Frequently Asked Questions

 

Q) Do you ship to my country?
A) We ship Worldwide, just fill in your details at checkout.

Q) How do I know which BSA gun I have?
A) Click on the ‘What’s My BSA?’ link – Have the serial number prefix letter or letters to hand of your gun to find the model you have. You can then use the appropriate link in the left hand navigation bar to see spares available. If you can’t find or recognise your gun using this method then please send an e-mail to us with photographs attached to allow us to identify the gun – we will try our best to help – the more information and detail you can give the easier it is for us !

Q) I can’t see the spare part I require?
A) We are continually updating and adding items to our site. Unfortunately, not all spares are available on-line as yet (this is a mammoth task!) – If you don’t see what you are looking for it may be because we have not uploaded it yet – please contact us by e-mail with your requirements and we will quite possibly have the part available. Remember – “No Spare is Too Rare”

Q) How much do you charge for Postage?
A) Postage is automatically calculated at the time of ordering based on the weight of the ordered items and the location of the delivery address. The postage charge will be displayed at the checkout stage after entering your delivery address and prior to making payment

Q) How much is the item?
A) All prices are listed by the item. If an item has a zero price – please contact us for the correct price.

Q) How do I know if the item I am looking for is available?
A) The website uses a live database system – If the item you require is available it will show as ‘in stock’. If the item is showing as out of stock, please click the "Notify Me" button and we will automatically send you an email as soon as new stock coming in. Don't worry, your email will only be used to send you a notification of new stock, we will not use your email address for marketing purposes and it will not be shared with any third parties.

Q) I know the part number of the item I require - How do I search for it?
A) Use the search link at the top of the page – If this still doesn’t find the item, try omitting any dots or dashes and use numbers only. When searching for BSA part numbers omit the dash i.e: 16-1050 becomes 161050

Q) I can’t see the make or model of my gun to locate spares for it?
A) The site is a work in progress & we have ‘gone live’ in a partial state – If you cannot see the make or model of your gun please contact us with your requirements – we will endeavour to help with your enquiry. Just because it is not showing does not mean we don’t have availability.

Q) What types of payments do you accept?
A) We use SagePay as our secure online gateway provider & Barclaycard as our processing merchant provider. We accept all major credit/debit cards (except American Express), which will be shown on checkout. We require the exact part numbers, quantities needed & a delivery address, which can be sent to us by email.

Q) My rifle or part doesn’t look like the photograph shown?
A) Sometimes parts may vary or have been changed by previous owners – the parts we display are the correct parts that should be fitted or a generic part that replaces an obsolete part. If you are in any doubt as to the compatibility of the parts please contact us by e-mail providing photographs of your gun and broken part. We will endeavour to help or find a suitable replacement part to keep the gun working.

Q) I don’t think I am capable of fitting parts or servicing my gun myself?
A) Not a problem – we can offer a repair or renovation to suit your requirements. Everything from a general service to a complete renovation can be carried out by our highly experienced gunsmiths.

Q) Is it easy to fit parts myself?
A) John Knibbs International Ltd. recommend that all our supplied spare parts are fitted by a competent person. We cannot be held responsible for any loss or injury occurred when incorrectly fitting supplied items. We strongly advise items are fitted by a qualified gunsmith – if in doubt contact your nearest gunshop for advice.

Q) Where do I find the serial number on my gun?
A) Only BSA kept accurate records of guns produced – All BSA guns left the factory with a serial number stamped into the metal either just in front of the trigger guard, on the side of the back block or on the barrel usually on the left hand side of the barrel block or on the bottom of the barrel flats close to where the cocking lever is hinged. There are always anomalies & exceptions to this. If you still cannot find an identifying number please send an e-mail with photos of the gun and we will try to identify it for you. The most important part of the serial number is the one or two prefix letters – these are what are used to identify the model & mark of the gun.

Q) How do I know how old my BSA gun is?
A) We hold most of the original handwritten serial number ledgers for sporting rifles that BSA kept during their production period up to the late seventies. We can offer a dating service (no, not that sort!) of your BSA gun if required. This process is quite time consuming as we have to trawl through numerous ledgers to locate the exact serial number of the weapon so a fee is payable for the service. Please contact us if you would like to know the exact day (sometimes as precise as morning or afternoon) that a gun left the BSA factory.

Q) Which Calibre is Better .177 or .22?
A) When deciding on which calibre to use there are many factors to consider. A .177 pellet travels at a greater velocity than the heavier .22 when fired from guns of identical power, but this does not mean that .177 is more powerful. For example:

.177 pellet weighing 8.4 grains, fired at 802 fps (244mps) = 12 foot pounds of kinetic energy. .22 pellet weighing 16 grains, fired at 581 fps (177mps) = 12 foot pounds of kinetic energy.

The lighter .177 pellet has a flatter trajectory which means that when aiming less hold over is required than with a .22 over normal airgun ranges. The benefit of this is that targets are easier to hit with a .177 even if there are slight inaccuracies in range estimation; this is why .177 is the calibre of choice in Field Target and paper target disciplines.
In countries with laws limiting airgun power, .177 is gaining popularity for hunting, as their flatter trajectory is seen as an advantage over .22. Where .22 scores over .177, is in their retention of down-range energy.

At the UK power level of 12ft/lbs the difference is fairly small, but as the power increases, the trajectory of both calibres flattens out so reducing the advantage that .177 would have over .22 at lower velocity. However, when a pellet approaches the speed of sound (which is about 1100 feet per second), it can become unstable, resulting in poor accuracy. This problem is almost exclusively confined to .177. The .22 really comes into its own as the velocity increases, when it’s heavier weight means that the pellets retain greatly superior down range-energy, and do not suffer from the loss of accuracy that can affect high velocity .177 pellets.

Do not confuse velocity with power, they are not the same. Velocity is simply a measure of speed; power as measured in foot pounds or joules, is a measure of kinetic or striking energy, which takes into account the weight of the pellet as well as its speed. This is illustrated in the graph below which shows the required velocity of both .177 and .22 pellets for them to have the same striking energy or power, measured in foot pounds.