Collecting and shooting (long winded)

[proudhon]

I have just started a collection of airguns
Having collected other things before (1950-1960's racing Motorcyles)
I have realized its is best to specialize early
and not decide to go to off the wall
otherwise you search for years to find anything
or end up with a bit of everything/
The other thing is keep records of what you bought when and what you've done to them.......
Cataloging isnt much fun but it really does help in the long run.
You can just throw money at a hobby like this and just go pay anything..  but that takes the fun out of the search..
I'm trying to be discriminating about what I buy.
I've always viewed overpaying just to get something bad taste
some thing are expensive and worth it...  some are just checkbook
collecting queens..



I have a Bridgeport south bend lathe ect and can do alot of my own machining
so that makes life easier.


I have decided to consontrate on 3 area's
non all that exotic but Interesting enough and similar enough to
each other that learning how to work on them will be "all in the Family"
The first is
the early PCP 10oz tank airguns
Lots of them out there
some rare enough to be a fun hunt
but enough other fine examples to make it fun to watch for them.

and enough rougher ones to make sure parts are available and shoot regularly.
The pistols are available.... many complete with boxes and tank
The rifles are generally inexpensive and out there.

The other rarer ones (the gallery guns ect) will be fun to hunt for and give
you a real rush when you find them.
Lots of variation on different years so it will be fun to learn.

relatively  inexpensive.  If you get burned.   you don't get burned for much
along with  this I'm looking at the early co2 repeater
the model 400...  different animal.  but availble and fun to shoot.
some real nice ones out there and enough other ones to make parts and shooting
practical collecting gun really

the other one (a bit different)
the Mark 1 and II
Wonderful and interesting guns
Most of them out there are "not pristine"
but relatively inexpensive
so I have decided to Use this model to experiment on and modify
to scratch that itch.
Lots of mods available and lots of people interested in them
(the first one I got was a Mark II that turned out way to nice to
modify. so I got some others and I'm having fun figuring what to do.

I have a Tech force 79 to shoot (I needed something good enough for these old
eyes to keep up with my nephews)  few mods nothing serious
and a qb 78 to plink with the nephews (actually grand nephew but that sounds...;.) with mods.  these are are cheap fun. 
the tech force is a pit much to haul around the woods behind my house.
Nephews want to make
a custom stock for it so who am I to say no.

Any suggestion on collecting these guns would be appreciated
as I say I fairly new to this,  (nephews dad died and as oldest (and final) male in the family I've been assigned MALE roll to grand Neices and Nephews,  Camping out with Boy Scouts after 60 for a bachelor ahhhh interesting..  Your old enough to be the scout masters father...
A new lease on life says the family....  If it doesn't kill me maybe....
thanks
Please excuse my spelling and typing.
My Secratary left for the day I couldn't find the spell check button.