BSA Standard 'T Pattern' photo's.

[Oldandshaky]

Hi, I've managed to take some photo's of this rifle which has been modified by a former owner. I think its been reblued and the sights have been replaced, also I'm not sure if the internals are original..
I would be grateful for any information about this, and is it possible to get hold of an original set of sights anywhere..
Many Thanks..Dave..

Link to photos here.
http://www.pbase.com/davecthomson/bs...rd_t661&page=1

[edbear2]

Hi Dave........you have a nice gun there in my opinion!......the refinish looks to have been nicely done.........as for putting back original sights....

The originals are impossible to obtain new now, and you will pay perhaps £25 - 40 plus if they turn up second hand, - sometimes a lot more!...BUT...

Yours has a great, correct for the period, set of sights on it!!!.......the foresight is a BSA no 20 tunnel unit, similar to a parker hale but with single tang changeable elements..the rear sight is a genuine factory 21a folding aperture unit.....the latter adds value to older guns in a lot of collectors opinions....The original rearsight has been removed to give a clear view.....I think the gun looks great, the sights compliment it perfectly, and if removed would cause two issues......one being the stock having a pocket chiselled in it, and secondly, and perhaps more importantly, the foresight looks to have been nicely brazed/silver soldered on.....to remove it will destroy the blue for at least the last inch of the barrel (unless very carefully kept cool with coldfront paste or water)......and I suspect the sight dovetail on the model 20 sight is wider than the standard unit, so it may have been machined out .Or may have been a special order gun, and the sights have been on it from new!!!

I have a standard like yours, (but s prefix)......with aperture sights I fitted as the gun was rough, with a damaged stock..

http://www.flickr.com/photos/3122848...7616256512547/

.....but yours is great mate, and I would leave it just like it is.....there are lots of standards of this period out there.....if you want one that is in original condition, I would keep yours and get another!!......or you may well find someone willing to swap....


P.S...The piston visible in the photograph looks correct, perhaps the spring is a later replacement, but given the appearance of these, plus the overall look of the gun, I would say the work has been well done in every respect.

[dogsbody]

Personally I think it looks great. I would be pleased if it was in my collection.
The variation of sights, stocks, and other modifications after 70-100 years is amazing. Everyone I see seems to be slightly different to the others.
atb
dogsbody

[Mike95]

I agree with last posts, gun looks fine and is fairly rare model. I would leave it alone. I have one or two old BSA models with mods, some good and some not so good!

Mike95

[Prewar]

Dave, it is a nice one! What does it shoot like?

[Lakey]

What a lovely rifle !

I would leave it exactly as it is. Look out for a period reasight, and fit that ( for completeness, and to fill up the vacant dovetail) and enjoy it. A classic.

BSA used to use up old stocks of parts before fitting new improved components. Since your rifle is a very early serial number T pattern ( made in 1936), it is most likely that BSA had some old stock Trigger blocks (with the internal trigger adjustment ) to use up, so fitted them onto their new improved model, marking up the serial number prefix accordingly. Once those few Three hole trigger blocks were used up, then they went over to the single hole blocks with the trigger adjusting screw through the trigger guard. Everything else about the rifle is correct for the T pattern model.

Lovely original finish. Worth about £180-£200 in that condition for that model.

Lakey

[Oldandshaky]

Hi, thanks for all the replies. I do like how the gun looks and it shoots nicely and very accurately with a lot of power.
The only problem is the foresight is a little bit loose but a dab of locktite should fix that. Also the trigger is a bit on the heavy side, I have to be careful not to snatch shots, I tried to adjust it but the screw seems to be all the way to the right..
Thanks..Dave..

[edbear2]

Dave.......try and get a low range spring balance....say up to 5 pounds pull, and check the trigger weight.......You don't want to go much lighter than 4 pounds on one of these guns .....you will get used to this weight of pull, but it is a bit off putting at first if you have been shooting more modern stuff..

Recently a friend brought an old FWB 300s match rifle into work.......I could not believe how light the trigger was, and struggled to use it at first......and HE thought my old bsa was seized up.......he could not believe how heavy the pull was!! (just under 4 pounds)

[Oldandshaky]

Once again thanks for all the replies, the people on this site are a real fount of knowledge about these lovely old guns.
Following up on the information about the sights I found this site..http://www.rifleman.org.uk/BSA_sight...ccessories.htm

I know that at 10'shillings for the set was not cheap back in 1936. I was born in 1940 so the gun is four years older than I am and still in good working order unlike its present owner
I am getting more used to the trigger now, I've been spoiled by shooting a Walther LGV Spezial. I had a good zeroing session today using wasps and managed a ten pellet 2" group at about 20yds with just 1 flyer so I'm very happy with it...
Many Thanks..Dave..

[Josie & John]

Hi Dave,
What a cracking vintage target set up! Personally, I would leave the rearsight blanked off to avoid it getting in the way of your sight picture, so no need to search for further parts. Thanks too for the link.
Regards,
John