Help Identify BSA 308 - Featherweight Majestic?

[Pembykid]

Recently acquired a new 308 BSA through a trade.

Hard to find direct information on these things.

It says BSA 308 WIN 2 015”
19 Tons FER

Slight Monte Carlo style stock, very tapered thing forestock.. built in muzzle brake. Very light gun. Very cool piece. Seems like a mini Mauser style action quite smooth

Serial number is 3D 309…

Is in fairly good shape but curious on any information on these.

Side story is my old man had a BSA 270 (CF2 maybe?) very accurate gun, though he called it crowbar .. as late season mountain hunting mule deer it had a habit of freezing up.

That was back in the 1980’s British Columbia -20 Celsius late November. That gun found new life to my sister who just shot a moose in terrace with it, topped with nifty Burris E1 3-9 scope.

 

[Hitzy]

Majestic I believe were the only models with that BSA muzzle brake treatment.
First pattern Majestic had the safety on the bolt shroud, later moved to side as a trigger block type...can't tell from those pics, Mauser style extractor as you noted.
BSA made nice rifles, started with military sporters, then made their own actions that were unique to them.
CF2 are really good rifles as well, push feed though, dropped the Mauser extractor, one action length, one barrel profile, one stock, they simplified production and made a real decent rifle.

 

[Pembykid]

Safety is definitely on the bolt

And the thin stock at the front, it really seems like a lightweight version of the gun.. will try to get it in a scale

 

[Hitzy]

First pattern Majestic then, from what I know about the history, which I'm not a professor in lol.
Cool find though for sure.

 

['Boo]

Show us a picture of the bolt in the action to be sure but to me it looks like a BSA "Hunter" or "Royal" . (Same rifle just marketed differently in the UK and North America.) The BESA brake shown on your rifle was a hallmark of the BSA featherweight Royal Line.

The Hunter / Royal used a full-length extractor similar to Mauser and the rifle was a true controlled round feed.

 

['Boo]

I just saw your second post with the action picture. It's a CRF Featherweight Hunter. The other side of the action will be "scalloped" to reduce weight. The triggers on these are a master of engineering but they were made before the liability lawyers started to run the world.

They can be set of for either a single or a very precise 2 stage pull. Over the years I have seen more than a few of these where some ham-fisted jackass screwed with the sear engagement and created a dangerous condition where the rifle will fire when the safety is taken off after the rifle had been bumped.

 

[Pembykid]

Helpful?

Sure seems hard to dig up complete info on these, is there any complete records of what they built?

 

['Boo]

Definitely a featherweight Hunter. The bolt handle has been hollowed and in addition to the scallop on the left side of the receiver the butt-stock is also hollowed out.

These CRF rifles were built in the mid to late 1950's and were replaced by a push-feed model in 1960-61

The short actions were the first one built with a magnum sized action and long action following later. The early short-action rifles had poor gas-control in case of a pierced primer. The long and magnum actions were built with improved gas control vents.

 

['Boo]

Also, to remove the bolt in your rifle - which you will notice doesn't have an external bolt release - you pull the trigger on an empty chamber and while you continue to hold the trigger down lift up the handle and remove the bolt from the action.

 

[Pembykid]

Definitely a featherweight Hunter. The bolt handle has been hollowed and in addition to the scallop on the left side of the receiver the butt-stock is also hollowed out.

These CRF rifles were built in the mid to late 1950's and were replaced by a push-feed model in 1960-61

The short actions were the first one built with a magnum sized action and long action following later. The early short-action rifles had poor gas-control in case of a pierced primer. The long and magnum actions were built with improved gas control vents.

What does CRF stand for?

And what do you mean by gas control with a peirced primer?

I did a Google and Feather Weight majestic came up with serial #3D with 443 ever made.. but must be a different model?

 

['Boo]

CRF = Controlled Round Feed. Look at the long extractor on the right side of the bolt in the picture you shared, It grabs the rim of the case as it feeds from the magazine and holds it tight against the bolt face as you chamber the round, and then eject the round.

The Majestic was a Push-feed rifle. A push feed pushes the case from the rear as the bolt moves forward and the small extractor located at the bolt head only grabs the rim as the case is pushed home into the chamber.

There have been many-many arguments over campfires, and now on the internet, about which system is better but in truth both types have positive and negative attributes.

Gas control is important if for whatever reason gas flows back into the receiver - usually a pierced primer or a separated case - you want it to vent out the side of the ejection port rather than straight back through action and into your eyes.

 

[guntech]

I believe Herter's in the US sold those actions as a Herter J9 action back in the 50's-60's.

 

['Boo]

That rifle of yours should clean up fine but unless you got some with the rifle finding the correct Parker Hale rings that fit the dovetail and the recoil lug hole on the rear mount may be a chore.

 

['Boo]

Yes, guntech is correct. Herter's did sell BSA component actions and stocks way back when...

 

[Pembykid]

CRF = Controlled Round Feed. Look at the long extractor on the right side of the bolt in the picture you shared, It grabs the rim of the case as it feeds from the magazine and holds it tight against the bolt face as you chamber the round, and then eject the round.

The Majestic was a Push-feed rifle. A push feed pushes the case from the rear as the bolt moves forward and the small extractor located at the bolt head only grabs the rim as the case is pushed home into the chamber.

There have been many-many arguments over campfires, and now on the internet, about which system is better but in truth both types have positive and negative attributes.

Gas control is important if for whatever reason gas flows back into the receiver - usually a pierced primer or a separated case - you want it to vent out the side of the ejection port rather than straight back through action and into your eyes.

Okay. Perhaps I will wear safety glasses first time I shoot it.. was going to see how it kicked and maybe have it as a lightweight bigger cal for the woman if she ever wants to shoot anything bigger than a deer

 

[Pembykid]

trying to find out more on and stumbled in this post ..

There is no way it’s truly one of 443 made eh?

 

[Bustercluck]

I have a smiliar one and they’re nice rifles. My action isn’t slabbed like yours. It’s hard to find rings that work, but if you do some google searching you’ll find you have to order a set of front rings for a different rifle, but I can’t remember the model off the top of my head. And the extractor isn’t like the spring loaded push feeds today, you can’t be gentle racking them back.

 

['Boo]

Here is a cut & paste from a thread I participated on 16 years ago ..................
And yes, I still think the 1950's BSA rifles were of higher quality than the Winchester Model 70. Their downfall today is that it is nearly impossible to find any parts for them if something breaks.

"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."

 

[Pembykid]

I have a smiliar one and they’re nice rifles. My action isn’t slabbed like yours. It’s hard to find rings that work, but if you do some google searching you’ll find you have to order a set of front rings for a different rifle, but I can’t remember the model off the top of my head. And the extractor isn’t like the spring loaded push feeds today, you can’t be gentle racking them back.

Okay good to know

Any info on the stock durability on an old gal like this?

Not sure last time it was used.. hear about some cracking on these older BSA’s

 

[Bustercluck]

Okay good to know

Any info on the stock durability on an old gal like this?

Not sure last time it was used.. hear about some cracking on these older BSA’s

I think mine has a slight crack in the tang area, but nothing I’m worried about.

I had mine recrowned a couple years ago and it shoots 175 grain partitions sub moa. Mines 7x57 mauser. I’d take that rifle over anything on the shelf at cabelas today.