BSA End Of Era. English Sporting Rifle
- Thread starter K98ACTION
- Start date
That BSA is going to be a rifle you will wish you had never sold.
The fit and finish just isn't available on present day factory rifles, other than higher end rifles, such as Kimbers or Coopers.
ALL of mine have had at least 80% lug contact on both lugs. All of them are accurate, though not as accurate as the Tikka T3.
Some of the old articles in the seventies described them as "Best Rifles".
They certainly make the newer Yugo made Remington 798 rifles take 2nd place. Funny, because in the end days the actions were offered by "Herters" as J9 actions in both standard and short lengths for $89.95. The actions were being made in Yugoslavia. I picked up a couple, they were crudely finished and not nearly as smooth as the British offerings.
To bad they're not being made anymore.
bearhunter
The fit and finish just isn't available on present day factory rifles, other than higher end rifles, such as Kimbers or Coopers.
ALL of mine have had at least 80% lug contact on both lugs. All of them are accurate, though not as accurate as the Tikka T3.
Some of the old articles in the seventies described them as "Best Rifles".
They certainly make the newer Yugo made Remington 798 rifles take 2nd place. Funny, because in the end days the actions were offered by "Herters" as J9 actions in both standard and short lengths for $89.95. The actions were being made in Yugoslavia. I picked up a couple, they were crudely finished and not nearly as smooth as the British offerings.
To bad they're not being made anymore.
bearhunter
The original BSA sporting rifles were marketed in England and Commonwealth countries at the "Hunter" line that consisted of 4 separate action lengths. These same rifles were sold in the USA as the "Royal" line. The Emperor was a full magnum-length action that was chambered for the .458 Winchester. The Imperial was a long action and came in 30-06 and .270 Winchester. ( The Imperial came in two action weights, a standard at ~ 7 1/2 pounds and a Featherweight at ~ 6 1/2 pounds.) The Viscount was a true medium action and was sold in .257 Roberts, .300 Savage, and 7x57 Mauser. The Regent was a short action and was chambered in .222 and .22 Hornet. A good number of these rifles -even in .222 - sported directionally ported barrels that held the muzzle down during recoil.
In the 60's in an effort to cut costs the action was modified to a push-feed bolt and all were produced in one standard-length action. The Monarchs (introduced in 1965) and the later CF2's (1972) were still all 100% hand-built and the quality was still excellent. BSA also sold the Monarch actions to Herters in the USA who sold them as their U9 Action. I personally believe the BSA rifles were a much better rifle than the much-vaunted pre-64 M70 Winchester.
In the end the management at BSA decided that producing firearms was not only not making them enough money it was starting to be socially unaceptible in the UK as well.
Not only did the management kill the firearms end of the business they also ordered all the production records be destroyed. Today BSA is know for it's air-guns and low-end rifle scopes.
'Boo, you sound like a fellow who knows his BSAs.....
I was checking out my Dad's (one day to be mine) BSA Hunter today.
It says "BSA Hunter" on the reciever, chambered in 222 and one of the most accurate rifles I have ever shot. Unfortunately , Dad believes a gun must earn its keep and this rifle has mucho wear to its appearance from being carried around in the tractor and bale truck ( no pics, sorry).
If I read your post above correctly, this gun would be manufactured pre-1960?
I was checking out my Dad's (one day to be mine
) BSA Hunter today. It says "BSA Hunter" on the reciever, chambered in 222 and one of the most accurate rifles I have ever shot. Unfortunately , Dad believes a gun must earn its keep and this rifle has mucho wear to its appearance from being carried around in the tractor and bale truck ( no pics, sorry).
If I read your post above correctly, this gun would be manufactured pre-1960?
Not really but I have owned a few of them over the years and have done a bit of research on them. The information found however is sometimes contradictory. Frank de Hause for example claims the early Hunters (Royals) in 30-06 and 270 were built on the longer magnum action and were changed to a standard long action with the introduction of the Monarchs which he claimed came in two action lengths. I don't know but I have handled a couple of later 7x57 and .222 Monarchs and both had mag-box spacers that to me sort of indicated they were standard lengths.
When BSA started production of sporting rifles in 1954 all they built for the first couple of years was the short action. In 1956 the medium action was introduced and in 1957 the long actions hit the market. The Hunter line was discontinued in 1959 so yours is indeed pre-1960.
Love those old ads! (Remington had some great ones!)
Thats definiately the reciever/action on Dad's rifle, but I don't believe his has a schnabel stock It does have the folding leaf rear and hooded front sight tho.
It appears from your pics that you had to re-barrel your BSA?
Thats definiately the reciever/action on Dad's rifle, but I don't believe his has a schnabel stock
It does have the folding leaf rear and hooded front sight tho.It appears from your pics that you had to re-barrel your BSA?
The original BSA sporting rifles were marketed in England and Commonwealth countries at the "Hunter" line that consisted of 4 separate action lengths. These same rifles were sold in the USA as the "Royal" line. The Emperor was a full magnum-length action that was chambered for the .458 Winchester. The Imperial was a long action and came in 30-06 and .270 Winchester. ( The Imperial came in two action weights, a standard at ~ 7 1/2 pounds and a Featherweight at ~ 6 1/2 pounds.) The Viscount was a true medium action and was sold in .257 Roberts, .300 Savage, and 7x57 Mauser. The Regent was a short action and was chambered in .222 and .22 Hornet. A good number of these rifles -even in .222 - sported directionally ported barrels that held the muzzle down during recoil.
In the 60's in an effort to cut costs the action was modified to a push-feed bolt and all were produced in one standard-length action. The Monarchs (introduced in 1965) and the later CF2's (1972) were still all 100% hand-built and the quality was still excellent. BSA also sold the Monarch actions to Herters in the USA who sold them as their U9 Action. I personally believe the BSA rifles were a much better rifle than the much-vaunted pre-64 M70 Winchester.
In the end the management at BSA decided that producing firearms was not only not making them enough money it was starting to be socially unaceptible in the UK as well.
Today BSA is know for it's air-guns and low-end rifle scopes.
Ok, Boo, I'm sorta getting it, but I am still confused as to what my rifle is
I'm thinking mine is a post 1968, as the research on the net indicates that BSA stopped making the integral scope mounts in 68 for the flat receiver top with drilled and tapped scope mount holes (which mine has). So is my rifle just an Imperial with the long action? If so, then what is a Monarch. "HELP"I agree though, I believe that these BSA rifles were definetly a better high end rifle in there day as compared to the competition. Also my research showed these rifles selling for well north of a thousand back in the day!!! Is this correct?
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K98, Yours is known simply as a Monarch as it doesn't have the milled dovetails like the similar Majestic. Like all the BSA sporters it is a great rifle. Your Monarch also has a simpler (better?) trigger and safety than the older Hunters.
Canuck, yes my old Imperial is wearing a new barrel chambered in 338-06. As it tips the scale at ~ 7 1/2 pounds scoped it does catch your attention when shooting it off the bench. That is also why it is wearing a recoil pad in the second picture.
Canuck, yes my old Imperial is wearing a new barrel chambered in 338-06. As it tips the scale at ~ 7 1/2 pounds scoped it does catch your attention when shooting it off the bench. That is also why it is wearing a recoil pad in the second picture.
