Improved model D

[slow_runner]

I was offered an old BSA model D the other week.
I was given a run down on it; no trigger, trigger guard or spring/s; it is all complete otherwise
A few images were sent.
Earlier this week it arrived and was unwrapped with some enthusiasm, my first real BSA.

Damn these old BSA's look good, feel good and they come up to aim very nicely too.

First appearances it seems to be in much better nick than I had expected, lovely. Going over it, a bit loose at the stock, some bruising marks on the wood but nothing that stands out except.....
The receiver is loose at the barrel joint, also there is some swelling of the receiver...
that obvious fact wasn't mentioned.
I separated it today and before looking too hard at the receiver (I was hoping for some good news first) I ran some cleaning wads down the bore with a length of brazing rod.
The rifling helix could be felt, so thats good news. I ran a few more and checked the bore; very clean.
I pushed a few pellets down and they moved nicely until the last 3 inches where they felt looser but not excessively so.
Onto the cylinder to check it out a bit closer.
Sitting in front of the piston head, a lump of what looks to be lead (solder?) fell into my hands.
Out with the internal calipers and vernier. The ID measures 38mm and just behind the thread the ID is 38.5 or thereabouts.
Sourcing spares don't look half as bad a problem now as this revelation.
My first thoughts are, "bugger, this looks bad....what to do?"

I will get the camera out and post some images tomorrow.

[AC99]

Doesn't sound too good - especially the bulge in the air chamber and the presence of a lead "foreign body".
The looseness of the barrel at the receiver is also quite alarming. I thought this joint was brazed but I may have misunderstood your description.
Photos will certainly help.
It seems unfortunate that your first experience of owning an old BSA IMD should have been this apparently poor example but wait and see what others think.

[Abasmajor]

Hi,

The lead you found in front of the piston head is most likely to be a deformed pellet.

If the loading pellet chamber of the breech plug was charged with a pellet and the lever was returned to the closed position BEFORE cocking the rifle, the pellet would be sucked back through the transfer port into the chamber. On firing the now empty rifle, the piston would slam forward with the pellet becoming embedded in the soft leather piston washer. This failure to fully understand how the rifle should be operated resulted in many being returned to the factory for repair soon after they were originally dispatched. BSA printed some very comprehensive instructions to accompany later products in-order to prevent this happening together with recommendations on the pellet best suited to the rifles design.

Hope you get things sorted soon for as you say, these are lovely old rifles which will last almost indefinitely if maintained and used in the recommended manner.

Regards

Brian

[Josie & John]

Good advice from Abasmajor there. The barrels on these old BSAs are screw threaded to the breech and some strong thread seal should sort that problem for you.

The BSA will take a lot of abuse and still work but the only way to tell is to use it. Once it is back together and cleaned up, possibly re sprung and washered, she may well work fine. I hope so anyway.

John

[silva]

Not ideal, but you might be alright. Would the pellet have already left the barrel by the time the piston reaches there. As John says, the truth will be in the firing ! Good luck with finding the bits. Triggers and guards usually survive well and turn up quite regularly.
Cheers

[battyone]

The barrel/receiver was originally soldered to the compression cylinder. So that may be the source of the lead you found.
Pretty sure that the transfer port is smaller than even a.177 pellet.

As already suggested a modern thread seal/locker will replace the solder.

[slow_runner]

It is early here and before I put my head down for an extra shut eye, there is an image in this link that shows a .22 sporting pattern with a receiver that shows a bulge with a similar appearance to my BSA.
It can be seen tn the third and last image.
http://www.network54.com/Forum/67044...orting+pattern

[ccdjg]

Hi,


If the loading pellet chamber of the breech plug was charged with a pellet and the lever was returned to the closed position BEFORE cocking the rifle, the pellet would be sucked back through the transfer port into the chamber. On firing the now empty rifle, the piston would slam forward with the pellet becoming embedded in the soft leather piston washer. This failure to fully understand how the rifle should be operated resulted in many being returned to the factory for repair soon after they were originally dispatched. BSA printed some very comprehensive instructions to accompany later products in-order to prevent this happening together with recommendations on the pellet best suited to the rifles design.

Curious that BSA didn't simply reduce the size of the transfer port slightly to circumvent this problem. Comprehensive instructions or not, there always seems to be an idiot minority why refuse to heed any advice (the "Do not remove" instruction on the breech plug on Webley pistols is perhaps the best known example).