appraisal needed, bsa martini, uberti 1858 and a cabinet

[Graham M]

This is the problem. These rifles are sometimes sought after by people who want them for a project and THEY may be willing to pay £150 for one because they aren't really into the "Target Rifle" scene.
Unfortunately, as a prone target rifle shooter of over 35 years, I see these guns all the time and no-one wants them because they are old-hat.
They have no adjustment on them and are far too muzzle heavy for the younger shooters, who want Anschutz, Gemini or FWB etc, and as a consequence BSA's just simply don't sell amongst the very shooters that they were originally designed for.
This Mk5 was Beeza's attempt to try and match the "Floating barrel" concept, with the fore-end wood hanging of a huge lump of metal that was attached to the action, and as a result the rifle weighed even more than the old Mk2 (which was a beast of a rifle) and the thing was even more unwieldy than earlier rifles.

If someone will pay you £150 for the gun, then rip their arm off, but it will have to be someone looking for a project because most prone shooters I know of wouldn't want one.

[bradaz11]

thank you everyone. ok, i think i will keep the BSA then. as you say, maybe try and turn it into something else. i had heard the sights might be worth a few quid, so i will probably split them off and try and get money out of them. i wonder how hard it is to turn this little .22 into something centre fire? as i saw this yday
http://www.chesebrorifles.com/BSA-Marti ... sion-2.htm

i think i'll keep the cabinet, it will have to move somewhere else, but i can live with that

as for the uberti, i think i will stick it up for sale.

thank you to everyone who has contributed, really do appreciate it

[Les]

You can always try to sell the BSA on somewhere like Gunstar. You set the asking price, so it will either sell or it won't. Not all target shooters shoot from the prone position, so there are still people looking for these great old rifles.

[bradaz11]

well i wasnt sure about selling to begin with, and it does have sentimental value. so i think i'll look into making it more usuable for me instead.

[Charlie Muggins]

To covert to centrefire you will need to either rechamber or replace the barrel, alter or replace the extractor and alter or replace the breech block. Proving will also be needed. I've seen a few done in .22 hornet, which I think would be fairly simple, and some in .17RF, which would be even simpler but not much use for target work. There have also been a few that were adapted for .22 benchrest with a new stock and a specialist scope. Don't know if you're interested but I reckon you could make it into a dedicated .22 MR without too much trouble.

One day I would love to produce a drop-in modern-style adjustable stock for all these unloved BSAs. They're still bloody accurate and were made with proper engineering -- none of this investment cast zinc rubbish! I was handed a PH25 sight that was still attached to its Mk3 when it was dropped. The windage dovetail was bent, which meant the aperture rocked up and down. I squeezed it back together with a vice, cleaned it and put it back on. Try that with those tinka toy Anschutz things that break when you drop em on the floor.

[bradaz11]

well it wont take up a lot of space :) so i can take my time deciding what i want to do i guess.

as for the target stuff, i have an anshutz in the cabinet for that, and love it. although i did lose my pot metal made foresight last year, which was a pain as modern ones sit at a different height.

[Dougan]

Glad to hear you might keep the BSA...they are a modern classic, and although they might not be light and adjustable are still as accurate as the new bread of .22 target rifles...

...if you fancy trying it at long range or bench rest, the long heavy barrel and overall weight are actually an advantage...as I wasn't getting any prone shooting done with my Anschutz 54, I stuck a x32 Fox scope on it (£140) and use it for shooting, very nicely, out to 300 yards.

[rapidfire10ring]

This is the problem. These rifles are sometimes sought after by people who want them for a project and THEY may be willing to pay £150 for one because they aren't really into the "Target Rifle" scene.
Unfortunately, as a prone target rifle shooter of over 35 years, I see these guns all the time and no-one wants them because they are old-hat.
They have no adjustment on them and are far too muzzle heavy for the younger shooters, who want Anschutz, Gemini or FWB etc, and as a consequence BSA's just simply don't sell amongst the very shooters that they were originally designed for.
This Mk5 was Beeza's attempt to try and match the "Floating barrel" concept, with the fore-end wood hanging of a huge lump of metal that was attached to the action, and as a result the rifle weighed even more than the old Mk2 (which was a beast of a rifle) and the thing was even more unwieldy than earlier rifles.

If someone will pay you £150 for the gun, then rip their arm off, but it will have to be someone looking for a project because most prone shooters I know of wouldn't want one.

In the "States", you can sell every BSA Martin and BSA International you can get your hands on. They are a bit more rare here and importers love to sell them.
I shot one International about 10 years ago and have since bought a nice collection.

[Andy632]

We have away some club martinis, naebody wanted them. Quite often see MK4/5going for around the £100 mark.

[snayperskaya]

Holy thread resurrection Batman!!!.......