50 years in the gun trade and expert on all airguns
Would you like to speak to our readers? We offer sponsored articles and advertising to put you in front of our audience. Find out more.Q) I wonder if you could offer me any information on three particular air rifles, please? The first is a BSA, with the serial No L 15,647; the second is also a BSA, serial No S 74,625, with a patent No 3039-10, and the third one is a Deutsche Bundespatente Auslandpatente, cal 45/177 (E), and is made in Germany.
E. PINKNEY
Suffolk
A) The first air rifle, serial No L 15,647, is a BSA Standard Light Pattern air rifle in .177 calibre with a pistol hand stock and push-button catch on the cocking lever. It is lightweight and designed for youngsters or women. Your rifle was despatched from the factory on 31 May, 1923. The second one, serial No S 74,625, also by BSA, is a full-length, Improved Model Rifle, originally fitted with a straight-hand style stock. The S in the serial number indicates that it is fitted with a patent trigger mechanism, which utilises a double intercepting safety sear. This was covered by patent No 30,338 of 1910, but did not work as intended and the two moving parts of the mechanism, the sear and the trigger, were riveted together to work as a normal standard trigger. Your air rifle was despatched from the factory on 19 November, 1913. Unfortunately, I am afraid I cannot identify the third rifle from the information supplied.
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