doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Educate me on This BSA sxs Boxlock ejector shotgun

Hi ,
i am going to buy a BSA SXS 28" boxlock ejector shotgun,. here are few pics please comment on its value and how much is it reliable to be used as hunting gun?
from marks under barrel please identify its date and both barrel say choke , how to know about chokes as there are no figures?
thanks and regards

BSAs are strong and solid guns - and should be reliable, though who knows what may have been done since it was made. Repairs are often not of 'original' quality.
Date - I will leave to others more knowledgeable.
Choke should be measured. In the UK how much choke is not normally marked on the gun - and may well have been changed since originally made anyway.
One bit of general knowledge, BSA were one of the first to machine make guns such that parts were truly interchangeable.

I agree with John, BSAs are really solid guns, infact i used to own one and hunt with it. The pattern is great and the barrels are strong. But who might know what would have happened in the trade. The most important part is are you buying it from a gunshop, or is it from a seller himself? About the choke you would definitely need to measure because even if it is not altered, choke can mean full choke, three quarters , half choke etc.But most of the British shotguns are manufactured with three quarters choke. All the best!

Kem

thanks both of you,..
i am buying this gun from a hunter , gun is very little used and well kept,. no alteration everything original,. i think it is good gun and will serve well

One thing to note is that with proof marks showing 1 1/8 Oz, as these do, the chambers are almost certainly the UK standard, which is 2 1/2".

Be very wary if they have been lengthened, because in the UK, that would require reproof.

The gun would date from the early 20's. I don't believe BSA's appeared until after WWI. And after 1925, the proofmarks would have included chamber length--which is absent on this one. So that gives a pretty narrow range of dates.

The "choke" on both barrel flats means that both barrels originally had SOME choke, but it could be relatively little. Like as little as .008, or a somewhat open IC--or even a bit less than that, if the maker so requested from the proofhouse. As Kem says, the only way to know for sure is to measure. And that's true even when you have specific choke markings on barrels. You never know whether someone might have changed them.

American's buy guns based too much on the outside of the gun. By that I mean perceived condition and looks. The way to buy a gun is by the insides, barrel and action. BSA actions are tried and true. Where you need to look at is on face and the barrels. Have the wall thickness measured, check that the chambers are still 2 1/2" not eased out to 2 3/4", measure the chokes. If the walls are thick, the chambers original and there are no obvious flaws or mechanical problem the gun looks like a fine shooter.

You do know that appropriate 2 1/2" loads would be best used in this gun. Even in guns proofed later for 2 3/4" I prefer 2 1/2" loads to keep stress and recoil down on my shoulder and the guns stock.

RST has great 2 1/2 inch shells in a variety of shot sizes and types. I use them in my 1913 Parker.

Good solid guns. I have one of their 3 inch magnum models. They range from quite crude non-ejector models with just the letters BSA stamped on the action to engraved ejector models. If you Google the name John Knibbs he has the records for BSA. One little thing to look for on BSA guns is the inclusion of a letter W in front of the serial number. This indicates that they were used by the RAF in the Second World War for training air gunners and fighter pilots to hit moving targets by clay shooting. BSA had them back after the war and refurbished them for resale. Just guns with interesting history if you should find one. Lagopus.....

Another interesting thing I should have mentioned is that they are made by the dove tail lump method. Winchester copied this method for their Model 21's. Lagopus.....