Sadly our neighbour and farmer friend passed away earlier this year and He left me an air rifle to restore. Some would say a strange legacy but an interesting one. The gun, a .22 BSA, looked old and as it has turned out it seems to have been manufactured in about 1910 so it really is a few years old. It is heavy but made to last.
I cleaned it carefully, removing paint splashes and rust and oiled all of the visible moving parts. I didn't want to take the internal mechanism to pieces because I doubted that I would be able to get any replacement moving parts. The locked up moving parts, like the trigger and loading mechanism, have all freed-up and the rifled bore has been gently cleaned. All seemed to be OK and finally I tested the underlever that you use to charge the cylinder, it worked beautifully and there was a considerable amount of resistance and compression. A pellet was inserted and the lack of a safety catch duly noted.
Now the big moment. Will it work or won't it work? The loud crack of the discharge and the drink can twenty five yards away flew off the bamboo cane and clanged to the ground. The pellet had gone through the can, shattering the bamboo on the way and then through the fence into the shed on the other side. It definitely works and it's not one for youngsters to get ambitious with. The old BSA has been promoted to vermin control duties for a second life after years of gathering rust and paint splatters in a forgotten corner.