Author Topic: BSA Hunter in .222 Remington. New acquisition (Read 3866 times)

Brithunter · « **on:** November 24, 2009, 01:11:59 AM »

Hi All,

Well after a wait I picked up this BSA Hunter of 1956 vintage last night. Once home I gave it a quick clean, the bore does not seem to be fouled as it only took two patches and the second one showed virtually nothing on it, so this morning a snapped a few photos of it

the Hunter was the first of BSA's own design and is a modified Mauser design but retains a full length extractor and is controlled round feeding:-

Now I also tried it with a period Nikko Sterling Special 4x32 scope to see what it looked like.

So after a long search I finally got a nice Hunter

.

moorepower · « **Reply #1 on:** November 24, 2009, 12:57:39 PM »

I love the shape and grain of that stock!

Brithunter · « **Reply #2 on:** November 24, 2009, 02:36:44 PM »

Quote from: moorepower on November 24, 2009, 12:57:39 PM

I love the shape and grain of that stock!

Why thank you

moorepower. Of course back in the mid 1950's decent Walnut was more easily obtained but BSA was not noted for the finely figured wood. BSA chose good strong wood instead and unless by abuse you don't see broken stocks on them. Now one fault they did have with this style was that the front sling swivel was placed tigh in the smallest part of the fore stock just hehind the schable tip and I have seen several that have been pulled out or with cracked tip due to the use of a Bi-Pod. This one requires a repair there as the swivel has been stripped and a stud has been crewed in a little further back.

I believe I have a correct swivel somewhere it just needs a walnut insert made to make the repair. Now one thing which surprised me is that this rifle has some heft to it

. I already have two variations of the next model in line the Majestic and the subtle changes are noticable once I have them side by side. My Majestics are Featherweights which menas they onyl have 22" barrels instead of the 24" on this one and the Featherweights have some serious weight reducing features not found in this Hunter but the stock figure and style is very similar on the 59 vintage Majestic De Luxe:-

That's my .270 Win chambered Majestic Featherweight De Luxe.

As you can see

It appears Elmer Keith had some input into the final style of the Hunter model as a prototype was sent across to him for evaluation.

Skunk · « **Reply #3 on:** November 24, 2009, 05:16:16 PM »

Nice Brit!! Beautiful rifles they are.

Brithunter · « **Reply #4 on:** November 24, 2009, 11:01:08 PM »

Thank you

the .270 was used in anger back in 2007 to take a nice Young Muntjac Buck down in Hampshire. The load used was one of my last remaining original Nosler 130 Grain Solid Base bullets. They do make a nice pair I have to agree

Duckbill · « **Reply #5 on:** November 30, 2009, 02:11:38 PM »

Brit,
I have a '59 Royal Featherweight Deluxe in the punishing 30-06. It has the integral muzzlebrake in the muzzle which will split your ear drums. I absolutely love the look and feel of this gun, until I pull the trigger. I also used to own a Majestic in 270. It kicked like a mule as well.
I would love to have one in a smaller caliber.

Brithunter · « **Reply #6 on:** November 30, 2009, 02:24:48 PM »

Hmmmm Duckbill, Didn't you get the "Range Adaptor" as well?

It clamps over the BESA and shuts it off. I actually have one it came on a Majestic Featherweight in 243 which has the BESA recoil reducer

why one on a .243? I don't know. This one is later as it has the later side safety on the trigger not the bolt. Yes the BESA is LOUD

.

Now the recoil on the 270 is sharp, is the ay I would describe it, not heavy but quick

if you don't hold it right it might catch you out that's for sure and a scope with a good amount of eye relief is advisable

.

Once I take some photos of the Majestic .243 I will post them as well showing the BESA and the Range Adaptor.

mauser98us · « **Reply #7 on:** November 30, 2009, 02:38:56 PM »

I was at the BSA factories in 1974. Interesting to see where the rifles and motocycles orginated .Small Heath. Cheers.

Swampman · « **Reply #8 on:** November 30, 2009, 03:10:47 PM »

Very nice for "1856" vintage.

Brithunter · « **Reply #9 on:** November 30, 2009, 11:25:15 PM »

Well spotted swampman!

I have corrected the daft error

Quote

I was at the BSA factories in 1974. Interesting to see where the rifles and motocycles orginated .Small Heath.

BSA made tools including toolsteel, machine tools, guages and at one point a motorcar

. In their stocking shop they also made Walnut radio cabinets and the wood for interiors of Daimler cars as BSA owned Daimler. I would have loved to go round their factory when it was up and running. Yep I am jealous.

Three44s · « **Reply #10 on:** December 20, 2009, 05:32:33 PM »

Very pretty rifle!

The closest I have is a CZ in .223 ....... but our coyotes have cast iron underwear and I like dead right there ........ the short runs I get with the .223 is helpful for my pooches however ....... they get real fired up!!!

It's a shame you're not a "Yank" ....... you'd be eyeball deep in lead flippers over here!!!

You mention the .270 and recoil. Have you got any long guns with the Simms Limbsaver pad? If not you owe it to yourself to get at least one.

Three 44s

Brithunter · « **Reply #11 on:** December 21, 2009, 12:26:43 AM »

No none of mine had a Simms on them, they all have the original P-H pads, or BSA ones both of which are of the vented type one has a Pachmeyer presentation on it again that's what the maker fitted. I have only changed out one pad and that was to reduce the LOP slightly on the 6mm Remington chambered P-H 1200V and that now has a thinner vented pad on it but I am not sure of the make as it's unmarked just has a basketweave face to it.

The .270 with the sharp recoil is onyl due to it's lght weight. It has a new BSA vented pad on it to replace the original which had collasped over the years (It's a 59 vintage rifle) I suppose. It was on it when I acquired the rifle but it's not been fitted perfectly and I had intended to get a new BSA pad fitted to it at some point so it does fit correctly perhaps I might consider the Simms for this and try one. We will see what happens in 2010

. I don't find the recoil objectionable it's just sharper or quicker than the other 270 chambered rifles I have that's all.

Brithunter · « **Reply #12 on:** January 03, 2010, 10:30:59 PM »

Whoops it woudl seem that I got the model wrong as in 1956 they changed to the Regent model I wondered why it didn't have Hunter on the side

but as I have not yet seen a hunter in the flesh so to speak well I got it wrong so still don't have a BSA Hunter but we are getting closer

rickt300 · « **Reply #13 on:** January 08, 2010, 04:28:31 AM »

It appears Brithunter you have gunnitus. I can throw no stones about it as my gunbuying is a pretty regular process, how exactly do you get yours buy the Wife?

Brithunter · « **Reply #14 on:** January 08, 2010, 10:36:16 AM »

Ahhh that's easy

...................... I escaped

No wife you see.

Also I did sell two rifles to make room for this and the P-H 1200C.

coyotejoe · « **Reply #15 on:** January 14, 2010, 02:43:02 AM »

Brithunter, I don't understand. Our NRA keeps telling us it is near impossible for an ordinary British citizen to own firearms, yet you seem to keep quite a few on hand and are able to buy and sell at will. Has the NRA overstated the complexity of your laws or are you perhaps "privileged"?

Brithunter · « **Reply #16 on:** January 14, 2010, 07:26:35 AM »

Quote from: coyotejoe on January 14, 2010, 02:43:02 AM

Brithunter, I don't understand. Our NRA keeps telling us it is near impossible for an ordinary British citizen to own firearms, yet you seem to keep quite a few on hand and are able to buy and sell at will. Has the NRA overstated the complexity of your laws or are you perhaps "privileged"?

Oh Boy that made me laugh

me "privileged"

nope not me. I think that your NRA might be misleading folks for their own ends

.

I have a Firearms Certificate (FAC) which allows to to posess the firearms listed on it, it has a section for those your permitted to acquire. I currently have two open slots. One for .243 and one for a .222.

I sold two rifles to make room and raise the funds to get some more of a different calibre/chambering. A friend who is a registered firearms dealer brought one for himself and he sold the other for me on a commision basis. I brought one rifle the BSA .222 from a local dealer and the other was a bit too far away to go and see and collect it so I had it transferred to a dealer nearer home.

Under our laws there is no limit to the number of guns posessed but you have to show good reason for each and every one. The trouble is they keep changing their ideas as to what is a good reason. Shooting the gun is NOT a good reason. Collecting is a good reason at the moment that is. Now yes I have a number of guns, more then a lot of people but less than quite a few that I know of.

I have been asked many, many, times as to how can you own guns in the UK becasue they're banned. The media portray this view and keep saying it even though it's a blatent lie.

coyotejoe · « **Reply #17 on:** January 14, 2010, 09:40:48 AM »

Thanks Brit, I was beginning to smell a rat, now I'm sure of it, we can't even trust the NRA!

Brithunter · « **Reply #18 on:** January 14, 2010, 10:49:19 AM »

Oh I wouldn't say that. I have not seen what they said. remeber that they bannsed all semi auot rifles except those .22 Rimfire ones. Nearly all pistolsa are banned, they forgot aout the long barreled long range ones. Oh and in Northern ireland because they're more trustworthy it seems pistols are not banned

yet the restrictiosn on long guns are tighter it seems thatn here on the mainland.

Lots of restrictions that you would not like at all.

Once they get the first bit it's like splitting a log they drive the wedge deeper until there is nothing left.

I would ask the NRA out right what is allowed in the UK.

coyotejoe · « **Reply #19 on:** January 15, 2010, 03:39:57 AM »

Yes, the old "slippery slope"! We've been edging along that slippery slope for fifty years now. Our media, both the entertainment media and the so called "news" propaganda media portray firearms as being useful only for killing human beings. I can't recall that I've ever seen a movie or TV drama which portrayed people just enjoying a day of bird hunting or target shooting or making any sort of healthy use of a firearm. Ah, but I'm way off topic for this forum, thanks for the reply and thanks for the photos of fine British rifles.

Brithunter · « **Reply #20 on:** January 15, 2010, 08:02:07 AM »

No problem. I wil try to post some others before too long as I do ahvea few more ............................ of course

moorepower · « **Reply #21 on:** January 15, 2010, 10:00:22 AM »

What I have read the NRA talking about primarily is hand guns and semi autos and the difficulty of obtaining long guns. Once again, I love the wood quality on those guns. I just love the figure of some of the euro high end firearms and some of the older long guns.