Old Daystates

[rockdrill]

Go on. Admit it. You made that you didn't you

Not guilty.

The earlier target stocks had a large tip like this:



Later ones had a smaller tip, more like this:

 

[Triggertime]

I would say in terms of the modern pre-charged air rifle (and lets not forget the single stroke pneumatics as well) the period from roughly 1980 to 2000 was pretty much a golden era of design and development of factory 'production' models (I specify production as I don't want to take away credit from the smaller artisan manufacturers who were making guns on a bespoke scale e.g. ISP / Ripley / Bowkett / Mick Dawes and others).

In terms of the Rapid, I did have a Rapid 17 over twenty years ago, it was a nice rifle very capable and accurate, however I never really got into them personally, but that is a reflection of my preferences not any issue with the rifle itself.

You are correct those where the days everthing seemed to be exciting and interesting now its just more of the same with more features than anyone really needs just for market share.

rapids/raw should have a cylinder option(other than the tm1000) they handle so much nicer,i have a impact gsx revolution they really are great

 

[Rich79]

I would get on and sort it.

As to originality, I think it has already been modified, the spring fitted on the bolt shaft is not original, also it looks like the loading port has been opened up as well.

Daystate did an open channel loading aperture instead of the fiddly right hand side port as standard later in the run of the Mk1, but those ones didn't have the dovetail cut for a rear sight in front of the loading port that I can see on your rifle.

I do like the early 'large' schnabel target stock on it.

Loading port

Someone looks to have butchered the back end too but for what I paid I can live with it.

It came with a story that it apparently was a first prize in a very early HFT comp in someone's rather large back garden.
How true that is I don't know but there's no way of proving it, it came from an rfds private stash and 2-3 times a year he mentions about buying it back.

 

[Dioclese]

You are correct those where the days everthing seemed to be exciting and interesting now its just more of the same with more features than anyone really needs just for market share.

rapids/raw should have a cylinder option(other than the tm1000) they handle so much nicer,i have a impact gsx revolution they really are great

Like cars-modern guns are “style-over-substance”.
Pretty CNC’d Italian stocks, with flimsy metal.