How accurate in general is this generation of springer ? i am thinking i would like tyo have one IF it was considered a accurate one . (meaning the one i buy is proven accurate ) 
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N/A Accuracy ? "BSA post war era accuracy".
- Thread starter beerthief
- Start date
I will have to check mine out. Never really did any accuracy testing, pellet likes and such. Will have to get on this. Thanks for the post. Oh! And KWK shows up he will know.
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They are exceptionally accurate. The Tap loader style above was often critiqued for alignment issues, with the contestant complaint that pellets directly seated into bore was better. However, this had more to do with tap loaders of the mid production period of the 70s and 80s where cost cutting measures for the BSA Airsporter, Webley Osprey etc, saw an end to in line lapping of taps due to cost cutting measures.
Go back 40-50 years prior for the gun shown, you get in-line hand lapped taps with perfect alignment.
I have shot staggeringly good groups with my own Light Pattern similar to the one shown.
With larger versions of the above gun, BSA Long Tom, Lincoln Jeffries and the Improved Model D many shooters back then could consistently hit old English pennies (approx 1 1/4 inches dia) out to 40yds and even 50yds being reported.
Today's guns are no better built, but back then they lacked the scopes and vastly improved pellets to make the most of their guns....Don't let that fool you..
Go back 40-50 years prior for the gun shown, you get in-line hand lapped taps with perfect alignment.
I have shot staggeringly good groups with my own Light Pattern similar to the one shown.
With larger versions of the above gun, BSA Long Tom, Lincoln Jeffries and the Improved Model D many shooters back then could consistently hit old English pennies (approx 1 1/4 inches dia) out to 40yds and even 50yds being reported.
Today's guns are no better built, but back then they lacked the scopes and vastly improved pellets to make the most of their guns....Don't let that fool you..
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chief,
Much interest in following this post. I recently acquired like rifle in your post. A 1920 early post war era BSA "L" model with the two screw trigger block. Note, this two screw trigger block denotes a none adjustable trigger. Soon there after they did come out with an adjustable trigger, a three screw trigger block.
The accuracy has been noted to be rather surprising good but mine is not so steller and most likely due to its harsh trigger pull. I can only speak inbehalf of my own. Other definite factors of accuracy could be attributed to my old eyes and perhaps to velocity inconsistency of my particular rifle. Once I gain knowledge and appropriate information I will be tearing into this rifle and no doubt will be improving accuracy capability of this rifle. I would think stoning the trigger shear in itself will greatly improve the accuracy of this beauty!
Wish I could provide more information but my knowledge to date of these rifles wouldn't begin to fill a thimble! I hope there's enough people here to keep this post running for sometime to come.
May I suggest renaming the title of this post to something more direct, ie: "BSA post war era accuracy".
I'm afraid knowledgeable people of these rifles won't know to chime in with a post heading " Accuracy"
Just my take and suggestion though I don't claim to know much these days..haha
Mike
Edit: forgot to add, hopefully Karl (KWK) will fine this post and chime in. He is very knowledgeable of these rifles on this forum. He has a collection of these beauties and is known to machine his own parts for these guns when needed. Another knowledgeable source would be Garvin over at the GTA Vintage Airgun forum.
Cheers
Much interest in following this post. I recently acquired like rifle in your post. A 1920 early post war era BSA "L" model with the two screw trigger block. Note, this two screw trigger block denotes a none adjustable trigger. Soon there after they did come out with an adjustable trigger, a three screw trigger block.
The accuracy has been noted to be rather surprising good but mine is not so steller and most likely due to its harsh trigger pull. I can only speak inbehalf of my own. Other definite factors of accuracy could be attributed to my old eyes and perhaps to velocity inconsistency of my particular rifle. Once I gain knowledge and appropriate information I will be tearing into this rifle and no doubt will be improving accuracy capability of this rifle. I would think stoning the trigger shear in itself will greatly improve the accuracy of this beauty!
Wish I could provide more information but my knowledge to date of these rifles wouldn't begin to fill a thimble! I hope there's enough people here to keep this post running for sometime to come.
May I suggest renaming the title of this post to something more direct, ie: "BSA post war era accuracy".
I'm afraid knowledgeable people of these rifles won't know to chime in with a post heading " Accuracy"
Just my take and suggestion though I don't claim to know much these days..haha
Mike
Edit: forgot to add, hopefully Karl (KWK) will fine this post and chime in. He is very knowledgeable of these rifles on this forum. He has a collection of these beauties and is known to machine his own parts for these guns when needed. Another knowledgeable source would be Garvin over at the GTA Vintage Airgun forum.
Cheers
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BSA forged barrels have always been as accurate as anything available on a factory springer. Maybe better. If you can't shoot a gun that doesn't have a trigger that you can pare down to under 10 oz. they're not for you. Guns with a two hole trigger block (1919-about 1923) have the pull weight stamped on the stock behind the trigger guard. The three hole trigger blocks that came after could be adjusted but never intended to be hair triggers. Pre Great War guns have a single screw block and an adjustment screw through the trigger guard to adjust the direct sear trigger engagement. A few of the 1930's guns came that way too but not intended for real light trigger engagement either.
Consider that not many guns at all of any kind were offered with triggers that could be adjusted to what current airgunners claim to be mandatory even after WW2.
As a young man many of us carried 22 rf squirrel rifles with 2 to 5 lb triggers and consistently put meat in the pot. And not making a head shot was considered a miss in my circles. 4x15 scopes were common and 4x scopes like Weaver K4 sometimes fitted. Just regular kids going hunting and it was cool helping bring home food for the table. We had a lot of meals from the garden and the field.
Consider that not many guns at all of any kind were offered with triggers that could be adjusted to what current airgunners claim to be mandatory even after WW2.
As a young man many of us carried 22 rf squirrel rifles with 2 to 5 lb triggers and consistently put meat in the pot. And not making a head shot was considered a miss in my circles. 4x15 scopes were common and 4x scopes like Weaver K4 sometimes fitted. Just regular kids going hunting and it was cool helping bring home food for the table. We had a lot of meals from the garden and the field.
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in a shooting book from the 1920s or 30's an article I had talked about putting one in a machine rest and getting poor accuracy. The author found it only shot well when shot in prone held lightly. So the "artillery hold" is quite old.I posted the article years ago on another forum but can't recall what book it was in!
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