Advice needed - Guide prices for a couple of Air Rifles

[Bob_about]

Hi,

I wonder if the collected wisdom of this site could help me with some advice please?

I currently have a couple of air rifles on loan from a colleague on the understanding that if I like them, I`ll make him an offer, otherwise I`ll return them. A genorous loan and I`ve had them for a little while now and spent a good while over the weekend firing both at targets to get them clean and firing straight and to get my eye back in.

I like them both, for different reasons, and would like to make him an offer. I dont want to be insulting in offering too little, and I dont want to pay over the odds, so any advice you can give would be appreciated

Thanks


First is a BSA Supersport .22 spring with a Nikko Stirling 3-9 x 40 scope and a silencer fitted. The beech stock is in good nick, although the exterior of the barrel has some rust dots. It shoots consistently, although 2 inch high and 1/4 inch to the right at the moment - need to adjust the scope cross hairs. A heavy rifle, but I think quite a good one.

The second is lighter and smaller - a Sharp Innovo .177 pump with a Rhino 4 x 32 scope fitted - no silencer. The stock has a couple of deep scratches, but is otherwise good. The barrel appears to be plastic, so no rust there. It appears to be very powerful dependant on number of pumps and very accurate.

Thanks for any advice

 

[CaptainBeaky]

The Sharp Innova has a metal barrel inside a plastic sleeve. I paid £50 for mine - new in 1981...
If it is the beech stock one with some scratches, I would say £50-£60 wouldn't be far off.
Open pump (move fore-end all the way open) and look inside the pump for rust...

Spares are available from Chambers (www.gunspares.co.uk).

 

[Shewie]

I'd go for the BSA all day long but that's just me

I've admitedly got a bit of a soft spot for old springers

 

[Bob_about]

I'd go for the BSA all day long but that's just me

I've admitedly got a bit of a soft spot for old springers

Thanks for the opinion - its certainly a nice rifle to handle - any idea what you`d be happy to pay for such a tool?

 

[Shewie]

I've had a few BSAs but they've always been a new buy so I'm not sure about second hand value. How old is it, I think the Supersport has been around for donkeys ?

 

[Glen]

I'd be very careful about the Innova, I'd really like one myself but after finding out that a company is re-making them and another in Scotland ( Highland Oudoors or Outfitters if memory serves ) has the distribution deal but have found that they can only market the new version on a FAC, as they cannot reliably get them to blow off excess pressure when pumped above the 12 non FAC limit.
Having said that on many of the air rifle BBSs they still seem to trade the Sharp Innovas as non FAC, I've only seen them there as .22s which seem to go for around £100-150.

Your friend ( and indded the air rifle BBS people ) may well have been able to get the original Sharp Innovas to be reliably sub 12 limit, so the above is just a bit of a heads up. I wasn't prepared to take the risk myself.

 

[Bob_about]

I've had a few BSAs but they've always been a new buy so I'm not sure about second hand value. How old is it, I think the Supersport has been around for donkeys ?

Thanks for coming back Shewie

I dont think it had been fired for around 8 years, and I understand it was in regular use for a number of years before that, so I`d imagine its 10-12 years old, but as I say, in good nick.

If anyone has bought something similar recently an idea of price would be appreciated

Thanks

 

[Bob_about]

I'd be very careful about the Innova, I'd really like one myself but after finding out that a company is re-making them and another in Scotland ( Highland Oudoors or Outfitters if memory serves ) has the distribution deal but have found that they can only market the new version on a FAC, as they cannot reliably get them to blow off excess pressure when pumped above the 12 non FAC limit.
Having said that on many of the air rifle BBSs they still seem to trade the Sharp Innovas as non FAC, I've only seen them there as .22s which seem to go for around £100-150.

Your friend ( and indded the air rifle BBS people ) may well have been able to get the original Sharp Innovas to be reliably sub 12 limit, so the above is just a bit of a heads up. I wasn't prepared to take the risk myself.

Thanks for the heads up ref potential FAC issues

I was advised not to pump it more than 9 times, but in practice it seems to pack plenty of punch at just 3.

Its an origonal Sharp rifle, around 10 years old with a sound pump. It may be that caution is the best course of action - I may see if the local gun shop can shed any light or conduct any tests to be on the safe side.

Thanks again

CC

 

[Steve13]

I would go for the Sharp if I was you

My Gun Club had 5 of them used at country fairs for 10 years or more, they must have fired thousands of shots each with little or no trouble , keep them lubricated properly and watch the seals

We traded them for springers as spares was becoming a prolem

177 are a little bit rarer than 22 but they did a Sharp Pan target in 177 for the paper punchers these are even rarer I have seen only a couple of these

You can get an effective silencer mod if you want but it needs a new front end and uses a screw in silencer

very difficult to value without seeing it but these often go for silly money £150 - 200 is not uncommon for a mint one

trust this helps

 

[Ratbag]

Hi,

<snip>I like them both, for different reasons, and would like to make him an offer. I dont want to be insulting in offering too little, and I dont want to pay over the odds, so any advice you can give would be appreciated <snip>

Bob

If you want an idea of value I would head over to the airgunbbs and check out the "for sale" sub-forum. That should give you an idea of what they are going for.

HTH

Rat

 

[Shewie]

Thanks for coming back Shewie

I dont think it had been fired for around 8 years, and I understand it was in regular use for a number of years before that, so I`d imagine its 10-12 years old, but as I say, in good nick.

If anyone has bought something similar recently an idea of price would be appreciated

Thanks

I think they're about the £200 mark to buy new these days, so if it's potentially about 10 years old then I'd say somewhere around the £50-70 considering the rusty barrel etc. Then you probably want to look at replacing the spring which could cost you about £20 for a decent one.

Taking into account mates rates and the cost of a new spring I'd offer him £30 and see where it gets you. :twak:

 

[johnnytheboy]

I read the sharps through a chrono are all over the place, thus accuaracy is sometime questionable at range!!!

If it were me, I would buy the supersport and put a theoben gas ram in it, that would be a great gun!!!!!! for get the crappy old spring £50 and it will cut the recoil and improve accuracy.

 

[Shewie]

I read the sharps through a chrono are all over the place, thus accuaracy is sometime questionable at range!!!

If it were me, I would buy the supersport and put a theoben gas ram in it, that would be a great gun!!!!!! for get the crappy old spring £50 and it will cut the recoil and improve accuracy.

How do the gas ram conversions work Johnny ?

I've always fancied doing something with my Goldstar although I think the underlever combined with the magazine might be an issue.

 

[johnnytheboy]

Its just a gas strut like the ones on the boot of your car, its the same as a spring, except the recoil is reduced. When the spring goes forward the piston hits the inside end of the cylinder pretty hard causing allot of the recoil, because the gas strut is measured for the cylinder length it doesnt have this slap on the end of the cylinder.

Here is the list of the ones they do, doesnt look like they have one listed for a goldstar which is a realy shame as that is a belting gun

http://www.theoben.co.uk/product.php?productid=36

 

[tjwuk]

Personally I would be careful with any air rifle unless you are going to check for ft/lbs and then do the work if needed to reduce it. Not wishing to panic monger here but the powers that be a s**t hot when it comes down to this and if any rifle goes over the 12ft/lbs, regardless of how many pumps etc, it will be classed as FAC rated and you can then be done for armed tresspass even if you have persmission!

That said I would go the BSA, but I have been after one for some time now so may be biased. Price ranges from £20-£50 depending on condition.

 

[Bob_about]

Personally I would be careful with any air rifle unless you are going to check for ft/lbs and then do the work if needed to reduce it. Not wishing to panic monger here but the powers that be a s**t hot when it comes down to this and if any rifle goes over the 12ft/lbs, regardless of how many pumps etc, it will be classed as FAC rated and you can then be done for armed tresspass even if you have persmission!

That said I would go the BSA, but I have been after one for some time now so may be biased. Price ranges from £20-£50 depending on condition.

Thanks for that tjwuk - good advice - I am concerned to remain within the legal limit and after seeing the power the Sharp can punch into an old mail order catalogue I feeel it could easily go too far

Its just a gas strut like the ones on the boot of your car, its the same as a spring, except the recoil is reduced. When the spring goes forward the piston hits the inside end of the cylinder pretty hard causing allot of the recoil, because the gas strut is measured for the cylinder length it doesnt have this slap on the end of the cylinder.

Here is the list of the ones they do, doesnt look like they have one listed for a goldstar which is a realy shame as that is a belting gun

http://www.theoben.co.uk/product.php?productid=36

Thanks for the link there johnnytheboy - definitely something to think about - I`m thinking of going for the BSA and will get the spring checked out - if it needs replacing this may be a good option but the price tag is quite a bit for now!

I think they're about the £200 mark to buy new these days, so if it's potentially about 10 years old then I'd say somewhere around the £50-70 considering the rusty barrel etc. Then you probably want to look at replacing the spring which could cost you about £20 for a decent one.

Taking into account mates rates and the cost of a new spring I'd offer him £30 and see where it gets you. :twak:

Thanks Shewwie for the price guide - maybe pushing it a little on mates rates, but it looks like an offer of £50 wouldnt be too rude a place to start.

Thanks all - I think I have a plan!

Goodnight

 

[bushwacker bob]

Taking into account mates rates and the cost of a new spring I'd offer him £30 and see where it gets you. :twak:

and be prepared to loose a mate