http://www.airgunshooting.co.uk AIRGUN WORLD 89located just in front of the eye, due
to the presence of the breech
block retaining spring up front,
where a rear sight would usually
sit. An aperture sight would have
been more useful, but I was still
able to topple plastic bottles and
tin cans placed 15 yards away
when I took the rifle to Bisley for
evaluation. Other club members
were also able to hit the same
targets and the rifle’s muzzle
velocity of around 350fps ensured
the targets were hit with a satisfying
clout.
The cocking stroke was incredibly
smooth and the firing cycle was
unusual in that you could feel the rifle
pushing away from you as it went off.
However, this and the out-of-focus
rear sight did not hinder the fun
factor we had at the club when
shooting this rarity. Sadly, I had to give
this one back at the end of my
evaluation! My sincere thanks to Tim
Dyson once again for allowing me
access to such a rarity. VINTAGE AIRGUNS
under spring tension and control.
The breech block differs to the actual patent,
which referred to a loading tap, and this
suggests more than one prototype was
probably produced. This one has been
documented in the past and although
completely unmarked, the rifle is believed to
have first come to light when it was part of a
sale of BSA’s own collection in 1970. Roy
Valentine then featured the rifle in the
December 1978 issue of Airgun World and an
image can be seen on the back of Dennis
Hiller’s Air Rifles 3rd and 4th editions.
TRANSITIONAL STOCK
The stock on the prototype is of interest
because it is of a transitional nature between
the pre-WW1 BSA air rifle and the post-1919
BSA Standard. The stock’s pistol hand profile
is of a rounded nature; just like post 1919 rifles
but the rear tail of the chequering resembles
the style used on pre-WW1 BSAs. It is the only
such
chequering
pattern known to me.
The stock screw can be
accessed via a wooden plug identical
to those used on BSA Standard air rifles.
Unusually, the cylinder diameter of the BSA is
narrower than BSA’s standard underlever air
rifles and more like those used for the Juvenile
and much later 1930s Breakdown air rifles.UNUSUAL SIGHTS
The open sights are worthy of mention because
they are unlike any used by BSA on their other
models. The fore sight may be removed or
adjusted laterally by loosening off a top screw,
whilst elevation is taken care of via a side-
mounted screw that locks up when the fore
sight blade has been raised or lowered to suit
the user. The rear sight is less useful because
it consists of a ‘V’ machined into a sight block
that is dovetail-adjusted for windage. This isLoading pellets is carried out via a pop-up
cylindrical block which is activated as the sear
engages at the end of the cocking process.
The fore sight can be adjusted for elevation by
moving the sight blade up or down and then
locking it in place – very clever.I’m not sure I would have placed an open rear
sight on top of the trigger block if I were the
designer of this rifle.Type: Push Pull cocking action with rising breech
block
Date: 1914 Patent Design
Overall Length: 38½ inches
Length When Cocked: 34 inches
Weight: 4lbs 1oz
Sights: Laterally adjustable rear and vertically
adjustable fore sight
Avg Muzzle Velocity: 350 FPSVITAL STATISTICS
Note the transitional prototype stock in a
middle between a pre-WW1 (top) and
post-WW1 (bottom) BSA air rifle. The air
cylinder is narrower too.