What airguns do you consider to be the most Iconic, or Classics?

What airguns do you consider to be the most Iconic or most classic?

I always thought the prettiest airgun I ever saw is the FX Tarantula with it's Turkish Walnut stock with the snobble forearm. I never saw a lefty version but I think that would have been too tempting to pass up.

Another gun that blew me away was a AA Shamal I saw in Little Rock at an airgun show many years ago. Some of the Smamal had very beautiful stocks including maple spacers and rosewood forearm and grip caps.

The Falcon airguns was one of the prettiest line of PCPs ever.

For springers, the older HW rifles with the rounded butt grips and dropping butt stocks were always a favorite. They had those stocks on the HW 35 and HW 50. The ones that were also checkered the best of the best.

Add to the list,

David Enoch

Older, pre-Air Force- RAW rifles with walnut stocks for sure. AA and Daystate rifles are always very attactive and accurate. FWB 300 series are beautiful, classic, and accurate rifles. Many nice ones are still available from time to time.

Posted by: @davidenoch

What airguns do you consider to be the most Iconic or most classic?

This could drift into 'beauty', 'accurate' etc in the best eyes of the individual.

In my eyes, the most iconic & classic would be those with the longest production runs. Daisy Red Ryder for example. Years ago I bought a new RWS 34 with a leather seal and it is still in production, minus the seal so I know that one has been around a while. So my answer would be those that have sold the longest. R1, R7, R9, P1 HW77,97,50,35...all still in production also, albeit with mods over time. Though no longer made, the FWB 24/27 (production run?) has a huge following and still commands a premium price certainly fits the bill (springer POV).

So which ones have had the longest production both past and/or present? There's the correct answer. Of course only one individual's opinion.

Sheridan Blue and Silver Streaks. How many generations of air gunners got their start and love of the sport from having one??

Daystate Huntsman. Many models. All exceptional.

On the springer side I think it would be hard not to consider the HW35 a classic. Being in continuous production since the early 1950's and with all it's variations it could also be a collection in and of itself.

For more modern classics, I think few would argue against the little HW30/R7 or the Diana 34.

For target oriented spring guns I think the FWB300S and Diana Model 75 would fit the bill as classics.

Not into the PCPs myself but I will agree with David that the FX Tarantula/RWS Excalibre is a fine looking rifle and should be considered a classic for it's styling alone, lol. And I'm also with David that a lefty version would look great and just might have been the one that could have pushed me to the darkside, lol.

@stevep

How could I have forgotten the Sheridan pumper?! Especially when there's a rocker safety Blue Streak in the closet and it was my first "adult" airgun!

Posted by: @jim-in-swmo

@stevep

How could I have forgotten the Sheridan pumper?! Especially when there's a rocker safety Blue Streak in the closet and it was my first "adult" airgun!

Yep, my own '73 Silver Streak.

Also no arguments about the R7 (mine's a Huntington Beach in .20 plus a newer R9 also in .20) or the D34 (mine are a 2002 T01 in .177 and a custom D34k Premium in .20)

I have or have had lots of others but those are the higher end stuff of what I still have.

I would include the HW50 and the BSA Stutzen (that I was stupid enough to sell).

At this rate we will have a full list of all airguns ever built, so I might as well add my contributions!

Springer: HW77, the senior-most of the triumvirate of the classic underlever springers. (HW77, HW 97, TX 200). In my opinion the mk I 25mm version is close to the perfect airgun one could have.

PCP: AA S 4xx/5xx series for being the best allrounder pcps ever built. Mind you not necessarily the best in any particular category but better than good enough in all the categories. Doesn't hurt that it has been in production for two decades now-- that's some longevity in the rapidly changing world of pcps!

CO2: QB 78. Modding them seems to have fallen out of fashion, or at least reduced a bit since I joined airgunning, but surely these cheap and cheerful airguns must have inspired more ingenuity and labour of love than almost any other airgun.

Crosman 600, 150, 160, 400, and 180 cartridge guns and the 112, 114 bulk fill guns. Also the 101, 392 and 397 pump guns. Benjamin 312 and 342 pump guns.

One ore classic Crosman, the M1 carbine bb gun.

1948 Mk1 Airsporter

I like the look of the airsporter from the side but the ones I have seen in person the sloped section at the back of the receiver was pained instead of being blues and always seems to have some paint missing. If that piece was blued steel I would like it a lot more.

Another favorite gun for me is the Webley Tracker. Webley made of lock of good looking guns.

Oh, the Beeman C1! I love the old Giffard rifles from the 1880s and the Girandoni from even earlier.

David Enoch

+1 for all of Jim in SWMO's choices for springers!

I might add what IMHO is the most important springer design of all time: the Lincoln Jeffries pattern BSA underlevers.

Webley Tempest

Crosman 600

Crosman Mk I, Mk II

BSA Supersport

Any Falcon in a skeleton stock

Daisy 880

Probably anything Robert Law liked

When I think "iconic", I think of something most would recognize because it saw widespread sales and use: Sheridan, Crosman 160, AA underlever, HW95/R9, etc. I'll second guns like the Daisy Red Ryder, 880 and Crosman 760 too.

Classic? I'll defer.

@davidenoch

Posted by: @davidenoch

Oh, the Beeman C1!

Hi David,

Couple weeks ago I watched a C1 go for $579 on Ebay. Absolutely perfect specimen with the optional front sight hood in .22, special order. I was going to go for it but have enough on my table as it is. Kinda regret it now as it will be a while before one like that comes along again. I actually talked to him a couple times on the phone. I believe it was everything he said it was because I bought his Huntington Beach Beeman P2. That one was exactly as he said...shoots to factory specs with a 7gn wadcutter. Also paid house off a year early but still regret not accepting his phone offer for a package deal before it received a bid. The C1 was catalog perfect. Classic Birmingham Webley. No other platform like it.

@straitflite

My only gripe with the .177 C1s I have owned is that you have to keep the barrel pointed down when there is a pellet in the chamber and the gun is open. The oversized chamber will let pellets fall out if you lift the barrel to close the action. I don't know if this is true for the 22 cal or not. Over the years that led to a few shots without a pellet which isn't good for a springer. I love the straight wrist stock and it fits the way I hold the rifle when I shoot off-hand. All in all, I prefer my old Supersport Lightning though. It is a little more accurate, a little lighter, and about the same size.

David Enoch

@davidenoch The Vulcan family did use a long tapered breech leade (which is exactly what was recommended in the classic book, "The Airgun From Trigger to Target," BTW!). This design is very forgiving of different pellet designs, but with most pellets does benefit from a gentle nudge with a seating tool.

Never owned a .22 one but I would guess it's similar.

Posted by: @mdriskill

+1 for all of Jim in SWMO's choices for springers!

I might add what IMHO is the most important springer design of all time: the Lincoln Jeffries pattern BSA underlevers.

Did somebody mention Lincoln Jeffries?

This is about the 1300th Lincoln Jeffries "H the Lincoln" manufactured at BSA assembled at Lincoln Jeffries 1906. Second batch. It has the early cast trigger guard with tang and the original first design loading tap. 43 1/2 inches and .177. Still shoots strong. It's the only one I've ever seen offered. It's not a BSA. It's a Lincoln Jeffries.

This is what put BSA on the airgun map. The BSA air gun produced and assembled by BSA 1905-7 at the same time as the Lincolns (alternately) was simply called " The BSA Air Rifle". Before the Improved Model B 1907 or Improved Model D 1908. Side button Improved Model D 1911-18. What most consider the Standard patterns (front buttons) came after 1919.

And the winner is : 1975 Sheridan

x

And of course the first co2 cartridge pistol. Who hasn't enjoyed a co2 pistol?

First airguns offered with scope.1959 Airsporter Mk2 and Meteor Mk1. The scope is so cheap it's virtually unusable. LOL! It is unusable! Beautiful guns but the scopes were really, really plastic crap. Cheesy! Like a toy scope. The Mk1 Meteor is definitely the cream of the Meteor crop. The only Meteor to have IMHO. The only one I do have. The only one I want. Nice little gun. Well made like a Diana 27 (even though it uses some stamped parts) but not quite as good trigger. Nicely blued. Many have nicely figured beech . Over 600 fps in .22 with 11.9 Hobbys. More power than the 27. Last picture is the BSA scope. It looks way better than it is. And it doesn't even look real great. Within a year or two they offered a better scope. These are some of the top guns British boys wanted.

Posted by: @stevep

Posted by: @jim-in-swmo

@stevep

How could I have forgotten the Sheridan pumper?! Especially when there's a rocker safety Blue Streak in the closet and it was my first "adult" airgun!

Yep, my own '73 Silver Streak.

.

I love my .20 Cal Silver Streak. I added the peep sight on it also.

.

My choice would be the HW35. It's been in production for f-ing ever, it's gorgeous, Rekord trigger, and it shoots well, for a lifetime. Comes in flavors from plain-jane to full-on beauty-queen. I had one years ago with the Bayern stock, and stupidly sold it. Been looking for another for lo these many years. When I find the right one, I'll know.