Airsporter - Tap Loader

I had a 90's RB2 airsporter with the rotary breech like the Superstar, a much better design for not clipping pellets and cleaning but it does have a long transfer port.
If you can live with that (it didn't bother me) then thats the one I'd go for.

Rifles like these and the Webley Tracker were the rifles we lusted after as impressionable youths but like the old saying goes "objects rarely hold the same lustre in capture as they did in pursuit".

Bit like women.
 
A Mk1 Airsporter was the dog's dangles back in the day, and if you were around in the 50's, that's what you would have been drooling over as it was the gun to have. Of course, outdated now by today's standards but, it is a big part of Britain's Air Gun history. It is a thing of beauty and, a legend in it's own right.
 
Having had a mk4 1971 Airsporter since 1988, I can give you my opinion.
They are actually a very well built gun.
Mine had no maintenance for 30 years and was still putting out a very consistent 9.8 flb.
Loading tap never leaked on mine.
And it can be a very accurate gun.
BUT
It took me ten years of shooting it daily to get any good with it.
The trigger is an absolute joke from a company with the experience and knowledge of BSA.
If it has a 5.6mm barrel, you will struggle to find modern pellets that work well (FTT in 5.55mm seem to be the best of those).

So, rose tinted spectacles aside, would I buy another?
Sad to say, but no.
Get yourself a 77 or a prosport.
ATB
Chris
 
I sold my airsporters before I came to France because I wanted something I could get spares for here and that was reliable. Bought an HW97K with me as I was advised to, being in the top 3 of all springers. It sits on the shelf for years and then is shot with the same accuracy it had before.
 
That hurts said:
Nostalgia / hindsight are wonderful things 😂
Click to expand...
They certainly are.
For me, the airsporter was great.
Put an endless supply of meat on the table when I was a lad.
But it was all I had, and with our financial situation, all I was ever going to have, so I put ridiculous amounts of time into getting good with her. (Not much else to do when you live in the middle of nowhere and have no friends 😂)
But I never fooled myself into thinking that she was the best gun made.

I did put a vid up a few years back of me hitting a card with her first shot at 20 yards. And I’d have no issues using her on pests at that distance.
But last time I tried her on a BR20 card I hit a ten first shot, and then proceeded to get nothing higher than a 8 for the rest.

So that kind of sums up our relationship.
If I just point her and shoot, instinctively, I’m on the money.
But if you start trying to think about it, or shoot with any kind of finesse, she’ll kick your ass.
Not a target shooters gun for sure.
 
I have three and like the Mk1 and Mk2s - they are nice artifacts but that doesn't make them great guns. Use them and enjoy them for what they are. Good looking and fun to shoot but not the most accurate, not the most powerful, not the most practical, prone to leaks etc. We don't all get guns to make one hole in a piece of paper. A good group with an old Airsporter is a achievement.
 
Rich79 said:
Rifles like these and the Webley Tracker were the rifles we lusted after as impressionable youths but like the old saying goes "objects rarely hold the same lustre in capture as they did in pursuit".

Bit like women.
Click to expand...
A true aphorism there Rich.

Although I wouldn’t say it was necessarily true for all women. Some are even more fun once the pursuit ends. Depends on the sort of women you are chasing, and how much energy you have left by the end of it. 😄
 
Last edited:
Personally I'd give the airsporter a swerve, as said, the mercury was better. My "top of the range" airsporter S was an inaccurate pile of crap and others before it weren't much better. I'd rather have a meteor. In some cases nostalgia isn't what it used to be. Just my opinion.
 
ChrisHobbs said:
Having had a mk4 1971 Airsporter since 1988, I can give you my opinion.
They are actually a very well built gun.
Mine had no maintenance for 30 years and was still putting out a very consistent 9.8 flb.
Loading tap never leaked on mine.
And it can be a very accurate gun.
BUT
It took me ten years of shooting it daily to get any good with it.
The trigger is an absolute joke from a company with the experience and knowledge of BSA.
If it has a 5.6mm barrel, you will struggle to find modern pellets that work well (FTT in 5.55mm seem to be the best of those).

So, rose tinted spectacles aside, would I buy another?
Sad to say, but no.
Get yourself a 77 or a prosport.
ATB
Chris
Click to expand...
Yes, I’m coming around to thinking it’s an iconic rifle which belongs in most collections, or at least collections belonging to those of us of a certain age.

Yet it’s not the most capable and user friendly rifle.

Still in two minds now. Might go for a Mercury-S.

I note your avatar though is a BSA…Airsporter ! Obviously you cherish it a lot.
 
Skid said:
Personally I'd give the airsporter a swerve, as said, the mercury was better. My "top of the range" airsporter S was an inaccurate pile of crap and others before it weren't much better. I'd rather have a meteor. In some cases nostalgia isn't what it used to be. Just my opinion.
Click to expand...
Problem is I never had an Airsporter as a kid, but lusted after one.

It feels like a 45 year itch which now needs scratching before it’s too late.

Further problem is, I’m not made of money and a decent spec Airsporter is half way to an HW77 Forest Laminate.

What to do ? 🤔
 
Arnold Grove said:
Trouble is I never had an Airsporter as a kid, but lusted after one.

It feels like a 45 year itch which now needs scratching before it’s too late.

Trouble is, I’m not made of money and a decent spec Airsporter is half way to an HW77 Forest Laminate.

What to do ? 🤔
Click to expand...
I understand the itch, but it'll soon be well and truly scratched with the airsporter. Some people love them but I'd be surprised if the love was for their overall performance. They've got the looks and the name and that's what they survived on after the MK2 I reckon. The RB version is obviously a different and improved model.
 
A mate had the Airsporter S back in the day and I thought it was the dog's doodahs at the time. Had a later dalliance with a Mk.3 and it was dogshite - inaccurate and the tap was so worn it was like a prick flapping around in a bucket
 
Arnold Grove said:
Yes, I’m coming around to thinking it’s an iconic rifle which belongs in most collections, or at least collections belonging to those of us of a certain age.

Yet it’s not the most capable and user friendly rifle.

Still in two minds now. Might go for a Mercury-S.

I note your avatar though is a BSA…Airsporter ! Obviously you cherish it a lot.
Click to expand...
My avatar is my old airsporter. Well spotted.
Still going strong at 55 years old.
 
I had a Mercury Challenger back in the day (1986 as a 14 year old). A couple of years ago I picked up a nice Airsporter (my first) and while it was in very good condition I sent it to Shaun ISP anyway for a service and reblue to make it really nice!

Not the best picture, but easiest one to hand.
IMG_20250922_172821~3 (1).webp


As to accuracy. It performs pretty well out to 30 yards and is .177. My Challenger .22 is better. Both fall well short of the HW offerings of the time. Not shown in the picture but I have a 97, 80 and 35e.

The BSAs are lovely looking things but not as good as HW in any respect I think and yet I still have these 2; plus the HWs and AAs.
 
Skid said:
Personally I'd give the airsporter a swerve, as said, the mercury was better. My "top of the range" airsporter S was an inaccurate pile of crap and others before it weren't much better. I'd rather have a meteor. In some cases nostalgia isn't what it used to be. Just my opinion.
Click to expand...
Ooooh, wowsers, a scathing attack sir😁😁, I'll do some groups with mine and post pictures that hopefully will show that they are not that bad!! Have to wait for wind to abate though 🤔
 
bootneckbob said:
I had a Mercury Challenger back in the day (1986 as a 14 year old). A couple of years ago I picked up a nice Airsporter (my first) and while it was in very good condition I sent it to Shaun ISP anyway for a service and reblue to make it really nice!

Not the best picture, but easiest one to hand.
View attachment 966000

As to accuracy. It performs pretty well out to 30 yards and is .177. My Challenger .22 is better. Both fall well short of the HW offerings of the time. Not shown in the picture but I have a 97, 80 and 35e.

The BSAs are lovely looking things but not as good as HW in any respect I think and yet I still have these 2; plus the HWs and AAs.
Click to expand...
That Airsporter you have there is actually the last iteration of the Airsporter S and in the rarer 177 cal. I have the same model but in 22 that I bought new from JS Ramsbottom many moons ago. It was always accurate and powerful. You can tell it's an S by the flutes just forward of the tap, it will also have the heavier barrel and should have the psuedo two stage trigger like your challenger.
 
I am a collector of Airsporters with most of the Mk's in my colection , Mk1 .22, Mk1 Club, Mk2 , Mk4 , M5, Mk6, Mk7 and a S model, in fact most except the Stutzens which never did it for me. I also have a few mercury's including an S, and a few older Standards.
To be honest as much as I love them they are of their time, not a patch on modern stuff and the one Rotary breech I had in .177 was not accurate with any pellet.
Like you I learnt to stalk and shoot in my teens with my Dads Mk1 he bought new, and I fed my ferrets as a schoolboy with one in the 70's, so I have very good memories of using them. My Dads 1958 Mk1 he bought new I still have, and I have shot hundreds of rabbits and pigeons with it , but when I chronod it the power some years ago was only running at 7ft/lbs!!
If you want a good close range vermin tool or plinker they're great fun and pretty solid. If you want an target accurate tool buy a ProSport or TX200, or even a HW 77/97.untitled.webp
 
maximus said:
That Airsporter you have there is actually the last iteration of the Airsporter S and in the rarer 177 cal. I have the same model but in 22 that I bought new from JS Ramsbottom many moons ago. It was always accurate and powerful. You can tell it's an S by the flutes just forward of the tap, it will also have the heavier barrel and should have the psuedo two stage trigger like your challenger.
Click to expand...
Yes, it was advertised as a nice rare model but wasn't fetching the asking price. I liked the stock as it's the same as the Challenger (almost) and I'd never had the Airsporter, so I made an offer and we eventually agreed on a price. Sending it to Shaun really wasn't needed as it was very good metal work with the exception of some slight marking on the flutes you're referring to. Shaun was very good and did a service and the reblue for about £150 a couple of years ago which I thought was very good value. Clearly I'll never make money on the rifle, but it will last another 40 years and still be mint I recon but used.

IMG_20250119_144938.webp


That was kneeling at 20 yards. Not claiming it's good or bad, it's just a photo I had. Might of even been before the reblue.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top