BSA Ultra .177

[Ultra Hunter]

The Ultra feels nice and balanced to me and i'm a fan of the front cocking system on the Hornet and the Ultra.

The finish of both the woodwork and metal is first class.

With the gun I bought a Weihrauch silencer and Hawke MAP 3-9x50 scope and had a few shots on the indoor range @ SFS to zero in, first impressions of accuracy and trigger are very good, although as some have stated the first stage is a bit long but i'm sure i'll adjust to it easy enough.

First outing on a 'new' farm with a crow problem. The rain was heavy but the best shooting was from me waiting in the cowshed and sniping the crows thar were landing nearby. Problem is on the 12th shot it dumped all its air from the breech so my shooting session was cut short.:mad:

I returned the gun to SFS on Monday afternoon and they returned it to BSA the folowing day. The gun was returned to SFS Thursday and today I went to collect it.

After mounting the scope I went onto the indoor range for a session. The gun was quickly zeroed and I counted the shots I took before any drop in the p.o.i was detected.

35 shots later the p.o.i dropped. Not bad for a gun that is so small eh?:)

The accuracy is very, very good using RWS Superdomes and with the Weihrauch silencer it is very quiet.

The cocking knob on mine isn't hard to use as some seem to have found.

@£249.99 this gun represents great value for money and i'm sure that anyone who wants a gun thats very pointable, short and accurate wont be disappointed with it.

I'll keep you updated as the gun gets used more.

[The Tiler]

Was the BSA silencer crap ?

[Ultra Hunter]

In a word 'not very good'

[Dougie_fn12]

i use a .22 ultra to great affect and would like to know out to what range is the .177 good to m8 if all is well i could see myself investing in another hehe both calibres.i too use the weihrauch silencer and all you hear is a slight clonk....ultimate ratting machine...also m8 have you chronoed it?;)

[Buggy2]

i use a .22 ultra to great affect and would like to know out to what range is the .177 good to m8 if all is well i could see myself investing in another hehe both calibres.i too use the weihrauch silencer and all you hear is a slight clonk....ultimate ratting machine...also m8 have you chronoed it?;)

My .177 Ultra is accurate out to 60 yds which is the furthest we shoot at the FT club. At 35 yds I can get a 10mm group and I don't consider my self that good a shot. For chrono results see my next post.:)

[Buggy2]

Test results .177 BSA Ultra, 230 bar fill and JSB exacts. Ambient temperature was approx zero degrees Centigrade.

No FPS Ft. lbs
1 760 10.77
2 764 10.9
3 763 10.85
4 759 10.75
5 762 10.83
6 772 11.11
7 770 11.07
8 772 11.14
9 775 11.22
10 769 11.05
11 775 11.22
12 768 11.00
13 771 11.09
14 773 11.15
15 779 11.33
16 773 11.15
17 773 11.15
18 774 11.17
19 772 11.14
20 773 11.15
21 770 11.07
22 768 11.00
23 770 11.07
24 766 10.94
25 766 10.94
26 767 10.98
27 766 10.95
28 766 10.94
29 759 10.75
30 761 10.82
31 760 10.77
32 763 10.85
33 757 10.70

These figures were produced with 4.52 JSB exacts, the ambient conditions were still and cold (approx zero degrees centigrade).

[Dougie_fn12]

this is interesting as in .22 mine is averaging 10.4 ftlb with accu pells and 10.0 ftlb with rws super hollows...i aint complaining as its my close range hunter for rats....should it be putting out more? its always been that since new though :)

[Kes]

this is interesting as in .22 mine is averaging 10.4 ftlb with accu pells and 10.0 ftlb with rws super hollows...i aint complaining as its my close range hunter for rats....should it be putting out more? its always been that since new though :)

Same problem with my .177 Ultra. Only mine is averaging about 10.04fpe and giving me "too many" shots as a result.
Mr B says that BSA set them up safely under the limit with Bisley mags hence the low power with everything else!:mad:
Mines off to said chap for a "fettle" and to get that 2 mile long first stage travel on the trigger shortened.;) :)
I'll post on here how it performs when I get it back.:)

[Dougie_fn12]

i have been told that they set them with mags and bsa hunters,dont get me wrong in .22 this doesnt matter to me as i only use it for upto 25 yards for rats but in .177 i would be abit more concerned,how much is this fettling costing you kes? :p

[Buggy2]

i have been told that they set them with mags and bsa hunters,dont get me wrong in .22 this doesnt matter to me as i only use it for upto 25 yards for rats but in .177 i would be abit more concerned,how much is this fettling costing you kes? :p

I would just like to say that the tested gun is very accurate and that I wouldn't hesitate to use it for hunting out to 40 yds, maximum. It's a lovely little gun especially for shooting out of a 4 x 4 on the farm on occasion. I don't think you can ask for more than that in a sub 12 Flb air rifle.:cool:

Kes I be very interested to see how you go on after Mr B has done his magic on your gun, please keep us informed.:)

[Kes]

how much is this fettling costing you kes? :p

He'll charge you £50 for the work and £20 postage (back to you). :)

[Kes]

Kes I be very interested to see how you go on after Mr B has done his magic on your gun, please keep us informed.:)

Certainly will. :)

BTW, you were right about the fill pressure Nigel.;) Got it from the horses mouth - 200 bar for .22 and 232 bar for .177 (in spite of what the user manual says). :)

[Buggy2]

Certainly will. :)

BTW, you were right about the fill pressure Nigel.;) Got it from the horses mouth - 200 bar for .22 and 232 bar for .177 (in spite of what the user manual says). :)

Yeh I spoke to BSA about that too.:)

[Gareth W-B]

Or if you'd like something that [a] gives you at least 60 shots @ 11.6 ft-lb in .177 (more in .22), [b] that has a built-in regulator (unlike the Ultra) that ensures all power shots are consistently the same out-put/power up to the 60 shots (minimum) mentioned, and [c] looks fairly similar to the Ultra (but 4" longer), see the "Silence Your Hornet In Style" thread as posted in this section by ME (hee hee) :).

[Kes]

Or if you'd like something that [a] gives you at least 60 shots @ 11.6 ft-lb in .177 (more in .22), that has a built-in regulator (unlike the Ultra) that ensures all power shots are consistently the same out-put/power up to the 60 shots (minimum) mentioned, and [c] looks fairly [B]similar to the Ultra (but 4" longer), see the "Silence Your Hornet In Style" thread as posted in this section by ME (hee hee) :).

Sorry Gareth, but I'm no female. An extra 4 inches just doesnt interest me.....;) :D

[Gareth W-B]

Kes my friend, now that IS funny :) Top marks mate, am currently spluttering in my late night Whisky & Threat coz you made me laugh so much :D :D :D. Top man... Have a Happy Wotsit and an equally Jolly New Thingy: Gareth W-B.

[Dougie_fn12]

haha not as light as the ultra though......alot of people put these rifles down...dont know why maybe its because there a bit more of a close/med range hunting rifle?????

[Buggy2]

haha not as light as the ultra though......alot of people put these rifles down...dont know why maybe its because there a bit more of a close/med range hunting rifle?????

Thats it though isn't it, those of us in the know have .177 Ultra's and shoot 60 yd targets for FT and medium to long range hunting (for an air rifle that is).

[Gareth W-B]

Thats it though isn't it, those of us in the know have .177 Ultra's and shoot 60 yd targets for FT and medium to long range hunting (for an air rifle that is).

Humm, I wasn't, wouldn't and didn't put the Ultra down. I think its a good little bit of kit... But just because I prefer my .177 BSA p.c.p. to be over 11ft-lb and have an internal regulator fitted to ensure consistency of power to shot (thus consistency of accuracy and more shots per charge), I doubt very much that this puts me outside the field of "those in the know".

After all, if that was the case, you as an Ultra owner would know more than the boys at Venom or S.F.S eh (which I very much doubt) ... And the subject of weight? With my other two main rifles being a ProSport and an HW97K, to me the Hornet is light :p

There is a style, make and model of rifle for everyone, and for everyone a rifle model, make and style... I was only suggesting an alternative for those who craved an Ultra-type style of rifle but wanted a little more power etc... Each to their own eh? Happy Christmas All: Gareth W-B :) .

[Dougie_fn12]

is it me or does it seem that everyones ultras are around the 10ftlb mark? my ultra is in .22 and the amount of drop at 35 yards isnt worth me shooting anything at that range.this is why i said short/medium range i would only use mine out to 30 yards comfortably and for the further stuff my .177 s410k kicks in.ultras are brill and i wouldnt mind trying a .177 soon :p

[Buggy2]

is it me or does it seem that everyones ultras are around the 10ftlb mark? my ultra is in .22 and the amount of drop at 35 yards isnt worth me shooting anything at that range.this is why i said short/medium range i would only use mine out to 30 yards comfortably and for the further stuff my .177 s410k kicks in.ultras are brill and i wouldnt mind trying a .177 soon :p

I can recommend the .177 Ultra, mine produces an 8mm group at 35yrds with ease and is zeroed at 35 yds and with a near zero of 15 yds. My daughter uses it for FT shooting and I can hit targets out to 45 yds and beyond with relative ease. From a 230 bar fill we get just over 30 shots averageing 770 Fps and average power of just under 11 Flb as I have already posted. The POI is constant over these 30 or so shots.:D

[Gwylan]

I can recommend the .177 Ultra, mine produces an 8mm group at 35yrds with ease and is zeroed at 35 yds and with a near zero of 15 yds. My daughter uses it for FT shooting and I can hit targets out to 45 yds and beyond with relative ease. From a 230 bar fill we get just over 30 shots averageing 770 Fps and average power of just under 11 Flb as I have already posted. The POI is constant over these 30 or so shots.:D

Sorry, but from the string published, the POI drops nearly 3/4 in at 55yds. and I don't see how you can shoot a FT course with it. I'm sure it's a fine gun, but it has limited uses. People say they are good for juniors, but the only kid I know who tried one had to put the butt in his stomach, and lean on a bench to cock it. Also, why should a new gun need sending off to JB? It should shoot straigh out of the box. The S200 does, it may be an old fashioned design, but that's the Ultra's main competitor.

Gus

[Dougie_fn12]

the only problem im having is the filling probe seals start to slightly chip away and the air hisses out when filling...i did contact bsa they did send some out but sent the wrong ones :rolleyes: anyone else having this problem?

[Buggy2]

Sorry, but from the string published, the POI drops nearly 3/4 in at 55yds. and I don't see how you can shoot a FT course with it. I'm sure it's a fine gun, but it has limited uses. People say they are good for juniors, but the only kid I know who tried one had to put the butt in his stomach, and lean on a bench to cock it. Also, why should a new gun need sending off to JB? It should shoot straigh out of the box. The S200 does, it may be an old fashioned design, but that's the Ultra's main competitor.

Gus

So does my Daystate MK3, zeroed to 30 yds (3.7 inch drop at 55 yds at 11.6 Flb). So I don't understand your point. Show me a sub 12Flb air rifle that doesn't drop 3 to 4 inch at 55 yds. :confused:

[Dougie_fn12]

same ere to my s410k at 11.6ftlb drops around 3" at 50 yards all sub 12ftlb will no doubt about it ;)

[Gwylan]

I'm not getting at you Buggy, but I don't see how the Ultra can be used for FT. Most courses are 35 or 40 shots, so it will run out of air, and a 3/4 drop over a fill will make it difficult in any wind, even if your range estimation is spot on.
Of course unregulated guns will show a drop, (that's why most FT shooters use a regged rifle,) but a gun with more shots per fill gives a longer, flatter "sweet spot" on the power curve, and is easier to use.

Gus

[tipton computers]

Certainly will. :)

BTW, you were right about the fill pressure Nigel.;) Got it from the horses mouth - 200 bar for .22 and 232 bar for .177 (in spite of what the user manual says). :)


SFS said only fill to 200bar but after reading the above I had them fill it to 230bar.
I then decided to phone BSA and was told that to fill to 230bar would cause damage to the valve and only to fill to 200bar even in .177

[Kes]

SFS said only fill to 200bar but after reading the above I had them fill it to 230bar.
I then decided to phone BSA and was told that to fill to 230bar would cause damage to the valve and only to fill to 200bar even in .177

Different advice being dished out everywhere then it seems. BSA told Nigel (Buggy2) above to fill to 230 bar in .177 but told you otherwise:confused:
Ultra manual says fill only to 200 bar yet I'm advised by John Bowkett (who actually designed the gun) that the manual is mistaken in this respect and that .177 owners should go to 230 bar. ??
I must confess, I've never heard of a cylinder being filled to two different pressures depending on the calibre but having said that, aren't all the other BSA PCP's ie. Hornet and Superten normally filled to 230 bar.?

Think I'll just go along with what the rifle's designer told me on this one. :)

[Dougie_fn12]

in my .22 ultra i have found that 180bar is best....above this and the shots come out at around 9.4ftlb for about the first 6 or so shots..at 180bar the first one shot is low followed by the rest now at 10.8ftlb.i have now changed the pellets to daystate ft as this gives out a higher fps/ftlb :p

[Buggy2]

edited because posted on wrong thread. Too many windows open.

As a side issue Have a Merry Christmas everyone:)

[dazzpol]

I have recently acquired a .177 model. My brief take on the rifle is as follows.

I was after a short full powered rifle for pest control in the garden and confined spaces such as 4x4s, hides and barns etc.

The rifle is very well made, the fit and finish are excellent. The dark stained beech stock seems different from the ones pictured in the mags and adverts, it fits me very well.

The original moderator was better than nothing I suppose, but, I've fitted a gloss finished Logun and not only does this quieten things down, it looks very good and matches the lines of the gun. It's not quite as quiet as the HW mod, but it is shorter.

Once you get the hang of loading the thing it becomes second nature. I charge the rifle using my pump, the job is very easy due to the small air cylinder. It also makes the whole 'outfit' more portable with your air supply only a few strokes away. I think using my air tank would be a little wasteful, again due to the rifles small cylinder.

Pellet testing; I've settled on Bis Mags 4.51s. These seem to give the best consistency in my particular rifle and give an average of 11.ft/lbs over 20+ shots. I fill at 190 bar, 200 bar gives a lower power reading for the first 5-10 shots.

Accuracy; rested it is producing one hole groups at 20 yards. I've not had chance to 'up' the range yet. I've fitted a Simmons 1.5-5x20 scope to it on the supplied mounts.

The trigger is good and has a nice predictable let off, I need to lighten the 2nd stage weight a tad, but, having said that it's fine as it is.

My only gripe so far is a very stiff safety catch. I will get this remedied shortly. Fortunately the loading and cocking on this Ultra/Hornet style of rifle are separate. Speaking of cocking, the amount of pressure required is quite substantial, but again, when you get used to it it becomes second nature and you don't seem to notice it.

In summary, a great little rifle for shooting in confined spaces or for a 'carry all day' job. The only thing that might be against it is the limited number of shots, this is obviously a trade off for it's pointability.

Dazz

[Ultra Hunter]

Picture of my Ultra in this album :) http://www.byphotos.com/album/1780055

[Kes]

Got my Ultra back from JB the other week and finally managed to chrono some pellets through it. I charged the cylinder to 230 bar and used Daystate FT's. The ambient temperature was quite cold, maybe 3 or 4 degrees. Results as shown: (sorry about the crap presentation :o)

1 10.70 21 10.85
2 10.77 22 10.90
3 10.75 23 10.87
4 10.82 24 10.68
5 10.69 25 10.75
6 10.82 26 10.78
7 10.85 27 10.75
8 10.70 28 10.58
9 10.58 29 10.70
10 10.87 30 10.52
11 10.70 31 10.44
12 10.68 32 10.39
13 10.82 33 10.40
14 10.68 34 10.35
15 10.79 35 10.18
16 10.70 36 10.10
17 10.83 37 9.89
18 10.80 38 9.74
19 10.87 39 9.62
20 10.82 40 9.60

Power a bit low (imo) but that may have been down to the cold. Consistant enough at around 10.7 - 10.8 fpe on average for the first 30 shots.
Would just about chance it round a 30 peg HFT course provided I'd already zeroed and re-filled to maximum before it started.:) Still a pronounced drop in power from shot 30 onwards though. :( I'm no ballistics expert so what would be a minimum acceptable fpe below 10.5 to be pretty sure of hitting the zone without having to drastically adjust POA:confused:

I do think that if using a .177 Ultra for HFT, all you'd need is a bad day for "ceasefires" ie. having to discharge your pellet into the ground and you'd be buggered?

[RapidRay]

Mine give about same as kev

[Buggy2]

If you look at my figures I posted earlier in this thread mines about the same as well, I do find that it's better to fill the gun as slowly as possible, because the temperature rises if you fill too quickly and you will find as the cylinder cools that your actual fill pressure isn't quite 230 bar. You might find if you fill the gun and wait 10 minutes and check it that you haven't quite got a 230 bar fill and may get a few more shots. Also don't forget that its very easy to decock the Ultra and not waste a shot.:)

[Kes]

Power a bit low (imo) but that may have been down to the cold. Consistant enough at around 10.7 - 10.8 fpe on average for the first 30 shots.
Would just about chance it round a 30 peg HFT course provided I'd already zeroed and re-filled to maximum before it started.:) Still a pronounced drop in power from shot 30 onwards though. :( I'm no ballistics expert so what would be a minimum acceptable fpe below 10.5 to be pretty sure of hitting the zone without having to drastically adjust POA:confused:

I do think that if using a .177 Ultra for HFT, all you'd need is a bad day for "ceasefires" ie. having to discharge your pellet into the ground and you'd be buggered?

Having said all the above, the figures show that if using the rifle for its intended use (hunting) and shooting at reasonably close range e.g. ratting/feral clearance then I'm going to get at least 40 usable shots from my Ultra which is more than enough. Its a great little rifle.:)

[Geordie]

I must confess, I've never heard of a cylinder being filled to two different pressures depending on the calibre but having said that, aren't all the other BSA PCP's ie. Hornet and Superten normally filled to 230 bar.?


Skan r32 has two different fill pressures depending on calibre - 220bar in .177 and (IIRC) 190bar in .22 :)

[Kes]

Skan r32 has two different fill pressures depending on calibre - 220bar in .177 and (IIRC) 190bar in .22 :)

Fair enough Dan. :) Now, what about my other question above about minimum acceptable fpe for HFT accuracy blah blah....you havent answered that one for me? Come on mate, dont just do half a job!!;) :D

[dazzpol]

I was told to fill mine to 230bar, however the shots were lower powered at this pressure. I'll stick with 190 and save air (or rather unnecessary pumping)

Dazz

[Dougie_fn12]

i got mine back from john bowkett yesterday and the rifle is brilliant....had to do a bit of experimenting with fill pressures as the power has been upped and where as i used to fill to 180 bar i now fill to 170bar in .22... i now get a pretty much consistant 11.3 ftlb but have sacrificed shot numbers....i now get around 27 shots before the poi drops @ 30 yards.... this for me is perfect for what i use it for....JB asked when i rang him about what the prime use of the rifle was and i only use it for close/med range hunting for rats/woodies/maggies.... so for 27 shots at above 10.8ftlb the rifle is perfect for me.....and when filling to 170bar it falls right into the rifles sweet spot @ around 11.26ftlb first shot...he has done the trigger so that awful long stage is now crisp as crisp can get....he sorted the little problem of the probe o-rings chipping away and all in all a great rifle with daystate ft 5.52....so if you can be without your rifle for a week then send them away party people.....sent mine thursday got it back yesterday.....:D so a big thumbs up and a big smile on my ugly mug:eek:

[dazzpol]

My Ultra began to shoot at a consistant 10FPE, I have just got it back from BSA and a fill of 230 bar gets around 25 shots at 11.5FPE with Bisley Magnums (4.51 head size)

Dazz

[dazzpol]

Just a quicky for fellow Ultra shooters.

Does your rifle need a regular pull through to maintain accuracy? Mine seems to after every few hundred shots, pulling out quite a bit of lead residue from the rifling.

Dazz

[Dougie_fn12]

spot on there m8.... i found that when i used to use daystate ft pellets through mine.... clean the barrel and the cleaning pad was thisck black..... i use logun penetrators now and this is not the case as much ;)

[Ultra Hunter]

havent put 500 through mine yet but have changed to using bisley mags 4.51.

with these i get a good 11.8ft/lb, but im not sure yet if my shot count has suffered.

[dazzpol]

havent put 500 through mine yet but have changed to using bisley mags 4.51.

with these i get a good 11.8ft/lb, but im not sure yet if my shot count has suffered.

You copying me...:D

[deadeye dick]

does anyone have a average FT/LB for the gunpower stealth using accupells

[Dougie_fn12]

so then who has theres fettled by john bowkett ? and who has sent them back to bsa? to be honest mine is a pukka gun.... ive seen a few people mock them.... but on the other hand ive seen alot of stuff taken with the great little guns.....JB done mine as in my previous posts and its made a great differance..... ultimate ratting tool IMHO ;)

[Ultra Hunter]

its doing a healthy 11.8 ft/lb using Bisley Mags 5.51:)

[dazzpol]

its doing a healthy 11.8 ft/lb using Bisley Mags 5.51:)

5.51? thought yours was a .177 Nath..

Dazz

[Ultra Hunter]

5.51? thought yours was a .177 Nath..

Dazz

Just testing your observational skill dazz;)

Of course the correct size is 4.51, well done that man for spotting the deliberate mistake:D :o

[Kes]

so then who has theres fettled by john bowkett ? and who has sent them back to bsa? to be honest mine is a pukka gun.... ive seen a few people mock them.... but on the other hand ive seen alot of stuff taken with the great little guns.....JB done mine as in my previous posts and its made a great differance..... ultimate ratting tool IMHO ;)

Yep. Had mine JB'd as posted earlier at the start of this thread. Havent really put much through it in terms of pellet use cos I dont have a shoot at the moment and also because I've lent it to a young LV member to use for HFT until the "right" rifle appears. I still think it is a smashing little PCP though.

To have full hunting power in such a compact little rifle is just great. :)

[deadeye dick]

If they did they'd be unlikely to post it in a review thread for the BSA Ultra mate. ;)

had a senile moment :o

[Dougie_fn12]

they are very underestimated i think..... shame more people havent taken them on board really :o

[dazzpol]

My Ultra has a different stock to the others I've seen. I'm presuming BSA had stocks made from different companies...:confused:

Dazz

[New ola]

My old man has just got a .22 ultra multishot and its a lovely bit of kit. Rat numero uno was taken today and the action (when sussed) is second nature. I love it for what it is, a ratting tool mainly, but also more than capable for maggies and med range rabbits.

I Rate it very highly.

al

[Bsa Scorpion]

I had my Ultra .22 chron'd & with copperpoints that i been using the other day & its putting out at 12.06 :eek:

I have done nothing to the gun this is a gun i brought from uttings about a month ago. so i either better get the power lowered or change to another pellet i guess :(