BSA Gas Ram

[MAB1954]

Hi.

 

I have a new BSA Lightning GRT, the accuracy is very poor circa 2 inch 5 shot groups at 25 yards.When shot side by side with any of my spring rifles its just blown away, even an old BSA Comet out shoots it. Anyone else had any issues with these? Think this one is going back and get a springer.

[timmytree]

I think most people who have bought Gamo/BSA springers/gasrams have found out they are next to useless, particularly the Spanish made ones.

Personally I would get rid as soon as possible.

[Longbower]

MAB 1954.

Just a couple of things before you take it back .

1. Breech end of the barrel, where you put your pellet in. Does it have 'Lead in' (slight chamfer) or is the edge of the whole sharp?

If its a sharp edge, it may be damaging the edge of the pellet skirt, unless you are seating them completely down the bore.

2.. Check you breech lock has no play in it.

Either one , will give you the inconsistency you describe.

Take it back from whence it came .

[lineshooter]

What caliber and what pellets are you using.

[MAB1954]

MAB 1954.

Just a couple of things before you take it back .

1. Breech end of the barrel, where you put your pellet in. Does it have 'Lead in' (slight chamfer) or is the edge of the whole sharp?

If its a sharp edge, it may be damaging the edge of the pellet skirt, unless you are seating them completely down the bore.

2.. Check you breech lock has no play in it.

Either one , will give you the inconsistency you describe.

Take it back from whence it came .

 

Thanks for reply Longbower.

 

Yes it has a slight lead in for the pellet, no damage to pellets and breech seal is ok.

 

Breech lock is firm with a solid lock up.

 

I have also removed the action from stock and nothing seems amiss, re assembled and tightened stock bolts and rechecked frequently, no movement ever. Have tried different scopes and again nothing ever found to be loose. All scopes work fine on other rifles.

 

The pellets I have used are RWS Superpoint, RWS Superdome, AA's plus a selection of odds and ends, my other rifles work fine with the RWS pellets.

 

Rifle calibre is 0.22 and 3 shooters of different abilities have tried this rifle with no success. Very disappointed with this BSA and will not rush to buy another, I note someone on here said others where unhappy with this model, when I was young BSA made good rifles. This is going back and I will get a springer maybe a Weil.... model break action springer, I had a HK 97 Underlever very accurate but also very heavy.

What caliber and what pellets are you using.

 

Thanks for reply lineshooter please see above.

Edited March 15, 2015 by MAB1954

[lineshooter]

Looks like you have done everything you can to try and get it to work, shame but looks like it needs to go back. I`m not a great fan of the gas ram system, mate of mine had a HW 90 in .22, you could get a nice small group at twenty yards, go for a cup of tea, come back to it and it would pattern like a shotgun in the end he part ex`d it against a BSA Ultra.

[team tractor]

I loved my hw90 tho and had 2 of them.

I used it for field target and managed high results

[Longbower]

HW95K, Wow what a gun. And, I do own a Lightning which has a 'Titan' spring fitted, my grandson shoots it. But, the HW is in another league altogether.

[MAB1954]

Update.

 

Took the BSA Lightening gas ram back to the dealer and came away with a Weihrauch HW 95 in 0.22 cal. What a difference in the fit & finish of the HW compared to the BSA, and for about the same money £300/325.

Been out with it with my 2 teenage sons and we all managed sub 1 inch 5 shot groups @ 25 yards and my oldest boy shot his first 1/2 inch group @ 25 yards all with RWS Superpoint pellets.

Very pleased with the HW pity about BSA maybe one day it will once again produce quality.

Thanks again for your replies.

[secretagentmole]

Want to improve the HW95 even further?

Buy a Vortek tuning kit. The difference it made to my HW77 is simply amazing!

[GingerCat]

You'll shoot tighter than 1/2 at 25 yards with an hw95 just get some more rounds in.

My old 99 did it and so ddid an untuned 77 some I'm sure the 95 will.

As for the bsa, take it back if it won't group. You seem to have tried the options with no success

[fenboy]

Update.

 

Took the BSA Lightening gas ram back to the dealer and came away with a Weihrauch HW 95 in 0.22 cal. What a difference in the fit & finish of the HW compared to the BSA, and for about the same money £300/325.

Been out with it with my 2 teenage sons and we all managed sub 1 inch 5 shot groups @ 25 yards and my oldest boy shot his first 1/2 inch group @ 25 yards all with RWS Superpoint pellets.

Very pleased with the HW pity about BSA maybe one day it will once again produce quality.

Thanks again for your replies.

The HW guns are in a completely different class to the modern BSA'S as you have found out , its a shame BSA have gone so far down the pan with their spring guns.

[evo]

lets be honest,,in this day and age and with whats about you would be daft to own a gas ram rifle,

 

springers in the right hands can be a deadly accurate piece of kit and the HW80 is one of the best if not THE best springer out there, but with pcp,s ruling the roost and what with the Hatsans at the cheap end of the market pcp,s are the way forward,,springers are in the past as good as they can be,

 

1" groups at 25 yrds is in my eyes not very good shooting,with a pcp, I want under 10mm 10 shot groups out to 45yrds and I,m not happy unless that's what I get from the rifle. you should be pellet on pellet at 25yrds,,,on another note , using pointed pellets will not help with accuracy as they are useless, find yourself a decent domed pellet and stick with it,

 

my advice would of been to buy a pcp and make your shooting effortless even out to greater distances than 35yrds

[MAB1954]

lets be honest,,in this day and age and with whats about you would be daft to own a gas ram rifle,

 

springers in the right hands can be a deadly accurate piece of kit and the HW80 is one of the best if not THE best springer out there, but with pcp,s ruling the roost and what with the Hatsans at the cheap end of the market pcp,s are the way forward,,springers are in the past as good as they can be,

 

1" groups at 25 yrds is in my eyes not very good shooting,with a pcp, I want under 10mm 10 shot groups out to 45yrds and I,m not happy unless that's what I get from the rifle. you should be pellet on pellet at 25yrds,,,on another note , using pointed pellets will not help with accuracy as they are useless, find yourself a decent domed pellet and stick with it,

 

my advice would of been to buy a pcp and make your shooting effortless even out to greater distances than 35yrds

 

Just to be clear.

 

I do not want a PCP.

 

I bought a BSA gas ram, big mistake buying a BSA. I am sure a quality gas ram would be fine.

 

The rifle was for my sons to use, they have out grown the BSA Comet they learn to shoot with. They can shot sub 1 inch groups @ 25 yards with the HW 95 therefore good enough to shoot rabbits at 25 yards as far as I'm concerned.

 

I fine that the RWS Superpoint pellet does what we want thus that's what we use most of the time.

 

If I was shooting at ranges greater than 25 yards I would use my 22lr.

 

The whole point of rabbit shooting with air rifle is to learn field craft and stalking in close that's the way I was taught and I teach my sons the same way.

[evo]

 

Just to be clear.

 

I do not want a PCP.

 

I bought a BSA gas ram, big mistake buying a BSA. I am sure a quality gas ram would be fine.

 

The rifle was for my sons to use, they have out grown the BSA Comet they learn to shoot with. They can shot sub 1 inch groups @ 25 yards with the HW 95 therefore good enough to shoot rabbits at 25 yards as far as I'm concerned.

 

I fine that the RWS Superpoint pellet does what we want thus that's what we use most of the time.

 

If I was shooting at ranges greater than 25 yards I would use my 22lr.

 

The whole point of rabbit shooting with air rifle is to learn field craft and stalking in close that's the way I was taught and I teach my sons the same way.

never a more true sentence said and I,m glad your enjoying teaching your sons how to shoot safely,,i was taught the same way by my father many years ago,

 

a decent gas ram might be a fine rifle ,, but to be honest if I was teaching my lads again, I would certainly teach them with a pcp,,it makes air rifle shooting effortless, I would also be teaching them not to use pointed pellets and even at 25 yrds as they have a mind of their own on what direction they want to travel,

 

with regards BSA, they are like any make,,some are useless and some are superb, every manufacturer seem to have haters and lovers, I,ve only owned one BSA and that was the BSA r10 mk2 bull barrel version, what a cracking little light accurate rifle that was, I was also gutted I got rid of it but sold it to fund a new wolverine b,

 

I do understand where you are coming from, but I know you don't want a pcp but springers and gas rams are fast becoming a thing of the past, with a pcp rifle you can certainly double the distances you say your shooting and surely that would benefit your lads

 

on another note ,, can I ask why you sound like your against using a pcp rifle

 

cheers Evo

[MAB1954]

on another note ,, can I ask why you sound like your against using a pcp rifle

 

I just cannot be bothered with the pump/charging bottle/pipes/fittings required to use them. I prefer to keep it simple with just the gun with a single shot. With the pellets I find those RWS Superpoint are effective on pests and deliver sub 1 inch groups which is all I want, therefore if its not broke I'm not fixing it. It might be interesting to try some round nose or wad cutter type pellets on paper to see if the groups tighten up...I may just do that.

I think you are right about modern air rifles having enough power to take pests at greater range than 25 yards in ideal conditions but the North of Scotland gets its fair share+++ of high winds thus I keep the range down, trust me it effects rimfire and full rifles as well and at times its hard to read just what its doing.