bsa restoration

[Old Brass]

well my quest to find a nice cadet major has been a waist of time...

so im looking at buying an ol dog and getting it restored.


are there any folk out there who undertake such work?

many thanks adam.

[Phil G]

well my quest to find a nice cadet major has been a waist of time...

so im looking at buying an ol dog and getting it restored.


are there any folk out there who undertake such work?

many thanks adam.

Have a go at one yourself. The BSA is so easy to work on.

I did mine a couple of years ago, here

http://www.airgunbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=185515


Good luck, Phil

[Old Brass]

nice job phil.

if i had the right tools and the time id have a go at it....but i dont.

so i dont mind paying well for a gun that made my childhood shooting so much fun.

[pennineway.fswo]

Hi Adam
There are a few restorers around but I have seen some old air rifles restored by gunsmiths and the results sometimes have been very disappointing, in fact 'bad' would be a more accurate assessment of the work. Or perhaps I am too fussy.
On the other hand there are shops/gunsmiths who do a good job and there are members on here who will recommend them but the work is not cheap because of the labour/time involved.

My experience is to split the work up, source new bits yourself, get the stock done by someone who is recommended and get the hot bluing done by another specialist.

The total cost can still be high though.

First of all there is the cost of the stock refurbishment, usually about 3 or 4 hours of work to pay for, then the cost of servicing and replacing worn/damaged parts, (a rear sight can cost £24, foresight £12, spring £10 etc), then there is a cost of £50-£70 or so for the reblueing of the gun.

Restoring an old air rifle is very much a labour of love and to restore a shabby old gun requires many hours of work. You may have to pay quite a bit more than the gun would probably be worth depending on cost of replacement/missing bits.

When you do it yourself, there is the added satisfaction and the reward of owning something that you yourself have brought back from the dead and restored into a nice desirable old rifle

Another problem/cost with a Cadet Major is the photo etching on top of the cylinder and to have this work carried out would be yet a further expense (if you can find someone to do it)

My advice would be to try and restore an old Cadet Major yourself including doing all the polishing of the metalwork prior to having the hot bluing done
The cost then of the hot bluing would probably be of the order of £10-£20max.

In the mean time keep an eye open for a really nice example to turn up. I have seen a few sold from £100-£125 that have had little use, are mechanically perfect and have very good original bluing with the photo etching clearly visible

Good luck which ever way you tackle it. The Cadet Major is a lovely looking stylish classic that is a joy to own and shoot. I have 2 but would never part with them
John

[Old Brass]

thank you John.

that does give me a bit to think about.

im finding it hard to even find pics of a pristine cadet

atb adam.

[pennineway.fswo]

Hi Adam
There are 2 for sale in sales section with photos.
http://www.airgunbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=411254
ATB
John