Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunting Rifles anyone know alot about BSA rifles?

i've handled a few BSA rifles they seem to have really nice actions. i know there are different models like the monarch, majestic and CF2... could anyone tell me anything about them? are the models different grades or just made in different years etc? basically anyone who knows a bit about them just have a rant and i'll listen

All the models you list are different models with the CF2 going back to the 1970's the others before that.

BSA stands for "British Small Arms" and as a rifle maker, goes back a bit though not as competitively over the last 25 years or so with other cheaper options like Parker Hale in the same market.

The CF2 was a copy of the Mark V stock with high gloss finish and roll over cheak piece. Considered too heavy and cumbersome by most these days, they are not top of the hit parade any more.

AGW

PS: BSA also made push bikes (bicycles) and motor bikes ( motor cycles) Kind of like Husqvarna and CZ who also tried to be all things to all men.

"Birmingham Small Arms", at least thats what is stamped on my 458.

badger

I handled a BSA rifle last week in 243 caliber, according to
DeHaas Bolt Action Rifles book, the action is a Herters U-9
not a bad looking rifle, very smooth action, compared to
some of the other BSA guns I have encountered. Regards,
Jericho

Back in 1989 I had a BSA Monarch in 7mm Rem Mag that was a super shooter. I killed my largest (201 B&C) mule deer to date with that rifle. It absolutely hated anything heavier than 150 grain bullets. It was a sub-moa rifle, and had a superb action and trigger.

BTW...BSA stands for Birmingham Small Arms, not British Small Arms.

Did Herters make their own actions or buy them elsewhere? If so, where?

1B

I was getting into shooting right at the end of Herters. They marketed two lines of rifles. The U-9 and the J-9. It was my understanding that they imported them. i.e: they didn't make them. The U-9 was made in England by BSA and the J-9 was a Santa Barbara Mauser action. Either could be purchased as a complete rifle or as a bbl'd action.

As near as I have been able to tell, the U-9 was the same as the BSA Monarch. I once owned a U-9 in .222 Rem Mag, and one in .284 Win. Also owned one in .30-06 that came as a bbl'd action and I purchased a stock for it.

The .284 I traded to my local gun tinkerer's son. He later told me that he sold it because he diddn't like the trigger and there was much that could be done with it. TTFWIW <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> A pard of mine still owns the .222 Rem Mag.

Grasshopper

IIRC the Herter's J 9 was made in Yugoslavia. Pure commercial M98 action. I bought a couple of barreled J9's just before Herters folded up.

BCR

Boggy,

Likely some of them were. The only one I have ever examined, I removed from the stock. It was definitely stamped: "Santa Barbara, Made in Spain". Herter's probably got them from whomever they could.

Grasshopper

I only regret selling two rifles. One was an original Brno, and the other was a Herter's U9 in 300 Weatherby that was accurate and beautiful.

Badger,
You are correct. I typed British by mistake. Damn hands thing they know shorthand?

AGW

Birmingham Small Arms. They were imported into the USA and sold as BSA. They had the early models called "Royal" and most of them had Mauser type extractors. I have a virtually unfired one in 7x57. One hell of a beautiful rifle for sale now. Then they did away with the Mauser extractors and went to an enclosed type and marketed them under the "Monarch" label. They had several different action lengths and such too. Then they upgraded [?] to a CF2 and , to me , that was the last of them. I still have a few and they are beautiful rifles. The triggers leave a bit to be desired but sometimes a guy runs across a DS trigger assembly for them. Even the standard ones can be made to work pretty good. I like tham and wish there were more around. Most had very accurate barrels and were comfortable to shoot. Herters imported them, installed Doullas barrels and sold them under the U-9 label Stocks were different and had a zig/zag spacer at the wood/recoil pad juncture. The finish wasn`t as good with the U-9s as with the Monarchs and the ones from England but shot as well or better. Hope this helps a bit.

Aloha, Mark

I have a BSA Royal Featherweight in 30-06. Beautiful little rifle. I used to have a Majestic in 270, but dumped it during "lean" times.
The best source for info is a book called "Bolt Action Rifles" by Frank De Haas. It has a large section on them and even has schematics and trigger break-down diagrams. You can find it on most on-line bookstores.