Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 15 of 36

Thread: BSA Scorpion pistol (versus HW45)

  1. #1
    Antoni's Avatar
    Antoni is offline There's nothing cushy about life in the Women's Auxiliary Balloon Corps!
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Mansfield
    Posts
    2,018

    BSA Scorpion pistol (versus HW45)

    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

    .
    Last edited by Antoni; 12-07-2022 at 11:07 AM.
    P1V1overT1=P2V2overT2

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2012
    Location
    Nottingham
    Posts
    821
    An interesting and informative comparison, thank-you!
    Too many guns, or not enough time?

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Oct 2020
    Location
    Eastwood
    Posts
    1,436

    Scorpion

    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

  4. #4
    Antoni's Avatar
    Antoni is offline There's nothing cushy about life in the Women's Auxiliary Balloon Corps!
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Mansfield
    Posts
    2,018
    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.
    P1V1overT1=P2V2overT2

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2002
    Location
    Near Wimbledon, SW London, or Lusaka, Zambia
    Posts
    26,320
    you could buy BSA fibre optic sights; I retro fitted them to my scorpion for pistol HFT
    Always looking for any cheap, interesting, knackered "project" guns. Thanks, JB.

  6. #6
    Antoni's Avatar
    Antoni is offline There's nothing cushy about life in the Women's Auxiliary Balloon Corps!
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Mansfield
    Posts
    2,018

    Glow sights and glasses and eyes

    Quote Originally Posted by Shed tuner View Post
    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.
    P1V1overT1=P2V2overT2

  7. #7
    Antoni's Avatar
    Antoni is offline There's nothing cushy about life in the Women's Auxiliary Balloon Corps!
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Mansfield
    Posts
    2,018

    Scorpion pistol trigger adjustment

    How?

    I can't find an owner's manual or any info on the net but have read that the trigger is adjustable.

    Can anyone send a link to the owners manual?

    I can accept the trigger as it is, I'm doing well with it now, but it's just a bit too light for a pistol for me.
    P1V1overT1=P2V2overT2

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Apr 2002
    Location
    Near Wimbledon, SW London, or Lusaka, Zambia
    Posts
    26,320
    when i bought the fibre optics, this was probably 15 years ago... im afraid i can't recall, but they might have been a bsa offering..
    Always looking for any cheap, interesting, knackered "project" guns. Thanks, JB.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2001
    Location
    Winchester, UK
    Posts
    15,341
    Quote Originally Posted by Antoni View Post
    How?

    I can't find an owner's manual or any info on the net but have read that the trigger is adjustable.

    Can anyone send a link to the owners manual?

    I can accept the trigger as it is, I'm doing well with it now, but it's just a bit too light for a pistol for me.
    What series Scorpion do you have, PA RA PB RB ?
    They are all much the same but I have several different versions ranging from '73 to '77.
    I'll need an email address.

  10. #10
    Antoni's Avatar
    Antoni is offline There's nothing cushy about life in the Women's Auxiliary Balloon Corps!
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Mansfield
    Posts
    2,018
    Quote Originally Posted by Troubledshooter View Post
    What series Scorpion do you have, PA RA PB RB ?
    They are all much the same but I have several different versions ranging from '73 to '77.
    I'll need an email address.
    It's RB49116.

    My e-mail a/d is g4zre somewhere close to talktalk point net. I'd appreciate a manual because I've got them for nearly everything here. Got a radio which is a bit un-intuitive. The downloaded manual explained a couple of things.
    P1V1overT1=P2V2overT2

  11. #11
    Antoni's Avatar
    Antoni is offline There's nothing cushy about life in the Women's Auxiliary Balloon Corps!
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Mansfield
    Posts
    2,018
    Using a "Little Samson" spring balance probably intended for weighing caught fish, along with a loop of string I measured the trigger force of the Scorpion. The string loop naturally acted vertically centrally on the trigger. There are three ways to cock the trigger.

    Just break the action and re-close: 1½ pounds force

    Break the action and quarter cock so that the auto safety activates, then allow the spring back to rest and close the action The click is louder but still: 1½ pounds force

    Load and fire the pistol: just a smidgeon [smidgeon<tad<dab] less than 1½ pounds force.

    The troubled shooter kindly e-mailed me the manual (thank you) which states that the standard Scorpion trigger weight is 1½ pounds force and describes how to adjust it if desired. If Messrs BSA said it should be that, it will stay at that.

    For comparison checked the HW45. I'd adjusted it just by feel when I first bought it: 2¼ pounds force whether loaded and fired or just trigger-cocked.

    Who'd have thunk 'light as a feather' was as high a force as that?

    I'm on a roll here... for the gas blow-back pistol I had to use a bigger spring balance: 6 pounds force

    .
    Last edited by Antoni; 25-07-2022 at 02:48 PM.
    P1V1overT1=P2V2overT2

  12. #12
    Antoni's Avatar
    Antoni is offline There's nothing cushy about life in the Women's Auxiliary Balloon Corps!
    Join Date
    Mar 2011
    Location
    Mansfield
    Posts
    2,018
    Not much to do today so got the old Tenma sound level meter out in the garden. The measurements were taken 1½ feet up and 4 feet from the meter to the muzzle. dB peak-hold and A-weighted.

    Scorpion pistol ~5.3 FtLb .22
    101.5 100.4
    With cocking aid 104.5 104.5

    HW45 ~4.9 FtLb. Sold as a .22 but fitted with a Weihrauch .177 barrel.
    105.8 105.9

    HW80 ~10 FtLb .177
    106.8 107.0

    Beeman P17 ~2.2 FtLb Single pump pneumatic .177
    100.4 100.9 102.3

    Surprised that the Scorpion's cocking aid makes the gun significantly louder.
    P1V1overT1=P2V2overT2

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Location
    Dartmouth
    Posts
    298
    I'm long overdue a Scorpion project.
    It was on my list first when I started with pistols, but too many webley's got in the way lol.
    ATB
    Dan

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Oct 2020
    Location
    Eastwood
    Posts
    1,436
    Quote Originally Posted by Antoni View Post
    Not much to do today so got the old Tenma sound level meter out in the garden. The measurements were taken 1½ feet up and 4 feet from the meter to the muzzle. dB peak-hold and A-weighted.

    Scorpion pistol ~5.3 FtLb .22
    101.5 100.4
    With cocking aid 104.5 104.5

    HW45 ~4.9 FtLb. Sold as a .22 but fitted with a Weihrauch .177 barrel.
    105.8 105.9

    HW80 ~10 FtLb .177
    106.8 107.0

    Beeman P17 ~2.2 FtLb Single pump pneumatic .177
    100.4 100.9 102.3

    Surprised that the Scorpion's cocking aid makes the gun significantly louder.
    Not surprising Antoni, I always felt my .177 was louder with the aid.
    A little while ago I managed to get a silencer adapter from Protek supplies which fits over the barrel but with a cut out for the front sight.
    Then I went to A &M custom gunsmiths ( nearer to you than me) and got a Titch silencer, short and fat, and made a good job of quieting it down. all ok.
    Then I asked them to let me try a twink. I've never heard anything like it. With the owner firing it All report disappeared and all I could hear was the internals and they were not as loud as we are all led to believe.
    The only problem was the twink was too long but it was good.
    I was told in no uncertain terms not to use their silencer as a cocking aid.
    Any way got my Meteor out today and tried it with the titch and it was reasonable but fits perfectly in my Ramsbottom gun bag so there it will stay
    Looks like I've got to get another titch and in for a penny get a Twink aswell.
    Try and find an adapter that allows you to use the front sight
    Last edited by Dornfelderliebe; 29-08-2022 at 04:52 PM. Reason: more mispelling

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Oct 2020
    Location
    Eastwood
    Posts
    1,436
    Quote Originally Posted by guitardan View Post
    I'm long overdue a Scorpion project.
    It was on my list first when I started with pistols, but too many webley's got in the way lol.
    ATB
    Dan
    Get one but make sure it has the cocking aid, if you don't like it at least your forearms will get a workout.

    In different ways I like mine as much as my premier.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •