From then to now in a nutshell
Printed From: Kiwi Airgunners
Category: General
Forum Name: Flub's General Discussion
Forum Description: General discussion goes in here.
URL: www.kiwiairgunners.co.nz/forum_posts.asp?TID=729
Printed Date: 23 Nov 2024 at 6:48pm
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 10.14 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: From then to now in a nutshell
Posted By: kruzaroad
Subject: From then to now in a nutshell
Date Posted: 06 Jan 2023 at 10:00am
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So we are all into air guns, but what got you into them? What were your early years like. I'd be keen to hear. Me I started at about 12 and wanted an air gun so mum let me buy a bsa super metor and she got a daisy air pistol and we joined the local air gun club, so I could learn to shoot and gun saftey. On my 13 birthday she made me up a little card saying I had her permission to go hunting alone( in case ever ran into trouble) on the vast block behind us. Now all houses. (a couple years later me and my mates use to hunt each other with air guns in same block. Three pellets and 3 huge welts on my leg, acquired running from cover to cover from a crossman wheel gun soon changed my mind on that!) At about late teens I started a local gun club ( I. E set up in a wool shed) for the local farm kids to have somewhere to shoot and learn a bit of gun saftey. ( this was inspired by seeing how shocking their general gun handling was) I set up running targets and flip up targets, stationary targets. About the same time I first started playing with alterations and put a bsa barrel on a crossman CO2 revolver (sent barrel away to get machined) and sanded out the inside walls of gas chamber to dangours thinness to increase power. Set up shooting stall at the local rodeos and promtly had the kids from my gun club clean out 3/4 of my prizes and had to ban them for rest of day. I was hunting all through this time. After that got lost in world of cartridge rifles. Then many years later rediscovered my love of air gunning, which was about when I turned up on this site. Lot of good years and guns wasted by putting air gunning to side. So what's you story? |
Replies:
Posted By: Myson
Date Posted: 06 Jan 2023 at 5:46pm
Nice one Kruza!  Like you, I started with airguns, at age 5 - BSA Cadet .177 and the "Original" (Diana?) .22 - belonging to Dad. Located in remote Suffolk (East Anglia), I had lots of local farms where I could shoot air rifles, then shotguns, then rimfire .22's. In the 1950's and 60's, Suffolk was 80 years behind the times (great!) and wild game was plentiful. Massive hedgerows provided wonderful cover for Pheasants, Partridges, Rabbits, Hares, Wood Pigeons, Magpies, Jay's, Bullfinches..... And in the local barns there were rats, sparrows and starlings aplenty. Not to mention Wild Cats! At 14, I was Captain of my school's Smallbore and Fullbore shooting teams. We shot against other schools and at Bisley (200yds, 300yds, 500yds and 1,000yds) with the beloved SMLE .303 (MkIV). As I was the only person in our area with my own .22 (BRNO) - that I used with Aperture Sights for target practice at home in the remote countryside - I was often asked by local farmers to get foxes and wild cats that took the young penned pheasants. I'll never forget getting a 5 pound note from one farmer for shooting a wild cat that he'd been after for weeks with a shotgun. I waited all night in a willow tree, waiting for him, a real cunning bugger! At dawn he appeared, carefully approaching the pens down a hedgerow. I shifted in the tree to get a better rest and he heard me, stood still and at 100yds I had to shoot (with Aperture Sights!) because he was obviously nervous. He went down like a brick! I don't know who was more surprised - him or me?!!! That 5 pound note bought me ammo for a year! Then it was university, travel abroad, marriage, etc... so no chance to shoot again until I settled in lovely ol'NZ. I did manage a day shooting Fruit Bats with a borrowed 12-gauge in Western Samoa though, in 1987! Great fun - and if you skin them and put them on the BBQ, they are surprisingly delicious! They are called Pe'a in Samoan. As soon as I got sorted over here, it was .22's, .223's, 25.06's and 12-gauges again! Wonderful to be back into it. Shot here, down South, Stewart Island, etc... Loved it! Pigs, Goats, Deer.... a whole new ball game for me! Then, like you, I discovered the modern air rifles! I think I saw them first on Youtube and could not believe their power and accuracy. Once I'd got over the shock of the cost to set yourself up with a high quality PCP, I nervously bought the AA S410 .22 first of all! And I was hooked..... totally gobsmacked at their beauty, their triggers, their effectiveness as Pest Control weapons and Target Shooting. That was a few years ago now and I'm still hooked! Bought my own Dive Compressor about 9 years ago because I realised this was the sport for me! My rimfires, centrefires and shotguns now lie idle I'm ashamed to say! If I won Lotto, I'd have a gun-room with 50 assorted Springers and PCP's! Probably 100 methinks!!! Onwards and Upwards! Hopefully I'll live another 50 years (!) to enjoy this wonderful sport more... ------------- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eq7jVyBfFqE" rel="nofollow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eq7jVyBfFqE Air Arms S510 US .22 Air Arms S410 .22 Weihrauch HW97KT .177 Weihrauch HW95 .177 |
Posted By: kruzaroad
Date Posted: 06 Jan 2023 at 10:35pm
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Dude that's a great. Cheers for sharing that. Sounds like an awsome adventure through the world of shooting. I'm guessing the BRNO was prior to that period of crap rifles that came out under thier name. They are a great gun. I can see why pcp would appeal to you. I'm deliberately avoiding them. Two reasons 1: I would spend way to much and don't have space for compressors etc in car, when off farm and living in vehical. 2: challange. I enjoy the quirks of springers for shooting. It's added some thing back that the 22lr and I imagine a pcp lost. The need to get close. I've knocked a couple hares off from the house with 22lr this week, both would have been stalks and long shots with sig, but Toz and I'm guessing a pcp pretty much point and shoot. Love the only having the pellet fly less than 150m too. So nice on farm not having to worry about a projectile going a km+. Anyway respect. Sounds like your a very active and onto it shooter. Cheers |
Posted By: Myson
Date Posted: 07 Jan 2023 at 7:56am
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Yes Kruza, that old BRNO was one from the good days, prior to them going downhill. An absolute beauty - I could put 10 shots through a penny coin at 70yds again and again, even with aperture sights. I believe CZ has now restored it's reputation again? And I agree with you 100% - shooting Springers is far more challenging! Indeed, it's surely the hardest type of hunting you can do..... very satisfying! It's a great time to be an airgunner! My centrefire buddies don't agree of course! I think all that powder has addled their brains over the years!!!! ------------- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eq7jVyBfFqE" rel="nofollow - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eq7jVyBfFqE Air Arms S510 US .22 Air Arms S410 .22 Weihrauch HW97KT .177 Weihrauch HW95 .177 |
Posted By: kruzaroad
Date Posted: 07 Jan 2023 at 9:42am
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Yep they got back onto it. There is still that period of a few years that catches the unwary buyer. I think a lot cartridge shooters jump on a springer air rifle, think they will shoot it like a cartridge rifle and just give up. Hence pcp popularity. ( it is a winning formula for air guns pcp, no dought about that) Certainly is a lot lost in recocking a springer. Its actually one of the things I noticed with the under leaver cocking that when cocking as apposed to the break barrel where when breaking the barrel the whole barrel disappears with the motion, in a under lever you still have that motion but the barrel is still there and the movement of the gun is more noticable. Not such an issue with rabbits but knock of a quail from your possy in the trees and suddenly when they are all on alert that barrel movement with the under lever cocking movement is a huge eye catching movent. |