Gateshead Firearms Dealer 1980s

[Death2Ticks]

I'm trying to recall the name of the Firearms Dealer who had a gunshop in one of the 'backstreets' of Gateshead back in the 1980s. I bought a couple of handguns from him but have forgotten the name of the shop ... needless to say, copies of paperwork from back then is buried in boxes in my attic and I wouldn't know where to start looking. It was an interesting setup ... open front door, a high counter, wooden crates full of guns lying on the shop floor. On one occasion he'd just got a load of Uzis and Galils - all still packed in the crates (maybe they'd just been delivered). Anyway, the name has slipped my mind so any help would be appreciated.

[zanes]

Christ almighty I was born in the wrong decade :(

[saddler]

Pat Walker

[Robert303]

Yes Pat Walker. I went the once as a very new shooter. Was told by a fellow club member that there would be little to 'See' and he was right. Unless you got invited 'Though the back' there was nothing on display just some closed crates. So I must have been there after Death2ticks. I heard later that he got nicked for some firearms offence but never heard any details or saw anything to confirm the fact.

[saddler]

Ah....what happened was......lets just say it's a long story!!

[Sixshot6]

Ah....what happened was......lets just say it's a long story!!

I've pulled up a chair, explain what happened? It was the Galils wasn't it?

[saddler]

NOPE

He brought in a load of fully auto .22lr AK's &/or PPSH Pietta things but was only supposed to be dealing in S.1 & S.2

Aside from that, he was doing MANY off-ticket deals; rumours I heard post-arrest/jail were that he'd supply anything in the shop without paperwork for an extra £50 or so...
Only went to his shop a couple of times as I never drove at the time - but it is the only time I've ever handled an FG42 - in his sale list at the time for £20K....THEN!! Of course, £20K was a lot of money back in 1983-4....

I heard on good authority that when the police raided his house they never found a thing out of place. Much head scratching & mumbling amongst themselves went on & backsides were for a grilling on the Station BBQ when they got back to base.
As they were leaving, one of them glanced upwards - the ceiling was a little saggy....all sorts of S.5 goodies & off-ticket kit in the ceiling voids!!

He'd also brought himself to the attention of them higher forms of life in Westminster, etc. by offering (legally) to sell ANY semi-auto gun as a S.2 shotgun (back THEN without any need to record the purchase on an SGC as they were of a different format) - so even stuff like 9mm Sten Guns & Uzi's were being punted out for a few notes extra as smooth-bore S.2 - then I also hear he'd offer the original barrel under the counter.

He was basically a LOT of pending charges waiting to happen - sort of a legend - but for the wrong reasons: he seemed to appear out of nowhere & never lasted too long as he made the mistake of pushing things far too far & got burned as a consequence.

[Robert303]

Thanks for that. I'd heard stories but was never sure. Used to be great days with peple turning up on the range with all sorts of Semi autos. We had one chap would turn up in a suit with brief case put together his Mk V Sten. Shoot and then take the train home. Mr Respectable!

[dromia]

Pat ran more of a firearms saloon than a gun shop.

Even then I was surprised he lasted as long as he did, still he did have some cracking kit through and always an education visiting there but he was still a criminal at the end of the day.

[Gazoo]

Pat Stokel Walker
Happy days.
I bought a few things off him. He used to work at the place I did (before his RFD) . sometimes announced his arrival by tossing a (training I hope) grenade through the door first. Apparently on one occasion he did that in a hospital out patients department where about 50 sick old people held their breaths as it clattered across the floor , ahh harmless fun.
I always regret not buying one of those M16s he had (nominally semi-auto) complete with fully working grenade launcher slung under barrel. Oh well would have just had to give it up anyway.
His shop looked like it had been turned over even when it hadn't.
Anyone know if he is still alive, or free?