What Was Your First Air Pistol?

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micken
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Re: What Was Your First Air Pistol?

Post by micken » Sun May 19, 2013 4:49 pm

Webley Junior .177 in 1970 that I mostly shot in our garage. I used to shoot at targets pinned to an an old piece of scaffold plank. I once made a Bill Jordan style holster for quick draw practice and still have the shoulder holster that I made for it.

Nyctophiliac
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Re: What Was Your First Air Pistol?

Post by Nyctophiliac » Thu May 23, 2013 8:31 am

We always shot air guns since I was a nipper. My Brothers were ten years older than me and I remember them shooting BSA Meteors and two pre-war BSA underlevers in .177 and .22 (Twaangggg!). The Meteor had a cheap scope and you could thread a Polo at ten yards (Our limit of garden length), or light Swan Vestas (Phosphor matches). But the Pre-wars were powerful but wildly inaccurate - stacked tin plinking only.

We had a Webley Senior in .22 which I coveted, lovely grip, just made for hands (you have to hold one to know what that means) and wasn't yet the 'Wobbley' it later became (And still is BTW). And we also had my Mum's Girlscout pistol, a Diana model 2, which we weren't allowed to play with much.

One thing with the Webley I used to do was to cut out single plastic caps from those red rings that used to go into toy cap guns, if one was put into the barrel and fired against a hard surface (Side of the house, a wall etc) you'd hear a loud bang and a small burst of flame (Just the cap, no pellet) - this was great fun, but I realise now might have contributed liberally to the 'Wobbleyness' of the pistol currently. I did have to clean out loads of red plastic sprue from the rifling!!!!!!!

But my first air pistol I bought for myself, at the age of about twelve, was a black GAT in one of those boxes with a tiny tin of pellets, darts and corks. Such fun! I used to go on 'expeditions' with friends down the beach to a marshy area away from houses. Loaded up with with sandwiches, bottles of 'Cresta' (remember that? "It's frothy man!"), pellets and the two pistols. West Sussex was a much emptier area in those days - forty years ago.

Lots of tins and stuff on the beaches to set up on the groynes for a bit of plinking fun - not to mention some childish acting out of the latest episode of Doctor Who or Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.
I could probably still find the indentations left on the groynes from cocking the Gat so many times.

I realise this is turning into a Ron Manager 'Jumpers for goalposts' type musing, so I'll only say one more thing, in all that time we never entertained the idea of trying to shoot any living thing, it was like a taboo for us.

There you go, a Gat and a Webley - childhood memories that few children today could enjoy without getting hassled by grown ups - or indeed criminal records.

Of course, over the years since, I've procured other types of pistol: G10, Crosman 1322, Norica .83, Hy-score, Weirauch etc etc.

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Tank
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Re: What Was Your First Air Pistol?

Post by Tank » Thu May 23, 2013 4:09 pm

Reminiscing is not a bad thing. You know, "the good old days" - which weren't that good actually but we did have something that is lost today - a sense of honour and fairness. The Police saw you walking down the street with an airgun, there was no alarm - you were on your honour to not Fk about and if you did - well retribution was swift and merciless. And you took it. Because you just knew!
Nowadays - we would all get arrested for having a "firearm in a public place" and the copper would have to complete a ream of paperwork just so he could prove at a later date that he didn't give you a clip 'round the ear!

I best stop now.
graham.
I’m going off to go find myself. If I’m not back by the time I return, keep me here.
https://tamesidepistol.club/

Trouty
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Re: What Was Your First Air Pistol?

Post by Trouty » Wed Jun 15, 2022 9:13 pm

Mine was a Gat!
It had very little power- more akin to a potato gun but it certainly hurt like heck when I accidentally shot myself in the foot!! And I was wearing desert boots!

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Brimfire
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Re: What Was Your First Air Pistol?

Post by Brimfire » Sun Jul 03, 2022 10:12 am

A thread from the grave but, whaddahell, I'll bite.

First gun? A Gat - what else? I think mine was a factory accurised one as it could repeatedly hit an empty corn flakes box at 4-5 yards. Didn't penetrate both sides with darts though. I moved on/sideways with an SP50 which was followed with a G10 which I quite liked at the time but then I was just 15.

Much preferred it to the horrible S2 that came along afterwards. I remember that the trigger guard had some nasty sharp edges which drew blood. It lived on a diet of WD40 and anything that would fit in the barrel. After that, it was big guns for me with a Meteor then Airsporter.

A couple of years ago, I got a Gat chucked in with another gun I was buying. Ungrateful git that I am, I felt somehow cheated despite getting it FOC. Haven't seen it in a while. Really should dig it out and give it the abuse it so richly deserves - anyone for a Gat throwing contest?
Stirred, not shaken.

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