History of the airsporter?

[Airsporter1st]

Is there anywhere online that has the history of the airsporter with pictures of all the mks? I had one years ago and i am at the point where I would like one but unsure which mk i want to get!

There are a number of big fans on here (including me) who have a mass of collective knowledge (excluding me), regarding the history of most guns. If you search "Airsporter" you'll come up with enough reading material to keep you going for a long time. Many of the threads/posts contain links to brochures and other material.

For pictures and other technical info, you can also go to Chamber's website.

However, if you want to save yourself a lot of agonising over which to get, just buy a decent, unmolested Mk1 or Mk2. You won't get a better Airsporter and you will have one of the nicest looking air rifles ever produced, not to mention the fastest reloading single shot springer ever.

P.S. I'm ever so slightly biased.

[Abasmajor]

There are a number of big fans on here (including me) who have a mass of collective knowledge (excluding me), regarding the history of most guns. If you search "Airsporter" you'll come up with enough reading material to keep you going for a long time. Many of the threads/posts contain links to brochures and other material.

For pictures and other technical info, you can also go to Chamber's website.

However, if you want to save yourself a lot of agonising over which to get, just buy a decent, unmolested Mk1 or Mk2. You won't get a better Airsporter and you will have one of the nicest looking air rifles ever produced, not to mention the fastest reloading single shot springer ever.

P.S. I'm ever so slightly biased.

Hello,

I couldn't agree more with the above,especially the Mk1 /Mk 2 recommendation.

Regards
Brian

[Blackrider]

BSA Airsporters summed up in one sentence !
" The best Airsporter is the Mk. 1 followed by the Mk. 2 and the most accurate, were the RB2's at the end of the models production run but the most expensive new in 1982 and now secondhand is the Centenary, everything inbetween was not of the same quality apart from the "S" version" !

I've owed all at some time except the S and the Centenary, my personel favourite is the RB2 Carbine .22 !

IMO.

[Shed tuner]

B
The best Airsporter is the Mk. 1 followed by the Mk. 2 and the most accurate, were the RB2's at the end of the models production run.

I agree with that

[mrto]

They are the three Airsporter models to have and possibly the MK3,too due to its relative scarcity.

The rest are just junk!



Anyone who has a hankering for a later model Airsporter should by a Mercury instead then there's no need to worry about the misaligned and leaky taps!

[JACK RATT]

Reading this thread has lead me to getting mine out of the wardrobe today. It's been ages since I've had it out of the case. Anyway, it's a Mk1, 0.22, serial number GA920 which dates it around 1955 if my memory serves me right.

There's a couple of questions I'd like to ask the experts on here about early Airsporters.

Firstly, mine has scope grooves but the absence of any etching leads me to think it's been re-blued at sometime as it's in quite nice condition for a 61yr old. Did they all have the etching on them? Mine has no stamping anywhere except the serial number near the trigger guard.

Next question, my stock does not have the "BSA" logo pressed into it, so does this suggest it's a Mk2 stock, as my old Mk2 didn't have it either, or was it that not all Mk1 stocks where marked? It is 3 piece walnut.

I've only owned it for a year or so and I got it locally here in Cornwall.

[Airsporter1st]

Reading this thread has lead me to getting mine out of the wardrobe today. It's been ages since I've had it out of the case. Anyway, it's a Mk1, 0.22, serial number GA920 which dates it around 1955 if my memory serves me right.

There's a couple of questions I'd like to ask the experts on here about early Airsporters.

Firstly, mine has scope grooves but the absence of any etching leads me to think it's been re-blued at sometime as it's in quite nice condition for a 61yr old. Did they all have the etching on them? Mine has no stamping anywhere except the serial number near the trigger guard.

Next question, my stock does not have the "BSA" logo pressed into it, so does this suggest it's a Mk2 stock, as my old Mk2 didn't have it either, or was it that not all Mk1 stocks where marked? It is 3 piece walnut.

I've only owned it for a year or so and I got it locally here in Cornwall.

As I said in my reply to the OP above, I'm no expert, but from what I've read it seems there were many 'crossover' guns using bits from two or more Marks, so the stock does not surprise me. I was not aware the Mk1 had scope grooves, though.

I would expect to see traces of etching if the bluing is in good condition, so does sound re-finished.

The sure fire way to I.D. a Mk1 seems to be the tapered barrel and non-flip up rearsight, but I'm sure someone will be along to confirm or deny that, shortly.

[Abasmajor]

Wouldn't it be nice to have a reference book dedicated to post-war BSA air rifles similar to Chris Thrales excellent Webley publication. We have the John Knibbs BSA / Lincoln Jeffries book, but nothing substantial for the post-war products. There is some information in his Golden Century, but nothing much more than passing reference.

Brian

[Airsporter1st]

Wouldn't it be nice to have a reference book dedicated to post-war BSA air rifles similar to Chris Thrales excellent Webley publication. We have the John Knibbs BSA / Lincoln Jeffries book, but nothing substantial for the post-war products. There is some information in his Golden Century, but nothing much more than passing reference.

Brian

That's a book I would buy.

[Garvin]

Wouldn't it be nice to have a reference book dedicated to post-war BSA air rifles similar to Chris Thrales excellent Webley publication. We have the John Knibbs BSA / Lincoln Jeffries book, but nothing substantial for the post-war products. There is some information in his Golden Century, but nothing much more than passing reference.

Brian

Brian I just had a skim through my copy of Golden Century and you're right, there's very little on the Airsporters, which is a shame. But if you extracted all the mentions of immediate postwar BSAs, such as the Cadet/Major, Meteor, Club/Airsporter and Merlin, it would amount to a bit more than a passing reference - more like a very slim volume. It would be worth doing this to save a lot of irritation. My GC falls open at most of the airgun references although finding the part you want is very frustrating!

[Airsporterman]

They are the three Airsporter models to have and possibly the MK3,too due to its relative scarcity.

The rest are just junk!



Anyone who has a hankering for a later model Airsporter should by a Mercury instead then there's no need to worry about the misaligned and leaky taps!

I don't think the rest are junk - just perhaps not as good as the Mk1 which most believed was never bettered. (including myself)
The later 'S' Mks were good rifles as were the RBs.
I like all my Airsporters - they are all different in one way or another.
As has been said - get a good Mk1!

ASM

[mrto]

I don't think the rest are junk - just perhaps not as good as the Mk1 which most believed was never bettered. (including myself)
The later 'S' Mks were good rifles as were the RBs.
I like all my Airsporters - they are all different in one way or another.
As has been said - get a good Mk1!

ASM

The problem with the Airsporters from the MKIV onwards is that they had parallel taps which was just another cheapening of the production methods applied to the model.They were often misaligned and leaky from new hence my opinion of them.The Mercury offers all the aesthetic beauty of the later Airsporters such as it was,but without the potential for a problematic tap.

As later Airsporters are now decades old with the exception of the RB2 the potential for a useless tap is even higher I personally would not consider one.I do though have three or four MK1's four or five MK2's one of which is a scarce hybrid example and one RB2 and half a dozen Mercury's.

A real shame the Mercury wasn't released alongside the first Airsporter in 1948 with all the wonderful build quality that would have meant.

ATB.