Old bell target competitions

[45flint]

Starting to be fascinated with the the old BSA standard. Reading about the old bell target competitions and how they are being revived. The UTube I saw the competitors were all shooting modern competition rifles. Are their competitions that use only the old rifles like the BSA?

[Andy001]

http://www.belltarget.com

Some light reading, I can't answer your question. As I'm reading up on this kind of thing too.

[Josie & John]

We use pre 1939 air rifles at Bisley for Bell Target. Most choose pre WW1 models, although I have used a 1923 BSA CS with an AJ Parker aperture sight for the last couple of years with some success. The enjoyment comes from using these old air rifles and the realisation they remain just as accurate today as they were when new.

John

[micky2]

Starting to be fascinated with the the old BSA standard. Reading about the old bell target competitions and how they are being revived. The UTube I saw the competitors were all shooting modern competition rifles. Are their competitions that use only the old rifles like the BSA?

l think they still use the old BSAs and other old guns at the Melbourne Marksmen club, not sure if they still have a competition just for the old timers, that's the guns as well as the shooters.

[45flint]

Somehow it just seemed wrong when I saw the UTube with the modern rifles going for the bell? But I guess I'm getting vintage myself though it's all new to me.

[nige346]

We use pre 1939 air rifles at Bisley for Bell Target. Most choose pre WW1 models, although I have used a 1923 BSA CS with an AJ Parker aperture sight for the last couple of years with some success. The enjoyment comes from using these old air rifles and the realisation they remain just as accurate today as they were when new.

John

Could agree more, there is a "special" sense of satisfaction in hearing it ring with an old vintage rifle, I'd probably get a lot more with my 10mtr rifle but somehow it's just not the same

[DAVALI]

We at Lea Valley have a Bell Target coupled with a 10yd rifle competition restricted to pre 1939 rifles but, we don't allow aperture sights so everyone is on a level playing field, Great fun to get the old girls out and have a go.
I too have seen the modern Bell target comps on Utube leaves me a bit cold as it seems too clinical!,

Rusty or not they still seem to preform ok!.

DaveM.

[yorkiets]

I love the thought of using vintage rifles, but availability, maintainability and cost are definite roadblocks.

I agree that using state of the art match guns, gimp suits etc looks faintly ridiculous for bell target.

A compromise to suit those who want to give it a go has been the HW30s for us. It's given our air weapons section a new sense of fun to go along with the more serious competition shooting.

[trajectory]

If you can find a copy of the booklet Frank Spittle wrote on bell target shooting you might enjoy it. I think it was called Ring my Bell an Old Black Country Sport, I enjoyed it and learnt a fair bit about the sport. Not sure if it's still available though. The author passed away some years back but was a well known gunsmith from the midlands.

[45flint]

If you can find a copy of the booklet Frank Spittle wrote on bell target shooting you might enjoy it. I think it was called Ring my Bell an Old Black Country Sport, I enjoyed it and learnt a fair bit about the sport. Not sure if it's still available though. The author passed away some years back but was a well known gunsmith from the midlands.

I just read it online, very cool opens up another world.

[AC99]

If you can find a copy of the booklet Frank Spittle wrote on bell target shooting you might enjoy it. I think it was called Ring my Bell an Old Black Country Sport, I enjoyed it and learnt a fair bit about the sport. Not sure if it's still available though. The author passed away some years back but was a well known gunsmith from the midlands.

I bought a copy a year or so ago for a few pounds after seeing a review or ad somewhere; an interesting read. The book - only about 50 pages - was re-printed and re-published in 1996 I think. I recall sending off a cheque but cannot remember where the outlet was although it may have been from a surviving relative of the author, Frank Spittle.

[micky2]

I love the thought of using vintage rifles, but availability, maintainability and cost are definite roadblocks.

I agree that using state of the art match guns, gimp suits etc looks faintly ridiculous for bell target.

A compromise to suit those who want to give it a go has been the HW30s for us. It's given our air weapons section a new sense of fun to go along with the more serious competition shooting.

lf you are lucky you can pick up a old BSA underlever for about £100+. and they are easy to work on and maintain.

[edbear2]

Starting to be fascinated with the the old BSA standard. Reading about the old bell target competitions and how they are being revived. The UTube I saw the competitors were all shooting modern competition rifles. Are their competitions that use only the old rifles like the BSA?

Our league has been going for over 100 years with just World Wars interrupting;

http://www.belltarget.com/lord-ednam.php

We shoot in various local to Worcester pubs and halls on Thursday nights from September to March, with a couple of competitions after that, so basically a Winter league which is good for local pubs as it brings in 30+ people every Thursday at an often quiet part of the year, and teams will have Christmas dinners and the like as well, plus practise nights, so all in all landlords are very supportive and some even shoot themselves or the staff do.

No gimp suits, we wear normal clothes, no gloves / hats / sighting aids. All rifles are spring only with open iron sights, no apertures or even sight hoods allowed. Most rifles are underlever HW77 or TX200 with the odd RB2 or HW80 rifles can be up to 11.5 but most people seem to run high 10's / low 11's.

Rifles can be smoothed out (lots of olderVenom and the like tuning stckers on show) and stocks can be modified or GNIB type with adjusable butt plate, but not match type. The idea being to make shooting accessable without spending $1000's and true to the original concept.

Some of the best shooters use standard rifles and possible regularly with a couple of guys getting maximum scores for 40% of their matches, so no slouches!

Some idea of the various venues here;

https://www.flickr.com/photos/312284...57631530525209

It's a rural area where fieldsports are very popular, so in many places no-one even blinks when 30 odd peole walk into a pub with gun cases on a winter's evening....In some cases passing customers are eating / drinking and we have on several occasions at our place let people have a go (under supervision) and explained the history etc. and invariably they have been very impressed and had their initial shock dispelled


ATB, Ed

[yorkiets]

lf you are lucky you can pick up a old BSA underlever for about £100+. and they are easy to work on and maintain.

Ok, but there are many of us at our club that play. It might take a long time for everyone to find vintage stuff and not everyone likes to tinker. The Hw30s is inexpensive and readily available so certainly in the short term it's a no brainier.

Where do you find old underlever bsa's for £100?

[45flint]

Very cool Ed, that is awesome history.

Great articles in the Airgun Collector Magazine volume 1, posted above and the BSA rifles that were used early on.

If I can get that old BSA rifle I will build a bell target, but the price of that BSA on this side of the pond is a little more that 100 pounds!