Pre War Bsa underlever stripdown

[ggggr]

Hello chaps----does anybody fancy doing the stripdown guide for these for the "Idiots guide" or looking through and cutting and pasting something up? ( sure that somebody must have put something up on here but I am a computer dunce). done a few of these but thought it best left to the experts to point out some of the differnces and maybe things to watch out for. Any volunteers?

[silva]

Hi,
They generally come apart fine. Though it is well worth getting some old screwdrivers to file down to fit the screwheads properly. This is the key to undoing Bsa nuts and bolts. A little bit of heat can work wonders on old rusty ones.

You probably know already, but just a couple of useful hints.

You don't have to remove the trigger retaining screw to strip the action - removing the triggerguard retaining screws will allow you to unscrew the triggerblock and access inside the cylinder. Remember to pull the trigger back slightly when first unscrewing the block.

The stock is removed from the action by removing the buttplate or wooden plug and unscrewing the stockbolt that goes through the stock into the triggerblock.
If this bolt is seized and its absolutely 100% necessary to remove it, remove the action from the trigger block, take out the trigger mechanism, soak the back of the stockbolt in the triggerblock with a little penetrating oil (don't soak the stock wood), leave it a few days, then put a piece of suitably sized flat steel bar into the trigger recess, place it on a flat non damaging surface and then try to turn the stock bolt using a large screwdriver or socket set - I do this at the bottom of the stairs and kneel on the block, with the wood over the edge - though you could probably put the steel bar into a bench vice and do it that way.
Proceed very gently though as the stocks can be delicate 100 years on. If you do it by this method properly, there should be no pressure on the stock wood.
It may help just to give it a 1/8turn in the tightening direction - sometimes works to help it break free.
If the stockbolt is mashed - according to the experts you can use a Lee Enfield one off the bayofee which are sometimes cheaper than the parts suppliers.

Old Bsa's generally strip ok, I did a Imp Mod D recently that was an even pitted rusty colour that looked as though it had been in a shed for 50 years and everthing came undone, despite the stock bolt having rusted to half its diameter over the last 100 years inside the stock !

Cheers
Goodluck
Cheers

[Phil Russell]

Hi Guy
I have added some notes I made a while ago .. I thought the Idiots Guide already had the BSA Standards etc but apparently not.
Comments in the thread above, which I saw after posting my notes in the Guide, could be regarded as a supplement.
Cheers, Phil

[ggggr]

Thanks Phil----I think they are all pretty much the same but thought someone might want to point out anything in particular to watch out for. If you can eddit your post in the "Idiots guide" to include that the piston washer is held by a 2ba screw and these are sometimes broken off and the remainder needs to be got out or the hole needs to be tapped, I think that is good enough. I have had to do 2 of them buggers----Try that without a vice, centre punch and a drill stuck on fast speed Thanks

[Phil Russell]

Hi
I will edit to add above information
Cheers, Phil