Make your own 'Air Rifle'

Interesting Malc, shame it didn't work out.

Curiosity - what is a single stroke pneumatic?

John

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""John W1 posted "Perhaps they were wearing crash helmets".

Perhaps also apart from having no idea of the rifle's power and therefore shooting irresponsibly, you didn't observe the six principles of marksmanship, didn't measure the distance, didn't know about correct shot placement and the angle at which your quarry presents itself, and didn't have confidence in your own abilities. If you hit a rabbit in the brain with an up to snuff air rifle under the 35 yards maximum, it's dead. The area in question is very roughly the size of a ten pence piece. If you can't manage that with good reliability, then you are wise to desist from shooting live quarry.

As a twelve year old, with a Mk 1 BSA Meteor (well under 12 ft / lbs) I clean killed dozens of rabbits at modest (but known through constant practice) distances. The same applied to wood pigeon, and still does some sixty years later.

I've had all sorts in my cabinet, from air rifles through .22 rim fire .222, .243 and once upon a time .308. In the right circumstances all are appropriate. You just need to know what you are doing.

"Maybe with something of an iffy kill aspect from 35 feet or even less" ... see the paragraph above. It is possible but futile to calibrate sights at ten yards, as it's pretty unlikely you'll get that close to a rabbit. The usual strategy is to sight in at twenty two yards which even schoolboys can judge as the length of a cricket pitch, and should be your ideal shooting range. Under that you hold low, and above it hold high, the degree depending on the characteristics of the particular rifle, and your knowledge of it.

I have organised rabbit shoots with guests using FAC air rifles, who through improper shot placement wounded the beast when a correctly placed 12 ft/lb gun would have given a clean kill. On these occasions I always use a shotgun as a back up plus a well trained dog (as in all other live quarry hunts).

It isn't the arrow that counts, it's the Indian.

Eug

A single stroke pneumatic is similar in it's operation to a spring powered gun. However, instead of compressing a spring, it compresses a volume of air into a closed space. They are sometimes called "gas ram" guns; if you imagine something like the gas strut on a car boot lid you get the general idea.

As a by the by, I never recommend using a spring powered gun, such as your Diana for hunting, they are far too finnicky as to how they are held; different hand placements give greatly different Mean Points of Impact and therefore an unacceptable degree of inaccuracy. This can be overcome with assiduous practice using what is called the "artillery hold" but in my experience few people have the required degree of application. A PCP gives another level of accuracy right out of the box.

Eug

You are just describing a Gas Ram powered gun such as a Theoben type not a single stroke pneumatic.

A pneumatic has a built in pump ,usually lever operated , which compresses air into a firing chamber then for all intents and purposes it fires just like a PCP. A single stroke is just that, usually seen on lower powered target rifles and would take a real force/mechanical genius to pressurise to the legal limit.with one stroke. I've still got a .20 Sheridan Blue Streak from the early 70s, a multipump that takes 6 pumps to get to the limit, after 4 it starts become a Bullworker.

after 4 pumps it starts to become a Bullworker.

lol I had a sharp innova as a kid which made quite a crack when it went off but things got a bit sweaty if you were using it a lot

Mick,

You are quite right, I'd forgotten the true single stroke jobs.

Eug

This is a FWB 601 single stroke pneumatic. Lovely triggers on these rifles.

Rather late to the party here but I see we have some Air-Gun Royalty contributing. It's a small world is airgunning (and about to become much smaller in Scots-land - but lets not go there). I have observed arguments for and against 12ft lbs rage on many forums and my observation is we are stuck with it and that is pretty much the end of it.

Plenty of people have built airguns in their sheds and gone on to become quite famous in the world of airgunning: Bowkett, Whiscome and Ripley just to name a few. So why not build an airgun? Here is one that inspires me?

the link to further pics HERE

Personally I am building a double rifle in 22 Hornet for myself but this looks like a really nice effort. I think If I had built that I would have stopped there and gone on to other things I am also a great fan of Set Triggers - but each to their own eh?

Air rifles are great though, easy to biuld, modify and tune. Get yourself a little Chronograph and easy to keep it all below 12 ft. Lbs. I like the FWB 601 Vic, but I have an old and trusty FWB 300s which can outshoot me all day long, I love some of the vintage stuff. I also have a Sharp Innova somewhere with Target sights on it - can't imagine you would win anything though, apart from the "Big Biceps" competition.

Well, off back in to the Bat Cave for another day's toil. Though made that much more interesting by my restoration of a .500 Express Double rifle made by some outfit or other called Boss and Co. Looking down the bores is like looking down a pair of binoculars! But I am sure this will make it's way into a thread all of it's own.

graham.

My Diana has gone - it's illegal now.

As there are some gun type people about and it's vaguely connected to building one I have one gun with a problem. C02 and very winchester like. It's pretty good in the summer, nvg on cold days. It went away for the winter and came out again next summer. Stuck the sparkets in it and gas hissed all over the place. Several seals must have gone in a rather short time. I can't see anyway of getting it apart to replace them.

It takes several pellets in a small round magazine and next one is selected in the same fashion as a winchester.

Any idea on how the thing is taken apart? This is the one

**LINK**

I still sometime still get the urge to go out and shoot at a swinging snooker target and like this one.

John

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Just in case there is an Australian who would like to build a firearm (air rifles spud guns, crossbows and many other items.) are all covered by the legislation, it is against the law. The penalties are onerous including jail time. No I am not particularly pleased, it is however law. For the very keen you can apply for a permit to manufacture for sale. That is if you like paperwork, security systems, Vaults, and regular inspection visits.

Regards
John

Oh and please (Please) don't let this post start a rant on the pros and cons of firearms legislation. Its intention was to inform nothing more.

I know this is now an old post but I have seen the for mentioned book along with a book I think called the tool makers air gun. Is it legal to make your own gun ? I now there is a power limit in the uk 12ftp for a rifle but do remember an article the other year saying the powers that be wanted to licence the purchase of engineering equipment to combat illegal guns. I think this was regarding the conversion of imitation guns though.

They did, i think it was during tony blairs time, and never happened. The idea of restricting and licencing machine tools, is like something out of Orwells 1984, or communist Russia, simply impossible unless the UK became a police state.

I don't know about the UK but Australia is well on the way, and not just in the area of gun legislation. So don't think it can't happen.

Unfortunately Hopper is right Australia is the world leaders when it comes to the Nanny or police state ! Overrun by hipsters and namby-pambies!

BB guns - banned

Slingshots - banned or need a permit - possibly banned altogether now .

Fire crackers - banned or need a permit - possibly banned altogether now

Firearms - strick gun laws ( stricktest in the world ? ) and semi autos banned .

Air rifles - come under firearms laws .

Fishing - licenced and under constant attacks by greenies who want to ban everything including cars - especially 4wd Vehicles !

And i could go on and on and on !

The only good thing our government has done recently is to ban those damne hire bike things that litter the streets .