Bsa lightning xl se .177

[Downesy]

Hi all .

I'm on the verge of buying a bsa lightning xl se in .177

Does anyone have any experience with these and what are your opinions of them.

Also iv seen the sound moderator on the barrel has a thread on the end for an additional silencer.  Is there any in particular that users would reccomend to keep the noise levels down that little bit more?

 

Thanks. 

[washerboy]

Most will be internal sounds, so wouldn't bother

[enfieldspares]

The 'scope can creep if you aren't careful. So make sure that it either has the BSA supplementary rail or you a rear "stop" that BSA used to sell but don't now. If not modern mounts that have a threaded keyed "pin" in then rear mount to screw down into the hole on the top of the rifle's receiver. 

[Ultrastu]

So the bsa lightning has a short barrel and a fair spring that gives quite a crack especially in .177 cal .the xl  has a fairly good moderator built in that does a good job .but an additional mod can make it even quieter (back yard plinking benefits) .

I use an additional one on my xl in .177 as it seems to improve accuracy and also makes it a bit easier to cock, not that its hard without  

[nrj]

I bought a Lightning XL SE in .177,out of the box it shot like it was wired up to the mains,frankly it was awful.

I really liked the looks of the rifle and wanted to own a BSA,I decided it was worth spending some money on and had it tuned,the shot cycle was tamed,the internals where quieter,and cocking was way smoother,but it was still jumpy and noisey,I did fit a Weihrauch moderator to it but frankly it was of limited benefit.

The rifle grouped ok but it was still a pretty poor shooting experience,I sold the rifle.

My advice is take a good look at what the same money will buy you in a Wiehrauch,it won't be as nice to look at but it will be a much nicer rifle to own and shoot.

 

 

Edited April 12, 2020 by nrj
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[Downesy]

Thanks for your replys.

I will mainly be plinking in the back garden so having quite a crack wouldn't be ideal as the last thing i want is the neighbours complaining.

I have seen a lovely looking restored hw50s for sale that is a few £ less. Performing at 8ft/lbs and being semi recoilless it should be alot smoother and quieter to shoot . And should still knock the odd rat over at short range from off the bird feeder.

 

 

[zipdog]

3 hours ago, nrj said:

I bought a Lightning XL SE in .177,out of the box it shot like it was wired up to the mains,frankly it was awful.

I really liked the looks of the rifle and wanted to own a BSA,I decided it was worth spending some money on and had it tuned,the shot cycle was tamed,the internals where quieter,and cocking was way smoother,but it was still jumpy and noisey,I did fit a Weihrauch moderator to it but frankly it was of limited benefit.

The rifle grouped ok but it was still a pretty poor shooting experience,I sold the rifle.

My advice is take a good look at what the same money will buy you in a Wiehrauch,it won't be as nice to look at but it will be a much nicer rifle to own and shoot.

 

 

Spot on in my opinion.

I had a BSA Lightning XL and it was the worst airgun iv ever owned. 

Noisy and jumpy, not tremulously accurate. Then the spring snapped, I replaced it, then the stock snapped.

I agree with the above, anything Wiehrauch, although i would probably add Airarms and anything Webley, when they was still made in Birmingham too.

I would be reluctant on getting a HW50 though, whilst I understand it might be cheeper and fulfil your needs at the moment. It not a full powered airgun and its nice to have that extra power should you need it in the future. You never know when you’re going to get more permission and it helps if you are tooled up when the opportunity comes along. Plus it will save buying a second airgun later.

 

[washerboy]

I'm not a fan of lightweight spring guns, had a few but I don't shoot well with them. I like the tx200 or hw80 or 90 

[Downesy]

53 minutes ago, zipdog said:

Spot on in my opinion.

I had a BSA Lightning XL and it was the worst airgun iv ever owned. 

Noisy and jumpy, not tremulously accurate. Then the spring snapped, I replaced it, then the stock snapped.

I agree with the above, anything Wiehrauch, although i would probably add Airarms and anything Webley, when they was still made in Birmingham too.

I would be reluctant on getting a HW50 though, whilst I understand it might be cheeper and fulfil your needs at the moment. It not a full powered airgun and its nice to have that extra power should you need it in the future. You never know when you’re going to get more permission and it helps if you are tooled up when the opportunity comes along. Plus it will save buying a second airgun later.

 

After reading more reviews from people who have owned the bsa lightning xl it looks like alot of people have had similar experiences to you . There are alot more negative reviews than there are positive. 

I understand you saying about the hw 50 not being full powered but im thinking my 7 year old son could use it in the garden too and if theres less recoil and abit more user friendly it would help him out abit. 

I did have a .22 hw95 but i sold it and brought a 410 hushpower which i think are absolutely fantastic bits of kit. 

 

[fitzy]

The default reply on the airgun forums is usually a HW99s or HW95K. I’ve never owned either mode but cant fault any of the Weihrauch I’ve owned. The HW99s looks bit of a bargain with the rekord trigger and open sights which should always be the starting point when someone young learns to shoot.

Edited April 13, 2020 by fitzy