BSA Scorpion pistol (versus HW45)

[Antoni]

Always liked the look of the Scorpion. Amateur radio led me to one. A bit scruffy and in .22 but with its cocking aid and a hood. All seemed OK. No need to haggle at all. Serial number RB49116.

It's bloody huge.

Please! Let it not be doing 2 FtLb. Nope, the full-fat five and a bit.

Disappointing that the elevation sighting had run out of adjustment. I've had that before on cheap pistols. Any old airgun/motorcycle will have passed through the hands of many a pillock. The foresight element's base has been sawn down, that was why the rear-sight had run out of close-range adjustment. There isn't much adjustment range on the rear-sight click-wheel but there's a coarse adjustment available by moving the element up/down in its slots. That was at maximum close-range.

I'm too fond of a pound note to look for a replacement front element, which would offer the correct choice of two different sight picures, as does the rear sight's element. Why would someone saw it down?

The fore-sight's single attachment screw doubles as a locking screw for the element height adjustment, and so loosen, pull-adjust, tighten. Except that it's not that simple. It was necessary to shim under the vandalised element because the friction would allow it to move too easily if touched/knocked. Friction not a problem when the foresight hood is in place, but then you'd always have to use the cocking thing to avoid damage to the hood and its mounts from the necessary cocking force (quite a lot). I find a fore-sight hood useful for more rapid target acquisition

There's a plastic peg incorporated into the plastic rear-sight assemblage, which, along with the rear-sight attachment screw locates it firmly on the gun. Peg was sheared off. Remains of said peg was visible in the gun. Someone has clearly twatted the sight assemblage sideways. The resulting insecurity was not conducive to windage accuracy. A reasonably good bodge peg was fabricated using a self-tapper, a hack-saw, a file and a Deck and Blacker.

A height-adjustable ironing board is brilliant for lots of unintended uses, for example a perfect-height bench rest while sitting in a garden chair.

The Scorpion has a good long distance between its sights. The HW45 Black-Star has excellent glowing sight-elements but I understand they are not allowed in some competitions. Sod competitions I want accuracy.

This Scorpion trigger is like a target rifle - consistent and stupid-light. A fair bit lighter than the very light HW45. A bit tricky when your two hands are supporting all that weight. Happily, just like the HW45, it is possible to cock the trigger mechanism without energising the spring at all. Quarter cock the action until it clicks then close the gun. Gets you used to the trigger and the need to cancel the auto-safety. They are a royal pain in the fundament and an unnecessary (costly) complication to the design of any gun.

My bog-standard '45, so far, rewards me with my best accuracy.

The Scorpion recoil is slightly more than the HW45 but it's more gentle. The Scorpion has more mass and that may be the reason. There's not a lot in it. Neither are unpleasant at all. Power is higher with the Scorpion. It doesn't really matter what kick there is or isn't, provided you can hit the spot

.

[Modski66]

An interesting and informative comparison, thank-you!

[Dornfelderliebe]

I've just bought a .22 (RB9608) non working from a dealer. Apart from the usual buffer washer mess the piston head had seized I got it out and turned it down with hand file and cordless drill until it all went back in and is now doing 5.5.
Mine shoots high so I'm going to look into your pointers on the sights ( either that or shoot it at 30 yards) It now lives with my bought new .177.
Good write up

[Antoni]

Most mornings I'll shoot 2 3 or 4 shots across my living room. If I haven't hit both spinners by the fourth shot I stop.

This morning with reasonable light in the room, no problem with the larger spinner - first time - but I just couldn't see the Scorpion's sights against the smaller spinner well enough. It would have been a 'Hail Mary' shot if I'd tried.

There's nothing wrong with the ordinary iron sights on the Scorpion, but it's really 'come to light' how good the glow sights are on the HW45, and the 'three-white-dot' sights on the CO2 gun.

I'm getting used to the Scorpion's super light trigger now. I suppose it's part of the fun of shooting to learn to use a block and tackle to trigger one of your guns and to blow on the trigger for one of the others. The Dianna Model 75 target rifle was the 'blow on it' job.

[Shed tuner]

you could buy BSA fibre optic sights; I retro fitted them to my scorpion for pistol HFT

[Antoni]

you could buy BSA fibre optic sights; I retro fitted them to my scorpion for pistol HFT

At the risk of losing your competitive edge, would you divulge your source of said fibre optic fore-sights and rear-sights? I'm sure I'd be able to shoot more accurately with the Scorpion if it had them. Shame it would be non-standard but that's how it goes. I'd keep the original sights and might even be able to buy an unmolested standard fore-sight element from the same place...

My eyes focus well enough for anything except reading. I use my computer monitor glasses for iron-sight shooting, these are different from my reading glasses. I'm seriously thinking abt asking the opticians for a pair of glasses that make the iron sights just a bit less in focus and the target just a bit more in focus. Probably useful for other purposes too. Cost? - I'd suggest a lot less than keen airgunners spend.

Another point is I am left eyed. Archers told me about this. You look at an object in the distance and form a mask with your hands allowing both eyes to see it. Then you move your hands so that only one eye can see the object. You will automatically select the eye that you are eyed. My right eye is fine but has astigmatism. Left eye almost none. That's lucky. Maybe I should nip down to Boots and try some non-prescription (not astigmatism corrected) el-cheapo glasses to see whether they might help with the iron sights - glowing or not.

Scope sights? That's cheating.

[Ant6568]

Always liked the look of the Scorpion. Amateur radio led me to one. A bit scruffy and in .22 but with its cocking aid and a hood. All seemed OK. No need to haggle at all. Serial number RB49116.

It's bloody huge.

Please! Let it not be doing 2 FtLb. Nope, the full-fat five and a bit.

Disappointing that the elevation sighting had run out of adjustment. I've had that before on cheap pistols. Any old airgun/motorcycle will have passed through the hands of many a pillock. The foresight element's base has been sawn down, that was why the rear-sight had run out of close-range adjustment. There isn't much adjustment range on the rear-sight click-wheel but there's a coarse adjustment available by moving the element up/down in its slots. That was at maximum close-range.

I'm too fond of a pound note to look for a replacement front element, which would offer the correct choice of two different sight picures, as does the rear sight's element. Why would someone saw it down?

The fore-sight's single attachment screw doubles as a locking screw for the element height adjustment, and so loosen, pull-adjust, tighten. Except that it's not that simple. It was necessary to shim under the vandalised element because the friction would allow it to move too easily if touched/knocked. Friction not a problem when the foresight hood is in place, but then you'd always have to use the cocking thing to avoid damage to the hood and its mounts from the necessary cocking force (quite a lot). I find a fore-sight hood useful for more rapid target acquisition

There's a plastic peg incorporated into the plastic rear-sight assemblage, which, along with the rear-sight attachment screw locates it firmly on the gun. Peg was sheared off. Remains of said peg was visible in the gun. Someone has clearly twatted the sight assemblage sideways. The resulting insecurity was not conducive to windage accuracy. A reasonably good bodge peg was fabricated using a self-tapper, a hack-saw, a file and a Deck and Blacker.

A height-adjustable ironing board is brilliant for lots of unintended uses, for example a perfect-height bench rest while sitting in a garden chair.

The Scorpion has a good long distance between its sights. The HW45 Black-Star has excellent glowing sight-elements but I understand they are not allowed in some competitions. Sod competitions I want accuracy.

This Scorpion trigger is like a target rifle - consistent and stupid-light. A fair bit lighter than the very light HW45. A bit tricky when your two hands are supporting all that weight. Happily, just like the HW45, it is possible to cock the trigger mechanism without energising the spring at all. Quarter cock the action until it clicks then close the gun. Gets you used to the trigger and the need to cancel the auto-safety. They are a royal pain in the fundament and an unnecessary (costly) complication to the design of any gun.

My bog-standard '45, so far, rewards me with my best accuracy.

The Scorpion recoil is slightly more than the HW45 but it's more gentle. The Scorpion has more mass and that may be the reason. There's not a lot in it. Neither are unpleasant at all. Power is higher with the Scorpion. It doesn't really matter what kick there is or isn't, provided you can hit the spot

.

Both great guns, but the 45 just looks better

[Antoni]

Since Ant has resurrected this old thread I'll add a bit more data. My old Samson metric spring balance says:

Scorpion 1.55 kg

HW45 Black Star 1.20 kg

(resolution 50g)

and also given me an excuse to excercise the spinners again (they do appreciate an outing).

[davethepitch]

Always liked the look of the Scorpion. Amateur radio led me to one.

.

What was the connection that led you to a Scorpion.
From another Amateur radio operator.

[Shed tuner]

What was the connection that led you to a Scorpion.
From another Amateur radio operator.

it was 2m long ?

[Antoni]

Resurected again.

Yes that was the wavelength. It's usually a locallish chat band but with occasionable ability to go international.

In a chat all sorts of subjects can come up, as they do on here. Sometimes the other bod mentions a hobby but no longer partakes in it. If you are still interested in said hobby but the other bod isn't, mutually advantageous transactions may occur.

There is a bod who really got my ears pricked when he said he had a Rogers Cadet 3. I really fancied that because it was the first decent amplifier I owned. 1960s design but still very good. It used a rare triode and ECL86 power valves. It cost just under twelve Guineas from the local swap and rob.

Before chancing upon the bod again I'd searched its likely current value - abt £350+.

I told him that and left it alone.