Hi Jamie, good write up.

The bolt on mine isnt especially slick but its not as agricultural as you make yours out to be either. If you think somethink is wrong, get in touch with BSA, their after-sales is excellent.

You mentioned weight, the carbine is considerably lighter and far better balanced IMHO a bit weighty, yes but that adds to the whole chunky feel of it and makes it more stable. Its certainly not too heavy to mooch about with, which is my favourite sort of shooting