Military BB and Pellet trainers

[72 usmc]

 I would assume most are not collectors of military training rifles that are chambered as Pellet or BB air rifles. Most military trainers are chambered in .22 caliber. In my old age, I collect these military air rifles. The .22 caliber versions have become rather expensive and hard to find. Although I love my SMLE No. 2 Mark IV and Polish WZ-48 Mosin in .22 caliber long rifle, most of these are now priced sky high. In contrast, the pellet versions seem to go unnoticed or are considered toys. They can be found at somewhat reasonable prices. An interesting reference about military training rifles is the book compiled by Robert Simpson entitled Training Rifles of Third Reich, Germany.  This was published in 2017 as a 692 page hard cover by Brad Simpson Publishing. This is a photo heavy comprehensive review about the German military training guns. Its emphasis is on the many .22 caliber trainers, but also covers the air rifles used by German youth organizations.

Another fantastic web reference is The Vintage Airgun Gallery Forum (https://forum.vintageairgunsgallery.com). This covers all sorts of vintage airguns, both pistols and rifles.  It is a great source for photo documentation about specific air rifles one may want to investigate or to research technical information on specific models. In addition, Tom Gaylord writes a blog on PyramidAir reviewing the many different versions of the best known vintage pellet or BB trainers as well as most newly released air rifles in their reference section. The easiest way to locate one of Gaylord’s write-ups is to do a goggle search for an airgun and his posts show up.

I will provide a brief overview of some of the more popular youth military trainers that can be found. Below is a list of the more interesting youth organization military trainers that fire BBs or pellets. I will provide links to photos if the reader wants more information. Some of these I have documented on this forum.

 

VZ 35  /  Harkim

Two fantastic trainers are the Czechoslovakian VZ 35 (a lead BB trainer) ( https://forum.vintageairgunsgallery.com/cz-ceska-zbrojovka-czech-armoury/cz-model-vz35-air-rifle/#post-1955 ) and the German made Anschutz Egyptain Harkim, a .22 caliber pellet trainer. I own both.  (https://forum.vintageairgunsgallery.com/anschutz/hakim/#post-8142 ). 

( https://www.treasurebunker.com/forums/index.php?/topic/4597-anschutz-hakim-1954-egyptian-pellet-trainer/#comment-25346 )

 

VZ 47

A similar rifle to the VZ 35 is the later produced Czechoslovakian VZ 47. Both are BB firing military trainers. ( https://forum.vintageairgunsgallery.com/cz-ceska-zbrojovka-czech-armoury/cz-model-vz47-air-rifle/#post-1960 )

 

Pionier

Two Soviet era Romanian youth trainers are the Pionier pellet trainers with wood or composite stocks.  I favor the wood stock.  (https://www.treasurebunker.com/forums/index.php?/topic/4643-romanian-pellet-pioneer-youth-trainer-rifle/#comment-25705 )

 

ZV4

A ZV4 is a Czechoslovakian pellet trainer. Mine were used in Turkey.

( https://www.treasurebunker.com/forums/index.php?/topic/4586-zv4-turkish-marked-zbrojovka-brno-pellet-trainer/#comment-26524 )

There are also ZV2 and ZV3 versions of the Czech youth trainers. These are very similar to the common Slavia 618.

( https://forum.vintageairgunsgallery.com/cz-ceska-zbrojovka-czech-armoury/cz-model-zv3-air-rifle/ )

 

Haenel 33

The German made Haenel model 33 and the model 33 Junior are 4.4mm lead BB firing trainers associated with young Hitler youth organizations. These are rather difficult to find in the U. S.  Any vintage Haenel is a good find.

( https://forum.vintageairgunsgallery.com/haenel-air-rifles/haenel-sport-model-33/ )

 

Mars 115

The Mars 115 is another German made stereotypic military youth rifle that also fires lead BBs. An earlier version is the Mars 100.

( https://forum.vintageairgunsgallery.com/mars/mars-model-115-military/ )

 

Diana 30

Finally some utilized a more sporting/hunting style rifle like the (Diana 45). The more popular of these was the German made Diana model 30.  It had a slightly more military look. Vintage Diana airguns are very nice. All of the above military trainers generally mimic the original military firearm. Some are the same shape and weight as a military rifle, others are lighter and smaller for children, but all look like military rifles.  Most have slings, some have bayonets. The Diana 30 and some 45s were utilized by some organizations as BB trainers. Any vintage Daina is also a great find. ( https://forum.vintageairgunsgallery.com/pre-war-diana-air-rifles/diana-model-30/#post-2410 ) .

[paulchen]

Very nice, one thing they are missing is a butt plate and also a bayonet Haft. I had a Diana 177 and a 22 many years ago, they were excellent