Today’s Barn Find - BSA Airsporter S

[Paul_Ox]

Friday 13th is pretty good so far!

Found this old Airsporter S .177 in a barn today. The owner kindly let me have it in lieu of a bit of light cosmetic attention to another of his old BSA air guns. He’s also given me permission to shoot on his land, so proper result!

I’ve been after a restoration project for a while, and this gun definitely needs a comprehensive rebuild.

Hopefully it will be a good one to learn with, I’ll keep you posted with progress.

Cheers

 

[DOCTRAMP]

wel done all i find in barns is crap and rats

 

[Potta]

Win, win

 

[Alexp]

I would love to find an old gun just to try and restore, I have never taken a gun apart as I did not want to damage it, But an old gun I would learn so much. Looking forward to seeing how that barrel turns out its really rusty.

 

[maximus]

The first rifle I ever restored was a 177 Airsporter S, also literally found in a barn and similar condition to yours! Still have it, Colin Molloy reblued, refinished stock and fettled internals, will be one of the last to go. Good luck with the restoration. ATB Max

 

[Mike Woody Watkins]

What a great find. Lucky 13!

 

[Sello77]

Even so, the design is very beautiful. How lucky to find such a great rifle! It's a real find, and I think it deserves a good restoration. Congratulations!

 

[Byronic]

My favourite "Airsporter"

It has both sights and seems to be complete - although in need of some TLC.

Great find!

 

[landymick]

Now that’s a find that is worth restoring properly, too far gone to just leave it as it is .

 

[Sharpsman]

Great result and permission thrown in to boot , doesn't come much better than that

 

[Wrathbot]

Another one saved, well done

 

[Paul_Ox]

So far, so good. The trigger mechanism turned with a solid, confident “whack” and once disassembled, the internals looked in much better nick than the external finish suggested!

 

[Mike Woody Watkins]

So far, so good. The trigger mechanism turned with a solid, confident “whack” and once disassembled, the internals looked in much better nick than the external finish suggested!

View attachment 922975

They certainly don’t look too bad, even the spring looks reasonably straight. I’ve seen worse in new guns!

 

[Martin Bacon]

Nice find & good luck with the restoration- always love a rescue project

 

[robthedog]

wel done all i find in barns is crap and rats

I found a human skeleton in a box... Owner of the farm was a Doctor, & her deceased husband was a surgeon, It was his, apparently no one wants the real one's anymore, i suggested i bury it under the patio....
It freaked out the guy who was working for me, he wouldn't go anywhere near it!

Just re read what i put & need to clarify, when i said it was his, i didn't mean that literally, he used it for lectures, not to hold himself together

 

[Mike Woody Watkins]

I found a human skeleton in a box... Owner of the farm was a Doctor, & her deceased husband was a surgeon, It was his, apparently no one wants the real one's anymore, i suggested i bury it under the patio....
It freaked out the guy who was working for me, he wouldn't go anywhere near it!

@Ganton Gunner would have had that. He could have hung it on the top of his van

 

[robthedog]

@Ganton Gunner would have had that. He could have hung it on the top of his van

Its probably still there, i worked there for about 10yrs, & it just sat there staring out of the box at me every time i went in there

 

[martin st ledger]

I found a human skeleton in a box... Owner of the farm was a Doctor, & her deceased husband was a surgeon, It was his, apparently no one wants the real one's anymore, i suggested i bury it under the patio....
It freaked out the guy who was working for me, he wouldn't go anywhere near it!

Often thought that would be a good way to dispose of a body, put screw eyes in the joints etc, perhaps thats what the surgeons 'widow' did.

 

[Paul_Ox]

I would love to find an old gun just to try and restore, I have never taken a gun apart as I did not want to damage it, But an old gun I would learn so much. Looking forward to seeing how that barrel turns out its really rusty.

20 hours plus of emery cloth grades and blisters, and it’s starting to look decent. All pitting now gone

 

[OldStock]

An "S".177 is rarer, the guy obviously had good taste (excepting maybe that it is a Airsporter).
I still have mine, my first airgun purchased with apprentice wages.
I'll be interested to hear how it goes together, I took mine apart, fitted a parachute seal, replaced the spring, and currently it is working like ordure, and I can't raise the enthusiasm to tinker.

--edit--
Mine was bought in 1982, and is about 750 later than that serial, so your one must have been early 1982.