BSA preloved Air Rifles have a wealth of history attached to them but when they have been preowned how much are they really worth. We analysed over nine thousands listings to get a clear picture how much your used BSA air rifle is worth
What is the average price of a used BSA air rifle?
The average cost is £487.00
What was the most expensive air rifle?
The most expensive BSA air rifle was £4,750, This is because it is a EARLY PRODUCTION -1907-1914 BSA Military Long Rifle Pattern ‘Long Lee’ .177 Calibre Territorial / Volunteer Training Lincoln Jeffries Patent Under-Lever Air Rifle With Correct Dummy Bolt
What was the cheapest?
There were quite a few of the early Meteor and Cadet models for £60
Average Traded Price of BSA Air Rifles
Model |
Average Used Price |
| R12 | £1200 |
| R12 & Variant’s | £1163 |
| R10 | £755 |
| Silver Star | £599 |
| Ultra LCX | £558 |
| Ultra SE | £456 |
| Ultra XL | £419 |
| Scorpion SE | £463 |
| Lightning XL SE | £260 |
| Lightning SE | £233 |
| Lightening | £165 |
| Supersport | £176 |
| Cadet Major | £147 |
| Merlin | £143 |
| Cadet | £100 |
| Meteor | £85 |
BSA History
The story of BSA, or the Birmingham Small Arms Company, is fascinating and spans over three centuries of British history. It all began in 1689, when King William III expressed concern over the practice of obtaining military weapons from Holland, prompting Sir Richard Newdegate, an MP for Warwickshire, to speak up on behalf of his Birmingham constituents who were skilled gunsmiths. This led to a trial order for five of the leading Birmingham smiths, which was successful, and a firm contract was made between the Government and the quintet for the supply of 200 snaphance muskets a month “at seventeen shillings per piece, ready money”.
Over time, trading with the gunmakers as a group continued for 150 years until, in the mid-1800s, fourteen master smiths formalized their position and joined together as The Birmingham Small Arms Trade Association. In 1861, this body formed a public company, The Birmingham Small Arms Company Limited. It began making small arms by machinery to meet the growing competition from the mechanized government factory at Enfield.
The company’s early prosperity was short-lived as the demand for weapons fell with the end of wars. Still, fate intervened in the form of an inventor named E.C.F. Otto, who demonstrated his strange type of bicycle with two large wheels on either side of the rider to the astonished BSA directors. This led to the company’s first venture into the transport field, followed by more conventional bicycles and tricycles.
Arms Supply
Despite being heavily bombed and losing more machine tools to enemy action than were lost in the entire Coventry blitz, BSA emerged from the war as one of Britain’s important industrial groups. During World War I, BSA factories were turned over almost entirely to munitions work, supplying vast quantities of service rifles, machine guns, military motorcycles, and even the world’s first folding bicycles to the troops. During World War II, the company’s war production was even more extensive, with BSA controlling 67 factories and producing more than half the small arms supplied to Britain’s forces.
Although the company no longer makes military weapons, BSA Guns Ltd continues to produce air, hunting, and sporting guns for export to most parts of the world. Overall, BSA’s story is one of steady progress and expansion, drama and excitement, and an important part of Britain’s history.
The Most Common Bought and Sold Air Rifles in the UK
BSA Pellets – Buy Used BSA Air Rifles
If you are selling you may ask yourself, how much is my gun worth? Well it depends on the condition it is in and the link takes you to a post describing the various secondhand conditions.