Abstract: A telescopic gun sight is clamped to a mount which is mounted on a base for limited relative sliding movement fore and aft of the barrel of a rifle, to which the base is secured. Resilient bushes of elastomeric material are disposed within bores in the mount, and fixing bolts pass through the bushes to clamp the mount to the base. The resilience of the bushes allows the mount to move slightly relative to the base, and returns the mount to its original datum position after such movement. In this way, shocks that may otherwise damage the sight and/or shift its position relative to the barrel of the rifle may be absorbed--particularly recoil shocks upon firing. In other embodiments, relative movement of a mount relative to a base is possible in more than one direction, thereby to absorb shocks in other directions, as may be caused by, for example, accidental knocks.

Abstract: A gas spring airgun in which the power system comprises a main cylinder which contains a piston and a hollow dummy piston. The piston is a sliding fit within the main cylinder while the dummy piston is fixed relative to the main cylinder, and is of considerably small diameter. A collar is located in the space between the dummy piston and the piston and is substantially fixed relative to the piston and slidable relative to the dummy piston, when the system is pressurized.

Abstract: A magazine for an air gun comprises an outer case, a circular pellet carrier rotatably mounted in the outer case, and a cover that is pivotally mounted on the outer case. A coil spring resiliently biases the pellet carrier towards an end position. To load the magazine, the cover is pivoted to cause the pellet carrier to rotate to another end position, and a soft lead airgun pellet is then dropped in through a hole in the outer cover into a pellet chamber in the pellet carrier. The outer cover is then rotated, allowing successive pellets to be dropped into successive pellet chambers within the pellet carrier. In use, a probe pushes the first pellet out of the magazine into the breech of an airgun, and following this, the magazine automatically indexes under spring pressure to present the next pellet ready for loading. The pellets themselves serve as part of the indexing mechanism. The transfer probe places the pellets accurately in position within the breech of the airgun.

Abstract: A firing mechanism for an air weapon in which air is compressed in a cylinder and expelled through a discharge port in the cylinder to propel a projectile along a barrel by a piston executing a firing stroke. The mechanism comprises a piston slidably located within a cylinder with the crown of the piston facing towards the discharge port. A spring urges the piston towards the discharge port. A bobbin is located behind the piston crown, which is axially movable with the piston during at least a portion of the firing stroke and is axially movable relative to the piston at the end of the firing stroke.

Abstract: An air weapon air compression system of the type in which air is compressed in a cylinder and expelled through a discharge port, to propel a projectile along the barrel and fire it out of the weapon, by the rapid movement of a piston within the cylinder. Such a system incorporating grooves in one or both of opposed portions of the cylinder and piston, for the transfer of air towards the discharge port during the final compression stage, to enhance the performance of the weapon.

Abstract: An air rifle having a firing mechanism (12) which comprises a variable volume gas chamber (52) behind a piston (28) which moves within an outer cylinder (26) in front of a rear cylinder (36). The gas chamber (52) is defined between the piston and the rear cylinder and is sealingly closed. When the rifle is cocked, the piston is latched in its most rearward position in which the gas in the chamber (52) is most highly compressed. The trigger releases the piston latch, causing the piston to be driven forward as the gas expands in the variable volume chamber compressing the air in the outer cylinder (26) in front of the piston (28) until it exceeds a threshold which fires the pellet out of the breech. The semi-permanent charge of gas in the chamber (52) thus constitutes a pneumatic spring. A safety device is provided to relieve pressure in the chamber (52) before the firing mechanism can be dismantled.