R7 they don't make 'em like they used to

THOSE have veeery nice stocks!!!

Very nice . Thank you for sharing. My first air rifle was a San Raphael R7 back in 1985 . I gave it to my son recently. Your wife is definitely a keeper!

I bought mine new from Thompson sport shop in Massachusetts. They had the entire beeman line. You could try any rifle you liked out back before you purchased it. Those were the days.

That is indeed a beautiful rifle however the new HWs are decent looking also.

Beechwood may not be as visually appealing as walnut, but it's straight grain is much more stable when used in humid environments. Your R7 has an above grade when it comes to figured beech, and you've kept very good are of it. 

/I bought my R7 new at the San Rafael location in 1981,I paid a little extra for the extra fancy stock;still have it and have rebuilt 3 times.Id' guess over 1/2 million pellets through it.

to heck with the rifles, your wife is the true prize. 

Holy Smokes, that's a gorgeous R7. You don't see many beach stocks that nice.

Does the left side of that HW55 SM have a cheek piece or does it look like the right side?

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Holy Smokes, that's a gorgeous R7. You don't see many beach stocks that nice.

Does the left side of that HW55 SM have a cheek piece or does it look like the right side?

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The classic HW 55 S/SM stock has a slight right-hand palm swell on the grip, but no cheekpiece on either side. It's more or less ambidextrous.

To the best of my knowledge, the only late-version HW 55 to have a beech stock with a cheekpiece is the last version of the gun that was made in the 1990's, after the "M," "T," and "CM" walnut stocks were discontinued. It was an interesting mix of former "S" and "M" details, with a few nice new touches of its own. (It would be cool to see pics of one of those here...just sayin', LOL...!)

In my experience, true left-handed HW stocks seem much harder to find than some other makes of classic target springers.

MDriskill, as requested.....pic of HW55 with said cheek piece, walnut stained beach stock, slim fore end and finger grooves (adjustable butt pad is aftermarket). Having a hard time finding a similar one. Sounds like it appeared during the twilight of the gun's popularity. Thanks for the history on the SM.