Air Gunner August 2015

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THE BIG TESTBSA SCORPION SE PLATINUM ON THE FIRING LINE THIS MONTH:

With just 150 being made you’ll need to move fast if you want one of these beauties, as the editor reports photographs. The logical place to start of a proven and successful gun should

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think it’s just human nature to want to be individual, in the hope that our personal qualities will be appreciated. This naturally extends to the things we buy because, one way or another, they say something about

have the same appeal. For these reasons, the team at Ronnie Sunshines went to BSA Guns and worked with them to develop the rifle you see here, the Scorpion SE Platinum, which will be exclusive to their shops.

“Great time and attention was paid to selecting the right model, the upgrades and accessories” us. Perhaps we’ll choose a limited edition of a car which has nicer paint, flashy wheels and some upgrades to the interior that make it feel special to us, and hope that our friends will admire it. It’s only logical that a special version

Great time and attention was paid to selecting the right model, the upgrades and accessories that go together to form the beautiful kit you see in the

Above: This is a rifle you could be really proud of

Below: The chromed parts offset the Monsoon stock well

was the action, and the Scorpion SE has been a top-selling model for BSA for a long time. It’s well proven in the field, has top-class accuracy and fine handling in its standard form. A custom stock was at the top of the wish list and a variant of the one fitted to the Gold Star, the Monsoon, was soon chosen for its goods looks and adjustability. It differs from the Gold Star in that it lacks the fore end hamster. This decision was made because they felt this was more likely to be used as a hunting gun and therefore didn’t need one.

Persona In place of the hamster mechanism is the ultimate personalisation for any gun. There are two metal plates supplied with the rifle; you send the first to BSA after you’ve bought the

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The ultimate personalised touch. Thank

rifle and they’ll laser engrave your name on it. The second is for you to keep in case you ever sell the rifle. The new owner can have his or her name applied to that one, although I can’t see these being sold on. That being said, one of the appeals of limited edition products is that they retain their value better then the standard model. Many metal parts have received a platinum chrome finish, including the muzzle brake, the trigger blade and guard, and the sling swivel studs. The ‘Bolas’ bolt handle is chrome anyway. These contrast strongly against the dark grey of the laminate stock, accentuating the difference. Because this is a great hunting gun, one of BSA’s super-efficient VC (Variable Choke) silencers is included in the kit. Muzzle brakes seem to amplify the typical PCP muzzle crack by venting the high-pressure air sideways, so the difference with the silencer was huge. It goes from a sharp bark to a muted

thud, which is perfect. The Scorpion trigger has always been good and the one on my test rifle had been set as you might for competition use. The first stage was set very light, and the second stage at around 1lb, which was too light for me, so I wound in another ½lb, which was more predictable for my kind of hunting. At this point, I’ll make my standard complaint about the rockerstyle safety catch being on the wrong side of the action for the majority, namely right-handed people. It works perfectly and is also quiet in use, but it’s still on the wrong side. The action contains BSA’s Fast Strike valving system which utilises a lightweight hammer that makes the firing cycle quicker and increases efficiency. This is clearly demonstrated by the fact that this short rifle offers over 100 shots per fill in .22, which is very impressive, and in .177 you still get 65, which is plenty to get you through an HFT

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s BSA

SPECS

Manufacturer BSA Guns Exclusive to Ronnie Sunshines Web www.ronniesunshines. com Tel 01442 872829 Model Scorpion Se Platinum Type Pre-charged pneumatic Action Magazine-fed, bolt-action Trigger Two-stage adjustable Length 88cm (35”) Weight 3.1lkg (6.8lbs) Fill pressure 232bar Shots per fill 100 in .22 and 65 in .177 Barrel Enhanced Cold Hammer Forged Kit includes: rifle, scope, mounts, muzzle brake, silencer, 2 x magazine and rifle case

RRP £799 Below: Shooting offhand, the adjustable stock felt great

course. I was very impressed to see that the Ronnie Sunshines team managed to get BSA to fit their new ECHF (Enhanced Cold Hammer Forged) barrel to these rifles. They’re causing something of a stir on the competition scene, where people are claiming that pellets fired through them are less affected by the wind than those fired through other barrels. I haven’t had the chance to prove that one way or the other, but some serious competitors promise me that it’s a fact.

Custom fit I took a while to adjust the cheek piece and butt pad until I was perfectly comfortable, and then topped up the air through the port in the tip of the reservoir. Fill pressure is higher than average at 232 BAR and because the reservoir is quite small, it fills very quickly, so remember to trickle the air in slowly. For my accuracy test I took my standard review pellet, the Air Arms Diablo Field in .22, and filled the magazine. The mag’ is the new model with the moulded synthetic chamber which worked without a hitch throughout the test. I use them in my R10 MKII and they’ve been perfect in that rifle, too. There are two mags supplied - a sign of how well this package was thought out; I believe that every serious hunter will carry a spare, and with this kit you’ll be ready to go. I can’t claim to enjoy chronograph

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Left: In its natural enviroment the Scorpion looked stunning

varied just 17fps over 100 shots. That’s better than many regulated guns. Wow! Think about that. Regulated guns cost a lot more to buy and don’t have the best reputation for reliability, making the Scorpion a high-performance bargain. The rifle comes with a BSA Essential 3-12 x 44 AO scope and mounts, which is a great all-round optic. I’ve used lots of these and I find them consistently good with lenses and coatings that wouldn’t be out of place in a far more expensive scope. The 1” tube and objective mounted parallax

One hole After quickly checking that the rifle was on the target card, I moved back to 30 yards and watched the next five shots go through the same hole from a rested position. I loved it. This rifle offers what I call ‘easy accuracy’. Lots of guns are potentially accurate but not all are easy to shoot. The Scorpion simply wanted to hit the target and I just needed to help it along. There’s no question in my mind that shooting from standing, sitting and prone positions are all made easier by the adjustable stock. I really felt that I

“The action contains BSA’s Fast Strike valving system that utilises a lightweight hammer that makes the firing cycle quicker and increases efficiency” testing, but I knuckled down and got on with it. BSA claims that the Fast Strike system offers a flatter power curve than traditional knock-open valves, and the chronograph results simply blew me away. Using pellets straight from the tin, the Scorpion

Below: The stock is ambidextrous Left: Two mags are supplied in the kit, which is a great touch

adjuster keep the weight down, so that it feels well proportioned for the Scorpion. I dislike big, heavy scopes on guns like this. They can upset the balance and spoil the handling. It’s unnecessary, especially when you can choose a scope like this that works so well.

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was able to lock it into my shoulder and cheek, adding stability and support. I was soon shooting it as well as any of my own rifles that I know so well, which says a lot. All that testing is important and tells us a lot of what we need to know, but it’s out in the hunting fields that a rifle tells me what it’s really about. My favourite sport of squirrel shooting is on hold while Ô

For us, it’s all about quality, service and performance - and it always will be — Chris Whistler

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the leaves are so thick on the trees and the ground vegetation hides them as well, so I dropped in at the farmyard to see if I could help with a little vermin control. Most of the grain has been sold for this year and the store was empty, but last year’s hay that’s stored beside it is a mass of rat runs and tunnels. I asked the farmer when he’d be moving the bales and then hid across the way as the tractor lifted them out. Just as I’d hoped, the odd rat bolted out and I tracked them, hoping that they’d stop long enough for a shot. This was when the light weight and fast handling paid off. Only four made the mistake of hesitation, but the .22 Field dropped them where

they stood. During quiet moments, I scanned the rooftops for the other pest the farmer wanted gone, which was collared doves. Many flew in, and most flew out just as quickly when they realised that there was activity around the buildings, but five stayed still long enough to add to my bag. They’re small birds and need precise shots to get clean kills and the stunning accuracy the Scorpion had shown allowed me the confidence to drop each bird without a twitch. I shot them from supported positions, such as against a doorframe where I could rest my left hand and then wrap a finger or two around the fore end. I

Above: Competition guns for hunters? Oh, yes!

Monsoon Above: I really liked the slim profile of the stock

“Jim Tyler taught me from his detailed research that a heavy scope is a great aid in taming springer recoil” Left: The muzzle brake gets the Platinum chrome treatment

love the fact that this area of the stock is quite slim and easy to handle. Excessively bulky stocks just aren’t for me.

Below: The Scorpion’s accuracy played a big part in getting this modest bag

The stock’s Monsoon colour is nicely finished in a satin sheen that looks classy but doesn’t shine and reflect light, as I found out as I tried to photograph it. It’s a good choice for any hunting gun and good-looking, as well. I had worried that the chrome parts might be a bit too bright for a hunting gun, but because they’re each quite small they’re more like highlights than reflectors. Like all guns bought though Ronnie Sunshines, the Scorpion Se Platinum benefits from their ‘Life Time Guarantee and Free Life Time Servicing’ promise, and you can’t get better peace of mind than that. This is a truly special package made all the more remarkable by its price. You can buy the rifle and scope combination with all the extras I’ve mentioned, plus a thickly padded rifle slip, for just £799. I know that sounds wrong, but I double-checked. The limited edition run of 150 will be gone in no time, of that I’m sure. ■ The adjustable butt aids the custom fit

The trigger was first-class

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is tricky. When trying to choose the male, look for a wider, bolder-looking head; a doe is sleeker looking and usually a little lighter in colour. The meat might not be as tender from the buck, but just think of all that nice younger meat in the autumn if you can be selective now.

Protection On this trip, testing the new set-up, I could not be selective. Horses suffer badly when rabbits dig up the fields, so they must go no matter the size. I shot the rifle for a good couple of hours. The power was set right and it grouped just as well as before, and I must say that I really did like the stock. I’m not saying the colour was to my taste, but the feel of the rubber was fantastic and I had no worries about dropping it, even with the thinnest and smoothest of gloves that I could find. Testing over, it was time to go to get a few bunnies. It was about 5 o’clock and I positioned myself just at the edge of a hawthorn bush. I knew the warren some 25 yards away was being used because the farmer had seen all sizes of rabbit run into it. I had been kneeling patiently for about half an hour when two young rabbits shot out of cover and started to play, and I was tempted to wait for the adult to show, but the knees were starting to show their age and I could feel cramp coming on, dying to have me squirming around like an idiot. It was a good chance to have the first shot at live animals with the new set-up, too, so I chose to take one of them. The rabbit was only 20 yards away so I was well inside my comfort zone. I placed the crosshairs deadon behind its eye, and squeezed the trigger. As with most young rabbits, it spun backwards and did the usual gymnastics routine, then it lay still a couple of feet from where it was shot. I decided to move on to another spot so I bagged the young rabbit and slowly moved further up the field.

Bipod ready I’d been walking for about 15 minutes when I noticed a good-sized rabbit sitting out in the field opposite me. I had good cover from the hedgerow between us, and a gate just where I needed it to get a shot off. I slowly

crept up to the gate, and I could see that the rabbit had moved, but as I peered over, looking along the hedgerow, I could see it 35 yards away, sitting close to a hole. I managed to slide my body over the gate, still hidden, and my only concern was noise off the metal, but luckily, I managed to get over unnoticed. I had opened the legs of the bipod before I climbed the gate, so I laid down in the grass ready to take my shot. With the longer distance, I only aimed slightly higher than normal and the rabbit slumped forward as the pellet did its job, and after the impact I noticed a couple of young rabbits sit upright in the grass further along the field. I knew if I took a steady walk down to them I was sure to get a shot off. Young rabbits tend to look for little longer, and then run, so I was in with a good chance. I also had the benefit of an electric wire post between us, so I made sure of keeping this in position as I stalked them. When I reached the post I was only around 28-30 yards away, so I decided on a kneeling/rested shot. The rabbits knew I was there but had no clue what to

expect from the green moving thing, so the Impact did its job again, and number three was in the bag. I had decided to take the pictures I needed while I still had good sunlight, and it was not until I was taking the third group shot that I noticed a couple of rabbits sitting no more than 30 yards away, watching me. Perhaps I looked a div running back and forth checking the camera and they thought it was funny to watch, but it was to be the downfall for one of them. With the Impact right in front of me, I slowly picked it up and turned to line up on the larger of the two. The rabbits just sat and looked for too long, and number four was soon picked up. The photo shows where my kit was, to the bushes on my right, so you can see how unusual it was for two rabbits to be sitting there and watching me.

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Right: I’m not sure black would be my first choice

Main: The new rubbercoated stock felt great

I could have shot more during this session, but I wanted to take some shots with the camera, too. I will be back for another session with my good friend, Mick, so you can read all about how we got on next month. One last thing; a reader all the way from Australia noticed that my air filler cap from the Impact was missing in one of my articles. Geoff Cheah, I hope that you have read the article fully now, and noticed that I had forgotten to put it on the rifle after filling it up! Unfortunately, I also lost the one I borrowed off my buddy, Mick, that day too. You give a valid point though; you should always put your dust caps on after filling especially if you are taking the rifle out in the field. ■

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“On this trip, testing the new set-up, I could not be selective. Horses suffer badly when rabbits dig up the fields so they must go, no matter the size”

“I know some people like eating young rabbits, but I think a larger rabbit is more of a challenge and makes a better meal”

I was well pleased with my modest bag

Young rabbits tend to stay longer before running

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This exciting new competition promises to be a great day out for all

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ompetition shooting is excellent fun, yet can be a little intimidating to beginners or those who’ve never shot against other airgunners before. The new HFT Masters series, sponsored by BSA Guns, was designed to welcome everybody, from the newest beginner to seasoned competitors. The courses will be set so that they’ll be enjoyable for everybody and you won’t need the latest kit or to be a top shot to hit the targets. Help with setting up and zeroing your gun will be offered alongside shooting coaching, all free of charge. The rules have been kept simple and easy to understand, so you needn’t worry that you’ll feel silly and not do things right. Competitors will be divided into two tiers, with experienced folks being pitted against each other, whilst the others can relax away from the supercompetitive types, and just enjoy their shooting. Everybody has chances to win, not

only by scoring well, but also in a draw for every entrant, which shares out £500 at each and every event. There will be other giveaways that aren’t related to your score, just that fact that you joined in. Course-setting has been carefully

Main: The tier two winners from the first event looked how they should: happy!

Below: In the serious class Barry Smith took round one

“Course setting has been carefully designed so that everybody has an equal chance of hitting the targets” designed so that everybody has an equal chance of hitting the targets. They won’t favour right or lefthanders, or even tall or short people. Fairness is the name of the game. At Air Gunner we’re happy to see lots of competitions for our readers and anybody living near, Lea Valley, Cambridge, Horsham, Coventry and Emley Moor should go along to their next

meeting, even if it’s just for a look. You’ll be made welcome and people will show you how the competitions work and let you get a feel for the day. Hunter field target shoots are run all across the country and this is just one of many events that run this style of competition. It was intended to be shot with ordinary rifles and scopes, so you don’t need to spend fortunes on top-class competition kit to have fun and a chance of winning. If you visit www.hftmasters.net you can find out lots more about the competitions; which dates they’re on and the venues they’ll be held at. The organisers have run one event already, which was a great success, and are looking forward to the next, which will be Sunday 26th July at Cambridge HFT airgun club. Directions to get there are on the website and we hope you’ll go along and have fun. ■ www.hftmasters.net

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Looking for the right kit in the Marlow area? Then look no further From the outside you’d never know just how much they stock

Their new compressor is being installed now, allowing them to offer dive-bottle filling, which is great news for all their pre-charged pneumatic owning customers. It’s always handy to be able to get your tank filled while you’re buying a tin of pellets. Of course, no gun shop would be complete without a good selection of clothing and footwear, and Emmett & Stone understands this well. The owners are shooters themselves so they understand what we need, and stock good, strong kit that will take it in the hunting field. Why not go along to visit them? On the 5th of September, they’re having an open day when you’ll be able to try out many of the airguns on a range, to get a good feel for the gun before you buy. ■ Emmett & Stone Wilton Farm Marlow Road Little Marlow Buckinghamshire SL7 3RR 01682 474187 www.emmettandstone.co.uk Opening times: Mon – Sat 9am to 5pm Closed Sundays and bank holidays

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estled in the corner of a farm, near Little Marlow, is a very surprising shop. From the outside it looks small, but inside it’s like the Tardis and is packed from floor to roof with all the goodies that any shooting man, or woman for that matter, might require. It’s only been there for four years, but in that short time has built up a reputation for stocking the things that we really want, from posh shotguns to a huge selection of airguns. They hold Air Arms, Crosman, Gamo, Walther, Weihrauch, BSA, Daystate, Hatsan, Stoeger, and have recently become an Impact Airguns dealer. Alongside these, they have all the scopes, mounts, gun slips and other accessories you need. Being a serious gun shop, they have servicing and repair facilities in-house, and are able to handle springers, Co2 and PCPs because the staff have received specialised training from British manufacturers. It’s great to know that your gun can be serviced without it needing to go back to the manufacturer.

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“Inside it’s like the Tardis and is packed from floor to roof with all the goodies that any shooting man could want” All the important airgun and scope brands are in stock

Pumped and ready for action? You will be with the

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WEBLEY VMXPART 2 In part two Neil Price finishes servicing this modern classic springer here was evidence of grease and oil on the face of the piston seal and signs of burning. This indicates that dieseling has been taking place. With it being contaminated and very loose, this could have been the cause of the ‘slamming’ that the owner was talking about.

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The new mainspring, piston seal and breech seal were supplied by Solware –

Solware Ltd, Unit 1 Tame Valley Business Centre, Magnus, Tame Valley Ind Est, Tamworth, B77 5BY. (UK). Telephone : 0844 357 0306 ( Local Rate ) Email: [email protected] As can be seen in the photograph, the old mainspring was much shorter than the replacement.

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The old piston seal was removed by using a screwdriver as a lever. The new seal has to be fitted over the stepped end of the location spigot.

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Fitting the new seal is made a lot easier by heating the seal in a cup of hot water to make it more pliable.

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Some Moly grease on the outside of the piston seal and on the piston end-bearing

surface, on the spring guide and the outside of the mainspring, and we are ready for reassembly. The guide is a different colour because I decided to make a tighter fitting one for the new spring, out of Delrin. It is not essential to do this, but if you have the time and inclination to do it, then it can reduce mechanical noise.

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When fitting the piston assembly back into the compression cylinder, I always ease the lip of the new seal over the edges of the cut-outs to prevent them from getting cut or chipped by just forcing it past. Make sure that the cocking slot in the piston is lined up with the cocking lever slot in the action.

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Insert the spring and guide in the action and place in the spring compressor. Wind in the spring and end cap until the cross-pin holes are aligned and then fit the cross pin.

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When refitting the trigger assembly, the piston sear has to be held down against its return spring pressure. I find a simple way is to tie it down and leave the string on until it is almost in position in the action. Insert the trigger assembly through the slot in the action, making sure that the safety

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button locates properly in the end cap

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With the trigger assembly in position, fit and tighten the retaining pillar nut.

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Smear some Moly grease along the cocking slot and on the ears of the cocking lever. Fit the cocking lever lug through the slot in the anti-bear trap link, and then fit the cocking link ears through the hole in the action to locate in the piston.

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Put some more Moly grease on each end of the cocking arm. Line up the holes in the cocking arm and barrel block, and refit the pivot pin.

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Reattach the antibear trap link return spring. The only thing to do now is to refit the stock and then see if we have made any improvements to this rifle. I put a few shots through the rifle into my pellet trap (an old Argos Catalogue) to settle things in a bit, and then did a ten-shot string through my chrono.

Shot No

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A 6 fps spread over ten shots is quite acceptable on a springpowered rifle like this, and the muzzle energy is right where I wanted it to be. I think the owner will be well pleased with these results.

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The rifle is now a lot quieter mechanically and seems to shoot very smoothly, with no trace of the original ‘slamming’ sensation. Any spring-powered air rifle, after having this type of work carried out, will increase a little in muzzle energy after a few tins of pellets have been put through it and the new components bed in. I am quite happy with these initial readings of just over 11

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Velocity (ft/sec) 566 567 569 569 570 571 570 567 565 570

Muzzle Energy 11.38 11.42 11.51 11.51 11.55 11.59 11.55 11.42 11.34 11.55

ft.lbs. and am confident that the rifle will remain legal at under the 12 ft.lbs. the absolute limit for unlicensed air rifles in the U.K. After putting new springs and piston seals in spring-powered air rifles, it is imperative that a chrono is used to check the muzzle energy, so that you know that your rifle is legal.

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START ’EM YOUNG

Gary Chillingworth has some good advice for parents

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question that is often asked is, “How do I get my children into shooting?” As a dad it is a question that I have often asked myself and, to be honest, it is a tricky one to answer. All children are different. What is right for my lad, Jacob, is probably not the same as what’s right for other kids, but I hope I can pass on a few ideas that I have picked up from my time on the HFT circuit, and a few things that have been suggested to me by other parents who have successfully got their kids to shoot. The first thing is obvious; they will only enjoy it, if they want to do it. As you all know, I love HFT. It is my

passion and it steals way too much time from my family and friends, but I am sad to say that my son could not really give a fig about shooting. I have tried to get him interested and he is happy to shoot a few cans in the garden, but that’s about it. To be honest, he is more interested in his tennis and iPad than he is in shooting HFT with his old man. So, should I push it and make him come with me? Well, as I am sure most of you already know, you can’t make a child enjoy something they don’t want to do, but I have offered it to him and one day I hope he will come around. For those of you, who have kids who want to shoot, then half the

battle is won, so where shall we start?

Dylan

Main: Gun rest and a Ratcatcher are the perfect start

My good friend, Paul Relf, has a son, Dylan, who is five years old and he loves all things shooting. His dad is an ardent HFT shooter and hunter

Right: A spinner is good fun which encourages the kids

“as Dylan gets bigger and stronger and moves on to an air rifle, all of the above techniques will have already been ingrained into him”

Left: Freya Spencer handles a full-size rifle with no problems

and when I asked him about how he was going to get Dylan into shooting, Paul told me something that makes a lot of sense. ‘Nerf guns!’ Paul went on to tell me that Nerf is brilliant, they are perfectly safe and you can get yourself and your child to learn about aiming, trigger control, muzzle direction and safety. Paul recommended having a separate gun that is used for training and a second gun that is used for having fun. This way a child knows that when he is using his training gun, he has to Ô

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your local shooting establishment for their rules and conditions.

Back garden

Left: Rudy Goldslade won the Worlds at just 15

If a club is not on the cards, then back garden plinking is the next best thing. It is perfectly legal to shoot in your back garden as long as you do not fire your gun within 50 feet (15 metres) of the centre of a public road, in such a way as to endanger or impede any road user. If you are in rented or council accommodation, it’s best to get permission from your landlord before any shooting takes place because a lot of councils do not allow it on their properties. It is imperative that you have a good back stop, and make sure it is bigger than normal; youngsters often take time to learn about precision. I have been told that a good-quality gun rest can be a real boon for teaching kids because this way you can control where the rifle is pointing and the child only has to worry about pulling the trigger. Once you have made sure you are 100% safe, it’s all about having fun.

Drastic plastic

Right: A resettable target is harder to miss but you’ll still need a good back stop

treat it like a real one and learns to differentiate between guns. Paul has taught Dylan how to load, aim and squeeze the trigger, and this has all been done indoors with only the odd broken vase to worry about just don’t tell his wife. Now, as Dylan gets bigger and stronger and moves on to an air rifle, all of the above techniques will have already been ingrained into him and even though he will still have to be supervised at all times, there will be an inherent understanding of gun safety. I think now is a good time to have a look at the law (June 2015) and what the ruling is about youngsters with air rifles and pistols.

The law states: “It is an offence for anyone under 18 to carry an air weapon, unless they

are under the supervision of a person aged 21 or more. “They must be on private land and have permission from the occupier, or they are shooting as a member of an approved club, or they are shooting at a shooting gallery for miniature rifles.”

“The first thing is obvious; they will only enjoy it, if they want to do it” So, with the above in mind, how do we move on from shooting a Nerf gun? Well, if your child were over the age of nine, then I would strongly recommend joining a club. Most clubs will not allow children under nine to shoot, and this is because of insurance, but it is well worth asking

64 AIR GUNNER www.airgunshooting.co.uk

Personally, I am still a fan of shooting plastic bottles; they are easy to hit and if you stand them on the ground in front of the backstop, then they should be safe to shoot, as long as they are at least eight yards away because of ricochets. Tin cans used to be fun, but they can create jagged edges and you can ricochet off the curved surface. Spinning targets are also good and so are the paper ones

rpkz

that can be printed off the Internet. Attach them to a large box full of sand, and away you go. Just have a secondary back stop behind the box, just in case. As your children get better, you can decrease the size of the target. I often purchased big bags of Extra Strong Mints from the £1 shop, and I liked to shoot those because they are easy to hit and they explode into a dust cloud, which is always fun. When the kids get a bit older, it’s time to get them to a club or into the field. If hunting is your thing, then I have been told that it’s a good idea for the first few times to give your child a camera instead of a gun. Now, I know I am teaching a grandmother how to suck eggs, but I have to say that before any of us hunts for game, we must be a good shot, and with good equipment. We have to be certain of a clean kill and until we are sure, we have a duty to stay on the plinking range, but if you want to teach them to stalk, let them creep up on a rabbit and get its picture; if they can get close enough to do this, then there is a good chance they can get close enough to get a clean shot. The club scene is great for children. I have shot with youngsters from 9 to 16 and all of them seem to love spending time with their parents out in the field. Last weekend, I shot at Cambridge HFT and there were two lovely young ladies taking part with their dads. Emily Jones and Freya Spencer took part in a tournament and did very well. In fact, I have been told that

Above: Taking your kids along adds a new dimension of fun to any day’s shooting

Right: Dylan Relf shows his dad how to do it

the pair of them knocked down many targets that their fathers missed, but their dads asked me not to mention that. The club scene is geared up for families and if your youngster needs a bit of help, as long as you let the organisers know beforehand, then this is never an issue. Once they have cut their teeth at club level, it’s then time to take them on the road, with tournaments like the Southern and Midland Hunters, and then the nationals. Let’s not forget that in 2014, Rudy Goldslade who was just 15, beat 359 fully-grown shooters to become the World Champion, so age is no barrier.

Catching on Below: Emily Jones’ custom Ultra fits her like a glove

The manufacturers have also cottoned

on to the growing youth market, and there are some great rifles out there that are perfect for the younger shooter. The daddy of them all is the Air Arms S200. With its light weight and short reach, it is a perfect first gun and luckily, it is accurate enough to use in tournaments for years to come. Hot on its heels is the BSA Ultra, which is every bit as good, and then you have the upstarts like the Brocock Contour or the Weihrauch HW30, if spring-power is for you. No matter what your shooting sport, if your kids are up for it then get them out there and shooting. They are the future of our sport and in all the time I have been involved in this wonderful world of shooting, I have never seen an unhappy kid with a gun in his hand. ■

“The club scene is great for children. I have shot with youngsters from 9 to 16”

www.airgunshooting.co.uk AIR GUNNER 65

RRP: £699.00 Incl Diopter Sight & Quickfill Adapter

66 AIR GUNNER

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FIELDS OF

GOLD Jamie Chandler takes a BSA Gold Star afield

“possibly the only air rifle you’ll ever need to buy - a very brave boast indeed”

O

n their website, BSA claim that the Gold Star SE ‘really is the ultimate all-round air rifle, possibly the only air rifle you’ll ever need to buy’ - a very brave boast indeed, so I have borrowed one to see if it’s true! There are also some paranoid types in Internetland, who believe that every review is a paid for promo by airgun manufacturers and not a real test, so I thought I’d bring in some outside opinions. That’s right, fear us all you conspiracy theorists; unbiased airgun enthusiasts from Lains Shooting School, near me, gave their honest opinions! First though, I wanted to put the Gold Star SE through its paces out

on the farm. At this stage, I should also point out that .177 pellets are a nightmare for me because I was born with no hands - as is a scope covered, single-shot PCP loading port. To experience similar for yourselves, simply try loading with a pair of thick mittens, but replace the thumbs with expletives and finger joints with impatience. Simple, huh? We all know from excellent reviews by airgun royalty, Mr. Doe, at our sister publication, Airgun World, about the excellent, fully-adjustable trigger; the completely adjustable butt pad, cheek piece and hamster, ensuring that the stock fits perfectly, the very clever air stripper that can

Above : Stunning - and the gun’s not bad either!

Below : Field of Gold!

reduce windage, the shot count of 75 regulated shots in .177 and the regulator itself. What I wanted to know was whether or not the Gold Star could actually deliver for me on BSA’s claims, both in hunting and target shooting. In walnut, this rifle looks and feels the part, evoking images of a Formula 1 racing car; form and function perfectly aligned, simple, solid quality. That said, we all know of great-looking airguns that have let themselves down with terrible performance or reliability issues, so let’s not get too carried away.

Hushed whisper There were three things I needed to

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www.airgunshooting.co.uk AIR GUNNER 67

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do before hunting: adjust the stock, fit a scope (Hawke 3 – 9 X 50 Airmax AO AE) and replace the air-stripper with the VC moderator from my R10. Instantly, the Gold Star’s aggressive bark became the hushed whisper of a

with you. Nothing cures difficulty like necessity! At every raise of the Gold star SE into a firing position, there was little need to adjust to the scope. The fact that I had taken the time to adjust

Above: Bench shooting the BSA

“They’ve created a gun that I could hunt with all day, and then happily take to an HFT course the next” prime hunter. Next, I needed a pellet that matched, and H&N FTT proved excellent. Several hundred practice shots later, and we were good to go, and I could have got away with less but hey, I was falling in love. The cycling of the bolt on the Gold Star was simple pleasure, like dipping a spoon in warm syrup, smooth and quiet with just a hint of a click when fully cocked. As explained above, for me, loading a tiny .177 pellet into a loading port covered by a scope was never going to be elegant, but I got there. If others have similar dexterity problems, my advice is simply only take the one gun out

the stock and hamster to fit me meant that the rifle came on to aim quicker, and with no ‘getting comfy’. The trigger was sheer beauty, like a pleasant walk up a slight incline through the first stage, followed by a freezing skinny dip in a glacial pool as the crisp, clean break of the second stage ensured that the pellet was sent quarry-ward without a hint of creep.

Shot placement I rarely use .177, so getting used to the calibre and light pellets with wind took some practice, but Crikey O’ Reilly, when mastered the

68 AIR GUNNER www.airgunshooting.co.uk

Left: Loading up simples! Below: Mike Steyrs on target (See what I did there!)

now hushed bark of the Gold Star was replaced by razor sharp teeth! Accuracy was simply amazing and as my confidence grew, so did my love for the gun. The hamster - until now, only experienced by me as a useless smelly rodent with no tail, living rent free in a garish rota stack - really aided kneeling, uphill and standing shots. The fact that it took about a minute for me to reload was a small sacrifice, but meant that I had to be certain of my shot placement, which with the regulator doing its job perfectly from 235 bar down to 100 bar seemed no great impediment. This rifle was really beginning to find its way on to my wish list. Out harvesting long-eared crop crunchers, the Gold Star SE delivered

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time and again. Almost undetectable with what seemed to be a lowshine coating over the rich barrel bluing, aided by the natural look of the walnut stock, rabbits were left none the wiser to my approach. The hamster gave more ‘steady hold’ options on unsteady ground, the muted muzzle rapport was barely audible and I even managed to reload in the dark. Big tick for BSA! This gun is an ideal hunter and with the addition of a sling would be even better. Next, it was off to Lains Shooting School, a brilliant airgun and clay shoot near me in Hampshire, to try the Gold Star on HFT targets. Amongst a great bunch I met there were Collin, the Range Warden and original proprietor, who was shooting

an Air Arms TX200 .177; Mike, who shot a Steyr, and Martin, who had brought his BSA Air Sporter .22, untouched in over 15 years. What would they make of the BSA Gold Star SE? Collin was first to have a go, and having witnessed his considerable prowess on one of the four airgun ranges on offer, I knew he could shoot. Picking out a 40mm spinner at 35 yards, Collin smashed it, standing unsupported. “It can certainly hit something, can’t it?” was his understated first comment and after a few more shots he was very impressed with both the quality and balance of the gun, the trigger and its accuracy.

Above: Mine’s a double!

Above inset: 35 yards pinpoint accuracy!

Nothing but praise Second was Mike, and being that he

“Accuracy was simply amazing and as my confidence grew, so did my love for the gun”

Right: Collin takes aim

was shooting a Steyr, I thought it might be a bit ‘downmarket’ for him. Mike, however, thought the opposite, and after a good try was very positive. He liked the Gold Star’s solid weight and although at first thinking it a tad short, found the balance great. Mike also thought that at £899, the Gold Star represented very good value. Third up was Martin, who spent the most time with Gold Star, in part because I was having so much fun with his Air Sporter! He really put the Gold Star through its paces, hitting 20mm kill zones out to 55 yards and again, had nothing but praise for it. Others joined in the trials but were less keen on photos, although 9 out of 10 were very impressed. One guy was not happy with an earlier rifle from BSA so wouldn’t buy the Gold Star SE, but conceded he would if it were was made by a different company! In my view, BSA have done it. They’ve created a gun that I could hunt with all day and then happily take to an HFT course the next. I simply haven’t felt impeded with the single-shot and, honestly, it will hurt me to give it back. If you’re in the market, you really won’t get more pleasure from an airgun, or for your money, than with the Gold Star SE. As to biased reviews - go meet the guys at Lains Shooting School and ask! ■

Below: Martin springs into action

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RABBIT PAELLA

Jane Price uses an authentic Spanish recipe to enjoy some summer rabbits

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f you have been abroad on your holidays recently, you may have returned with memories of buying local produce in the markets or eating in beach-side restaurants. The aroma of the food, the sounds of the sea and the laughter of your family all make happy holiday memories that last. Paella is a must if you visit Spain and there are different regional variations, which include seafood, snails, beans and tomatoes from the region. It is a sociable meal, often using an oversized pan over a fire in the open air, with people gathering round for a bit of a party. The original paella, ‘Paella Valenciana’ from Valencia, was made using chicken and rabbit, not the seafood version we usually think of. Paella rice is different from rice

Above: A delicious way to enjoy the summer rabbit surplus

72 AIR GUNNER www.airgunshooting.co.uk

used for risotto although you can use that if you have it, and the cooking method is different. For risotto the rice is added at the beginning and stock added in small amounts. With paella, the rice is added after the stock and spread across the top of the pan and not stirred as this would allow the steam to escape and the rice wouldn’t cook evenly. The base may get crispy which gives a nice chewy crunch, and overall, the paella should be oily and juicy but not wet. The pan used for paella has a large flat base and is shallow. You could use a large frying pan if the base is flat. My cheap paella pan was bought from my local supermarket and works well on the large burner on my range cooker. In this recipe I have used rabbit, chorizo and large flat mushrooms.

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TIP FROM JANE If you have any paella left over, it makes a great lunch for the following day. Just spoon the paella into a box and put into the fridge as soon as it has cooled. You can add cherry tomatoes and a drizzle of olive oil to make it more of a salad. All the ingredients are easy to buy

Instant packed lunch! Or reheat in a pan with a drizzle of oil and serve with a green salad and some warm bread. Try the paella with a nice cold glass of white wine - I always look out for a special offer on Cava to keep the Spanish theme. First sizzle the chorizo

Next add the onions and cook until clear

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Left: Add the tomatoes

Right: Sprinkle the rice over the mixture

Below: Slice the mushrooms and lay them in

www.airgunshooting.co.uk AIR GUNNER 73

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RABBIT

“It was time for a quick reappraisal of my hunting strategy, and my flask of coffee and packet of Jaffa cakes helped me to focus on how to get the best out of my evening”

I

was very lucky recently; I managed to negotiate a couple of days off with the boss, who is of course my wife, Mel. The deal was that I would spend one day catching up on jobs around the house and one day out on my permission. Unfortunately, a day of heavy rain stopped me getting to my permission, which resulted in me spending two days working around the house. Mel was delighted; I was disappointed, to put it mildly. However, rather than dwell on the lost opportunity I checked out our family diary and found that there was, unusually, a gap that Saturday evening. I should explain that my Saturdays are divided between visiting my club, Mid Shires Marksmen, (www. midshiresmarksmen.co.uk) and acting as the ‘taxi of Dad’ to my two teenage children, so this would be an opportunity to try something new. The trips I have previously made to my permission have always been

Main: Shooting prone was nearly impossible in the long vegetation

carefully planned and in the early morning, so this one was going to be very different. At the weekend, the business centre car park where I have parked on previous visits was shut, so I needed to find somewhere new to

“Much to my disappointment it was not a fox, but a large, ginger tom cat”

Right: Getting away from this was great

76 AIR GUNNER www.airgunshooting.co.uk

park. The most obvious place would have been across one of the many gateways around the permission, but whilst this would have been very convenient for me it would have blocked access to the field for anyone wanting to work in it, and I can think of no better way of losing permission than causing inconvenience to the landowner. After spending 20 minutes driving around nearby lanes, I found an empty lay-by and parked my car there. I have written previously about my new air rifle, the FX Cyclone, but for this trip I would be using my Air Arms S410K Superlite, which is always at the front of my gun cabinet. It does not have the glamorous walnut stock of the FX, but it is a very practical pest control rifle and will always be my first choice.

Parking up As I would be parking near to a row of cottages and crossing a public road,

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RECON Russell Webb cuts his coat according to his cloth

I kept the S410K in a Jack Pyke gun slip until I had entered the land on which I have permission to hunt over. The closure of the car park had forced me to explore an area that I had not paid much attention to before, and I was excited about the possibilities it had to offer. The recent weather had been a mixture of sunshine and showers, so the wheat crop was now almost fully grown, which presented me with my first challenge; I would not be able to get out into the field and ambush the rabbits by shooting prone, with my rifle on the bipod. The weather had also encouraged the growth of grass and weeds at the margins of the field, which would make seeing the rabbits difficult, and any stalk very challenging indeed. It was time for a quick reappraisal of my hunting strategy, and a flask of coffee and packet of Jaffa cakes helped me to focus on how to get the best out of my evening. I always carry a compact pair of binoculars

whenever I am out on the permission, and I don’t just take a quick look through them, but use them slowly and methodically to search every inch of ground for my quarry, and then plan my hunting route. There was movement at the edge of the wheat field, about 35 metres away from where I stood; something was definitely in there. I stood very still and waited for whatever it was to make its way to the edge of the field. Perhaps this would be an opportunity to see who else was out hunting rabbits on a Saturday evening. Much to my disappointment, it was not a fox, but a large, ginger tom cat, and a well-placed stone and some muttered swearing, sent it on its way. The evening’s hunt would be challenging enough without having competition from that cat.

Stealth My plan was to make my way around the margins of the field in as stealthy

Right: The rabbits bolted across this gap before i had a chance to shoot

Top: Parking was tricky, so I was as descreet as possible

manner as possible, and to take whatever opportunities presented. As I made my way around the edge of the field of wheat, I was able to observe some of the damage that the rabbits had caused to the crop. The rabbits had eaten the top part of the wheat plants, where the grain is, rendering the plant worthless. The rabbit population in the UK is estimated to be around 45 million, and they eat their way through 20,000 tonnes of farm crops every day, which costs the farming industry an estimated Ô

www.airgunshooting.co.uk AIR GUNNER 77

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£100 million every year. If anyone is looking for a hunting permission, a rabbit-damaged wheat field would be a very good starting point, but don’t even think about approaching the landowner during harvest time – he, or she, will be far too busy to discuss hunting permissions. I did disturb numerous rabbits as I moved around the field, but the cover provided by the wheat meant

disappointing not to be able to stalk or ambush any of these rabbits, the enjoyment I got from being out on my permission on a warm spring evening more than made up for it.

Above: I kept my rifle in its slip as I crossed the road

Always greener Eventually, I made my way toward the paddock, which is at the bottom end of my permission; the family that lived in the house adjacent to the paddock

Right : Some plants were damaged beyond recovery

“The sound of the pellet impacting on the rabbit’s skull broke the early evening silence” that I didn’t see them until they bolted for cover. Sometimes, they were so close that I could have stood on them. It made me appreciate that a shotgun, with its wide spread of shot, is the best pest control tool for use against a moving target. It would be unacceptable to try to take a shot at a moving target with an air rifle, though, because a clean kill cannot be guaranteed. Although it was

had recently moved out and taken their horses with them. This paddock has always been out of bounds for members of the syndicate because any shooting might have disturbed the horses, and with a house at the far end of it, there was always going to be an issue with safe backstops. Previously, I have never given the paddock much attention, but I decided that I would use my binoculars to conduct a visual

Left: The rabbit damege is clear to see here

Right: When pest control is the job, rabbits msut be taken, no matter their size

78 AIR GUNNER www.airgunshooting.co.uk

reconnaissance to assess its potential. There were about five or six rabbits in the paddock, and one in particular was close enough for me to be confident of taking a shot. I didn’t, though, and it was a very difficult decision, but my permission was difficult enough to obtain and I was not going to risk losing it by shooting in an area that was out of bounds. As I made my way back toward my car, I spotted a young rabbit at the edge of the field I had previously worked my way through, and it was about 50 metres away, completely oblivious to my presence. Carefully and slowly, I worked my way along the hedgerow and then dropped down on to my stomach to obtain a stable platform from which to take the shot. The sound of the pellet impacting on the rabbit’s skull broke the early evening silence, and with a final kick of its back legs, it rolled over. I left the rabbit and went back to the car to get my camera because I needed to take some pictures to accompany this article. When I returned about five minutes later, there was very little of the rabbit left. Something had taken advantage of the opportunity and had a free meal - I just hope it was a fox and not that ginger cat! Next time, I will tell you about my plan to obtain permission to shoot in the paddock. ■

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HAWKS ‘a’ DRIFT Steve Prime asks if you can have fun on a budget

A

lot of airgun shooters I know are retired and have plenty of time to enjoy their favourite pastime. If you are self-employed, like me, with extremely busy schedules, always chasing your tail and never knowing when you will find 10 minutes to take a breath, then it is all a little different. I work, dreaming of retirement, so I can enjoy my hobbies and yet at the same time do not want to get old and frail too quickly.

Below: The modern Accupell outshot the old stock Milbros

Main: The old camera tripod makes a great rest

They call it life and, as many say, we should make the most of it, so when the opportunity arises to pull myself away from the rat race and find time to catch up with things, I grab the bull by the horns. For some, being in the open air, at peace with the world, cycling, fishing, playing golf, or whatever you’re fancy, makes the daily grind almost worthwhile. Airgun shooting has always been my passion, although in latter years some of the enjoyment has lapsed due the commitments of running a club, hosting competitions and maintaining ranges. Don’t get me wrong, I do enjoy it, but now find it difficult to enjoy my shooting in the way I did. So, what do I look for to give me a buzz and renew my lost passion?

Range time I love to go to the range with a couple

of mates, with a new or secondhand rifle, to sight-in and play with, knowing that I have a couple of hours out in the open air alongside nature, to enjoy a damn good plink. On this occasion, I was armed with two tins of .22 pellets and an old Webley Hawk rifle, a set of mounts and a cheap scope - all supplied by Leicestershire Airguns of Melton Mowbray. The object of the exercise was to see if it’s possible to shoot on a small budget with second-hand equipment of a bygone era, and have fun. The set-up would cost around £140 if you were to buy it from the retailer, and on first impressions I would say it was a bargain. The Hawk is in good condition with a quiet cocking action and fairly smooth two-stage trigger. The safety works well and the wooden stock has a deep grain with only a few knocks. As you would expect from a rifle of this age the bluing is a little pitted, but a

“So what do I look for to give me a buzz and renew my lost passion?”

Bottom: At 15 yards the Accupels grouped well

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Crosmans, but sadly we only took the two types.

Happy boy

wipe with some gun oil improved the general look of the metal work.

Above: The stock showed some nice grain

Build up With mounts placed and scope attached, I thought ‘let the fun begin’. We started at 15 yards and were lucky enough to mark the target with the first shot. This meant a few left-to-right tweaks to centralise the shots, followed by height adjustment, and we were getting close to our expected aim points. Out to 30 yards, a few more tweaks, and it was all action over the length of the range. My mates

Below: The Hawk is a standard break-barrel

Bottom: Just plain good fun for very little money

have what I think are the best and cheapest reacting targets - cherry tomatoes - in two words; fabulous fun. Best of all they are totally biodegradable and last a good couple of weeks if you don’t have your eye in on the first visit. Plenty of

I felt the exercise had been a great success, and to answer the question, you do not need a big wallet and brand-new gear to attain good results and create a lasting grin factor. You do need to be careful when buying second-hand, but with a little patience and a good eye, you can grab a bargain. Dave is always one for a bargain and will utilise anything. His tripod is an old camera stand, which now stays in the car for all his range visits. It is a brilliant way of steadying the rifle and yourself, making sighting-in that much easier. On returning home and before starting this article, I hit the Internet. No, I did not ask Jeeves, but trawled Google to see what I

“In my opinion the Webley Hawk is a well-built, extremely accurate springer” chat and banter with the odd little competition thrown in and it is amazing how time flies - both of my mates enjoyed the old Hawk as much as me. It was time to change pellets, so back to 15 yards with a paper target to see what results we could obtain with ‘old versus new’ ammo. I had some really old Milbro Caledonians which I felt were a little inconsistent and Pete had bought some Crosman Accupells, and from the off it was obvious which pellets best suited the Hawk. The Accupells were a lot more accurate and consistent from 15 yards up to 45 yards and definitely gave the best results. At this point, we all wished we had other makes of pellets to try, and improve further on the

could find out about the Hawk. As I thought, there were reviews and, to my amazement, they were quite varied and biased to the bad. Mechanical failings were the main culprit of the Hawk, especially the safety and as one reviewer said ‘bits falling off!’ This is not something I came across while I had the Hawk, though. Maybe, over time, all the gremlins had been sorted on my loan model. In my opinion, the Webley Hawk is a well-built, extremely accurate springer with the right pellet, and would make a great bargain, hunting tool. It certainly gave me a great few hour’s pleasure with a couple of mates, bringing me back to normality after the hustle and bustle of everyday life. ■ Grapes are another favourite

It was sold in several variants

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SWAP SHOP REMEMBER you DO NOT have to be a registered firearms dealer (RFD) to sell your airgun as part of a private transaction, and this transaction DOES NOT have to be ‘face to face’ – though you must ensure the buyer is over 18 years of age. Are you looking to sell a gun? Dedicated gun enthusiasts read Air Gunner every month; if you’re looking to sell then they’re looking to buy! Alternatively, is there a gun you’ve been trying to find? Are you a collector or just looking for a particular treat? For all your buying and selling needs, Swap Shop is here! For only £4.00 (40 words max) your advert will appear in the next issue of Air Gunner and on our website. We are now able to accept your advert at www. airgunshooting.co.uk or by post addressed to Air Gunner Swap WEIHRAUCH HW75 pistol + Nikko Stirling Diamond XT mini red-dot speed sight + pellets (500), plus targets £300 ovno. Tel: 07971 572719 (Nottingham). BIRMINGHAM WEBLEY Xocet carbon look stock. Red-dot sight, Theoben strut £200. Theoben Sirocco 1988 with silencer and scope £375. Walther LGV Master, scope, silencer as new £380. Weihrauch 97, Tony Hall tuned, 12 x 42 scope £200, Chinese under lever tuned, silencer and scope £100. Tel:01743 614551 (Shrewsbury). MARVEL SPRING COMPRESSOR. DIY easy build, blue print included, photo’s £7 as used by Cardew. Tel: 07474016449 (Scotland). AIR ARMS PRO SPORT .22, mint condition £325. Logan mk11 .22 mint condition £400. Tel:07527892985. WEIHRAUCH HW100 KT thumbhole ambi .177 mint with box and paperwork, 2 mags and silencer. Fired less than 100 shots £675 will post.Wanted, BSA RB2 Stutzen mint and boxed. Also Webley Senior .177 cleaning rod. Tel: 07821 283976 (Leeds). SPARES OR REPAIR; Action from SMK QB78D target model .177. This action appears to have upgraded parts fitted, £10. Deep ventilated stock for SMK QB78D target model. VGC, upgrade your basic model

£40. Tel: 07890781668 (Leicester). BRITANNIA AIR rifle wanted in .25 + .177 stamped Cox’s or Anglo Sure Shot C.G Bonehill, plus pre-1960 underlevers by BSA, Diana, Original, Falke, Webley etc and any other spring operated item including air pistols. Tel: 01689 852862. BRAND NEW generic trigger mechanism for BSA Meteor. Email for further details and photo’s £20 + £1.50 p+p. Email: s.r.doherty@ btinternet.com WEBLEY SENIOR pistol, W & S on handle. Some pitting, overall sound working gun, perhaps pre-war. Best offer please. Photo’s available if required. Tel:01237 238716 ( Devon ). DAYSTATE MK4 .22, mint condition, silencer, spare mag, gun bag, choice scopes available £900. Hatsan 125 Sniper .25, a real tin can buster, sling, scope, gun bag, £300. Hatsan 88th thumbhole stock, scope, gun bag .22 £250. Webley Stingray XS .22, scope, gun bag £200. Tel: 01353 688599. BSA R10 .22 with 3 X 40 scope, 2 mags VC silencer, all work done by XTX Air £695. Tel: 07747 783080 (Northampton). BROWNING 800 .22 excellent condition, hardly used, comes with special carry case plus 3 tins of pellets £145. Tel: 07561 083508

Shop, Evolution House, 2-6 Easthampstead Road, Wokingham, RG40 2EG. Please include your name, address, telephone number and a maximum of 40 words and make all cheques or PO’s payable to ‘Air Gunner’. Get your information to us by 10th MARCH for your chance to be in our MAY issue. We cannot guarantee which issue your advert will appear in. Please note that we cannot take your advert over the phone, though for any further information call Sharon on 01189 742 524 or 01233 621497 (call after 5pm, Kent). AIR ARMS TDR .22 + scope + laser sight, as new less than 500 shots. Genuine reason for sale £550 Tel: 07702 456297 evenings (Hertford). WEBELY HURRICANE .22 air pistol fired less than 50 pellets, virtually new. Plus Webley pistol scope and mounts, unused, £140 plus postage.Tel: 01588 640867 (Shropshire). DAYSTATE HUNTSMAN Midas Limited edition rifle, no. 150 of 400 made. Fitted with latest Harper patent slingshot valve system, special American walnut stock and rosewood grip, cap also fitted with gold finish tube and fittings. Silencer, Viper 4-16 x 50 IRS scope, £980. Tel: 07894 115435 buyer collects (Lancashire). DAYSTATE X2 Merlyn Ltd Edition rifle no.7 of 50 made. Fitted with satin chrome tube + silver black laminated stock hand made by Gary Cane. Viper 4-16 x 50 IRS scope, silencer, 10 shot mag. Mint condition £1,500 buyer collects. Tel: 07894 115435 (Lancashire). HAWKE ECLIPSE IR riflescope 4-16 x 50, mounts and manual £60. Bergara all terrain chair, turnable seat, detachable legs, packs into supplied carrier £50.

excellent condition £15. Hawke monopod, unused, extends from 1m to 2m £15. Tele: 01702 200718 (Essex). PARK RH 91W .22 recoiless underlever, bolt action classic rifle, with Bushmaster scope as new condition. Other items include hard case made to contain the rifle and accessories, £200. Buyer needs to collect as kit is quite heavy. Tel: 01202 881608 ( Dorset). WEIHRAUCH HW77 .22 with Simmons 4 x 32 sights, fur lined sling gun bag, all in mint condition £220. Tel 01343 821594 (Scotland). LOGUN MKII Professional .177 airgun with standard barrel and sporter walnut stock, complete with Logun carrying case. Trophy winning action, highly polished and tuned bold and trigger mechanism. Only used in exhibitions and matches. Mint condition. £800 + £30 p+p. Tel: 01594 564156 (Glos). THEOBEN FENMAN PROFILE .177 scope in excellent condition £500 ono. Old type Weihrauch 77, new spring and guide scope £120 ono, Webley Tomahawk, walnut stock, scope tuned excellent condition £400, Walther LGU scope mint condition, boxed £320, Diana pistol and scope mint condition £200. Tel; 0174 3614551 (Shrewsbury).

Airgun Centre fleecy gun cover,

The editor reserves the right to edit adverts as may be required. Swap Shop is a service offered to readers who wish to undertake private transactions between themselves. There is no need for such transactions to be made face to face (unless an airgun is FAC-rated), but Air Gunner requests that all due caution is excercised when buying or selling an airgun. You must adhere to the current airgun laws. You can’t buy an airgun if you are under 18 years old. The Swap Shop is not offered to those who sell airguns as part of a business.

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Post-War Plinkers Part 2 by John Atkins Additional photographs by Bob Brisley, L.R.P.S and Chester Purllant

Figure 1: From the top: German Diana Model 1, British Diana Model 15, British Diana Model 16 and a Webley ‘Junior’ air rifle no. 532

Figure 1

Figure 2: Bygones. Full cartons of obsolete British slugs by Lane’s, Milbro and W. Darlow for use in .177 smoothbore airguns Figure 3: Milbro Hollow Slugs in .177, .22 and .25 advertised c.1936 by Millard Bros. Ltd.

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ast month, I looked at the Webley Mark III and BSA Club/Airsporter air rifles, which were considered as powerhouses among air rifles in post-war years, and now I’ll feature some lighter weight postwar airguns and rifles. I was only two years old when the Webley Mark III arrived, but if I’d been old enough, and rich enough, to buy either a Mark III or an Airsporter in those days, I don’t know which I would have decided on. To this day, I still have no preference. I like them both equally. While it’s good to see several excellent, smaller air rifles made very appealing to

youngsters of around 14 years, because they resemble the adult models, it seems the age of the smaller child’s smoothbore ‘slug gun’, firing the old parallel-sided slugs has sadly gone. This period was roughly from the 1860s, starting with American airguns through to the cease of production of the British, Diana boys’ Models 1, 15 and 16, after Milbro ceased airgun production in 1982. Following this, M & G Dianawerk of Germany regained their Diana trademark in 1984. The Milbro pellet business was sold off to former employee Jim Mark, and the popular Caledonian, Jet, Rhino, etc. brands continued. Juvenile smoothbore airguns like the once famous German (and later British) Diana Models are shown in Figure 1: Top: German Diana Model 1 from Oct. 1937, British Diana Model 15 (Oct. 1966) and British Diana Model 16 (Sept. 1960) and a Webley ‘Junior’ air rifle no. 532 have, in some ways, been rather replaced by soft airguns - which can be equal,

or even more fun for garden shooting due to their faster firing rate, as long as due care is taken. I do have soft airguns, but there’s no substitute for the sheer nostalgia of setting off into the garden on a fine day for some plinking with my old Junior Dianas - or a smooth-bore version of the Webley Junior rifle and a cardboard box of cup slugs. I can afford to shoot and experiment with some of these now collectable slugs because I have a good supply of full packets bought when I still could - a few of these being shown top centre in Figure 2. Nowadays, apart from ‘Marksman’ brand, I can’t think of any waisted pellets still available in cardboard cartons. If you can think of any, please let me know. Despite the rising costs of tinplate, the plastic tubs don’t seem to have caught on as general replacements to tins.

Garden Slugs Regular readers will know that I’m methodically documenting historical airgun ammo in this magazine, in order of when types and brands originally appeared, and I am up to Part 5 and the start of the 1900s. I’m still looking at the now almost forgotten use of ‘slugs’ - commonly known as ‘Cat’ slugs - although to be strictly correct, that name should really only be applied to Lane’s products, because the Cat was a Lane Bros., registered trademark of 1895 that was originally for airgun shot cartridges.

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Figure 4

Figure 4: Mint Milbro ‘Scout’ c.1947 and later boxes of Milbro cup slugs Figure 5: Early Milbro No. 1 slug tin. Believed early post-war as advertised the Milbro ‘Scout’ and for being suitable for ‘Gem’ airguns. [Photograph: Chester Purllant] Figure 6: : Diana Mod. 16 in use by my great nephew Matt Brisley. This is a late production model with the thicker, pale Danish beech stock Milbro used at the time

Figure 5

My friend, Alan Hamer, of Manchester Air Guns had informed me that: ‘Milbro were the last’ of the British parallel-sided lead slugs. At that time, I was also unsure of the date when production ceased, prompting me to write to Milbro Sports in the hope that they could give me a quote about what influenced their decision to stop the production of the Milbro cup slugs in their usually white packets, also seen in Figure 4 where later boxes are shown with a mint Milbro ‘Scout’ c.1947 airgun. It’s documented elsewhere that Milbro began making airgun pellets in 1950, but the Milbro Hollow Slugs were around in 1936 this being the estimated date of the pre-war Millard Bros. Ltd. catalogue page reproduced as Figure 3. Their head office then was at 467, Caledonian Road, London, N7, and their Scottish warehouse at 152 Clyde Street, Glasgow, C1. My guess is, Lanes of London initially made the Milbro Hollows pre-war in all three calibres - as they did the Triumph waisteds shown alongside them. Collector Chester Purllant has photographed a quite early tin of Milbro No. 1 slugs labelled for the Milbro ‘Scout’ and ‘Gem’ airguns shown as Figure 5. Much worn and difficult to photograph, we are unsure of the date, but it’s probably early post-war because the Scout airgun is advertised on the tin. Soft-tail (tufted) darts for airguns, too, seem to be little used nowadays - although they are still on sale, and with the advent of new Milbro darts are apparently suitable for use in rifled barrels. I hope they will see a revival. In one respect only, darts are safer than pellets, because there is no need to keep walking uprange to be able to make out where your shot has landed. The often splayed-open, coloured flights are much more visible than a small pellet hole from a distant firing point. Darts are re-usable, of course, and another benefit is that during competitions among friends each using different coloured dart tufts on a common target, any arguments about whose dart has hit the bull can be avoided! Safe gun-handling and eye-protection are needed for airgun dart games, so I prefer to 86 AIR GUNNER www.airgunshooting.co.uk

take the wires off an old bristle dartboard and paint in the necessary boundaries and numbers where needed, to save damaging the dart points - and prevent any darts glancing off, after striking steel wire. My own thoughts were, that with the lack of juvenile-type boys’ airguns with smooth bore barrels intended for slugs and darts, the demand must have dwindled. I personally think it’s a shame slugs have gone, because they were perfectly adequate for closerange informal plinking in the garden with low power smoothbores at very small cost. I suppose all modern shoulder airguns are rifled now, and waisted pellets suit these best - just as they were first designed to do, when initially developed back in 1904, but I was very interested to hear of any other reasons.

Jim Mark explains Although retired as director of the Milbro Caledonian Pellet Co. Ltd., Mr. Jim Mark kindly came briefly out of retirement on May 11, 2010 to comment on my question, after Milbro Sports has passed my letter to him to answer. Jim Mark explained: ‘We stopped selling Hollow Pellets to retail shops circa 1989-90 as the market changed due to smooth-barrel guns diminishing. We continued to sell Hollow Pellets in Packs of 5,000 to the fairground and stopped manufacture 1998-99. Airgun darts are still sold by Milbro in the UK and exported.’ So Jim confirmed my thoughts that rifled barrels eventually killed the parallel-sided slug trade. It was interesting to hear how the firm continued to sell Milbro Hollow Slugs in bulk packs to the showmen for fairground use, for maybe another nine years after stopping supply to shops. I recall that much earlier in the 1950s and ‘60s on my visits to Mrs B. Forrest’s travelling funfair, the pellets were always waisted - four shots for sixpence (2½p), dropped into an upside-down round metal lid (probably from a pellet tin), nailed to the counter to stop the pellets rolling off and getting lost. These were usually Greene’s pellets to suit the rifled BSA Cadets and Diana Model 25s, (and later some ASI Paratroopers). I never saw parallel-sided cup slugs given out in the years when I was a punter on the air-rifle galleries at Forrest’s.

Figure 7: The Webley ‘Junior’ air rifle no. 532 retained the half-pistol grip style butt of the pre-war German Diana No. 22 Figure 8: : Webley Junior air rifle model advertised by Thomas Bland & Sons (Gunmakers) Ltd. Catalogue No. 59 believed to date from 1959 Figure 9: Early Webley ‘Ranger’ numbered 239. Note the impressed cording to fore end, rather than a traditionally-cut grasping groove Figure 10: Cylinder markings for Webley ‘Junior’ and early ‘Ranger’ air rifles without telescope plates fitted

I never saw deliberately bent barrels, either, and I still have dozens of pale brown, green and clear fairground drinking glasses, glass ashtrays and other prizes ranging from gimcrack objects to surprisingly good quality items won on Forrest Fair’s numerous rifle ranges, to prove the rifles shot straight! I’d carry my shooting prizes home proudly as a boy and my parents would pretend to be pleased with them, before hiding them in the gloom at the very back of the glass cabinets. As time passes, it will become increasingly hard to find examples of even mass-produced boys’ airguns like the small Dianas and the already scarce Webley ‘Junior’ rifle. Figure 6 shows a Diana Mod. 16, in supervised use by my great-nephew, Matt Brisley. This is a late-production model with the thicker, pale Danish beech stock that Milbro used at the time.

Figure 6

hpyn|uGjvsslj{pvu Figure 8 Figure 7

Webley’s Lightweights It’s difficult to pinpoint the dates of introduction of Webley’s post-war air rifles intended for young shots. It’s obvious that the first one - the Webley ‘Junior’ model air rifle (Figure 7) was a copy of the pre-war Mayer & Grammelspacher German Diana No. 22, and generally accepted to have been made post-war by Milbro for Webley & Scott, after Millard Brothers acquired tooling and equipment for making the smaller model airguns from the German Diana factory as part of the war reparations - along with the name ‘Diana’. A Thomas Bland & Sons Gunmakers Ltd. catalogue later than the early 1950s edition I featured last month is Catalogue Number 59 - all the airgun pages being printed on pink paper. Figure 8 reproduces Page 184 featuring the Webley ‘Junior’ rifle for the young shot, still advertised with machinecut rifling - button rifling having been later introduced by Webley to the ‘Ranger’ air rifle in 1963. Figure 9 shows an early Webley ‘Ranger’ numbered 239. Note the impressed cording to fore end rather than a traditionalcut grasping groove. The cylinder markings for both Webley ‘Junior’ and early ‘Ranger’ air rifles are compared in Figure 10. The Webley ‘Ranger’ air rifle model was advertised on page 183 as ‘the latest model’ in Thomas Bland & Sons (Gunmakers) Ltd. Catalogue No. 59, with solid steel barrel, breech block and more of an English-style pistol grip than the ‘Junior’- see Figure 11. From the top in Figure 12 is a Webley ‘Junior’ no. 532; ‘Ranger’ no. 239; later ‘Ranger’ no. 424 with straight scope plate; ‘Jaguar’ no. 607 (arriving late 1963 to replace the ‘Junior’) plus another ‘Jaguar’ no. 9044. The numbering system is a mystery, because most seem like batch numbers - whilst my higher 9044 sounds more like a serial

number. Figure 13 compares an early Webley Ranger, serial number 239 (top) with corded grasping groove in the fore end and a solid steel cocking link lever with a later example of the Ranger (serial number 424) with parallel-sided ’scope mount and pressed steel cocking link. Bissell roll pins for the lower air rifle have replaced the barrel axis and link pivot bolts with slotted nuts in 1965 although in 1967 the link pivot pin reverted back to screw and nut for the Ranger and Jaguar. An unfortunate spelling error renamed the ‘Jaguar’ - the ‘Jaquar’ on the guarantee seen as Figure 14 - this document opening out to give a component parts list and photograph with all Jaguar parts common to the earlier Junior air rifle. In response to questions posed by Airgun World in August 1977, Webley’s official date of introduction for the ‘Junior’ Air Rifle (‘Jaguar’) was 1947. Alterations over time were given as: Cording removed from stock in 1965. I suspect they were getting confused with the ‘Ranger’ model here, which Webley stated was introduced in 1954, but in my opinion later, in 1959. The ‘Jaguar’ barrel pivot pin and loading lever (cocking link) pin replaced by Spirol pins and telescopic plate fitted also in 1965; loading lever pivot pin reverted back to screw and nut in 1967 and leather joint washer replaced by rubber washer in 1970. 1947 has always seemed rather early to me - there’s no mention of the Junior rifle in Webley Secretary Eric Bewley’s December 1947 letter to dealers regarding Webley

products - and 1948 does seem more likely. It was clearly around then, because my Webley Price List No. F.70, dated January 1949, lists the Junior Air Rifle at a retail price of £3.12.0 (£3.60) plus approximate purchase tax as 18 shillings (90p). Just how much work Webley did on these ‘Junior’ rifles themselves, apart from just roll-marking the cylinders, or complete assembly from Milbro parts, is unknown. However, an interesting aspect to the story appeared in Mr. Bob Stevens’ amusing and informative account of his days after joining Webley in 1948, aged 16, when he worked in the air pistol assembly shop on the first floor, under foreman, Jack Wilkes. There, he graduated from filing fray off stock-sides, making piston rings from flat bronze strip for ‘Seniors’, to sitting in the hardening shop for hours on end checking sears for hardness on Ô

Figure 10

Figure 9

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a ‘Rockwell’ hardness tester. About half the men in the shop had returned to Webley’s from the war, having been in the Army or Navy. Bob Stevens was put to work next to Arthur White, late of the Tank Corp in Egypt, who assembled Webley ‘Senior’ air pistols, marking each with his mark of a ‘D’ under the trigger guard. I have some of these in my collection. Bob Stevens tells how, during his employment, Webley designed, tested and put into production a new, cheap air rifle, the name of which escaped him after nearly 50 years had passed before writing his account. The names: ‘Junior’ or ‘Ranger’ meant nothing to him when the late airgun researcher Ray Hill put them to him, whilst at

Figure 12

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the time clearing with Bob that I might include passages from his account. Bob and another young lad called Frank, were asked to fire slugs through it until something broke or went wrong. They spent dozens of hours in turn, incarcerated in the bowels of the earth, firing at every conceivable target: light bulbs, match boxes, beetles, pennies, flies, not to mention paper targets and, when boredom took over, into a bucket of sand. From Bob’s remembrances, the barrel of this cheaper Webley was not a drawn, seamless tube. This consisted of an outer steel pressing, with the join underneath, and one or more similar tubes telescoped inside, finishing off with a rifled, brass, seamless tube swaged over one or more of the steel tubes. Their testing revealed a design fault with the pre-production model; the barrel did not remain straight! However, changes were made and eventually this composite barrelled, air rifle went into production. This 1948 period certainly seems to tie-up with the coming of the Webley ‘Junior’ Air Rifle. Although apparently, not realising the small rifle was anything other than 100 per cent Webley, it does sound as if the two young Webley workers had been given the job of thoroughly testing the Milbro-based product to destruction before the Webley name was allowed to be applied. Why would Webley need to test so thoroughly, in 1948, a German design that had been in production since 1926? Well, don’t forget they were not testing the German product - but a new British one that

had been made on machines obtained from Germany. Whilst in pre-war days Webley’s chief tester, Frank Morton, had been responsible for the testing of the ‘Service’ Mk. II air rifle to exhaustion, his successor Mr. Reuben Edkins, the Webley range supervisor and chief tester in post-war days, would have been too busy to devote all his time to testing a junior model, so the job was entrusted to Bob Stevens and his friend, Frank - and who better to test a ‘Junior’ model air rifle than two young lads? SOURCES: Thomas Bland & Sons Ltd. Catalogue No. 59; Webley Archives and ‘Meet Your Maker’ by Bob Stevens in Trafalgar Muzzle Loaders’ Club Journal, Milbro Sports and personal correspondence with Jim Mark, May 11th, 2010. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: My thanks to Gordon Gardiner for kindly contributing Webley material and to Jim Mark and Webley specialist Jeff Hyder for input. ■

Figure 13 Figure 11: Webley ‘Ranger’ air rifle model advertised as ‘the latest model’ by Thomas Bland & Sons (Gunmakers) Ltd. Catalogue No. 59, with solid steel barrel and breech block Figure 12: From the top: Webley ‘Junior’ no. 532, ‘Ranger’ no. 239; later ‘Ranger’ no. 424 with straight scope plate; ‘Jaguar’ no. 607 and ‘Jaguar’ no. 9044 Figure 13: Top: early Webley Ranger, batch? number 239 with corded grasping groove in the fore end and a solid steel cocking link lever. Below is a later example of the Ranger (numbered 424) with parallel-sided ’scope mount and pressed steel cocking link Figure 14: The ‘Jaguar’ guarantee opens out to give a component parts list and photograph with all Jaguar parts common to the earlier Junior air rifle

Figure 14

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“A good tip is to put some fallen branches or stumps near the feeder because squirrels like to get off the ground and feed”

Follow Jerry on Facebook For more info:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/ Penrith-and-District-Red-SquirrelGroup/487229667979369?fref=ts near the feeder because squirrels like to get off the ground and feed. Scatter some feed about, leave it for few days and then go back, check and refill if needed. If feeding is taking place, get into the wood and in position, nice and early the morning after filling up feeders. Give it a try and you’ll have some great sport while reducing the numbers of these damaging pests. ■

A great bag for just a few hours work I still love my Mk4

another four greys around the feeding area, so that was 13 in the bag and only a few hours into the session. We left the pick-up, and I was going to watch the feeder whilst Ando had a walk about for an hour or so.

Clear View I settled into the hide, and after a few minutes of sitting there and watching the birds back and forth to the squirrel feeder, I heard a chattering to my left. Slowly turning my head, I could see a grey kitten, about 20 metres off and looking straight at me, swishing its tail about. Slowly, I moved the mk4, shouldered it, and looked through the scope. I had a nice clear shot, so I flicked the safety off, sent the Sovereign pellet on its way

Ando’s handiwork. Feeders work so well

and the tree rat kitten fell straight to the woodland floor. Two hours later, Ando returned carrying four more greys, and I had shot another one on the feeder; 19 in the bag, and just about dinnertime. What a cracking morning of pest control! I can’t recommend the use of feeders/feeding areas enough. If there are squirrels in the area, they will find them. Pick your area; take into consideration background, sheltered area, sunrise, and clear away any debris on the ground. A good tip is to put some fallen branches or stumps This little pop-up hide has served me well

www.airgunshooting.co.uk AIR GUNNER 91

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