BSA End Of Era. English Sporting Rifle

K98ACTION

K98ACTION

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Location
Alberta
Here is a fine example of BSA (Birmingham Small Arms Company) last line of fine big game hunting rifles. BSA has been out of the big game rifle making business for almost 30 years now and this beauty is as old now and still a work of art and very modern.

BSA Monarch, Imperial (30.06)

Oiled finish, with classic rosewood end caps
Push feed action.
Cocked indicator
Enclosed bolt shroud
Hinged floor plate
Factory adjustable trigger
Folding rear sight
Factory installed BSA recoil pad
7 lbs

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These BSA rifles never seemed to take off in North America, and basically helped BSA to make the move to stop making them. Shame really as BSA is one of the longest running firearms makers in the world. Anyhow I now own this rear beauty and it sits next to my BSA Lee Speed. Two classic hunting rifles.
 
I've got several BSA rifles. I love them. They are accurate, light, easy to handle and carry. They aren't fussy about what brand of ammunition they shoot, but seem to have a preference for bullets 165 grns and over in the 30 cal range.

I've had a consistant problem with them though. Stock splitting in front of the mag well. Glass bedding solves this problem before it starts and has a few other advantages as well. Some of the BSA stocks have a tapered, wood dowel glued into the offending area, the glue dries out and the dowel falls out when fired. Some stocks don't have the dowel, but still have the cracking problem.

If you have any questions or just don't believe it, email me for some pics. It's a quick easy fix to glass bed the front lug on the receiver and not expensive, if you do it yourself. Saves a lot of grief to just do it. Out of the seven I have had, all of them either developed or had the problem when I bought them.

I think BSA rifles are some of the finest bolt actions out there and set a standard way beyond their price range. Their biggest competitors were the plethora of surplus rifles and accessories on the markets at the time, that were selling for $10 - $35 and even though it cost as much and more to have one built up into an acceptable sporter, could be used as is until funds became available.

bearhunter
 
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Thanks for the info,, I will have to check mine out. I recall seeing an odd wood addition inside the stock when I had it apart, it is not a dowl, but I will pic it and show you.. maybe that was some sort of fix??

Bill
 
I should have noticed it on you bottom pic. There is a dowel just above the front of the trigger gaurd. The glue around these dries to the point of becomeing dust and the dowel can't do its job anymore.

bearhunter
 
K98ACTION said:
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BSA Monarch, Imperial (30.06)
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Your rifle is a Monarch not an Imperial which has a Controlled Round Feed action.

Here is a picture of my Imperial which is Featherweight version of the model. Note the trim lines of the stock and the schnabel forend which I personally find more appealing than the "North American" style stock on the Monarch.

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After being re-built.

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My dad's got an Imperial-based custom 7 Wby built by a guy named Ian Dingwall who worked in Vancouver years ago (First at The Bay in their gun department and later at Reliable Gun, I believe but stand to be corrected by Dave or Shane). It's a thing of beauty and at 40 years old and lots of hard hunts, still in fine shape. I used it last year hunting Whitetails in SK.

I almost took it on my 16th birthday when he offered my brother and I our pick of his rifles. I probably should have but I couldn't make myself take a rifle he had custom built for himself. Looking back I should have made off with it immediately.
 
Beautiful rifles. I recall BSA making their CF 2 as a Stutzen (full-stock) rifle. Do any CGNers own one? I'd love to see pics!
My uncle has a lovely BSA .30-06 he bought from a friend a couple years ago. It looks like new and shoots very well. What model it is, I don't know. Floorplate mag, gloss finish, skipline checkering, black forend cap, high-gloss metal and wood. It's fairly weighty and balances like a dream. This year he took a whitetail with it, one shot, offhand, at 110 yards as the deer faced him. Drilled it through the heart. I suspect when he gives up hunting he'll be giving it to his favourite nephew........
 
I have a Stutzen in .308. I received it for my 16th birthday many moons ago. I have since put on a sporter stock on because the Stutzen was getting banged up from hunting. I will try to post up some pics.
 
'Boo said:
Your rifle is a Monarch not an Imperial which has a Controlled Round Feed action.

Here is a picture of my Imperial which is Featherweight version of the model. Note the trim lines of the stock and the schnabel forend which I personally find more appealing than the "North American" style stock on the Monarch.

49BSA-side-med.JPG


After being re-built.

49bsa-2006.jpg
Click to expand...

Very nice rifle there BOO,, the research I did on the net is what gave me the Monarch Imperial name.. According to what I found Monarch was the line, then the calibers were broken down into groups with different names like viscount, imperial etc.. the 30.06 cals fell into the imperial grouping? So not sure what to say.. maybe the info I found what wrong.
 
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