BSA Scorpion pistol - technical info and history

[gingernut]

I still have my .22 bought in 1973 (I think)
From Toytown for just over £17.

One overhaul 3 years ago.
Good and powerful shooter..

[piggy589]

Just looked at an eighties edition of AGW, they came in at around the same price as a Meteor........

[urx]

This has reminded me i have a boxed one that looks pretty much unused ...with the stuck piston buffer..
Must get round to sorting that...

[ggggr]

trouble I had when I went for the thinner buffer washer / longer stroke - one gun worked fine, the other, with the piston going further forwards, the main sear went up that little bit deeper into the gun as there was less piston skirt to hold it down, and it wouldn't recock - stroke put back to standard and it worked fine.

Bloody scorpion triggers

Hi Jon---Had a think about this ----and I had something similar. I think with the longer stroke what actually happens is that as the piston comes forward on firing, it pushes the long sear down that little bit more. As the front bit of the long sear is lower and held in place by the underside of the piston, is that it is too low for the little sear to come back into proper position. What happens is that the 2 holding faces of the sears are touching but not fully engaged -------------And as the long sear is being held in place by the piston, what will happen is that any extra force used to try to cock the gun will bend the little sear. :-(
If you have a long sear and a piston to look at you will see most of what I mean.

[Shed tuner]

Hi Jon---Had a think about this ----and I had something similar. I think with the longer stroke what actually happens is that as the piston comes forward on firing, it pushes the long sear down that little bit more. As the front bit of the long sear is lower and held in place by the underside of the piston, is that it is too low for the little sear to come back into proper position. What happens is that the 2 holding faces of the sears are touching but not fully engaged -------------And as the long sear is being held in place by the piston, what will happen is that any extra force used to try to cock the gun will bend the little sear. :-(
If you have a long sear and a piston to look at you will see most of what I mean.

yes, exactly that. Now you've written it, it came back to me That small sear wasn't able to come back as it didn't clear the contact point on the large sear..

[evert]

So, my "new" BSA Scorpion arrives.. Its in quite good condition, and has the later type of sights.
The serial number has a "PA" prefix, which is NOT mentioned by Knibbs:
http://www.airgunspares.com/store/content/87/BSA/

According to Wikipedia, the PA prefix is a Mk1 .177, but this gun has the later type of sights, an the later type of safety?

I am confused!

[piggy589]

Don't be,I've seen the same combination.

It appears BSA loved to mix and match from the part bins

[Josie & John]

So, my "new" BSA Scorpion arrives.. Its in quite good condition, and has the later type of sights.
The serial number has a "PA" prefix, which is NOT mentioned by Knibbs:
http://www.airgunspares.com/store/content/87/BSA/

According to Wikipedia, the PA prefix is a Mk1 .177, but this gun has the later type of sights, an the later type of safety?

I am confused!

All .177 Scorpion pistols carry the PA prefix to the serial number.

I'm due to feature the various open sights and safety profiles in part 2 of the Airgun World series, which I hope may help.

John M

[evert]

All .177 Scorpion pistols carry the PA prefix to the serial number.

I'm due to feature the various open sights and safety profiles in part 2 of the Airgun World series, which I hope may help.

John M

Thanks! I hope the subscription gives me that issue.

Does anybody know what the free length of a scorpion spring should be?
Both mine measure close to 154mm's when taken out of the guns, but the coils do seem closer than what other springs usually are.

[Shed tuner]

Thanks! I hope the subscription gives me that issue.

Does anybody know what the free length of a scorpion spring should be?
Both mine measure close to 154mm's when taken out of the guns, but the coils do seem closer than what other springs usually are.

chrono it. I guess you have different limits, but if it's making 4+ FP and shooting nicely, I'd not be replacing the mainspring.

[evert]

Breech seal and buffer need replacement before I can shoot it.
It might be a bit stupid and childish, but I want my scorpion to be a powerful gun... I got other pistols for accuracy

[Shed tuner]

Breech seal and buffer need replacement before I can shoot it.
It might be a bit stupid and childish, but I want my scorpion to be a powerful gun... I got other pistols for accuracy

Not at all - is thge whole point of the gun

But still chrono it first once you've done thse seals and buffer... you need to be able to cock it !

[Josie & John]

Breech seal and buffer need replacement before I can shoot it.
It might be a bit stupid and childish, but I want my scorpion to be a powerful gun... I got other pistols for accuracy

I could not have put it better myself! My two .22 Scorpions shoot between 5 and 5.5 ft lbs; accurately too. The trigger mechanism is one of the best I have encountered on a standard 'plinking' air pistol and the Scorpion can perform very commendably down range.

John

[evert]

Well, after assembly with an old meteor buffer, the "new" gun puts out around 2.3fpe.
The "old" wreck, with what I remember to be a cut down meteor spring(?), puts out 4,75 fpe.

So theres obviously need for some more work.

[Shed tuner]

I could not have put it better myself! My two .22 Scorpions shoot between 5 and 5.5 ft lbs; accurately too. The trigger mechanism is one of the best I have encountered on a standard 'plinking' air pistol and the Scorpion can perform very commendably down range.

John

Remember I used to do pistol HFT with my .22 scorp and the later "dayglo" open sights ? A very effective tool for the job...

The hammer trigger is complex, and slightly weak in terms on longevity, but does a great job of isolating the trigger blade / pull from mainspring load. And whilst the triggers are usually the first things to break on these (ignoring seals), considering their age and usage, largely by careless kids, they are really not at all bad.

I currently have three scoprions and a buccaneer, all regular shooters. I been "trying" to shift at least one scorp on, but I just can't; they are such good guns