Accles & Shelvoke - The last of UK's Birmingham Gunmakers:

 Would you credit that The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is now approximately 1.5 million kilometers (roughly 1 million miles) from Earth.. and has determined that there are 2 Trillion Galaxies such as our own 'Milky Way' (- that has maybe 400 billion stars) - currently counted in our Universe.

That's a LOT of stars (2 Trillion x 400 Billion).. and I'm spending my evening hours pissing about with old obsolete tools like these and worrying about Israeli nukes ..

Accles & Shelvoke - (and Westley Richards & Co) - are still in Birmingham.

My first collected Accles & Shelvoke product was a CAPTIVE BOLT PENETRATING STUNNING TOOL - a .22" blank cartridge powered, and a very heavy piece. It seems that this maker is still active in UK making versions of this abbatoir tool, and an Electric Power CABLE SPIKER. - My second item is their postwar ACVOKE air pistol ..

This 'Butcher's Stun Gun' has an interesting breach-hammer interlock design - that if some effwit pulled the trigger with the breach open after loading the power cartridge - the hammer would spring forward but drops into a safety shelf on the open breachblock and safely locks the action.

"SUPERCASH" stunner Open for Charging ..

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Designed by John Basil Arrowsmith - The ACVOKE Air Pistol (Ser. No. 16974) has many commonalties to a German designed Tell II pistol - and it was copied made by Accles & Shelvoke in post-war Birmingham between 1946-56 - to compete with the Webley air pistols.

When Germany was occupied and split, from 1945 by the victorious allies after WW II - the WINNERS TOOK ALL and they stripped Germany's industrial base of everything that moved, as 'war reparations' - that included intellectual property such as V2 Rockets (Mittelwerk GmbH) technology, and this ACVOKE airgun (Tell), the BSA Bantam motor-bike (DKW), and the Bristol 400 car (BMW).

The English Birmingham Gun Quarter - home of Beumont-Adams, BSA, Tranter, & Webley - and other renowned makers, - is no more. - The area was mostly demolished and cleared in the 1960's for the Inner Ring Road to go through.

These "powerful" but small ACVOKE .177" airguns have a concentric spring piston & barrel - that is cocked by the grip being released to be pivoted forwards.

In prime condition these guns are capable of driving a skirted lead pellet at 500 feet per second - and were sold for an advertised price of 3 Deutchmarks Pounds and 18 Shillings.

Cocked Open For Loading - A basic but Adjustable Rear Sight:

THIS air pistol doesn't seem to lock down tight & seal properly at the breach, but it's piston seal seems OK - yet it doesn't have enough wind to even push the pellet up the barrel. - Plus someone has sandpapered or wire-brushed the rust from the outside of the barrel leaving a scratched steel finish. - Something to do eh .. it might be fun.

IN THE INTEREST OF PUBLIC SAFETY - WE MUST INSIST THAT ALL NZ POLICE EMPLOYEES QUALIFY FOR, & OBTAIN, AND MAINTAIN THE SAME STANDARD NZ FIREARMS LICENCE in exactly the same way that we citizens are required to. - How can NZ police claim to be well trained without achieving a Firearms Licence?

Marty K.