BSA Light - information would be appreciated .

[zooma]

I have just bought my first "old" BSA from a recent advert here on the BBS.

Although I know nothing about these fine old British air rifles, I was very impressed when I was given a go with a friends BSA Improved Model at the RMTC club range a few weeks ago, and thought it would be nice to buy one if one should come along at a reasonable price.

This BSA Light was offered at £140 including postage so I thought it would make a good introduction for me to get started with - and I was not too concerned about doing a little "tidying-up" if required.

Well the rifle has just arrived and it only has two stamps on it anywhere - this surprised me as all the pictures of these old rifles I had seen in various books seem to have plenty of stamps on the metalwork here and there.

The first stamp is the serial number L11164 on the left hand side just above the trigger guard. The second just says LOAD stamped in front of the loading port. The cocking arm has a push button release on the end of it and not a side operated one as I have seen in some pictures of the BSA Light.

The rifle is not in bad condition, but has a couple of obvious areas that need some attention ( cap head bolt and nylock nut on the cocking arm to link joint , and a Phillips head screw holding the rear part of the trigger guard onto the wooden stock) but nothing that cannot be tackled in due corse.

What I would like to know is how I can identify the model type accurately and the approximate year of manufacture. I will take some pictures to help with this later, but can anyone help with the information I have been able to provide so far.

[Grayling]

I'd put it as 1920 vintage mate. It should be the two hole trigger block as well. I think any etching that would've been on the top of the compression tube will have disappeared now as is normal unless you get a really clean unused/well cared for example. Hope this helps.

[edbear2]

Hi, As Gary says, 1920 so a fairly early example of this gun which was introduced post WW1 with the style of cocking lever you describe common across the whole range of "Standard" guns.

The earliest post WW1 BSA's had many of the features of the early guns, ie. keeper screws and nice rounded breech forgings, but as time went by these slowly were discarded in an effort to save production costs, and the last pre WW2 guns are quite plain in comparison, with a flat top breech and simple dropped in pivot pin secured by the tap plate.

The "load" marking was replaced by a simple 1 or 2 letter stamp at the breech.

ATB, Ed

[zooma]

Hi, As Gary says, 1920 so a fairly early example of this gun which was introduced post WW1 with the style of cocking lever you describe common across the whole range of "Standard" guns.

The earliest post WW1 BSA's had many of the features of the early guns, ie. keeper screws and nice rounded breech forgings, but as time went by these slowly were discarded in an effort to save production costs, and the last pre WW2 guns are quite plain in comparison, with a flat top breech and simple dropped in pivot pin secured by the tap plate.

The "load" marking was replaced by a simple 1 or 2 letter stamp at the breech.

ATB, Ed

Hi Ed,

The word "LOAD" is stamped by the loading port.

The pivot point for the cocking arm is a screwed-in with a domed head bolt from the right hand side and looks original.

Thanks for your help - the cocking lever fooled me as it was a flat sided parallel type with the release button on its end. Apart from the types with the forked shape at the end of them, the only other shape of cocking lever I had seen pictured was wider at the tip and had the release button on the side and not on the end like this one.

1920 eh - not too bad at all - I have actually found something older than myself!

[zooma]

I'd put it as 1920 vintage mate. It should be the two hole trigger block as well. I think any etching that would've been on the top of the compression tube will have disappeared now as is normal unless you get a really clean unused/well cared for example. Hope this helps.

Thanks for your help Gary.

The trigger block does have two holes on each side of it, with a rounded screw head in each hole entering from the right hand side, and (presumably) just the ends of these screws being visible inside from the left hand side.

There is absolutely no sign of any etching on top of the compression tube.

Now I know it could be a 1920 vintage I am even more pleased with it.......and hope I don't annoy the purist' as I get it re-finished to look as nice as possible. With the original etching completely gone and very little of the original finish left I see no harm in restoring it as no further detail is likely to be lost.

[zooma]

I forgot to mention that the stock is not stamped with a name or a number either - just the chequered "leaf" shape on each side below the thumb web "hook". Other than that it is completely plain - but may be missing some sort of plate on the butt to cover the large screw head that fixes the stock to the action.

Does anyone have a picture to show what this cover plate looks like so I can try to make one, and let me know what it was made of ?

[gingernut]

Have a look at vintage bsa air rifle gallery if you haven't already.
Lots of stuff and pics on there from familiar names on here.

[edbear2]

Have a look at vintage bsa air rifle gallery if you haven't already.
Lots of stuff and pics on there from familiar names on here.

Here is the relevant section showing the various types of 1919-39 L models;

http://www.network54.com/Forum/67044...A%26quot%3B%29

"Various types" sounds a bit grand....essentially all the BSA and lincolns from beginning to the end were pretty much the same gun, just offered in various lengths, and they fiddled about with minor improvements to cocking levers, triggers and other small details.

The only majorly different guns were the juvenile and the military pattern.

The fact that the guns had all these various lengths, and various improvements over the two production periods means that there are lots of guns out there that look very similar to the non collector, but have enough variation to interest the collector.

It is my belief that if BSA had got through WW2 with all the tooling intact for these guns, they would have probably carried on with the range, probably copying the German full stocked designs of the time (which in turn were copies action wise of the BSA!), and ending up with something like the Webley MK3 in appearance.

The Webley survived till the 1980's, yet is essentially similar in design and operation to a 1919 BSA.

Another project for the back burner, a 45" Standard action with a modified trigger block to suit a full stock, and extended milpat style trigger = the probable 1946 "new" BSA Standard

ATB, ED