1908 BSA What model ?

[Benelli B76]

Got rusty rifle in and cleaned it up with coarse wire wool and oil. Came up quite well and the internals turned out to be in good condition, original piston seal and double flat springs. It looks like it has had little use, the bayonet lever is tight and catch very firm. Doing 8 ft lb after lube and assembly. Not sure what model this is "D" ? In .177 with pistol grip and shorter back sight. What would value be please ?

Baz

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[gunshop]

BSA Improved Model D

The bayonet lever should have strengthening fences either side of it

[isobar]

that looks nice,does it still retain some bluing?i think the early rifles had no strengthening fences but i stand to be corrected.

[Mark Palmer]

If you Google "date my BSA air rifle " itll link you to a couple of pages that will give year and model from the serial number as to value? I paid £70 for a 1907 improved model D in brown (no blue left) missing only its rear sight, all other screws and fittings still in place, mine needed a new washer and soring set. I've seen perfect/almost as new for £350 and (over )restored at £500 from a dealer.. there are a handful on guntrader or gunstar at the moment that look nice around the £250 mark. What they will sell for? Who knows!!

[gunshop]

If you Google "date my BSA air rifle " itll link you to a couple of pages that will give year and model from the serial number as to value? I paid £70 for a 1907 improved model D in brown (no blue left) missing only its rear sight, all other screws and fittings still in place, mine needed a new washer and soring set. I've seen perfect/almost as new for £350 and (over )restored at £500 from a dealer.. there are a handful on guntrader or gunstar at the moment that look nice around the £250 mark. What they will sell for? Who knows!!

Be wary of the "Date my BSA pages" most copy John Knibbs / Airgunspares page, that will give you rough dates on them but not for the early stuff. To date it correctly you need to get in touch with Airgunspares who have the orignal work books. These give the date of the gun to the day it left the factory, there is a charge of £25 todo this, this is due to the books having to be searched through manually as they are hand written but you do get a nice report at the end of it.

Before anyone else says i have such and such number that is three digits in front of yours and it left factory on so and so date, the numbers never always went out in order, sometimes it can jump months or even a year or so.

[trajectory]

According to a reference in J Knibbs book the improved model D came in mid 1908 as a result of the improvements which had been introduced. Production of the model continuing until 1918 which implies they were still making them during the war. ( Maybe they were just assembled from stock parts, I don't know). There were .177, .22, & .25 versions available. There were Light, Ordinary (or Standard) Sporting, as well as Juvenille & Junior patterns although not all were available in all calibre.
BSA used up component parts in the manufacture of their models but at change over between them it was not unheard of some rifles to be built with 'old' parts as well as having new ones too. It's also been said that BSA might come across stocks of old parts that hadn't been used up in sequence & fit them into their current production. Although I can see this as a possibility with some items I can't really see them fitting an early patern cocking lever without strengthening fences to a new model that was supposed yo have them, but who knows.
Rifles once assembled & in some instances stored & apparently not always shipped in numerical order; so dating by block numbers might not be that accurate, then theres the whole thing about parts being swapped between rifles over the years which can cloud the issue too.
Anyhow its not impossible to date them but it's not always as straightforward as it might appear.
I reckon your £80 was well spent, it looks to have come up well.

[Benelli B76]

that looks nice,does it still retain some bluing?i think the early rifles had no strengthening fences but i stand to be corrected.

Yes, still original blue, not as shiny as another one I have with straight stock 1905 model. That cost me £200 and the rusty one £80. It looks a bit duller in the pic due to condensation, just brought it in from garage to my warm kitchen. Has the correct back sight unlike my long tang straight stock above. I see the tap design changed quite early on.

Baz
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[isobar]

looks like it's all there then and at £80 a bargain.probably been well looked after for over a hundred years then put in the shed for a year creating the surface rust then you saved it

[Benelli B76]

that looks nice,does it still retain some bluing?i think the early rifles had no strengthening fences but i stand to be corrected.

Think you are right, my early 1905 one does not have any. Strange they are called "fences", in engineering terms I would have thought they would be gussets. I used a lot of triangular gusset plates in racking and shelving to hold angles at 90 degrees.

Baz