Must admit, I'm well-sorted out as far as old pistols go and there were only a few on my
"maybe/possibly/if a decent one comes up at the right price/place/time" list and one of those was a BSA Scorpion. I'd seen a few come up for sale in recent years and even made a couple of enquiries, which for one reason or another, didn't result in a purchase: sometimes the price was more than I was willing to pay, sometimes the condition left something to be desired and sometimes postage wasn't an option or a combination of several factors. I'm sure you're familiar with all the various scenarios encountered with potential gun acquisitions.....
Anyway, when I saw this one for sale on one of the sites, I made what was really just a half-hearted enquiry, more than expecting nothing to come of it, as things had in the past. However, despite a none-too promising start and a couple of hiccups along the way, this .22 Scorpion has actually found its new home with me.
I'm not a collector of mint, older pistols, nor more specifically their boxes, but sometimes one that I buy does transpire to be in really good condition and also complete with its original box. This was the case with this Scorpion and whilst not totally complete like the fine example that
@Johnbaz showed on another thread, it was in fine order. The plastics, which form the whole body of the pistol, bear no witness to abuse and are virtually unmarked. The metalwork is also in very good condition, with only a small amount of discolouration around the
BSA SCORPION wording on the top of the cylinder. Inside the box, there was the all-important (and necessary!) cocking aid, little foresight hood/protector, the Scorpion Care & Maintenance sheet and the original sales receipt for £49.95, dated 30/7/89 from Streatham Armoury. All a bonus really, because just the pistol would have filled my requirements.....
Well, as others before have stated,
"What a beast!" Normally, a single tin can target will last me at least a couple of sessions with one of my Webleys, but this
monster was just ripping through them in short order! I'm going to have to put up a 'Wanted' ad. for cans, if I continue to use this pistol on a regular basis, because the number of empty cans my wife, dog & I generate on a weekly basis, won't scratch the surface of the Scorpion's ability to mangle them....
I was pleasantly surprised with the feel & operation of the trigger, as I was expecting something a lot more
agricultural. The cocking effort, although considerable, is smooth and not the least graunchy and I quite like the auto. engaging safety, although it's caught me out a couple of times, when I've been ready to take the shot and forgotten to disengage it.....dohhh! It's quite a weighty beast and I don't envisage being able to have particularly long shooting sessions with it, but nevertheless, it's a lot of fun and unlike any other pistol I own and I do
like a bit of variety. This Scorpion sure does provide that.....
I'm certainly glad that I waited for this particular example to come along and that I decided to buy
View attachment 964885View attachment 964886 & try a Scorpion in the end.
I do like a scorpion (or 2 
)
