BSA Meteor Air Rifle
Encyclopedia
The BSA Meteor is a Break Barrel spring powered Air Rifle
made in Birmingham UK by Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA) and first produced in 1959. It was the 1st air rifle to have the ability to fit a telescopic sight
. and remains one of the worlds best selling air powered weapons with over 2 million sold worldwide. Marketed as a introductory air rifle for plinking
, hunting
and firearm training. it is available in .177 (4.5 mm) and .22 (5.5 mm) caliber
s with a choice of either standard or carbine
length barrels.
directly into the breach. The barrel is then returned into place and secured with a detent lock. The single stage trigger is adjustable for pressure. The sights
are plastic with the front sight being able to be switched from a bead to a blade and the rear adjustable sight could switch between a "V" and "square notch". The cylinder had two shallow grooves to accept a telescopic sight
.
The rifle was packed in a polystyrene tray with a printed cardboard sleeve. The standard kit included a bottle of oil, a small tube of eley wasp pellets and a pressed steel target holder with a few targets.The Meteor was a light and easy to use rifle with a " muzzle energy" of about 10 ft•lbf (13.6 J) of energy (for a good example) so range was limited to about 30m, with 15-20m being the maximum hunting range.
The rife was upgraded several times over its production, including the "Super Meteor" in 1968, some of these upgrades were merely cosmetic with slightly different sights and finishes. The latest (and final ) model designated the Mk7 is a full power variant with an anti-beartrap safety mechanism, manual safety catch
and hi-visibility open sights.
Air gun
An air gun is a rifle , pistol , or shotgun that fires projectiles by means of compressed air or other gas, in contrast to a firearm, which burns a propellant. Most air guns use metallic projectiles as ammunition. Air guns that only use plastic projectiles are classified as airsoft...
made in Birmingham UK by Birmingham Small Arms Company (BSA) and first produced in 1959. It was the 1st air rifle to have the ability to fit a telescopic sight
Telescopic sight
A telescopic sight, commonly called a scope, is a sighting device that is based on an optical refracting telescope. They are equipped with some form of graphic image pattern mounted in an optically appropriate position in their optical system to give an accurate aiming point...
. and remains one of the worlds best selling air powered weapons with over 2 million sold worldwide. Marketed as a introductory air rifle for plinking
Plinking
Plinking refers to informal target shooting done at non-traditional targets such as tin cans, glass bottles, and balloons filled with water. The term is an onomatopoeia of the sound a bullet or other projectile makes when hitting a tin can, or other similar target, referring to the sharp, metallic...
, hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
and firearm training. it is available in .177 (4.5 mm) and .22 (5.5 mm) caliber
Caliber
In guns including firearms, caliber or calibre is the approximate internal diameter of the barrel in relation to the diameter of the projectile used in it....
s with a choice of either standard or carbine
Carbine
A carbine , from French carabine, is a longarm similar to but shorter than a rifle or musket. Many carbines are shortened versions of full rifles, firing the same ammunition at a lower velocity due to a shorter barrel length....
length barrels.
Specifications
| Rifle | Carbine | |
|---|---|---|
| Overall length | 104 cm (42 in) | 97 cm (39 in) |
| Barrel length | 45 cm (17 in) | 38 cm (15 in) |
| Weight | 2.6 kg (5.75 lb) | 2.6 kg (5.75 lb) |
Operation
The spring and piston were compressed by breaking the barrel through 125º before loading a pelletPellet (air gun)
An air gun pellet is, for the most part, a non-spherical projectile designed to be fired from an air gun. But this is not always the case.Pellets differ from bullets used in firearms because of the pressures encountered; firearms operate at pressures of thousands of atmospheres, while airguns...
directly into the breach. The barrel is then returned into place and secured with a detent lock. The single stage trigger is adjustable for pressure. The sights
Iron sight
Iron sights are a system of shaped alignment markers used as a sighting device to assist in the aiming of a device such as a firearm, crossbow, or telescope, and exclude the use of optics as in telescopic sights or reflector sights...
are plastic with the front sight being able to be switched from a bead to a blade and the rear adjustable sight could switch between a "V" and "square notch". The cylinder had two shallow grooves to accept a telescopic sight
Telescopic sight
A telescopic sight, commonly called a scope, is a sighting device that is based on an optical refracting telescope. They are equipped with some form of graphic image pattern mounted in an optically appropriate position in their optical system to give an accurate aiming point...
.
The rifle was packed in a polystyrene tray with a printed cardboard sleeve. The standard kit included a bottle of oil, a small tube of eley wasp pellets and a pressed steel target holder with a few targets.The Meteor was a light and easy to use rifle with a " muzzle energy" of about 10 ft•lbf (13.6 J) of energy (for a good example) so range was limited to about 30m, with 15-20m being the maximum hunting range.
The rife was upgraded several times over its production, including the "Super Meteor" in 1968, some of these upgrades were merely cosmetic with slightly different sights and finishes. The latest (and final ) model designated the Mk7 is a full power variant with an anti-beartrap safety mechanism, manual safety catch
Safety Catch
Safety Catch is a sitcom on BBC Radio 4 created by Laurence Howarth and written by Howarth and John Finnemore. The series was first broadcast in 2007. It is about Simon McGrath , a man who works in a job that he does not like - the arms trade. The show mocks issues of morality, although Howarth...
and hi-visibility open sights.