalls to speed load the magazines I recall, plus besides the knock down little figures in boxes to get points for (carp) prizes, there were ping pong balls on waterjets inside steel wire mesh bowl shaped bases to shoot at, or bottles with fivers taped on held by a piece of string to try and cut (not much chance with round shot, but a diablo fired backwards would work in a break barrel if the string was frayed or against a pipe!

ATB, Ed

[trajectory]

Yep, and stall holders had a gizmo boltedt to the stalls to speed load the magazines I recall, plus besides the knock down little figures in boxes to get points for (carp) prizes, there were ping pong balls on waterjets inside steel wire mesh bowl shaped bases to shoot at, or bottles with fivers taped on held by a piece of string to try and cut (not much chance with round shot, but a diablo fired backwards would work in a break barrel if the string was frayed or against a pipe!

ATB, Ed

That's interesting, I've never seen a speed loader for the magazines. I only remember stall holders having the shot in a pouch that they put their hand in with an empty magazine & a little while later out came their hand with a loaded magazine. One stallholder had two leather buss conductor style money pouch/bags. One was for the takings, the other full of shot. Even in those days he was wary of people detaching the magazines & making off with them.
The targets were paper bullseye ones for those that wanted a souvenir or falling metal fingers, circles or ducks, a few clay pipes & spinners too. For the more adventurous there was a row of self re setting falling ducks. Somehow at a tender age I was hitting the ducks very consistently & must have impressed him. They didnt give prizes but when I finished shooting he took the rifle from me & popped in a full magazine free if charge. I was chuffed, half went on the ducks the ithe half on a paper target which I kept for years.

[edbear2]

That's interesting, I've never seen a speed loader for the magazines. I only remember stall holders having the shot in a pouch that they put their hand in with an empty magazine & a little while later out came their hand with a loaded magazine. One stallholder had two leather buss conductor style money pouch/bags. One was for the takings, the other full of shot. Even in those days he was wary of people detaching the magazines & making off with them.
The targets were paper bullseye ones for those that wanted a souvenir or falling metal fingers, circles or ducks, a few clay pipes & spinners too. For the more adventurous there was a row of self re setting falling ducks. Somehow at a tender age I was hitting the ducks very consistently & must have impressed him. They didnt give prizes but when I finished shooting he took the rifle from me & popped in a full magazine free if charge. I was chuffed, half went on the ducks the ithe half on a paper target which I kept for years.

A guy with a 4.4 rifle (can't recall which type, ie. Haenel or Annie) stall a few years ago at the Bristol Balloon festival had a contraption which looked like a pukka set up of the period, cast metal possibly with a lever / hopper system, wish I had taken more notice / taken a photo, but I did comment on the time saved as I watched him load mags in seconds and was told it was something bought / supplied and not knocked up and was a rare bit of kit.

He even then was talking about the shortage of mags as obviously diecast and get a hard time, so when I said I had airguns he asked where he may get some as always looking for new sources.

Maybe a showman's forum and find the operator as probably still out there, as it's a small community.

ATB, ED

[trajectory]

Ed, thats a bit of a shame you didn't get a picture of the magazine charger but your idea of maybe being able to find the stall holder via a guild might be worth trying. Wouldn't think there would be many shooting galleries knocking around these days.

I'm trying to visualise how a charger might work; got a couple of ideas but seeing one would be nice. I can certainly see the benefit of one to a commercial set up. From memory I can remember the chap loading the magazine with one hand, all by touch as his hand was in the leather bag. Years of practice I guess, takes me five times longer to load a 12 shot one than it does to shoot them all! Magazines seem to be an issue, not through poor reliability just plain unavailabilty to replace losses. They do appear occasionally in 12 shot guise but more frequently 6 shot capacity. Imagine a long spring & a 30 shot snail drum? 10 min to load & 60-90 seconds to fire.......

[Dutch]

Such speed loaders for the 4.4 ball repeaters are already commercially available, for example at https://www.versandhaus-schneider.de...ducts_id/37725