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Allwoods Stocks and Mouldings, Bracknell

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Allwoods Stocks and Mouldings, Bracknell

Postby Triffid » Thu Sep 08, 2011 10:38 am

This is just the best gunshop in the SE, bar none!!!!

If you look up the words 'Aladdin's Cave' in the dictionary, it should refer you to Andy Allwood's premises in Bracknell. Whilst he trades from his home, with visits by appointment only, the amount and variety of stock he carries is amazing.

OK, so you ring ahead and arrange to collect some powder or whatever . . . You arrive at a cul-de-sac in the middle of a residential part of Bracknell. At the bottom, there's a fence with a doorbell on it. When you push that, there's often a disembodied voice that shouts out 'Hang on a sec, I'm in the casting shed', or 'Come in, I'm with another customer, don't mind the dog'. Or suchlike . . . Anyway, eventually Andy will appear. Ever since my second visit, I get treated like a long-lost friend (and I haven't even spent that much money with him), cup of tea, banter etc etc. And nothing's too much trouble. Ever.

Large stocks of ammunition - PRVI was the order of the day last time I was there, but in more calibres than I knew to exist. Then there's the reloading components and equipment . . . Andy's speciality (if he's got one) is reloading. Particularly Lee presses, Accurate powders, Lapua bullets & brass. He runs reloading courses if you're new to the game. Last time I was there we spent about 2 hours going through his loading procedures and I learnt lots of tips and tricks (despite having been reloading myself for nearly 25 years). Whilst I don't necessarily agree with the way he does everything, nor all of his opinions (and he has lots!), there's no bu!!sh!t here: he knows just what he's talking about.

In the strongroom, the number of rifles he has is almost bewildering, particularly military and sporting rifle. I've seen high-end sporting rifles with beautiful walnut alongside ex military one in plain beech, with everything in between. Deal-of-the-day are the 7.5 x 55 Schmidt-Rubin rifles he has, which I've seen produce MoA groups straight out of the box with PRVI ammo. Also muzzle-loading pistols and Andy produces his own range of cast bullets for these (and for rifles).

I'm not aware that he does his own gun-smithing, but he arranged for threading of a rifle for me via a Scottish gunsmith, and I've absolutely no complaints about the workmanship there.

Oh yes and prices . . . well, check out his website for yourself. Why go to the well-know gunsmiths at Bisley and get treated like you've got "D!ckhead" written on your forehead, when Andy's is only ten minutes up the road, so you'll get served sooner. You know it makes sense.

Triffid



68 Wroxham, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG12 8QR. 01344 484 215
http://www.tfsa.co.uk/Allwoods%20Stocks%20&%20Mouldings.htm
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Re: Allwoods Stocks and Mouldings, Bracknell

Postby Triffid » Mon Sep 19, 2011 12:42 pm

I think that email below, from my friend Badger who visited Allwoods last Saturday, speaks volumes . . .
Triffid

Well, finding the place was easy enough, but everything else went much as per the script below.

It was like doing a deal with Bilbo Baggins: the man looks like the aforesaid hobbit, could talk for NATO and lives in an emporium of ballistic cornucopia. Badger very nearly bought several more arquebuses than he planned to, including a very impractical but desirable .22LR version of the Soviet PPsH submachine gun. Maybe next time...

In the upstairs armoury Badger perused Bilbo's selection of seven K31s and eventually selected one that just appealed to him more than any of the others. All were in typical ex-Swiss army condition: great bores and working parts, battered woodwork. It's the hobnail boots that do for them apparently - according to Stefan, a Swiss axe maker Badger knows (Rob too I think) SOP for climbing obstacles was to use a rifle held between two soldiers as a stepladder and the Swiss army spent more time practising on assault courses than fighting. Once a K31was chosen and the papers filled in, it was out to the garage for the canned bangs. Bilbo had Swiss surplus GP10 and fresh Privi Partisan in stock, the PP being a fiver a box more and reloadable. Badger pondered for a while, then decided that as he doesn't reload at the moment, and wanted a large quantity, the Swiss GP10 was the better buy. GP10 also has a reputation as being rather better than run of the mill military ammo - indeed the Swiss Olympic team shoot with it ! Once he discovered that Badger wanted to buy the maximum amount permitted by his stiffykut, Bilbo came up with a deal - PP at Gp10 prices. That way, if Badger kept the brass after shooting he had the option of reloading at a future date. Badger deemed it a good deal and filled his boots. Well, the car boot anyway.

Whilst more paperwork was being filled in, Bilbo spotted that Badger had a free slot for 7.62x54R. What type of rifle was Badger looking for in that calibre? A Mosin nagant carbine perchance? Bilbo just happened to have one or two (more like a dozen) in stock at the very reasonable price of £140. Awesome fun, apparently...

Badger admitted that he was actually looking for an M1891/35, manufactured at the Tula Arsenal in 1935 from selected 1891 pattern receivers. The hexagonal ones. With cork bedded actions. The sort made for snipers. Like Василий Григорьевич Зайцев, known to his friends as Judovich Lawski.

"Ah, rare as hen's poo, those..." said Bilbo, mixing his metaphoricals, "and very pricey, at least £2,000. You'd be better off with a carbine..."

Badger smiled inwardly and declined. Ten minutes later he was 'urtling (well, 'urtling as fast as a 4x4 laden down with a myriad canned bangs can 'urtle) over to Thatcham. Badger had an appointment with The Armourer.
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