BSA Airsporter MK2 Time Machine

[45flint]

Saw this for sale by the same person who sold me the Webley Senior, that Pistol was so well maintained that I assumed this would be as well. Got it today and it is really a time machine, so nice. Serial number made it a Mark 2 1959-65, with folding sight and spaced indents for scope. Two stage trigger and the pellet tap opens when you cock the gun. Everything metal or wood. Was getting shots in the 500 fps but I need to lube it and get it running again. Could not have been shot much, seems about new? Real treat to have it next the my 1925 BSA Standard I got last year. Two examples of BSA leadership in the development of airgunning.

https://imgur.com/gallery/91PTQ

Getting near the end of my Airgun acquisition fund. Lol Someday I’ll put together all the airguns I bought with the sale of one 32 acp Pistol.

[JSD]

what a lovely airsporter.. thanx for sharing pix.. kind rgds.. J.S.D.

[bill57]

Finest one I've ever seen. I had one of these years ago, though not in that condition. Sold it to finance a shotgun, one of life's many mistakes.

[johnbaz]

Ooooh!!

That's a beauty!!


John

[micky2]

Hi Steve, what a nice find and super condition as well, nice that it still has it's foresight cover. as you say nice to go with your standard enjoy shooting it. your having luck finding them at the moment.

[andrewM]

Most interesting - a magnificent specimen - and it demonstrates that patience is often rewarded when building a collection. It seems that, like me, you have been infected by the collecting bug - something that has been considerably stimulated by the existence of this site, as I feared.

I am half on the lookout for a pre-WW1 BSA/Lincoln Jefferies .22. My early 1920s BSA Standard .22, which I suspect has been very well used in the past, is performing with satisfying accuracy and doing about 11.3 ft/lbs. These rifles were well ahead of their time.

[junglie]

Thats a nice one! i'd get the stock off & lube the underlever pivot pins & rivets, motorcyle chain grease in aerosol is easy to squirt in the joints,I'm not sure if the mk2 has a leather piston washer , think it does, if so a few drops of hempseed oil or similar in the loading tap & cock it so it's sucked into the cylinder, then leave it overnight (unloaded of course) to soak in & swell the washer. That should help it perform better & be easier to cock. A good clean out of the trigger mech with solvent or brake cleaner & re-lube with light machine oil wouldn't hurt too while you've got the stock off. Enjoy it looks like you got a cracker!

[45flint]

Most interesting - a magnificent specimen - and it demonstrates that patience is often rewarded when building a collection. It seems that, like me, you have been infected by the collecting bug - something that has been considerably stimulated by the existence of this site, as I feared.

I am half on the lookout for a pre-WW1 BSA/Lincoln Jefferies .22. My early 1920s BSA Standard .22, which I suspect has been very well used in the past, is performing with satisfying accuracy and doing about 11.3 ft/lbs. These rifles were well ahead of their time.

I like you are drawn to the very early BSAs but my eye is out for a “Light”. As old as these are they are just natural shooters and have a grace about them. I see some of that grace in this Airsporter, but later versions just lack it for me, even though I’m sure they are good guns.

[junglie]

I like you are drawn to the very early BSAs but my eye is out for a “Light”. As old as these are they are just natural shooters and have a grace about them. I see some of that grace in this Airsporter, but later versions just lack it for me, even though I’m sure they are good guns.

In my experience shooting & working on them they are not! Apart from the RB models, some of the last & best airsporters made to actually shoot well. The trouble with the older .22's is they have 5.6mm barrel bores which since the famous eley wasp brand was sold is really hard to find ammo to get good accuracy from. Rws superdomes & hobbys are ok in them i found though.

[Garvin]

Wow! What a beautiful rifle, Steve!

[45flint]

In my experience shooting & working on them they are not! Apart from the RB models, some of the last & best airsporters made to actually shoot well. The trouble with the older .22's is they have 5.6mm barrel bores which since the famous eley wasp brand was sold is really hard to find ammo to get good accuracy from. Rws superdomes & hobbys are ok in them i found though.

I had to look up RB, rotary breech, good god man were talking about shooting in style! Lol I rarely hit what I’m aiming at anyway with these old eyes anyway. But seriously I was using the Superdomes last summer with the Standard and doing quite well. I liken it to shooting a long, thin, old Kentucky rifle, yes a modern cartridge gun is more accurate, but not quite the joy to shoot. Need some warm weather to try out the Airsporter but just the feel and look of it is worth the money. Shooting is the bonus.

[45flint]

Wow! What a beautiful rifle, Steve!

What is preticulatly nice on this example is the match of the walnut in the laminated stock. Very hard to pickup the joints unless you really know that they are there.

[Kevin2306]

That is lovely indeed, was it from a collector or dealer?
Where does he advertise?

Regards

[andrewM]

Yes, despite the near demise of the old .22 calibre pellets (5.6mm), I have found that Superdomes do very well in my early 1920s BSA Standard, which is performing at around 11.3 ft/lbs with these and shooting respectable groups. BSA Elites also produce 11.3 ft/lbs but I cannot recall how accurate these were last summer. I have two or three tins of the old Eley Wasp, which I use as a benchmark; I would not touch the replacement under the name Wasp - a slip-shod, cheap and disgraceful product, which relies on former decades of goodwill by its predecessor.

Superdomes also perform well and shoot accurately in my 1973 Mk3 Webley.

I had to look up RB, rotary breech, good god man were talking about shooting in style! Lol I rarely hit what I’m aiming at anyway with these old eyes anyway. But seriously I was using the Superdomes last summer with the Standard and doing quite well. I liken it to shooting a long, thin, old Kentucky rifle, yes a modern cartridge gun is more accurate, but not quite the joy to shoot. Need some warm weather to try out the Airsporter but just the feel and look of it is worth the money. Shooting is the bonus.

[fozzy45]

I had a boxed one in as new condition a few years ago with a stunning walnut stock. Sold it to a guy on one of the Facebook sites before all the banning started. Got £325 for it. https://www.flickr.com/photos/124581.../shares/7262R9
That's a really nice example too with all the etching still good.
Fozzy