BSA I finally got a springer

What's the Lighting shooting for ftlb?? Might want to try a lighter pellets like jsb RS, that's what mine shoots best. These guns do take a bit to figure out the best hold, def hold sensitive

Dr. Kralenstein said:

Wanted one of these for awhile and came across it on ebay. Probably overpaid, but it came with the scope and mount and is shooting 14.5 fpe as advertised when new.

Stock has some marks, nothing I can't refinish. Bluing is still good, just a couple marks on the muzzle end of the moderator.

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BSA Lightning magnum 22 caliber. This is an older model. Dunno, maybe 90s?

Anyway, I need to practice my hold. I can get okay groups, and then not so okay lol.

This was 4 shots with norma 17.6 grain FTs. I had 3 in one hole and then the one pulled up. I didn't want to chance ruining it with a 5th.

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Another 3 shot group here.View attachment 481060

Then best group was this. That was 5 on center, then the left one. Then it just went to hell and i made the semi circle around it lol.


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It's a little snappy and the short length makes it harder to shoot than my old air hawk I had.

These groups are all at 30 yards. I just need to practice and clean the barrel still.

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looks good, what scope is on it

Dr. Kralenstein said:

Came with an older BSA 4-12X44 AO. It's got the rubber grip things on the AO and magnification adjustments.

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Cool, My first "adult" airgun was bought out of a pawn shop Diana 34 with scope. Looks like its got some great potential.

Congrats man! You'll get used to her in no time with some practice. Springers can definitely be frustrating at first but once you start to get them figured out, very rewarding.

Dr. Kralenstein said:

Well me buying this means I will eventually be putting money in your pocket for a cometa! The USC should be close to this gun in size and weight I believe.

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Your gun is very short if memory serves which I love. I think 36" OAL? I wish more were like that. The USC is closer to 41" which is still pretty short. I'm not sure about the weight on yours but the walnut USCs are 6.8lbs. Very handy guns.

Dr. Kralenstein said:

It's 37.5" IIRC. Damn, I thought the USC was only 39". Springer are so damn big.

I'm surprised the power is as high as it is. It's not the easiest to cock due to the magnum spring and short leverage.

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Yessir. A lot of springers are really long. I think most fall into the 45" range but then there are guns like the Gamo Magnum that push 50". Way to long for my liking.

I like to cock them in one swift motion. I start a couple inches from the barrel and just slap down and follow through. When it gets near the latching point I ease off so I don't slam it into the trigger

Step away from the dark side Dr.
Close your eyes. Feel it. The light...it's always been there. It will guide you.

Dr. Kralenstein said:

This one is easier to cock if I flip it over and pull it toward me. Almost like a reloading press motion if that makes sense.

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I followed the auction. Glad you got it. I still want one. And would swap one of my minty standard Lightnings in a New York minute for a clean one. I have them in 177 and 22. A little snappy but vibration free like a Webley Tommy, Longbow, Stingray. Hear that Weihrauch? No vibration.....
Hard to cock? Try breaking the bank vault lock up of one of said Webleys. Still, I just grasp the end of any break barrel and give a quick yank (controlled) to break it open and then come to a gentle engagement of the trigger and automatic safety if it has one. No nick nack paddy wack SLAPs on the barrel. Nah

BTW you know your dovetails are 14mm, right? Not 11mm. So now you buy Sportsmatch or BKL. BSA went to this and the maxi grip rail because their 11 mm dovetails cut into receivers were notoriously shallow. Big mistake IMO because it made all their springers excessively difficult to disassemble/reassemble for service. Replacement rails and rubber gasket have been unobtanium for years. Takes some skill and patience to work on them without damage. Another reason they weren't as popular as a Vye rou. As good as they are.........

@Dr. Kralenstein - Sweet looking rifle. Looks like it was made six months ago. Why did they quit making beautiful rifles like that???

Try some H&N Field Target Trophies, they are a great pellet that shoots well in springers. Don't worry too much about hold, try a light grip and practice pulling the trigger straight back. If you can do that good results happen!

I use a slippery cloth in my forearm hand , no griping , just set in place .

Shooting a springer is a lot like bump firing an AR from the shoulder. You have to work with the recoil. Once you have that down they shoot great.

You have to hold it so you just limit the rearward recoil. Too loose and it will run into your shoulder. Too tight and it will bounce off your shoulder and twist. There is a perfect spot where the gun just rattles between your shoulder and your off hand.

I pull it against my shoulder with my offhand just about as much as the spring force. No more. The shoulder dampens the rearward recoil. The offhand dampens the forward.

Off bags on a bench it's tricky. I find an old camera tripod with a foam pad on top works easier than bags. I find that holding the rear of the rifle rather than a tail bag works best. The rear rest makes more difference than the front one. I shoot circular patterns with a bag in the back. Things calm down when I just hold it against my shoulder.

The first rearward recoil will run into your shoulder and down a bit. This tilts the gun up slightly. Then the piston slams forward violently and jerks the gun up more. In my experience a springer will always shoot a little higher from a bag. I think it is because the gun only has one way to go...up.

Gel knee pads or seat cushions work well up front. Still a rested springer can be squirrelly from a bag. The little tripod seems the easiest way to get it under control. I have used two wide bags along the full length of the forestock and just held the rifle in the back letting the weight of the gun dampen the front. It works good with a long gun. Short ones not so much.

Think bump firing from the shoulder. But instead of pulling the rifle into the trigger and feeling the recoil bounce it off your shoulder, you push the rifle into your shoulder slightly and follow with your trigger finger. The effect is the same. The rifle jumps in a controlled way between your offhand and your shoulder and your hold just limits the travel without affecting the shot.

It's a bit magic and a bit physics. But once you figure out the cadence of the recoil and how much to pull it into your shoulder without it bouncing around it will shoot consistently. Rearrange the bags up front. Loose the rear bag. Put a limbsaver butt pad on it. Stuff some brightly colored gel stuff under the forearm. Shoot it off a tripod with a wobbly rest. Sling it in a piece of leather or fabric across a yoke. All of these things will help keep the vibration under control through the shot cycle. But IMHO the most important thing is to try and pull it into your shoulder with exactly the same force as the spring will create when you turn that sucker loose. If this tension is correct the gun won't run into your shoulder nor bounce off. It will just cycle with no movement of the POA.

If you loose the rests all together and just sit with your elbows on your knees things come together pretty quickly. Your hold will be almost as steady as fully rested and recoil won't matter much. You naturally learn the hold without fiddling with bags and rests. A hard kicking gun will shoot tighter patterns like this than rested on bags. A smooth gun will shoot almost as good. You can feel the rifles movement better and it teaches you the proper hold tension faster. A few hundred rounds shooting with elbows on your knees and you can put the gun on a rest and shoot it much better. If you pick it up, hold the weight in your hands your body will learn what it needs automatically. Just hold it and shoot it until your muscle memory kicks in. Then go back to a rest and punch paper. Things will be much easier.