Bsf - Bavarian Air-rifles

[BTDT]

The Venom Bavaria has synthetic piston and breech seal installed, I have never shot one to be able to comment on improved characteristics, I would be interested in a PTFE conversion it was .22 only though.

Jim

Whatever happened to 'David Jenkins' from WBPS who did conversions on the Anschutz 335 (and Mauradermax) are WBPS still trading ? I have not seen any mention of them for years.

WBPS ceased trading around 1988/9 I believe. I expect David Jenkins confined his work to pistols afterwards. I have nave not seen any of the WBPS lads since.

The Venom Bavaria sounds interesting, and it would be helpful if any BBS members who own one could tell us anything about its shooting characteristics.

[draftsmann]

Jim;

Aside from BSFs your mention of Original 45s earlier in the thread reminded me of the article you wrote about tuning and refurbing your own. Do you still have that rifle?

Adrian

[BTDT]

Jim;

Aside from BSFs your mention of Original 45s earlier in the thread reminded me of the article you wrote about tuning and refurbing your own. Do you still have that rifle?

Adrian

Hi Adrian,

Sadly, no. A friend took a real shine to it and, because I had too many air rifles and the 45 was too much of a looker to risk subjecting it to the rough and tumble hunting I was doing at the time, I sold it to him. It is his pride and joy to this day.

I kept just one .177" (HW77) and one .22" (HW50) and have them both still.

[BSFNUT]

[QUOTE=BTDT;1473783]Hi Adrian,

Sadly, no. A friend took a real shine to it and, because I had too many air rifles and the 45 was too much of a looker to risk subjecting it to the rough and tumble hunting I was doing at the time, I sold it to him. It is his pride and joy to this day.



Jim

Does he still use H&N Silhouette 9.6 grainers through it though

[BTDT]

[QUOTE=BSFNUT;1473801]

Hi Adrian,

Sadly, no. A friend took a real shine to it and, because I had too many air rifles and the 45 was too much of a looker to risk subjecting it to the rough and tumble hunting I was doing at the time, I sold it to him. It is his pride and joy to this day.



Jim

Does he still use H&N Silhouette 9.6 grainers through it though

Ah, the 45 and Silhouettes - what a combination. The Silhouette converted me from being a dyed-in-the-wool .22" user to .177", and all due to Dave Welham recommending I try Silhouette.

I shot that 45 even after it seemed everybody else had switched to the HW77 and believe that, accuracy wise, it was a match. If anything, the 45 seemed to give very good accuracy with a wider ranger of pellets than the 77.

I'm not sure what pellets my friend is using through it now. Whatever pellet he is using must suit the 45 or I'd have heard about it.

[DM80]

[QUOTE=BTDT;1473828]

Ah, the 45 and Silhouettes - what a combination. The Silhouette converted me from being a dyed-in-the-wool .22" user to .177", and all due to Dave Welham recommending I try Silhouette.

I shot that 45 even after it seemed everybody else had switched to the HW77 and believe that, accuracy wise, it was a match. If anything, the 45 seemed to give very good accuracy with a wider ranger of pellets than the 77.

I'm not sure what pellets my friend is using through it now. Whatever pellet he is using must suit the 45 or I'd have heard about it.

Jim,

i still use my old RWS 45 more than any other airgun in my collection its a great airgun it has so much charactor' i've had so many good hunting trips with this airgun its untrue' getting back to the BSF thing i've owned them in the past but never really got on with them' for sure they are a fine airgun in all departments but i always shy'ed away from them and went for the glam models of the day' originals/fwb/hw's/bsa etc' i always thought the BSF 55's looked a bit like relum telly break barrels the BSF mod 70 looks nice though and i would buy one if it came available.

dave.

[BTDT]

[QUOTE=DM80;1474142]

Jim,

i still use my old RWS 45 more than any other airgun in my collection its a great airgun it has so much charactor' i've had so many good hunting trips with this airgun its untrue' getting back to the BSF thing i've owned them in the past but never really got on with them' for sure they are a fine airgun in all departments but i always shy'ed away from them and went for the glam models of the day' originals/fwb/hw's/bsa etc' i always thought the BSF 55's looked a bit like relum telly break barrels the BSF mod 70 looks nice though and i would buy one if it came available.

dave.

Dave, you're in BIG trouble when BSFNUT reads that

The RWS 45 stock felt much better than the Original, but had the boxy deep fore end that was in vogue in the early 1980s, so I slimmed it down, which made the rifle more comfortable to hold.

Having said which, I had a .20" Original 45, and almost everybody who had a few shots with it went straight out and bought one. I think it was that rifle that I put a tyrolean stock on - now THAT was a top air rifle.

[DM80]

Jim

i remember the tyrolean original 45' you owned in the early 80's it did look good' but the 45's were a very nice looking airrifle in standard form they looked elegant but mean looking you just knew by looking at them it could get the job done unlike BSF'S which looked like an old bicycle from the 40's i had a .20 original 45 a very nice one but unfortunatley i let it go to IJ i do regret it now because its the last i will see of it as ian won't sell now't as for a custom stocks for the 45's i've been looking for one for years they are very very rare indeed i've only ever seen 2 the tyrolean 1 you had and a sporter stocked 1 in the late 80's.

dave.

[Hsing-ee]

I have e-mailed Macarri about a synthetic piston head for the B55 and got the reply that if the piston was machined like a Diana, one of his seals would fit. Wasn't very clear about how the piston should be machined. Here is the message

Dear sir,
Sorry we do not make any. If you turn the piston head down like a
Diana,
then you can fit an Apex small.



Thank You!
Karen Hughes- Sales
ARH
www.airrifleheadquarters.com

Anyone know how you turn down the piston head?

[jonnyone]

WBPS ceased trading around 1988/9 I believe. I expect David Jenkins confined his work to pistols afterwards. I have nave not seen any of the WBPS lads since.

The Venom Bavaria sounds interesting, and it would be helpful if any BBS members who own one could tell us anything about its shooting characteristics.

I wouldnt hold your breath waiting for some feedback on the Venom Bavaria Jim. I'm sure it was kevin.ronnie that told me that sales of it by Venom barely got into double figures (I think he said between 11-25). Obviously they MUST be out there somewhere- unless they've all gone across the pond?

I have two fwbs, and an anschutz in bits and an RWS 45 to fall back onto to re-spring and guide. After this I am determined that sometime in 2007- the '55will get the ptfe treatment. Hsing-ee will probably get there before me though! Good luck with it Hsing-ee- and let us know how you get on.

Cheers,
Dave

PS I hope I get proved wrong and someone WILL post that they own and shoot a Venom Bavaria and even post some photos here!

[BTDT]

It would be a start if someone could tell us how the BSF piston washer is fitted! I can't remember for the life of me, but then I have probably not had a BSF apart since the late 1970s.

If the seal is held by a screw then it should be easy to get a PTFE head turned and attach it in the same way. If the seal is held by a rivet like the Original 45, I'd turn the rivet section off and drill/tap a central hole (actually, I'd have to get someone to do it for me because I don't have access to a lathe nowadays ).

I'm not at all convinced by the notion of turning the head of the piston down to enable a clip-on seal to be fitted.

[RossB]

It would be a start if someone could tell us how the BSF piston washer is fitted! I can't remember for the life of me, but then I have probably not had a BSF apart since the late 1970s.

If the seal is held by a screw then it should be easy to get a PTFE head turned and attach it in the same way. If the seal is held by a rivet like the Original 45, I'd turn the rivet section off and drill/tap a central hole (actually, I'd have to get someone to do it for me because I don't have access to a lathe nowadays ).

I'm not at all convinced by the notion of turning the head of the piston down to enable a clip-on seal to be fitted.

On my BSF S70 the leather piston seal is retained with a screw.
The seal itself is a four piece setup.
A hard red fibre disc behind the seal, the leather cup, with a leather centre washer topped with a red fibre centre washer.
The slotted flathead retaining screw appears to be M4 x O.70 x 15 mm.
No, I did not just take the gun apart - I have 2 spare seal sets and screws.

[BTDT]

On my BSF S70 the leather piston seal is retained with a screw.
The seal itself is a four piece setup.
A hard red fibre disc behind the seal, the leather cup, with a leather centre washer topped with a red fibre centre washer.
The slotted flathead retaining screw appears to be M4 x O.70 x 15 mm.
No, I did not just take the gun apart - I have 2 spare seal sets and screws.

Thanks very much for the information. That could make life easier for Hsing-ee and jonnyone.

[coburn]

I bought one of these, a S70 in late 1981 from a firm called Replicaguns in Fulham Palace Road London. They must have bought old stock from the importer when they went bust. They had S70's at £69.95 and B54's as well for about £85. I think they were substandard because I got a refund on mine and went and bought a HW80 for £72 from Streatham Armoury.....

The price of the S70's then went DOWN to £49.95, if you check Airgun World late 81/early 82 you should see their add.

It was a shame because I always wanted a BSF, I remember seeing them for sale at Sussex Armouries shop off the Strand, they had a B54 Match with a beautiful walnut stock, but it was an absolute fortune..

[Garvin]

I remember seeing them for sale at Sussex Armouries shop off the Strand, they had a B54 Match with a beautiful walnut stock, but it was an absolute fortune..

Sorry to hijack this thread but you've just reminded me of the Sussex Armoury 'showroom' just off Trafalgar Square. I went in there once on a visit into 'town'. Very posh it was, carpets, brightly lit, guns and accessories in glass cabinets, and located in a new parade of 'prestige' shops. It's hard to imagine an airgun shop these days in such a public place in the heart of Westminster. How things have changed.