BSA Lightning XL .22

[benwarrenuk]

i sold one a few months back due to going pcp only had it a few week but it was fun all the way no problems at all loved it

[brecon3]

i bought the xl for my first gun
and i also had a simmiler problem as i am reading here (the gun wont put any pellets on the card at 20ish yards )
well as a newbie to airgunning, i thought that my total lack of accuracy was down to me
but after puting 2 tins through it i realised it couldnt be me.
so i took it back

the man in the gun shop told me that after he tested it he also couldnt get any groups on his card either and told me that under the silencer there is a alimnium block to help with the balancing

so they sent it back and i got a brand new one
and this one is fine!!

so my advise is if you have a problem take it back

thanks brecon3

[dan_chandler]

i sold mine a few months ago because of reliability issues. really bad twanging and bad recoil which even a service and knocking the power down a bit wouldn`t cure. i can`t fault the service of the gun shop(guns international at barnsley) it weren`t their fault. i wouldn`t have another bsa springer ever.

[Ddan]

It's a bit sad they have gone this downhill, I have a Lightning XL .22 that was a few years old when I bought it, and that was a good 5 years ago.

The workmanship is great, I have never had a misfire. One complaint is that I have a very small crack near the trigger, but it only shows if you stress the stock very hard (I would guess this is stress over time, the stock is very heavy wood). Not really sure when it showed up.

Have put thousands of pellets through it and find it can get excellent groups at up to about 35 yards. Normally use Accupells or Superdomes. Recoil is predictable and the trigger has a smooth release. It is somewhat noisy to reload, but not remarkably more than most springers I have used. Scope rail could have maybe done with being longer, or moved forwards a little, but I can still get sensible eye relief.

[Bonzo!]

I have the xl and its fine, build quality spot on, accurancy is good out to about 35-40 yards, i can group to about 1" most of the time, use it mostly inside barns but have taken rabbits and rats with it.

[pablowatercolor]

They seem to be very hit and miss if you'll excuse the pun. I've had several over the years as I like the light weight and pointability. It's also easy to cock.

I currently have a .25 which I'm very pleased with. Very pellet-fussy (I've tried everything I can get my hands on until finally settling on FTTs).

It's a little cracker and will shoot consistently fine at 30 yards. The build quality is very good and the lock up extremely positive. It's really quite smooth so also doesn't shake the scope to pieces. Personally I only shoot air rifles to practice for Sporting Rifle in my garden when I can't get to the range so I like a gun with a bit of a recoil as it's more like the real thing - I don't like PCPs for this reason as they give you no feedback. I also like the larger pellets as have always found .177 a bit fiddly - It's just as challenging to shoot offhand at 20 - 30 yards as supported at 45 yards and surely, half the fun of shooting is getting a bit of a kick rather than a deafening phut...

I think I've been lucky with mine from what I read as people do seem to have problems but I find the XL fun to own and challenging to shoot well.

[TedBoro]

So what would you lot rather have... lightning, lightning xl or the xl tactical ? are they similar as in power and accuracy ? and how much do they go for S/H

[Jamesgunner]

Hi, I bought a Lightning .22 about two-and-a-half years ago. I have tried many pellets, but have yet to find one brand that sits snug in the breech. The accuracy over 20-25 yards is very good, although I do find that the stock screws loosen very quickly (circa 10 shots).

Sporadically, the trigger would not return against the first stage spring; however, when I separated the stock from the action, to apply semi-thread-lock (anti-vibration) to the action screw tappings, some swarf/debris dropped out and, after a clean/light oil, the trigger is much improved.

Overall, I do enjoy using this gun and wouldn't part with it, although it hasn't quite lived up to my expectations with regard to build quality.

Next acquisition will be a .177 springer with composite stock - any suggestions?

[Ravman]

Lovely-looking guns. I don't own one, but I tried a couple a few years ago at the FT club I belonged to. Didn't like them - one had a pellet-fit issue, and the other was twangy/jumpy as hell. It seems from reading this thread that BSA have serious QC issues. Like many others on here I owned a BSA Cadet Major when I was much younger, and I don't remember any QC issues with that - smooth to shoot too.

[Bonzo!]

I prefer the xl in the beech stock , mine favours crossman ultra mags, or accupells, also really likes bisley mags for closer work.
The trigger was a bit dodgy from new but after i stripped it down and removed a lot of grease and used fine oil it lost the clicky bit it had before.

[hwtyger]

Dont forget, the BSA's mountsize is 14mm iirc! So if you put on a standard 11mm, it'll be off centre..
Resting it...on whát? Something soft or hard? Some springers dont like resting at all..
Also, too firm hold?
I had a Lightning Tactical .22
Shot ok, but was much work to shoot accurately. VERY fuzzy. Indeed, loose barrelfit.
Never had stockscrew issues though. No twang, no cockingnoise, easy to cock, very pointable.
Here in holland, they're way overpriced imo.

[mclovin]

i had one of these for my 1st air rifle, it never skipped a beat i am very surprised so many people have had so many problems

[Dave1943]

My BSA Lightning is a Mk 1, that I bought about 1988 or thereabouts. It's a .22 and FAC, after breaking two mainsprings, I fitted a .177 gas ram and no problems in that area since. I just locktighted the screws to stop them working loose, I thought that the trigger mechanism is a bit crude but it's accurate enough and basically a general purpose workhorse. I mainly use it for ratting and pigeon clearence. If I knew then what I know now, I would have bought either an Air Arms or Weihrauch. I could change it I suppose, but the hassle of having to go through to get it changed on a FAC, so I'll stick with it. (I live in NI and all airguns are on FAC)

[gazj1986]

i was interested in the tactical, looks amazing. Anyone else had these problems or have u just been unlucky?

[metal_headuk]

this has been interesting thread, ive owned my tac in .22 for 2 years and found it to be a fantastic gun, really good reliable hunter, only problem i had with it is that the body has slightly discoloured, im metuciculous in cleaning and caring for my rifles but this is the only one that has done this?? oh well still a cracking gun in my opinion tho