Finally Took Some Pictures of A Little Gem - .177 Bavaria B.S.F Model 35

[c801tfd]

Finally got around to taking some picture of my .177 caliber Bavaria B.S.F. Model 35, Barrel SN: A633 and Compression Tube is SN: A643, it still has the black BSF logo butt plate, original front and rear sights and Sile stock. Yes it’s little but it compliments it’s big brother (my .177 Model 55N) nicely.

It is very light weighing about 6lbs, easy to cock, very smooth, quiet, accurate and for its age, in my opinion flat out Beautiful. The old saying about - They don’t make them like they used too still holds true.

 

[Moog]

That's really nice. Do you know what year it was made? What kind of velocity do you get out of it?

 

[c801tfd]

Moog,

The age thing with B.S.F. Is really hard to pin down, however, based on others I have seen it may have been made sometime between 1960-1965. As for velocity the former owner told me the velocity was right around 425-450 FPS, unfortunately I forgot what type and grain pellet he used. He also told me it still has the original spring and leather piston and breech seals and he gave the piston seal 3-4 drops of non detergent oil every four to six months for the past 47 years wether he shot it or sat in his gun safe. I would assume some of that velocity could be attributed to dieseling, but maybe not. I have not checked the numbers myself since I have only had it in my collection for about a year and never got around to shooting it but a few times (10-20 shots) to confirm it fired, but intend to do so this spring but only after I open it up to inspect the internals.

 

[Guest]

The engraving is of "Bavaria" holding a wreath of olive leaves and with her lion, a very large statue in Munich...somewhat like Liberty in New York!

 

[MDriskill]

What a beautiful little rifle! I don't think I've ever seen one of those in person. The hot-shooting BSF model 55 was popular here of course, but I suspect the junior model BSF's are quite rare here in the US. The whole line is described in WHB Smith's 1957 book, "Gas, Air, and Spring Guns of the World."

I don't know whether it was the model 35 or the even smaller model 30, but the same action with a "bullpupped" trigger became the BSF S20 pistol, which at the time had a rep as the hottest air pistol a feller could buy. An S20 was my first exposure to German airguns as a kid, and I've never quite recovered (and wouldn't want to anyhow)!

 

[c801tfd]

Thank you Mike, if you ever make your way out to Montana you are welcome to stop by. The gentleman I bought it from took really good care of it and was selling off several old airguns at a yard sale in early spring 2020. I must have walked by this and the others he had a dozen times. After leaving to get our truck my wife and I came back to pickup a dresser she bought that morning. Walking by yet again see this was the only air rifle he had left along with a price of $350.00. I asked him if it worked and he said it did, and explained the care his air rifles had. After we talked a little more he asked me if I would take it if he made me a deal on it. Not knowing what a BSF was I told him I would pass, then a voice (my wife) said you never buy anything and if you want it you better get it. At that point he told me I could have it for $150.00 if I would come back and take a couple of non functioning riding lawn mowers and metal scrap to the dump for him. I thought about it, then that voice said “he will take it” and he will be glad to come back to haul the mowers off.

Now it appears I will be looking for a book published in the 1950’s that may contain more information about this and the other air rifles I have or would like to find. All I have to say is thank you for sharing what you know with others. Before I joined any online forums or groups I knew nothing about how much fun collecting air rifles could be, for me it’s right there with shooting them.




At tand thinking I came back for some reason otherand felt comfortable with what he told me about the maintenance I said why not. 

 

[Clancy]

What a lovely little rifle.

 

[MDriskill]

Smith's "Gas, Air, and Spring Guns of the World" is actually pretty easy to find. It was re-printed in paperback a few times, and even the original hard-bound version is usually not too expensive. Amazon, eBay, or Advanced Book Exchange usually have them for reasonable money.

My other favorite general reference is "The Airgun Book" by John Walter, which went through four editions in the 1980's. The first (or second, pretty much a reprint of the first), and revised third editions, are the best for classic springer stuff. Those are also fairly common and reasonably priced...much like vintage airguns themselves, LOL, I think people assume they aren't worth much just cuz they're old. 

 

[c801tfd]

MDriskill, 



I will be checking into the reference items, I was completely fascinated with Volume 17 of the Air Rifle Monthly I found to go with my B.S.F 55N. After reading I now have a better understanding on what to look for when there are performance issues and what not to do with that specific model and in general any spring piston air rifle. 


while I fully intended to shoot these older ones regularly I have found myself not wanting to do that as much, I think they will only get shot occasionally if then. I think I will leave regular shooting to my more modern examples such as my .22 caliber RWS Diana Model 34 made in 2017.

When it come to vintage items and thief pricing I know what you mean, for me I will search until I find what I am looking for until I find it at or below what I am willing to pay. However, I do have a few air rifles I am still chasing and I know one of them I may need to come up a little over what I expect to pay for it if I ever find one.