BSA Cadets Minors Majors

[Jimny4x4]

Can anyone direct me to any resource here by link ( have tried to use the search function but tooooo many hits and nothing specific and life is to short ) , or elsewhere on Net re the BSA Cadets .
Was until recently not ever going to that much of interest , but I do see their charm now , and recently see an auction with related ephemera coming up for sale , so this has prompted a relook .
Basic info , when and where did the smoothbore get dropped to rifled barrel , was this in both calibres , and at the same time ?
Was there any special options , as with Meteors with peep sights ?

Atvb
Jimny4x4

[Benelli B76]

Although not very powerful, these are also a favourite of mine and one of the most regular I get in to work on. I am not an expert on the history of them, the Cadet was introduced in 1945 and the Cadet Major the year I was born 1946. They are a solid well made rifle and I have enough parts now to make up four complete ones when I get the time. Of all the dozens I have worked on I have never seen a smooth bore barrel.

Baz

[pjbingham]

I believe the smooth bore versions were offered along side the rifled versions rather than before and were aimed at funfairs etc.
With the exception of a prototype .22 I believe all barrels encountered on both models are going to be .177
Cadets have fixed sights whereas the Majors rear sight is adjustable,often missing and costs the same as the rest of the rifle in some cases.
In both cases there are earlier and later styles of stock. The later has a traditionally recognised stock bolt whereas the earlier has a screw in the rear of the trigger guard.
DCL Dave on here makes both the piston & breech washers for these and very good they are too.
Most spares are available from the usual places but the are pretty much bomb proof anyway.
Atb Phil

[Abasmajor]

Hello,

Although there are a few internet resources to cater for the pre-war BSA air rifles, the early post war products are not nearly as well covered.

Dates of manufacture for BSA air rifles are listed here:

http://www.airgunspares.com/store/content/87/BSA/

The Cadets and Cadet Majors were produced concurrently between 1946 and 1959 and represented a sturdy, barrel cocking design to introduce junior and slightly older shooters into the sport.

Both models were made in .177 calibre only, although it is believed that a prototype Cadet Major was produced in the larger .22 calibre, but wasn't pursued due to insufficient performance.

A total of 116,900 Cadet Majors were produced, a very few of them with smooth bored barrels, which are indicated by the letters SB after the serial number. These were mainly intended for fairground use where the use of darts instead of pellets was common which would have had damaging consequence for the rifling.

A no peep sight, no optical sight, no nonsense design which still looks extremely elegant today. I was given my first Cadet Major for my eleventh birthday in 1957
and this was the first vintage air gun I bought when I got into classic air gun collecting. The Cadet Major is an accurate and reliable air rifle with a unique sound on closing the breech after cocking which takes me straight back to my youth.

Regards

Brian

[silva]

Although not very powerful, these are also a favourite of mine and one of the most regular I get in to work on. I am not an expert on the history of them, the Cadet was introduced in 1945 and the Cadet Major the year I was born 1946. They are a solid well made rifle and I have enough parts now to make up four complete ones when I get the time. Of all the dozens I have worked on I have never seen a smooth bore barrel.

Baz

I saw one smooth bore Cadet Major ten or more years ago. As well as being a smoothbore it had provisional proofmarks on the barrel. At the time I thought it may have been for export to Australia or Ireland. I think I started a thread on the BBS about it at the time. Also saw an early Airsporter with proofmarks too.

[Jimny4x4]

I believe the smooth bore versions were offered along side the rifled versions rather than before and were aimed at funfairs etc.
With the exception of a prototype .22 I believe all barrels encountered on both models are going to be .177
Cadets have fixed sights whereas the Majors rear sight is adjustable,often missing and costs the same as the rest of the rifle in some cases.
In both cases there are earlier and later styles of stock. The later has a traditionally recognised stock bolt whereas the earlier has a screw in the rear of the trigger guard.
DCL Dave on here makes both the piston & breech washers for these and very good they are too.
Most spares are available from the usual places but the are pretty much bomb proof anyway.
Atb Phil

Thanks guys .
Fascinating info .
That so few are smoothbore means I won't chase that - I do have the option of a project - not exactly sure what it is as hidden away with somebody but soon may see it . When I was chasing other things , I would see these sat idle taken in as part ex's in shops .
Do remember thinking at the time what a nice little break barrel .
Recently I was surprised at how the dealers are charging for them .

The note re stocks above is off timely interest .
Was not at all sure on these.
Having seen the one described as a prototype - machined , in mahogany on sale on Monday's auction ( noted elsewhere ) , that got me thinking again on these little guns .

If anyone wants to add anything feel free .
I see so little on these little airguns - except here that is

[micky2]

l found it strange that BSA never did put the Major out in .22 when later on in production that they did put out the Merlin in .22 which was underpowered compaired to the Major. both Cadets are quality rifles as far as build is concerned. and has Brian as said the sound of that closing click is a great.

[Lakey]

Lovely, good looking guns, the Cadet and Cadet Major. I have several, and love them to bits. The Cadet major had a longer compression cylinder and adjustable sights and trigger, The smaller cadet was aimed at youngsters, as a first gun. They did make a quantity of guns with spliced, three piece stocks, similar to the larger Airsporter range, however these are not common. Earlier guns, can suffer from the crossgrain strengthening fillets in the pistolgrip, working loose. Not sure what the fix is for that. I have also come across guns cracked across the pistol grip, so clearly this was an area of weakness on these guns.

Good condition guns with the photo etching intact and increasing in price (I have always thought, the guns were worth more than the average selling prices they received) and now they are coming back into popularity as more and more shooters realise what good fun they are to shoot.

Never again will we see that quality of materials used in a junior air rifle. Like people have said...... Bombproof design.

Enjoy

[Jimny4x4]

Lovely, good looking guns, the Cadet and Cadet Major. I have several, and love them to bits. The Cadet major had a longer compression cylinder and adjustable sights and trigger, The smaller cadet was aimed at youngsters, as a first gun. They did make a quantity of guns with spliced, three piece stocks, similar to the larger Airsporter range, however these are not common. Earlier guns, can suffer from the crossgrain strengthening fillets in the pistolgrip, working loose. Not sure what the fix is for that. I have also come across guns cracked across the pistol grip, so clearly this was an area of weakness on these guns.

Good condition guns with the photo etching intact and increasing in price (I have always thought, the guns were worth more than the average selling prices they received) and now they are coming back into popularity as more and more shooters realise what good fun they are to shoot.

Never again will we see that quality of materials used in a junior air rifle. Like people have said...... Bombproof design.

Enjoy

Thanks for the input Lakey much appreciated .
I saw an aged Airsporter advertised some time ago and there was more ref to the stock in the sales blurb , which I did not understand .
Now I do so thank you .
As a newbie its natural to ask the obvious question , why did BSA use multi part stocks when its clear that simpler would have been better - less fracturuing , weaknesses , warping . Referencing the mahogany stock coming up for sale in that Hansons auction tomorrow made from only two halves , its clear that is what they intended
initially ? I can possibly understand them dropping Mahogany as a source wood , even though back then Mahogany was much more common but the time and effort to make a stock from more parts - matching off segments , final fit , then finish ( grain travel , open ended etc ) doesn't make financial sense .