Inside the 1912 BSA Improved D

[BC312]

Cupped seal or parachute seal is better for the gun. Usually the leather breaks down over time and you end up with a flat washer.

[45flint]

Couldn’t get the washer screw to break free easily so I kept the old for now. Fear of a screw that couldn’t be used again and not sure I can get a replacement? Getting about 9.5 fp. Agree the cupped seal would be better, will change out if I really want to shoot it regularly. But for now it’s a collectable that works.

[Josie & John]

Couldn’t get the washer screw to break free easily so I kept the old for now. Fear of a screw that couldn’t be used again and not sure I can get a replacement? Getting about 9.5 fp. Agree the cupped seal would be better, will change out if I really want to shoot it regularly. But for now it’s a collectable that works.

That's a sensible course of action and would have been my choice too.

Looks like performance is excellent too for a hundred year old rifle.

John

[mallyally]

The leather seal is still intact but the screw that holds it on has been beaten by slamming into the rifle barrel.

You mean transfer port of corse

[BC312]

It seems to be a common thing the screw slamming into the port hole, normal abuse over its life time, no pellet in tap, quite common. I think the counter sunk washer screw is near 5mm thread but can be re threaded to correct size. I normally do away with the brass washer and use a derilin or nylon washer and counter sink the new one a bit deeper that sinks the screw head a bit deeper, so if someone shoots the gun with no pellet then the plastic washer hits first rather than the screw, but this will be averted anyway if you use a cupped washer.

[Lakey]

If it were my gun, I would fit a new leather seal. Carefully sanding it dry to an easy sliding fit in the cylinder. Drip a little oil onto the seal immediately before fitting, then allow the gun to stand for a while. I would definitely keep the flat headed screw and the brass inner washer, that fits over the top of a secondary leather inner washer, as all that is completely original. The impression of the transfer port on the head of the screw is quite normal. I see it in 75% of the guns I open up. If you need a drop or two more oil, it is easily introduced in through the loading tap, then left to soak into the seal. But you don't want to flood it.

Love these gun's !!

Lakey

[sparko]

I must say that I am impressed with the attention to detail from BSA, with the piled arms stamp on the spring edge … I don’t suppose there was a need at all to do this, other than to id it as a BSA spring, but it was done never the less.