Greylag
14-05-2009, 10:03 AM
Hello All,
After a good deal with Ben (benspen) on Tuesday I'm now the happy owner of a BSA Superten MK2. I went out with the rifle yesterday to zero it and have a few shots. This is my first impressions of the S10 based on using it for a very short time, I'll update it when I've had chance to use the gun for a while.
Appearance :
The first thing I noticed on seeing the gun was how long the barrel was. There was a large silencer fitted to the gun which I'm sure added a fair few inches to the overall length but it was quite a bit longer than most air rifles I've previously owned. The blueing was worn badly on the gun barrel and the silencer but as I want the gun to use for vermin control I did not find this too much of a problem.
I have always had an aversion to the buddy bottle system when I've seen them in photographs purely for aesthetic reasons. Looking at the BSA bottle it didn't look as bulky or make the gun look awkward as I'd expected it to. Being fairly small (200cc) it fitted in fairly well with the rest of the gun.
The guns buddy bottle had been filled that morning according to Ben and was ready for action so I can't comment on the do's and don'ts of charging the gun.
The stock was nothing fancy and a bit square in shape but not too ugly. While researching the gun I found out that the MK3 stock which is much more aesthetically pleasing would fit straight onto the MK2 action with no adjustment. Should I decide to keep the gun for any length of time I'll probably get myself a MK3 stock although my main concern is any rifles suitability for vermin control rather than looks. On shouldering the gun it fitted comfortably into my shoulder, the gun felt well balanced and not too heavy. The S10 stock has the added bonus of an adjustable butt pad fitted from new.
The rifle in use
Loading and cocking:
The S10 is a 10 shot rifle using a rotary spring loaded magazine which is exactly the same as those used on the BSA Ultra multi-shot and Hornet, having previously owned an Ultra I was familiar with the method used to load the magazine. The magazine is held horizontal and pellets fed in through the holes, the magazine wheel being rotated anti clockwise one hole at a time. A click is heard as the magazine stops on the ratchet of each hole. Once the 10 pellets are loaded the bolt is drawn all the way back and dropped into the back cut out, the magazine is then slipped into place.
The cocking bolt has a small knob on it which I would think could make your fingers ache over a long plinking or target session with cocking but there are larger replacement knobs available to facilitate ease of loading. I did find that if the bolt was not drawn firmly back the safety device incorporated as standard kicked in and prevented the rifle from being fired. If this happens as it did with me don't force the bolt forward simple re cock the bolt, drop it down into the back cut out, remove the magazine, lift the bolt and push it home, once you've fired the pellet in the breech simply recock and replace the magazine, the next pellet will have already been indexed.
The safety catch :
The safety catch is a slide one which is fitted in an inletted groove above the trigger and just below the bolt. Sliding the safety catch forward arms the gun, backwards puts it on safe. I found it a little difficult to find the catch at first due to it being below the level of the wood of the stock but after a few shots it became second nature.
Zeroing and accuracy :
Zeroing much to my surprise was not necessary. I fitted a 2-6 x 32 scope onto the gun which I had used previously on my Venom Viper and zeroed at 20 yards for ratting. I set up a target and fired the first shot, it was very close to the centre but slightly above. My next shot saw the pellet strike centre and the next and the next, the guns accuracy was excellent. Whether the accuracy is down to the length or type of the barrel I can't say but it is very accurate. After 20 or so shots at targets placed in various positions round where I was shooting I decided that there was nothing I could do to improve the zeroing not that I'd done anything anyway.
General summary :
After the Zeroing session I settled down to wait for the rats showing but unfortunately they weren't playing ball. Oh well there'll be other nights I thought to myself.
The Superten in its standard guise will never win any beauty contests but I found it to be a well balanced, accurate and easy to use gun. The claimed 230 shots from a 232 bar fill would be enough for any situation. I will update this review as and when I've had more use of the BSA S10 in the field. Judging by my limited use so far I'm sure that it will prove to be a very good gun for vermin control.
Thanks all for looking
Regards
After a good deal with Ben (benspen) on Tuesday I'm now the happy owner of a BSA Superten MK2. I went out with the rifle yesterday to zero it and have a few shots. This is my first impressions of the S10 based on using it for a very short time, I'll update it when I've had chance to use the gun for a while.
Appearance :
The first thing I noticed on seeing the gun was how long the barrel was. There was a large silencer fitted to the gun which I'm sure added a fair few inches to the overall length but it was quite a bit longer than most air rifles I've previously owned. The blueing was worn badly on the gun barrel and the silencer but as I want the gun to use for vermin control I did not find this too much of a problem.
I have always had an aversion to the buddy bottle system when I've seen them in photographs purely for aesthetic reasons. Looking at the BSA bottle it didn't look as bulky or make the gun look awkward as I'd expected it to. Being fairly small (200cc) it fitted in fairly well with the rest of the gun.
The guns buddy bottle had been filled that morning according to Ben and was ready for action so I can't comment on the do's and don'ts of charging the gun.
The stock was nothing fancy and a bit square in shape but not too ugly. While researching the gun I found out that the MK3 stock which is much more aesthetically pleasing would fit straight onto the MK2 action with no adjustment. Should I decide to keep the gun for any length of time I'll probably get myself a MK3 stock although my main concern is any rifles suitability for vermin control rather than looks. On shouldering the gun it fitted comfortably into my shoulder, the gun felt well balanced and not too heavy. The S10 stock has the added bonus of an adjustable butt pad fitted from new.
The rifle in use
Loading and cocking:
The S10 is a 10 shot rifle using a rotary spring loaded magazine which is exactly the same as those used on the BSA Ultra multi-shot and Hornet, having previously owned an Ultra I was familiar with the method used to load the magazine. The magazine is held horizontal and pellets fed in through the holes, the magazine wheel being rotated anti clockwise one hole at a time. A click is heard as the magazine stops on the ratchet of each hole. Once the 10 pellets are loaded the bolt is drawn all the way back and dropped into the back cut out, the magazine is then slipped into place.
The cocking bolt has a small knob on it which I would think could make your fingers ache over a long plinking or target session with cocking but there are larger replacement knobs available to facilitate ease of loading. I did find that if the bolt was not drawn firmly back the safety device incorporated as standard kicked in and prevented the rifle from being fired. If this happens as it did with me don't force the bolt forward simple re cock the bolt, drop it down into the back cut out, remove the magazine, lift the bolt and push it home, once you've fired the pellet in the breech simply recock and replace the magazine, the next pellet will have already been indexed.
The safety catch :
The safety catch is a slide one which is fitted in an inletted groove above the trigger and just below the bolt. Sliding the safety catch forward arms the gun, backwards puts it on safe. I found it a little difficult to find the catch at first due to it being below the level of the wood of the stock but after a few shots it became second nature.
Zeroing and accuracy :
Zeroing much to my surprise was not necessary. I fitted a 2-6 x 32 scope onto the gun which I had used previously on my Venom Viper and zeroed at 20 yards for ratting. I set up a target and fired the first shot, it was very close to the centre but slightly above. My next shot saw the pellet strike centre and the next and the next, the guns accuracy was excellent. Whether the accuracy is down to the length or type of the barrel I can't say but it is very accurate. After 20 or so shots at targets placed in various positions round where I was shooting I decided that there was nothing I could do to improve the zeroing not that I'd done anything anyway.
General summary :
After the Zeroing session I settled down to wait for the rats showing but unfortunately they weren't playing ball. Oh well there'll be other nights I thought to myself.
The Superten in its standard guise will never win any beauty contests but I found it to be a well balanced, accurate and easy to use gun. The claimed 230 shots from a 232 bar fill would be enough for any situation. I will update this review as and when I've had more use of the BSA S10 in the field. Judging by my limited use so far I'm sure that it will prove to be a very good gun for vermin control.
Thanks all for looking
Regards