Theoben Advertisement's 😊

I'm just back from a few hours out on a perm today. 1x mapie, 1 x squirrel off the feeder & 1 out of the trees. Been sat in the exposed roots of a tree with a net over me for a over an hour for the feeder shot, creeping through the woods with lots of bramble everywhere for the 2nd & stalked the mapie from about 60 metres,the last 20/30 m on my stomach. All with my little Rapid.
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This is rapidly (:LOL:) becoming the best air rifle ive ever owned.
 
The top advert must be from around 1983/4 because I purchased a Countryman at that time. Theoben had no agents or shop outlets in those days and the purchase was on a sale or return basis direct from the works. £283 was a lot of money in those days but I paid it and when I got it there was no way they were getting it back, then I purchased a 2.5x20 Redfield scope for over another £100. I had the finest rabbit control rifle in the county feeding on a diet of Wasp in 177. It was not until later that I found Crosman Premier because that was the pellet, superb also for lamping because the back of the pellet reflected the lamp light and the pellet went to the target like a tracer. Nowadays all the modern models available don't raise my pulse rate as the Theoben did but then that's progress, or is it?
 
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I was lucky because
The Theoben factory was only down the road from me.
Not only that I was paid to call in and see them.
I can't really remember folks names apart Diane who who was lovely to me because I'm nice, she would say. Obviously fancied me!!
Diane you had to get past before you could go up the wooden stairs to the Gun Loft. The building was a half brick half timber agricultural shed.
But festooned with banners flags, and trophies.
Theoben actions and Theoben stocks were wall to wall. Reminded me of James Hunt the Lotus Head Quarters and the Black Lotus JPS Formula 1 car. And free JPS fags in a black packet which by the way tasted very corky. Denovo run flat tyres and the Rover SD1 and the Avengers.
All in one shop and the smell of gun oil pride and perfection. Lovely there it was.

The Trade Section, a big glass fronted counter with slightly used Demo and experimental bits and bobs like magazines, Sportsmatch Dampa Mounts, probes, barrels, pull throughs, oils, Accupel and Crosman pellets.
Like bloody Christmas.
When the Air Gun Mags tested a Theoben with pictures and and a write up guns they had on loan they came back to this glass cabinet. They were super buys..The downstairs work shop was off limits really, but I used to go in and see the boys.
My favourite Theoben was a pre HE which was best.
The low pressure long stroke Scirrocco Grand Prix in .22
the The TB90 was a lovely gun as well.
The popular belief of the chaps in the Theoben workshop the best gun was..
A tuned .22 HW80. That's what you should buy John..
 

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Stu.22 said:
Remember the Dampa Mounts 🤔

Quite expensive back in the day 😲

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I tried a Sportsmatch Dampamount on my .20 Evolution and ended up selling the mount: it seemed to need re zeroing every time it came out of the slip!
The example shown in the bottom picture of the right, well I found one of these on the bay for not a lot of money a couple of years back. One day I’ll home it on a nice Theoben that no one wants as it’s got no mounts.
 
I’m thinking the first advert page must have been from 1990,as wasn’t that the year the HW90 was introduced? It says £190, yet I paid £189 for mine in 1999.
 
Ah, the SLR98... One of only two Theoben rifles I wish I'd kept. The other one was a 20cal Fenman Profile. :)
 
I miss adverts like this, great to see them again, use to spend ages planning what I would have when I was old enough to buy them my self lol
 
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Like many others I spent my teenage years dreaming of owning a Theoben. Got my first, a .22 fenman, when I was sixteen after saving my part time wages for an eternity. It’s the one at the bottom of the picture. The last few years I’ve added a few more to the collection that I yearned after in my youth. There’s still a few more I would like but the prices are getting a bit silly on some of them now.
 
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