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Thread: Strange or Mystery Meteor?!

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
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    Strange or mystery early Meteor?

    Hi,
    Long shot question for any vintage BSA afficiando's please!

    I just bought a nice old Beeza Meteor, Private sale.
    On first glance it looks like a Mk2 , and thats what I assumed from the pics in the advert, but maybe it's a bit of an odd one. Perhaps?

    Barrel is Mk2 in design - i.e. the simpler dovetailed blade foresight. and dovetail single-tang rearsight.
    Breech block serial is not clear - lettering is not clearly stamped and barrel has been repainted - It's obscured, I cannot make out prefix even under magnifier. But design-wise barrrel absolutely has the exact features of a Mk2.

    But itis the Cylinder that is the apparently odd thing.
    It has the older 'Mk 1 & 2' style BSA Meteor logo - the chevron design, placed just behind the breech, as opposed to the later and more common 'between the scope' rails block lettering.

    But, despite that Mk2 style 'logo' it has the regular shallow Meteor scope rails - standard width.
    All the Mk 2's that I have seen have the x4 wider 'gouge' grooves - like the Mk 1.

    I realise the rifle could be a bitsa/mongrel, but that doesnt quite explain the cylinder design, which, naturally can only have come from one gun.

    I assume it is possibly a transition model, but my curiosity wants to know! - is that cylinder a late, late Mk2 or an early, early Mk3, or ..
    Person I bought it off isnt in posession of info regards previous history.

    Has anyone seen one similar?
    Last edited by sjd63; 16-10-2018 at 07:53 PM.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2000
    Location
    Basingstoke, U.K.
    Posts
    6,728
    Quote Originally Posted by sjd63 View Post
    Hi,
    Long shot question for any vintage BSA afficiando's please!

    I just bought a nice old Beeza Meteor, Private sale.
    On first glance it looks like a Mk2 , and thats what I assumed from the pics in the advert, but maybe it's a bit of an odd one. Perhaps?

    Barrel is Mk2 in design - i.e. the simpler dovetailed blade foresight. and dovetail single-tang rearsight.
    Breech block serial is not clear - lettering is not clearly stamped and barrel has been repainted - It's obscured, I cannot make out prefix even under magnifier. But design-wise barrrel absolutely has the exact features of a Mk2.

    But itis the Cylinder that is the apparently odd thing.
    It has the older 'Mk 1 & 2' style BSA Meteor logo - the chevron design, placed just behind the breech, as opposed to the later and more common 'between the scope' rails block lettering.

    But, despite that Mk2 style 'logo' it has the regular shallow Meteor scope rails - standard width.
    All the Mk 2's that I have seen have the x4 wider 'gouge' grooves - like the Mk 1.

    I realise the rifle could be a bitsa/mongrel, but that doesnt quite explain the cylinder design, which, naturally can only have come from one gun.

    I assume it is possibly a transition model, but my curiosity wants to know! - is that cylinder a late, late Mk2 or an early, early Mk3, or ..
    Person I bought it off isnt in posession of info regards previous history.

    Has anyone seen one similar?
    It sounds like a late Mk2 and is correct from the description you have given. The Mk2 was introduced in 1962, then at the end of 1965 BSA announced to their trade dealers that scope rails would be changed from the wide type to the narrower 11.5 mm type, which became the industry standard. Prefix should be NB or TB. I have one the same.

    Kind regards,

    John

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
    Location
    Haverfordwest
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    Thanks John, that info and confiirmation is much appreciated.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2000
    Location
    Basingstoke, U.K.
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    Quote Originally Posted by sjd63 View Post
    Thanks John, that info and confiirmation is much appreciated.
    Glad to have helped!

    John

  5. #5
    Join Date
    May 2011
    Location
    Saxmundham
    Posts
    1,504
    Mysterious versions of many BSA springers will continue to baffle well into the future. BSA always used up existing stocks of bits so there will be many transitional models kicking about.
    They also had clearouts of experimental models and prototypes which were sold off to the public. JB told me that in his springer conversion days he had many pass through his hands. Amongst these were a much larger version of a Merlin with magazine on top and running parallel with the cylinder, an Airsporter prototype with an underlever a la pre-war under the barrel but in box section pressed steel and airsporter looking back end. The latter he swapped with John Galloway for a boot load of old airguns

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