BSA Lightning XL experience

[harvey_s]

Just thought I'd share my experience of purchasing a new BSA Lightning XL air rifle....

I had been reading the mags and seen the XL tactical and the wood stocked XL's and thought Ooh, I like them.
Can't make my mind up which, So off to my local dealer who had both in stock in my preferred .177 flavour.
Whilst demonstrating them the poor dealer finds the wood stocked one won't cock unless the safety is on.
this isn't right - so that makes the choice for me and the deal is done on the tactical...

Anyway I get it home and find that the stock has a horrible long dent in it behind the safety.
Now I've seen enough review models to know this isn't right...

Not only that, but the breech has not been finished at all which makes it impossible to seat pellets with your thumb and leaves about 0.5 to 1mm of skirt sticking out and loses 1-2ft/lb unless you seat the pellets into the rifling (laughably BSA Storm pellets are the worst )

So a quick call to the dealer gets an apology and the promise of another gun...
The replacement rifle arrived today and guess what - it's got the same long dent, which having done a bit of reseach is obviously now a poor cover-up for a mould modification for the safety catch postion on either or both the ultra or scorpion rifles and to add insult to injury a chunk of blueing is missing on the top of the main cylinder just behind the breech (no-one will notice it there eh Juan?)

So thats 3 guns all unsaleable - to say I'm disappointed in what Gamo have done to what was a great company is an understatement, rather than BSA having a positive influence on Gamo - its quite the opposite it seems - I wanted to buy the gun but if Gamo think I'll accept unsightly marks like that in a plastic stock - think again my friends -I wouldn't if it was a wood stock, why would the synthetic one be any different and Senor Gamo the best rifling in the world is wasted if you can't be bothered to finish the breech properly

Thankfully the dealer was excellent and refunded me without a quibble...not exactly what I was expecting given the glowing praise the rifle has recieved in the airgun press (perhaps rifles should be tested at random from the shops rather than supplied for test...)

[weebster]

personally i would take what the mags say with a lb of salt,they're not going to upset the gun maker by telling the truth about some models,after all these people pay handsomely to advertise their products in the glossie's which also goes some way to paying the wage's of the magazines staff etc,the worst ones are fishing mags like sea angler ......if you want honest advice on any gun then consult the forums and talk to those who use them day in day out and they'll be only to happy to tell you the pros and the cons of the gun,the mags only tell you the pros in most case's.

[R. P. McMurphy]

Another Great British name going to the dogs it seems.

[kevmar]

I bought a new one,and after cocking it only a few times
the breach scribed an arc in the edge of the barrel block,it was shiny steel and looked a mess.
Going back to the proper BSA's ,i.e 70's meteors mercs,and airsporters ,they were built better then the modern rubbish that's wearing the name but has nothing
in common with it.
Spanish made ,or assembled guns should stay there,let them keep their own rubbish.

[fensportsman]

I used to own a Lightning quite a few years ago, how does the newer version compare? Is it much different?

[fok]

I've owned a few and apart from a crap trigger they were all good reliable, accurate guns.

[airgunjon]

Are these made in Spain now? Mine has got 'Made in Birmingham England' moulded into the stock (above the trigger on the opposite side to the safety catch). But I agree about the snug fitting breech, you do have to thumb the pellets in pretty firmly.

[hide/one]

I bought a new one,and after cocking it only a few times
the breach scribed an arc in the edge of the barrel block,it was shiny steel and looked a mess.
Going back to the proper BSA's ,i.e 70's meteors mercs,and airsporters ,they were built better then the modern rubbish that's wearing the name but has nothing
in common with it.
Spanish made ,or assembled guns should stay there,let them keep their own rubbish.

,,,,[ looks like the dint near the safety catch,?,may be a releife moulded in wrong place for easier use of safety catch.cheers,[]

[Rocman]

Love my .22 Parker Hale Striker and it is the very one featured in the magazine being tuned by Steve Pope

Regards R/M

[harvey_s]

,,,,[ looks like the dint near the safety catch,?,may be a releife moulded in wrong place for easier use of safety catch.cheers,[]

Nope, it's p1ss poor moulding from a multi-purpose mould - from my original post "The replacement rifle arrived today and guess what same long dent which is obviously now a poor cover-up for a mould modification for the safety catch postion on either or both the ultra or scorpion rifles"