18 AIRGUN WORLD ww g g‘
THE EDITOR’S TEST
CLASS IS
PERMANENT ....
The editor revisits the Air Arms Pro-Sport,
25 years after their first encounter
T
erry, I’ve got something special for you to
try out, and I’d like to know what you think
about it. I think you’re really going to like it.’ In
the understated delivery of my friend and
reluctant genius, Ken Turner, that simple
statement was nothing less than a screaming
endorsement. Ken’s gamut of superlatives
usually peaked somewhere around, ‘yeah, it’s
not bad, is it?’ so I knew I was about to be
introduced to ‘something special’, indeed.
We met at our club on Bisley Camp, where
Ken unveiled the, as yet nameless, subject of
his enthusiasm, and I recall him smiling as I
mouthed my own, slightly more basic, first
impressions. Ken pointed out feature after
feature, explained unseen functions and
devices, then threw a beanbag on the ground
and said, ‘see what you can hit with it.’ Fewer
than 20 pellets in, I knew I’d own one of those
rifles for the rest of my life.A FITTING TITLE
This was the early 1990s and shortly after
that first exposure at Bisley, Bill Sanders,
Air Arms sales manager, called me
and asked me what I thought about
the company’s new rifle. I said,
‘you mean the Pro-Sport?’
He replied, ‘I was going to
ask you to suggest a name,
but I think we’ve found it,
haven’t we?’ Bill confirmed he
would be sending me the latest
prototype, promised me a pint for
my name suggestion, and the
Air Arms Pro-Sport was
christened. Two weeks
later, the prototype
arrived, and I shot it
every chance I had.
Exactly a month and over
5000 pellets later, I drove
the prototype Pro-Sport, and
Ken Turner, to the Air Arms factory
in Sussex for its final evaluation.
Here, general manager, Colin King andcompany owner,
Bob Nicholls,
listened to my
extensive report,
made notes, and studied
the prototype for wear and
tear with a jewellers’
eyepiece. Then, Ken and
Colin pitched into a level of
technical discussion that left me
gawping at them like a slack-jawed
yokel. Ever the gentleman, Bob
noticed my plight and led me away to
show me some new machinery his
company had just acquired.
These days, I have a job to remember
my postcode, but I recall my small part in
helping to develop the Pro-Sport as if it were
yesterday. It’s fair to say, this is one memorable
air rifle.THE PRO-SPORT TODAY
Back in those development days, I
considered the Air Arms Pro-Sport the
best-looking production air rifle I’d ever
seen. That verdict still holds true, for me at
least, and the 2019 version of Ken Turner’s
brainchild certainly retains its timeless appeal.
Just look at those smooth, cultured lines,
full-bore sporting rifle styling, and that
immaculate metal finish. From the match
grade, Lothar Walther barrel, enveloped by its
bull-barrel, moderated shroud, through the
flush-fitting underlever, retained by its
over-centre design, without need of a latch,
past the sliding breech, to that rounded action
end block above the curved, 24-carat
gold-plated trigger blade; this rifle is a
celebration of function and style.
The two-stage CD trigger mechanism offers
just the right combination of security and
precision, and it’s backed, belt and braces, by
an automatic safety catch, and an internal
anti-beartrap cocking lever interrupter. The
Pro-Sport’s cocking linkage is a rod, rather
than a squared steel section, and it connects to
a freely-rotating piston that runs smoothly onIn my humble
opinion, it’s still
the prettiest
production air
rifle ever made.