My Lincoln Jeffrey (stamped BSA)

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Balders

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Picked up this little beauty this morning.
It needs a foresight. I've quickly shot it twice in my garden but not chrono'd it. It seems happy but the trigger pull is hard.
As you can see the stampings have been crossed out.
SN is 5226 so I think that's 1906
I believe the trigger guard is the correct one for my Imp Mod D so I can use it as a pattern. My Imp hasn't got the correct one
 

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Unusual, can’t think why some one would do that crossing out, lovely piece of history though
 
maybe a very crude attempt at "cleaning" it up at some stage.perhaps they used an angle grinder:oops:
 
If you come across a front sight, buy two and sell me one! I have a 1906 L "The Lincoln". I can't see if your rear sight adjustment screw is missing, if it is they have them at Protek. Meanwhile I'll keep filing my home made bit of aluminium :-)
 
Rob Bowker said:
If you come across a front sight, buy two and sell me one! I have a 1906 L "The Lincoln". I can't see if your rear sight adjustment screw is missing, if it is they have them at Protek. Meanwhile I'll keep filing my home made bit of aluminium :-)
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Noted. I intend to make a few replacement foresights. It will be a while though.
This doesn't have a screw for the rear sight. I read the early ones didn't. The sight blade has no provision for a screw.
I did make a sight adjuster screw for my Imp Mod D though. I posted up pics in that thread. I single point cut an 8-36 for that. It works but I've been told it's not the correct thread. A M4.5 x .75 seems to work too 🤣
Edit, my Imp thread https://airgunforums.co.uk/threads/newbie-to-the-vintage-fold-bsa-lincoln-jeffries.99699/
 
I think your rearsight block has been put in backwards. Also if that rearsight is used it should have an elevation screw. Maybe the rearsight leaf isn't original ?

Lakey
 
Thanks @Lakey I did notice a hole in the rear sight block. I'll have a proper look later on as haven't had chance as yet.
I did notice that the tap doesn't seem to have a detent upon turning.
 
Balders said:
Noted. I intend to make a few replacement foresights. It will be a while though.
This doesn't have a screw for the rear sight. I read the early ones didn't. The sight blade has no provision for a screw.
I did make a sight adjuster screw for my Imp Mod D though. I posted up pics in that thread. I single point cut an 8-36 for that. It works but I've been told it's not the correct thread. A M4.5 x .75 seems to work too 🤣
Edit, my Imp thread https://airgunforums.co.uk/threads/newbie-to-the-vintage-fold-bsa-lincoln-jeffries.99699/
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I think my LJ s/n 2663 is described as "second batch with first issue sights" so your's may be a bit older. Without the screw, my sight blade just comes straight out so the screw keeps it in as well as adjusting height. The screw goes into the sight mount and its knurled head protrudes through a slot in the blade, effectively stopping it falling out accidentally. "Second issue" and Improved front sights are taller by 2-3mm I think and the rear sight adjustment screw has bigger thread. Having centred the rear sight as best I can and cleaning the barrel, I just fired a first few pellets using my as-yet unrefined home made front sight affair and it seems to be OK at c.20 yards - it hit where I aimed it.

This is my first dealing with a rifle of any kind so my learning curve is a quite steep at the moment. The simplicity of these machines is really only confounded for me by pre-metric threads and the like. Hopefully when I finish my botched front sight I'll have the opportunity to check and service the piston innards and springs. I'll be sure to check out your threads. Thanks!
 
Rob Bowker said:
I think my LJ s/n 2663 is described as "second batch with first issue sights" so your's may be a bit older. Without the screw, my sight blade just comes straight out so the screw keeps it in as well as adjusting height. The screw goes into the sight mount and its knurled head protrudes through a slot in the blade, effectively stopping it falling out accidentally. "Second issue" and Improved front sights are taller by 2-3mm I think and the rear sight adjustment screw has bigger thread. Having centred the rear sight as best I can and cleaning the barrel, I just fired a first few pellets using my as-yet unrefined home made front sight affair and it seems to be OK at c.20 yards - it hit where I aimed it.

This is my first dealing with a rifle of any kind so my learning curve is a quite steep at the moment. The simplicity of these machines is really only confounded for me by pre-metric threads and the like. Hopefully when I finish my botched front sight I'll have the opportunity to check and service the piston innards and springs. I'll be sure to check out your threads. Thanks!
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Maybe useful to you when you go inside.

One I did earlier

4ndy

Thread 'New Gun Day yesterday'

AN EARLY .22 UNDERLEVER AIR RIFLE FOR RESTORATION - COLLECTION ONLY - NO POSTAGE.

That was the description of the rifle that I picked up at the local auction yesterday, I put in a lucky bid about a week ago without looking at at first.
When I collected it the chap said he thought it wasn't good enough to hold back for their 'Guns at Noon' auction in September, I wonder why!

It actually turned out to be a 1920 Light Pattern

Screenshot 2022-08-11 at 23.30.02.webp
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Ok, here's some better pics of the rear sight. The main body does have a threaded hole, the sight blade seems to go through the hole 🤔
IMG_20240903_190903.webp
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IMG_20240903_191202.webp

I'm still curious as to why the BSA logo is stamped and the patent info is struck out. Maybe the patent expired during production?
 
All guns (including guns sold by Lincoln Jeffries) were made by BSA in their factory in Birmingham, so will have BSA markings on. The rearsight leaf is not original, and was obviously inserted as a bodge when the correct rearsight leaf and elevation wheel were lost. They were spring loaded to keep a tension on the wheel and leaf, and if they were undone too far, the innards would ping off under spring pressure, never to be seen again, so that explains why so many are incomplete. Webley held their later Mk3 rearsight together with a small grub screw , that made the rearsight leaf captive in the rearsight block. Clever them folks at Webley .....
 
Thanks @Lakey. During my internetting escapades I've found your excellent posts on the vintage airgun forum! Shame I can't see the images at lunchtime on my work's pc 😭
Whilst I've been internetting an I correct in thinking that the rear sight block is actually one for a Cadet/early airsporter?
It's narrower than the one on my Imp Mod D (which also may be incorrect)
Would you be able to hazard a guess why the patent on the cylinder has been crossed out?
Can anyone tell me how high the foresight should be please?
 
No, the rear sight block is different (smaller) on the early Lincoln Jeffries/bsa, they changed it to a larger “cash register“ style on the later improved models. And changed again for the airsporter and Cadet models.
Yours looks like the correct base just a home made rear element, like it says above it should have the wheel and element to allow vertical movement. These are available from a couple of industrious retailers as remanufactured parts
 
@Balders protek might have few bits, worth giving them a call as don’t seem to update website much lately?

Worth having a look inside, clean cylinder & check washer & spring, always nice to find an original BSA spring
 
Thanks @RedRoyRegulator . I think mine would have to be the top blade in your picture as my (incorrect) blade goes through the screw hole.
Many thanks for the image 🙂
 
Balders said:
Thanks @RedRoyRegulator . I think mine would have to be the top blade in your picture as my (incorrect) blade goes through the screw hole.
Many thanks for the image 🙂
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It's the lower one mate, yours has the correct early pattern base (the photo was actually lifted from my Flikr account and shows early and then Standard sights)

As per;

www.flickr.com

BSA rear sights

Explore this photo album by edbeartwo on Flickr!
www.flickr.com www.flickr.com

Look at it again, the screw head and thread are offset, and the edge of the screw imagine a line drawn from circa 7.30 pm to 10.30 pm on a dial, with the dial as your elevation screw head, as the bearing area does the elevation, these were hand fitted / matched at the factory so any replacement may need a tweak.

In basic terms early BSA's and Lincolns (up to Mod "B"s) had smaller pattern rear sights, later were bigger and more robust, with the last based on an existing rimmy unit (why you see them calibrated out to 200 yard now and again, again as per my Flikr).

Yours is as per the IMP B shown below, which was the last one to use the early smaller sights, missing tension spring helps to stop sight wobble / movement, this was changed to a coil spring on later types (as per my Flikr album).

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ATB, Ed
 
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