BSA Meteor - New Thread

[Wilderbeast]

Chaps I just wanted to start a new thread so I wasn't hijacking a seller's thread.

I recently took my fathers old BSA METEOR into a gunsmiths in Colchester. The spring was knackered but otherwise it was in excellent condition. The GS told me he thought he could get the rifle running at about 8lbs of power per foot, about 70% of max power.

Anyway some of the members say you can get them running at full power (12lbs per foot) and I wanted to know what others' thoughts were on this and how it can be done!

This was my last post in the thread:

I'm sure you know best if you've done it but the manufacturers website does list the maximum power at 450 ft p/s which is about 7lbs per foot isn't it?

And the Meteor was designed as a half power rifle wasn't it? Not a full whack hunter?


source: http://www.bsaguns.co.uk/sgun_meteor_mk6.php

With over 2 million sales of the Meteor family, this rifle builds on the success of its predecessors.
An ideal beginners and juniors rifle, its lower power particularly suited to back garden target shooting.
Now includes adjustable trigger, manual safety catch, adjustable open sights and scope mounting grooves.
Weight 6lbs
Length 42inches, 107cm

Source: http://airgunbuyer.com/Showproducts.asp?cat=Air Rifles&SubCat=BSA Air Rifles


Sorry I'm not trying to prove you wrong at all, just trying to show you where I got my information from that ties in with what the Blacksmith said.


Could you share how you got it up to full power?


Also sorry for the thread hijack, I'll start a new thread

Discuss!

 

[Spaniel man]

Cheers Will
Looks like there are 7 models, from 1959 to present, probably different specs, check what year/model it is
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_you_identify_BSA_meteor_models
My childhood Meteor mark IV had an Ox mainspring fitted in the 80's, that might explain it.

 

[Wilderbeast]

HaHa well I should think dad's is a Mk 1 then!

 

[johnnytheboy]

The meteor never did put out 12ft lbs as far as I was aware, were they not all sub 10ftlbs!

The other thing is, its such a light gun you wont want it putting out 12ftlbs, it would be a right pain to shoot and accuracy would be questionable.

Keep it original, they were great wee guns!

 

[Samon]

there are plenty of ways to bump power, but as the same methods to do so can easily make the rifle way over powered and illegal I think you better off asking on dedicated forums where subjects a re regualr and moderated correctly! try www.airgunforum.co.uk, great place to learn all you need.

I wouldn't bother though, it won't be as accurate and you can still humanely hunt with a rifle with 8 ft/lb of power easily, you just need to learn to shoot well and get closer to the targets.

Nice guns though, fun to clean up and great to grab and knock some cans about! I'd advise learning to strip, degrease and relube the rifle yourself. And replacing any seals with fresh ones, that way you can learn a new skill, keep the gun shooting tight and never pay a gunsmith to do it ever again!

 

[Biker]

Just bought a BSA Airsporter off of Dave Bromley and picked it up at the Moot via Spikey DaPikey. Sweet gun it is too and by the looks of things rather like that Meteor in shape and form, so I'm guessing the Airpsorter was the next generation after the Meteor. Here's the spex on it from the original sales posting. Here

Had a bit of a shoot at the Moot but that day I was feeling realy under the weather and let Charles, Pete, Mesquite and Cameron have a plink with it and all said it was a very VERY nice gun. So if the Meteor is anything close to it I would say you should have some fun times ahead of you. Mine seemed plenty powerful enough as is but like has been said if you're going to hunt with it, then try to get closer to the target.

Top tip about maintaining it yourself. I plan on doing just that, thanks for the link for that air rifle forum, Samon. Bookmarked for later viewing.

 

[Opal]

Cheers Will
Looks like there are 7 models, from 1959 to present, probably different specs, check what year/model it is
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_do_you_identify_BSA_meteor_models
My childhood Meteor mark IV had an Ox mainspring fitted in the 80's, that might explain it.

I had a BSA Meteor in the eighties and also fitted an Ox mainspring, I shot well over 300 rats with it at 22 yards plus, what more do yer want? excellent cheap springer, my son is the owner of it nowadays after I moved to a pcp.

 

[Green Weasel]

This a fairly random addition to the thread but maybe worth repeating . On the subject of BSAs my local gunshop owner reckoned that if you could pick up a gun from early in its production run you were onto a winner . As plans for a new model came to fruition the general quality and power output of the current model was allowed to slip which of course made the new model look a heck of a lot better . Meteors were deliberatly under tuned otherwise no one would have bothered laying out for the more expensive Airsporter in the search for more power.
The Meteor was a common rifle amongst my friends when I was younger and they were all pretty gutless. Even my ten quid Relum outperformed them on power and accuracy.We still managed our share of bunnies but you did have to get close .
Sure, you can fit a better piston seal and up the spring rating but it would still take a bit of extra engineering to get a Meteor close to 12 ft lbs .