BSA pre-war Carbine underlever.

[ggggr]

Hi Ed---I had a similar problem with a cheap/rough Bsa cadet. It would seem to group in two places, then you would get a really wild flier. I tried to tap down the dovetails (and yes even popped them) but the bugger was still the same. I even put a drill down the end of the barrel about 1/2 inch as it was pitted. I soldered the foresight in place but it came loose. I then got a new foresight and it cured the gun------Even my barrel drilling had not seemed to have made the gun worse. I think that both the sights were a poor fit at first and then just the foresight and it was ok for a shot or two and would move. Maybe just check the sights are tight before looking for anything else?

[inproved]

Hi Ed ,where did you find the beast, was it near to Malvern,it could be that it was altered for Bell Target Shooting,at 6 yd's, don't loose sight of the fact that we live (I live in Stourport) around us there is the remains of a once very healthy Bell Target League that was all around Worcestershire villages.

I still shoot near Martley at a club that is over 100 years old, I like old BSA's, like you I have a nice shooting CS, a good improved model D and several light pattern's.

Regards

Inproved

[inproved]

Bell Target is in the village you stated,it is shot in the old way, only standard springers that are recoiling,only open sights, no shooting aids at all, any .177 spring gun with open sights.

Reply to my PM

Regards

Inproved

[archie]

I`ve got one exactly the same, in lovely refinished condition, but this had been shortened because the last 4" of the barrel had gone very rusty. The best part of the rifle is that an engineer had replaced the cylinder with a new machined part for the same reason. This has been expertly done and the rifle looks like new apart from the fact that it is about 4" shorter than standard.

[edbear2]

HI Mate

"Maybe just check the sights are tight before looking for anything else? "

I did this as one of the first things, as the symptoms you describe are often the cause of loose sights. They are well mounted and very solid, also the bell target conversion sounds plausible, but the sight picture is not the best, a heavy vee rear, combined with a thick foresight blade, and if you look at the photos...It is zero'ed for about 40 yards

The actual owner does not shoot it much I am told, It is more of a decoration over his fireplace, and it only came to me to have a look at because someone else I know, who does shoot a bit, took it out to try a few shots in the guy's garden, and realised the stock was very loose, and it was very harsh to shoot (he has shot a couple of mine, so noticed the difference), and suggested to the owner that I could maybe give it a once over.

Maybe it is the bore...the one thing I didn't do was to check pellet engagement on the skirt (I normally shoot into cotton waste, and look for signs of rifling marks / pellet clipping etc....Altough I did try 4.54 die daystate pellets as one of the several I tried, as well as Pylarms and Wasps.