Best Pellet for the BSA Airsporter .22 Circa 1969

[srspower]

I have an old BSA Airsporter in .22 that I rescued from my Dads house as he had left it in his shed for a number of years. It needs a total strip down and re bluing etc and a fair bit of internal work too, but as it has sentimental value I'd like to get it to perform like a modern rifle and use it.

 

So I am hopefully taking it to XTX air. But I used to use the old ELEY wasps in it as a kid, I can't remember whether it was the blue or purple tin. Either way it seems to be a much wider barrel than modern .22 rifles. I just test fired an accupell in to my pellet catcher and it only half squashed it at 3 yards! And I could hear the air hissing around the pellet when it fired.

 

So what's the best pellet to use?

[bruno22rf]

Had similar issues with my Mercury-pellet drops down breach about 1/2" so I found an old tin of Wasps and used them-they fitted the breach but were not very accurate so, in desperation, I tried good old AA field and , despite falling down as before, they give impressive groups. Is it possible that your Airsporter needs a tune/service and simply does not have the power in its current condition to expand the skirt of the pellet into the rifling?

[demonwolf444]

I use JSB exacts 5.52 in my MK 1 Mercury. Its the only pellet that will group well enough to hunt with. I could tell you lots about why the current wasp pellets are no good but its far easier if you will just take my word for it that years ago the real eley wasp pellets was ACE. Now they are gold dust and the newer ones ( which if you look say "wasp" not "eley wasp" on the tin ) are absolutely shoddy. I hear people get good results in the old BSA barrels with superdomes also - they are average in mine, like inch groups compared to half inch groups with JSB's.

[secretagentmole]

Pax have bought out a specialist vintage gun .22 pellet that is true .22 inch especially for old British guns!

[srspower]

Had similar issues with my Mercury-pellet drops down breach about 1/2" so I found an old tin of Wasps and used them-they fitted the breach but were not very accurate so, in desperation, I tried good old AA field and , despite falling down as before, they give impressive groups. Is it possible that your Airsporter needs a tune/service and simply does not have the power in its current condition to expand the skirt of the pellet into the rifling?

 

It definitely needs a tune, and a new spring possibly a new arm on the lever a lots of other work! But yes Air arms field do a wider one don't they? Something like a 5.53 mm.

 

 

I use JSB exacts 5.52 in my MK 1 Mercury. Its the only pellet that will group well enough to hunt with. I could tell you lots about why the current wasp pellets are no good but its far easier if you will just take my word for it that years ago the real eley wasp pellets was ACE. Now they are gold dust and the newer ones ( which if you look say "wasp" not "eley wasp" on the tin ) are absolutely shoddy. I hear people get good results in the old BSA barrels with superdomes also - they are average in mine, like inch groups compared to half inch groups with JSB's.

 

Yes I heard that ELEY wasps weren't what they used to be. What I remember is that I always had to carry a matchstick or two in order to poke the pellet in to the loading tap properly for it to shoot right. Obviously with an accupell it just dropped in to the tap. I will look in to superdomes.

 

 

Pax have bought out a specialist vintage gun .22 pellet that is true .22 inch especially for old British guns!

 

I will check Pax out thanks!

[Dekers]

 

It definitely needs a tune, and a new spring possibly a new arm on the lever a lots of other work! But yes Air arms field do a wider one don't they? Something like a 5.53 mm. 5.52

 

 

 

Yes I heard that ELEY wasps weren't what they used to be. I still use the Eley Wasp Blue, best there is, but my Airsporter hardly ever gets used these days, the pellets are years old! What I remember is that I always had to carry a matchstick or two in order to poke the pellet in to the loading tap properly for it to shoot right. Obviously with an accupell it just dropped in to the tap. I will look in to superdomes.

 

 

 

I will check Pax out thanks! Sounds like that is worth a try!

Edited March 30, 2014 by Dekers