Question on BSA Scorpion/Buccaneer/Shadow

[Josie & John]

One of you will know the answer to this, I'm sure as I have great faith in the accumulated knowledge on the BBS.

I bought a lovely Shadow Carbine at the last Kempton and she shoots very well. However, every 20 - 30 shots, the trigger/sear locks up and the action will not release. The safety is an automatic one, so needs to be released after the action has been cocked. Intermittently, the action somehow locks (with the safety off) and then, it's a case of pull on the trigger as hard as you like but the action will not release. I then have to keep breaking the action, releasing the safety and pulling the trigger before the action finally discharges - this can take ages!

Has anyone come across a similar situation and what is the remedy? It's very strange that this happens every 20 -30 shots and not every time. Well, baffles me anyway

John

[Vic Thompson]

I don't know the answer to your question myself, but hopefully ggggr won't mind me putting his name forward, as based on our many telephone conversations to date, he's had quite a bit of experience in playing with that particular trigger mechanism.

HTH, Vic Thompson.

[ggggr]

One of you will know the answer to this, I'm sure as I have great faith in the accumulated knowledge on the BBS.

I bought a lovely Shadow Carbine at the last Kempton and she shoots very well. However, every 20 - 30 shots, the trigger/sear locks up and the action will not release. The safety is an automatic one, so needs to be released after the action has been cocked. Intermittently, the action somehow locks (with the safety off) and then, it's a case of pull on the trigger as hard as you like but the action will not release. I then have to keep breaking the action, releasing the safety and pulling the trigger before the action finally discharges - this can take ages!

Has anyone come across a similar situation and what is the remedy? It's very strange that this happens every 20 -30 shots and not every time. Well, baffles me anyway

John

John --it is usually the safety spring that is the problem. It goes through the safey bar and indexes it. The problem is is is the bend of the tail http://www.airgunspares.com/store/pr...t-No.-16-3162/ is what indexes the safety and usually with this problem you have to bend the tail a little to get it working. Once you get it working, a spring being a spring---it may spring back over a day or 2 and you will get the problem again. The good news is they are not usually a problem once they settle.
This problem with the Scorpions got on my nerves so much that I modified the trigger to do away with the safety (thread on here somewhere) .

Take the action out of the stock and try not to send that safety spring flying down the room ----Remove the spring and using some long nosed pliers, give the tail a little bend one way then put the gun back together. If it it worse, then strip again and bend the spring back the other way a little.

As I know you are not a serious collector Send the mechanism here and I'll do away with the safety for you

[Shed tuner]

does it become come hard to cock when this happens ?

Alternatively, it may just be a question of the hammer not hitting the sear hard enough.. remediied by ensureing the hammer doesn't drag on the side rail, either by slight bending, or by putting a small washer on it's pivot pin to move it away. Once you understand them the triggers are OK, but a hammer trigger is very different from most that we see on aiguns.

[piggy589]

Main sear,intermediate sear,hammer,safety shaft,trigger and associated springs.

BSA or Mr Heath Robinson

[Josie & John]

Thank you Guy and Jon - that is really good of you to share your thoughts. I'm tempted with doing away with the safety altogether!

I did wonder if it could be a weak hammer spring as it feels like quite a light strike. I'll have to see how the Shadow compares with a Scorpion or Buccaneer.

Kind regards,

John

[ggggr]

Thank you Guy and Jon - that is really good of you to share your thoughts. I'm tempted with doing away with the safety altogether!

I did wonder if it could be a weak hammer spring as it feels like quite a light strike. I'll have to see how the Shadow compares with a Scorpion or Buccaneer.

Kind regards,

John

I've done a fair few Scorpions and have had the long sear be worn ---that didn't look any different to the unworn one but would not cock and hold. I've had a little sear bent --that was an absolute swine to spot I've had a hammer that the long arm was bent on. Oddly I have never had one that needed a hammer spring although I have tried to swap them over before spotting other stuff. Everything bar bending the safety spring requires you to take the trigger off or apart. SO I'd go for the cheapest and simplest thing first--which is bending the tail of the safety spring.

I have to say though doing away with the safety really suits me. I once stripped a trigger many times to fit Mk2 (non automatic ) safety bars that I had bought from Chambers--only to find that they had sent Mk1(automatic) versions and they said they must have put them in the "wrong parts drawer"----------------so no saftey catch at all, safety bar or safety spring is great for me.

[Josie & John]

John --it is usually the safety spring that is the problem. It goes through the safey bar and indexes it. The problem is is is the bend of the tail http://www.airgunspares.com/store/pr...t-No.-16-3162/ is what indexes the safety and usually with this problem you have to bend the tail a little to get it working. Once you get it working, a spring being a spring---it may spring back over a day or 2 and you will get the problem again. The good news is they are not usually a problem once they settle.
This problem with the Scorpions got on my nerves so much that I modified the trigger to do away with the safety (thread on here somewhere) .

Take the action out of the stock and try not to send that safety spring flying down the room ----Remove the spring and using some long nosed pliers, give the tail a little bend one way then put the gun back together. If it it worse, then strip again and bend the spring back the other way a little.

As I know you are not a serious collector Send the mechanism here and I'll do away with the safety for you

Thank you Guy,

I followed your very clear instructions and bent back the tail of the safety spring. During an extensive range test today, I fired over 100 pellets through the Carbine fairly rapidly, fortunately without issue. Now I like it even more - what a handy little carbine.

Thanks again Guy.

Kind regards,

John

[ggggr]

Thank you Guy,

I followed your very clear instructions and bent back the tail of the safety spring. During an extensive range test today, I fired over 100 pellets through the Carbine fairly rapidly, fortunately without issue. Now I like it even more - what a handy little carbine.

Thanks again Guy.

Kind regards,

John

Hopefully it will be ok now. I have had the spring "spring" back a little and had to do them again but once they settle they are usually ok.
I still prefer my Scorpion mod that does away with the safety.
Oddly I did not like the Shadow and gave it to a relative for a Birthday present. I found the Bsa Bucanneer / Meteor Cadet rear sight aperture to be too big for the short barreled shadow.
I have never been very keen of Carbine-ised pistols although I am hoping a stock turns up for a Milbro Cougar I'm tinkering with.

[Binners]

Go back to Kempton in September and buy another one

Hope this helps

[Josie & John]

Go back to Kempton in September and buy another one

Hope this helps

Well, there were two at the last one! I'd only ever seen one before and could not resist buying one of the two I saw.

Protek may still have the other, which was in .177.

John