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Thread: BSA experts

  1. #1
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    BSA experts

    Got a few nice bargains in, including this old BSA, one of the best I have seen, I just have to clean up the screws and re-blue them. It has the BSA and Lincoln info stamped into the chamber, not etched. Can anybody give me the correct designation, age and value, thanks. (Also got another one from the rubbish tip for £30, and a mint HW 45 for £50).

    Baz

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  2. #2
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    Lovely! This will help Baz.
    Vintage Airguns Gallery
    ..Above link posted with permission from Gareth W-B
    In British slang an anorak is a person who has a very strong interest in niche subjects.

  3. #3
    micky2 is offline The collector formerly known as micky
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    Hi Baz, that's a nice early one and with the rarer straight hand stock.

  4. #4
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    Magnificent. Did you buy it at auction? Is it .22 or .177? What power/velocity is it producing, if you have this information? Is it producing good groups?

    I am rather envious!

    Let us know the year, when you find it.

    A

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by micky2 View Post
    Hi Baz, that's a nice early one and with the rarer straight hand stock.
    Micky the tap looks different to the ones I am used to, with the unusual stop. Are these common ?

    Baz
    BE AN INDEPENDENT THINKER, DON'T FOLLOW THE CROWD

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    Quote Originally Posted by Benelli B76 View Post
    Micky the tap looks different to the ones I am used to, with the unusual stop. Are these common ?

    Baz
    Baz that design was common to the first three (or four?) batches of BSA Air Rifle. See here for others.
    Vintage Airguns Gallery
    ..Above link posted with permission from Gareth W-B
    In British slang an anorak is a person who has a very strong interest in niche subjects.

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by andrewM View Post
    Magnificent. Did you buy it at auction? Is it .22 or .177? What power/velocity is it producing, if you have this information? Is it producing good groups?

    I am rather envious!

    Let us know the year, when you find it.

    A
    Andrew, just got it yesterday from my RFD mate who hoovers these up continually. Stripped it this morning and cleaned up screw heads, the two on the tap were mangled because they were seized and a butcher had tried to unscrew them. I used an impact screwdriver to loosen them. It is .177 and doing 8.4 ft.lbs. with Air Arms 8.4 grn. Quite good as it has the original twin flat section springs in. One coil was broken off loose in the piston. The piston washer has formed a little dimple on the metal washer from hitting into the transfer port for over 100 years, not bad. No one has come back on a date or value but I think 1905-06 looking at the low serial number.

    Baz

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  8. #8
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    If you follow the link I posted above, Baz, it dates it to 1905.
    Vintage Airguns Gallery
    ..Above link posted with permission from Gareth W-B
    In British slang an anorak is a person who has a very strong interest in niche subjects.

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Garvin View Post
    If you follow the link I posted above, Baz, it dates it to 1905.
    Ah, sorry Danny, I clicked on the Vintage Airgun link not "this", did not see colour variation. Do you think it is more desirable to put back the original springs ? I can flatten and grind the broken one. Could put new ones in to increase power, but seems a pity to change it from original.

    Baz
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  10. #10
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    Wow such a treasure, how can you not put the original springs back.

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Benelli B76 View Post
    Ah, sorry Danny, I clicked on the Vintage Airgun link not "this", did not see colour variation. Do you think it is more desirable to put back the original springs ? I can flatten and grind the broken one. Could put new ones in to increase power, but seems a pity to change it from original.

    Baz
    Yes, I would also definitely put the original springs back if the velocity is OK.
    Vintage Airguns Gallery
    ..Above link posted with permission from Gareth W-B
    In British slang an anorak is a person who has a very strong interest in niche subjects.

  12. #12
    micky2 is offline The collector formerly known as micky
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    Quote Originally Posted by Garvin View Post
    Baz that design was common to the first three (or four?) batches of BSA Air Rifle. See here for others.
    Hi Danny many thanks for ansering the question that Baz asked.

  13. #13
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    Hi Baz,

    Lovely condition gun from the very first batch of guns made by BSA, for sale under their own label. The cylinder should be marked The BSA Air Rifle (Lincoln Jeffries Patent).

    It has the uncommon long tang trigger guard, which were cast, and fairly brittle. The tang for the your stock , is straight, however the tang for the Pistol grip (known as the Pistolhand stock) was curved, and very time consuming to fit. Many breakages occured at the factory, so the long tang trigger guards were quickly phased out.
    John Knibbs gives the dates of manufacture between Sept and Dec 1905, and it would have sold straight away , such was the demand for these revolutionary guns.
    The rifle has a later rear sight fitted from a 1920's gun - that stands out a bit for the purist collector.

    Early guns like this had a narrow parallel hole in the deep loading tap, so will need a pellet pusher to properly seat the pellets in the breach. Value wise, I would say around £220- £275 somewhere around there, but that is only my opinion.

    Nice rifle that doesnt look like its had a lot of use.

    Lakey

  14. #14
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    Fantastic post, Andy!
    Vintage Airguns Gallery
    ..Above link posted with permission from Gareth W-B
    In British slang an anorak is a person who has a very strong interest in niche subjects.

  15. #15
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    Andy, the tap has a taper of about 4 thou, most pellets fall halfway down, the Air Arms I happen to have fall almost to the bottom. All finished now and re-assembled the power has dropped slightly after refinishing the one spring, but still doing around 655 fps with 7.7 grn.

    Baz
    BE AN INDEPENDENT THINKER, DON'T FOLLOW THE CROWD

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