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Thread: Valuation please, BSA Mercury Mk3 .22 Calibre

  1. #1
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    Valuation please, BSA Mercury Mk3 .22 Calibre

    Valuation please gents on a .22 calibre BSA Mercury Mk3 (ZC prefix) in order that I can put it up for sale. A couple of very light marks on the underneath of the stock (can hardly be seen). Blueing is very good, paintwork is unmarked, BSA Mercury gold lettering is very good with about 50% wear on the letter 'B', the rest if fine. Open sights are present, foresight hood is missing. There is some paint loss along the fore sight in the hood area which has been scrubbed off by the hood. Shooting at about 10.2ftlbs with Defiant Vintage, didn't have anything else with me when I chronographed it this morning. Overall a very nice example
    Thanks in advance,
    Ken

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    Quote Originally Posted by ken69 View Post
    Valuation please gents on a .22 calibre BSA Mercury Mk3 (ZC prefix) in order that I can put it up for sale. A couple of very light marks on the underneath of the stock (can hardly be seen). Blueing is very good, paintwork is unmarked, BSA Mercury gold lettering is very good with about 50% wear on the letter 'B', the rest if fine. Open sights are present, foresight hood is missing. There is some paint loss along the fore sight in the hood area which has been scrubbed off by the hood. Shooting at about 10.2ftlbs with Defiant Vintage, didn't have anything else with me when I chronographed it this morning. Overall a very nice example
    Thanks in advance,
    Ken
    Barrel hinge bolt or pin ?
    Custom BSA S10 .22 PAX Phoenix Mk 2 .22 Custom Titan Manitou .22 (JB BP) HW77 .22 FWB Sport Mk1 .22 Sharp Ace .22 Crossman 600 .22 Berretta 92 .20 Desert Eagle .177

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    Pretty sure it’s a pin

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    Hi sorry was the mk3 not a bolt , i thought they had changed to the bolt on the mk3 ?

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    Quote Originally Posted by steptoe1966 View Post
    Hi sorry was the mk3 not a bolt , i thought they had changed to the bolt on the mk3 ?
    Just checked, definitely a pin, prefix is ZC which according to the Knibbs dating guide is a Mercury MkIII 1978-1985. My Mercury S has a bolt, prefix ZH

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    Wow that is starnge if you check the spares sight it is clearly a bolt in the Mk3 and also if you check pictures on the web it is clearly a bolt , all i can guess then is your must be a very very early mk3 but i have never seen a mk3 with a pin

    I would also like to know chambers and knibbs bpoth say a Mk4 but i can only find m1 mk2 mk3 then mercury s then the challenger list as the mercury rifles no mk4

    here is the link to the chambers diagram they show a bolt and nut as the barrel axis , they list a pin but not for the mk3

    https://www.gunspares.co.uk/shopdisp...=24695&Search=

    this might also help off a web search for the bsa mercury

    Differences between versions
    Changes between Mks are far from straightforward as BSA would use up parts on newer rifles, they all had beech stock and the internals are similar.

    Mk1 - Steel, single-stage trigger, single-piece cocking arm and a blued finish - serial number prefix WA 0.177/ZA 0.22 [1]
    Mk2 - Plastic, single-stage trigger,single-piece cocking arm black painted finish - serial number prefix WB 0.177/ZB 0.22
    Mk3 - Two-stage trigger, 2-piece articulated cocking arm and a blued finish - serial number prefix WC 0.177/ZC 0.22

    no listing of there ever being a Mk4
    Last edited by steptoe1966; 13-05-2021 at 07:03 PM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by steptoe1966 View Post
    Wow that is starnge if you check the spares sight it is clearly a bolt in the Mk3 and also if you check pictures on the web it is clearly a bolt , all i can guess then is your must be a very very early mk3 but i have never seen a mk3 with a pin

    I would also like to know chambers and knibbs bpoth say a Mk4 but i can only find m1 mk2 mk3 then mercury s then the challenger list as the mercury rifles no mk4

    here is the link to the chambers diagram they show a bolt and nut as the barrel axis , they list a pin but not for the mk3

    https://www.gunspares.co.uk/shopdisp...=24695&Search=

    this might also help off a web search for the bsa mercury

    Differences between versions
    Changes between Mks are far from straightforward as BSA would use up parts on newer rifles, they all had beech stock and the internals are similar.

    Mk1 - Steel, single-stage trigger, single-piece cocking arm and a blued finish - serial number prefix WA 0.177/ZA 0.22 [1]
    Mk2 - Plastic, single-stage trigger,single-piece cocking arm black painted finish - serial number prefix WB 0.177/ZB 0.22
    Mk3 - Two-stage trigger, 2-piece articulated cocking arm and a blued finish - serial number prefix WC 0.177/ZC 0.22

    no listing of there ever being a Mk4
    Definitely a blued finish

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    Quote Originally Posted by ken69 View Post
    Definitely a blued finish
    i would say you have something strange there then mate might be worth looking in to if they did any hold overs from the mk2 into the mk3 , ir used mk2 cylinder and barrel bluing it for the early ones in the mk3 as i say i have only ever heard of the mk as the bolt and nut barrel pivot , that was one of the upgrades to the mk2 as the pins became wobbly over time .

    good luck mate

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    Just read a little further on one of the info sites, don't know how accurate it is, looks like the pin was replaced by a bolt on the 'S' model

    "Differences between versions
    Changes between Mks are far from straightforward as BSA would use up parts on newer rifles, they all had beech stock and the internals are similar.

    Mk1 - Steel, single-stage trigger, single-piece cocking arm and a blued finish - serial number prefix WA 0.177/ZA 0.22 [1]
    Mk2 - Plastic, single-stage trigger,single-piece cocking arm black painted finish - serial number prefix WB 0.177/ZB 0.22
    Mk3 - Two-stage trigger, 2-piece articulated cocking arm and a blued finish - serial number prefix WC 0.177/ZC 0.22
    Upgrades
    In response to competition from German Manufactured Air weapons,’ it was re-launched in 1980 as the Mercury "S" with a checkered Walnut stock, thicker barrel, an articulated cocking lever, metal open sights, the barrel axis pin was replaced by a bolt and the metalwork had a blued finish.[2] The quality of the "S" version is considered superior to earlier guns - serial number prefix WH 0.177/ZH 0.22"

    Also had a little read of 'The Golden Century' which states that the Mk3 was introduced with an articulated cocking lever and an alloy piston head, no mention of the barrel axis pin being replaced by a bolt on the standard rifle, just on the 'S'
    Last edited by ken69; 14-05-2021 at 04:40 PM.

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    Wow well i have always been told the mk3 had the barrel bolt rather than the pin , and over the years all the mk3's i had had the bolt not the pin , i wonder then yours might be a very early mk3 may be that was why asi say i looked on chambers and the mk3 they list the barrel bolt and nut and the pin it is not avalible for the mk3 as the mk3 cylinder has the deep inset for the bolt head and nut .

    I would if that is where some are getting mixed up with a mk4 then they call the mk3 with the pin the mk3 and the one with the bolt the mk4 may be

    you find new info everyday

    good luck on the sale mate

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    Quote Originally Posted by steptoe1966 View Post
    Wow well i have always been told the mk3 had the barrel bolt rather than the pin , and over the years all the mk3's i had had the bolt not the pin , i wonder then yours might be a very early mk3 may be that was why asi say i looked on chambers and the mk3 they list the barrel bolt and nut and the pin it is not avalible for the mk3 as the mk3 cylinder has the deep inset for the bolt head and nut .

    I would if that is where some are getting mixed up with a mk4 then they call the mk3 with the pin the mk3 and the one with the bolt the mk4 may be

    you find new info everyday

    good luck on the sale mate
    Totally confused now. Just looked at the Chambers diagram and it looks like the Mk3 has the pin "Mk3 Pin - DP033" and what Chambers are calling the Mk4 has the bolt B1316. However, the barrel part numbers for the Mk3 and Mk4 are the same. Very strange as the bolt would need a larger hole diameter than the pin

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by ken69 View Post
    Totally confused now. Just looked at the Chambers diagram and it looks like the Mk3 has the pin "Mk3 Pin - DP033" and what Chambers are calling the Mk4 has the bolt B1316. However, the barrel part numbers for the Mk3 and Mk4 are the same. Very strange as the bolt would need a larger hole diameter than the pin
    The bolt is the same diameter as the pin so the barrels have the same hole size, Ken.

    The bolt head and nut are a larger diameter than the shank and the tension on the jaws is altered by shims.




    All the best Mick

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    Quote Originally Posted by T 20 View Post
    The bolt is the same diameter as the pin so the barrels have the same hole size, Ken.

    The bolt head and nut are a larger diameter than the shank and the tension on the jaws is altered by shims.




    All the best Mick
    Thanks Mick, any idea how many Mk’s there were of the standard Mercury and which ones had the pins

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    Quote Originally Posted by ken69 View Post
    Thanks Mick, any idea how many Mk’s there were of the standard Mercury and which ones had the pins
    MK1 and MK2 definitely had pins, I have a MK3 cylinder with a cross bolt --- from this thread it appears that not all MK3s had a cross bolt.

    This is no surprise as BSA have a history of building what are called transitional guns which use up parts from the previous MK.
    As an example, I've had a very early MK2 Airsporter in for repair that had no scope grooves as the cylinder was from a MK1 Airsporter --- BSA just used up the left over MK1 cylinders on the early MK2s.




    All the best Mick

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    Quote Originally Posted by T 20 View Post
    MK1 and MK2 definitely had pins, I have a MK3 cylinder with a cross bolt --- from this thread it appears that not all MK3s had a cross bolt.

    This is no surprise as BSA have a history of building what are called transitional guns which use up parts from the previous MK.
    As an example, I've had a very early MK2 Airsporter in for repair that had no scope grooves as the cylinder was from a MK1 Airsporter --- BSA just used up the left over MK1 cylinders on the early MK2s.




    All the best Mick
    Got it, now it all makes sense, what I must have is an early Mk3 as it definitely has the articulated cocking arm

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