Don't Overlook the Classic Rifles!
A couple of years ago I stumbled into a gun shop that had, seemingly, almost everything a person could want.....magazines, fishing gear, guns, ammo, stocks, casting equipment.....and a large amount of "stuff" that defies description. But what I found interesting was that there were old airguns hanging unnoticed by the customers in the rafters.
I spent a good half-hour looking around the place, then asked one of the workers for a ladder. I spent several more minutes climbing up and bringing down treasure after treasure that no one else wanted. I found a Crosman Town & Country, a Crosman 114, a Crosman 600, and several Benjamin rifles of various models that were very reasonable in price. I also found a Crosman 112 with a box and an original CO2 tank. Those are getting a little harder to find these days.
Imagine, finding a Crosman 600 in rough condition for $19.95! Even in rough condition, it was worth over $100 to an online bidder who bought it from me. And the Crosman 114 had a beautiful maple stock under the gunk, and you could see the tiger striping showing through. That one didn't last long either! It was snatched up by a collector soon after I offered it for sale.
The gun I kept, though, is one I still have today. It is a Crosman 101 Silent Model, made in 1939, in .22 caliber. I had Dave Gunter recondition it, and though it isn't the prettiest rifle in my collection, it is one of the most reliable. It is 70 years old this year, and it still takes squirrels with regularity. I pump it up, load it, and it does its job with an ease that is astonishing. No recoil, easy to pump, made of metal and wood with hard rubber forearm, and a brass barrel that won't rust....what's not to like?
The airguns from yesteryear have a time-honored place in our shooting history. I have heard that in WWII, many of our radio operators stationed on enemy-held islands were using airguns to kill food since the report was much quieter. Our anti-aircraft crews were often trained on bb-gun versions of the real thing. And there were even bigbore airguns developed by the resistance in occupied Europe that fired a healthy-sized slug, around .40 caliber, as they fought against the Nazis.
Lewis and Clark carried an airgun on their expedition, and some of their journal has references to its use with the Indians as a means of impressing the tribes they met along the way. The Austrian Army used airguns in the early days of the Napoleanic wars, though there isn't any evidence that they were used in actual combat. Lots of rumors have sprung up around the Austrian "Girandoni" rifle, and there are arguments that a copy of that rifle is the one that Lewis and Clark carried.
Enjoying the newest and best of airguns is a wonderful pastime, but don't overlook those classic rifles that paved the way for todays guns. And when you find a real gem of a classic, consider keeping it in good condition and letting its history become part of your love of airguns. You will find the workmanship every bit as good, and more often than not, better than today's offerings of airgun. The technology behind them may be old, but they don't seem to know it!
