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

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