For sale genuine Mk1 VENOM hw80, .22 1983. It's a real piece of British airgunning history featuring the beautiful and very rare special order VENOM engraving on the cylinder, hand cut by the late, great Don Blocksidge (independently verified).
The rifle was purchased from new by a pest controller, immediately sent off to the famous Venom Arms workshop in the West Midland for what we call a “spit and polish” tune, so stage one and it never got the full venom laser glide treatment and all the other goodies.It then spent over 40 years as a hard-working hunting tool.
The original owner took great care of the working parts but never once paid any attention to the externals, never gave it a wipe down after a long day in the field, never oiled the stock. Honestly, it looked like it had been dragged out of a canal. I wasn't sure it could be saved. But given its provenance, it deserved a proper, sympathetic, no-expense-spared restoration, and as you can see, she is back from the dead.
I have a full photographic record of the original "canal" condition, the complete strip-down, and the rebuild process for the buyer's peace of mind.
The metalwork was completely stripped down and restored by Karl at Black Cat Blacking. He spent hours on the buffing wheel bringing the steel back to life while taking extreme care to preserve the Don Blocksidge engraving. The finish is deep, lustrous, and frankly incredible.
The original internals were well worn, and though the rifle still shot, which in my opinion is a testament to its West German build quality, we believed it was due a serious update. So we sourced at great expense an original Steve Pope spec ‘V-Mach’ glided piston, topped with a world-class CNC-machined Aussie ‘CAS’ short-stroke piston seal. We fitted a British spring and custom-made guides, as well as a high-quality thrust bearing to completely decouple torsional force, minimising recoil and lowering cocking effort. All carefully assembled with top-class lubricants. It took real patience to keep her safely sub-12, but she is now running a smooth and consistent 11.2 ft/lbs on 14.5gr RWS Superdomes.
The Rekord trigger unit has been fitted with a solid brass setback blade and has undergone a match-grade tune and polish, currently sitting at a crisp 1lb break (although this can be adjusted to your taste). It also features a low-profile adjustment screw, a solid brass trigger guard, and an oversized brass safety catch to finish the look.
The original Mk1 stock was in a very sorry state. Rather than replace it, we wanted to keep the classic lines intact. Thanks to a huge amount of elbow grease from myself and a remarkably skilled friend (thank you, Danny), the woodwork has been brought right back to a very tidy, strong, and usable standard. Stock fixings have been upgraded to hex-head Allen bolts, sat in distinctive brass cups.
The rifle is topped with a very clear, period Japanese-made Optima 3-9x45 Moonlighter scope, making for the ultimate ‘John Darling’ package that still holds its own today. The original open sights are included in the sale, though I don't dare fit them. I'll leave that nerve-wracking job to the new owner if you choose to use open sights!
Viewings are more than welcome. Please come see it and test it out on our little garden range…. It shoots as good as it looks. I am very happy to answer any questions and share the full strip-down and restoration photo log.
Collection in Pembrokeshire, West Wales.
Or shipping available via Parcelforce 48. Also happy to arrange an RFD transfer at the buyer's expense.
Thanks for looking.
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