Bsa/gammo Air Rifle.

[Cedric 132]

An acquaintance (total air rifle novice) was recently sold a "BSA" air rifle to use on rabbits in his garden.

Turns out it's a Gammo with BSA stamped on it, no mention of Gammo! When fired it sounds like two railway carriages shunting and a trigger pull that lasts forever until it grates to an unpredictable let-off.

Anyone know if I might be able to sort his trigger a little? I can't find a parts diagram and I'm not familiar with the model ( I think it's a Hornet by pics I've seen). I have a reasonable working knowledge of triggers in general so hope I can sort it.

Any info. gratefully received.

 

PS. I did tell him to look for a decent quality second hand rifle but you know what folks are !

[barrywhite 282]

I think there is or was an after market trigger supposed to sort it .Why bother cost and trouble fitting , just learn to love the gamo trigger with the long pull you can get used to it .or is the gun the polaris .. super star ...I think that has a early lightning trigger very hard to pull ,thats it get used to that I think . if it a pcp then no idea I thought bsa pcps are bsa made here.

Edited July 26, 2014 by barrywhite

[Cedric 132]

It's a break barrel springer. The length of pull is not so much the problem in the initial stages but then it grates and goes off with no indication of when you are near the release point.

[Cedric 132]

Timmytree - I think you're right here. The fault lies with the dealer. The chap did call in at my RFD but they had no reasonable second hand ones in and refused to sell him a cheap and cheerful one. I think the dealer gave him the impression that as it had BSA stamped on it, it was the pukka thing.

[moxy 617]

They are what they are. I've had a few people come to me with Lightnings that have been so bad that I now refuse to touch them, won't even fire them. Tell your friend to get his money back or sell it on.

Then spend about £170 on a Hatsan 55 or 60 with a scope.

The other option is to hold the Gamo by the barrel and club the rabbits with the stock.

Sorry if I sound harsh but a good Gamo is mediocre at best, most are scrap metal within 12 months.

:laugh:

[Coypu Hunter 486]

The triggers are easy to sort, and it can transform a Gamo. The action will still sound like someone dropping a bag o' spanners, but at least he'll know when it"s going to happen!

 

He could order an aftermarket trigger, but it'll cost, and Charliedatuna'a GRT triggers can only be bought for cash in US dollars. Think PyramidAir sells 'em and will ship overseas, but the mods are so easy that would be a waste of money. He/you need to do the following.

 

Unload and decock the rifle. Take the action out. Take a look at the trigger. If it's the older, metal blade, take a look behind it. You should see a roll pin with an L-shaped spring wrapped around it. This is the "first stage" -- just a spring that resists the trigger blade moving backwards. Remove the roll pin and spring. Sorted. The top of the trigger blade is now in contact with the sear, no "first stage" spring in the way.

 

Try shooting the rifle like that, see if he likes it. If the pull is still too long & heavy, go to the next stage. At the top of the trigger, at the back, there is a roll pin that contacts the sear. Take off the circlip that holds the end of the pin in place. Ease the pin out halfway and pop a small washer over it. I think the washer needs to be about 8mm across, but it's a while since I did it. Trial and error will sort it. Seat the roll pin back in and replace the circlip. Reassemble and try again. If the washer is the right size, the trigger should now break earlier, crisply and cleanly. The washer simply pre-tensions the sear, so that you need less trigger movement before it breaks.

 

These mods are completely safe, and have transformed a Gamo 440 Hunter DX and a Crosman Nitro Venom for me, both FAC air rifles. Made them into very accurate shooters.

Edited July 27, 2014 by Coypu Hunter

[barrywhite 282]

oil ..if the gun is new it may get better ..If it stupid bad then you may be able to polish the parts of the trigger that wear together ,I have never done this to a gun .care must be taken to polish only a little the parts may be just case hardened . On the bsa owners site, impossible to join , there was imfo about doing this , if the gun has a lightning style trigger . where is the safety catch on this gun ? If the safety is in the trigger guard it could be a gamo trigger if the safety is a little wispy thing on the side of the cylinder above the trigger then it is a lightning style trigger . look CharlieDaTuna GRT triggers , or get a new DIFFERENT gun may be cheaper and better but my friend has a gamo cfx it is an ok gun just a lot a travel in the trigger but I have shot 4 gamos in my life two were terrible two were ok ........look bsa comet or bsa meteor 7 in chambers and co spare parts or gamo 610 or gamo 640 might help look at triggers ................

Edited July 27, 2014 by barrywhite

[Coypu Hunter 486]

You might be able to identify the rifle here: http://www.gamo.com/polymitaImages/public/catalogos/BSA%20EXPORT_2013_baja1.pdf then do a search for a manual or exploded diagram if you need it.

[barrywhite 282]

I have found the gun in question less than a 100 quid new ....My friend with his gamo will spend stupid money on a car that sucks up petrol ,a stupid amount on a wrist watch but wont spend or spend very little on a gun and sight thank god he well get quality pellets his gun a cfx gamo and some cheap 4x9 scope when the mag goes above 5x you start to get blurry rainbow effect , at 9x you are shooting for a pot of gold the scope does hold its zero and at 4x it is ok to use but 2000 + quid for a watch .is your mate like this or just broke.

[Cedric 132]

Barry - he's far from broke, just different priorities ( he landed back with a sonic moles scarer ) whereas I'm just about to buy my seventh rifle !

 

Timmytree - No worries about the humanites aspect, he's used my rifles in the past and I'll make sure there is plenty of target practice first and that he knows about aim points, range, etc. I've worked of a few triggers in the past.

 

Coypu - thanks for the trigger hints, the safety is inside the trigger gaurd so I'll have a look inside it. On your link it looks like the 'Comet' model. says it has "a precision set, single-stage trigger".

 

I'll have a chat with him tomorrow and give him the benefit of your combined wisdoms ! We don't want to be taking the gun apart if there is the possibility that he might return it (best option in my opinion), failing that we'll try working on the trigger - he's a mechanic/ engineer and I'm a blacksmith so we have plenty of tools - both semi retired and plenty of time.

[Coypu Hunter 486]

Coypu - thanks for the trigger hints, the safety is inside the trigger gaurd so I'll have a look inside it. On your link it looks like the 'Comet' model. says it has "a precision set, single-stage trigger".

Yep, sounds like a bog-standard gamo/theoben/crosman trigger. Easy to mod if he can be arsed.