http://www.airgunshooting.co.uk AIRGUN WORLD 21THE BSA R10 TH
PRETTY AND PRACTICAL
On the aesthetics side, the contrasting rosewood
fore end tip and grip cap, with those discreet
hardwood spacers, add vital style points, and
the generous panels of laser-cut do a fine job of
securing hold and promoting grip when
required. I used the test rifle in the rain and my
wet, muddy hands were securely welded to the
R-10’s furniture throughout. A careful scrub
with a technical toothbrush restored the
chequering to its sharp, grippy best, and I
followed this with a thorough massage with
walnut oil, which we both enjoyed. The test
rifle’s stock was a little ‘thirsty looking’, so I’d
recommend regular oil treatments from the
start, to protect and promote the grain of the
walnut.
PRE-SHOOT PREP
Charging the R-10 is a swift matter of plugging
in the probe and injecting 232 bar’s worth of
compression, before bleeding the system,
withdrawing the probe, and reaching for the
two magazines supplied with the rifle. Loading
these is just about as simple as charging, as
pellet after pellet is dropped into each vacant
chamber, rotating the mag’s inner wheel as
you go, until the magazine is fully loaded. With
the rifle’s bolt locked back and the knurled
retaining slide fully forward, the internally
sprung magazine is slipped into the breech
from the left-hand side, after which the catch is
clicked back, the bolt pushed forward, and
you’re a thumb’s nudge of the manual safety
from being ready to shoot. After a few
go-rounds, you’ll reload and replace a
magazine in under five seconds, no problem at
all. It really is that easy.
SHOOTING PERFORMANCE
With the aforementioned rain a constant threat, I
took the test rifle to a friend’s house, where his
garden offers all sorts of civilised shelters and 55
yards of target-siting options. Here, shielded
Model: R-10 TH
Manufacturer: BSA Guns (UK) Ltd
Country of Origin: U.K. Stock made in Italy
Contact: 0121 772 8543
Price: £999. Includes charging connector, two
magazines and padded hard case
Type: Pre-charged, multi-shot sporter
Calibre: .177, and .22
Cocking: Bolt-action.
Loading: Removable, 10-shot, rotary magazine
Trigger: Two-stage, multi-adjustable, match type
Safety: Manual, resettable, lever type
Sights: Scope rail only.
Stock Type: Oiled walnut ambidextrous, adjustable
thumbhole sporter
Weight: 3.6 k. (8lbs. unscoped)
Length: 1, 250 mm (49.2 inches)
Barrel: 381 mm (15 inches)
Fill pressure: 232 bar
Shots per 232-bar charge: .177 – 280-plus. .22- 340-plus
Average muzzle energy: 11.6 for .177 model on test
Options: To be announced
Contact: [email protected]
Website: http://www.bsaguns.co.uk
TECH SPEC
RRP £999
INITIAL VERDICT
Let’s be realistic about this new R-10 TH,
there’s no way its performance was going
to go backwards compared to previous
models, all of which could produce
one-hole groups at all usable ranges, with
regulated, monotonous regularity. Yes, the
new gun has emerged a slightly smoother,
fractionally more refined version of the
successful R-10 formula, but the real
upgrade is that stock adjustability.Is it the best version yet? Of course it
is, and it has to be; that’s how these
things have to work. Would I swap my
own R-10 for this one; yes, I definitely
would, because I’d benefit significantly
from the increased accommodation of
that new stock. Make no mistake, BSA
might not be shouting about the
enhanced potential of the R-10 TH, but
it’s all there – and it’s a game-changer.
See you next month.from the breeze by fences and under climate-
controlled conditions, the R-10 TH showed what
a BSA flagship sporter can really do.
I’d already had the trigger set to my every
whim, and the tedious chrono testing hadserved as an intensive zeroing session, so
the stage was set for a gala performance,
and that’s what the rifle gave. At a full range
of 55 yards, my best three groups spanned a
10p piece, and at the real-world, sub-12 ft.
lbs. hunting maximum of 45 yards, a 5p was
all I needed to cover the five-pellet clusters.
BSA makes its own barrels, and that, too, is
shrouded in secrecy, but however they’re
made – they work extremely well, no doubt
about that. I’ll push the boundaries further, if I
can, next month, but as it stands, this new
R-10 TH is one seriously impressive sporter. “you’ll reload and replace a magazine in under
five seconds, no problem at all.”
BSA upgrade to a thumbhole stock, and I
shoot it ‘thumb up’. More on this next month.