First Purchase of 2021 - Bavaria (BSF) Wischo Model 55N (Deluxe Walnut Stock)

[c801tfd]

Well with my first purchase of 2021 I got a vintage .177 Bavaria/Wischo (B.S.F.) Model 55N (deluxe walnut stock), I have achieved a dream of mine and now own all 4 air rifle models that kicked of the magnum era (.177 Feinwerkbau Sport Deluxe, .177 Beeman R1, .177 Beeman Model 250 (aka Diana Model 45) and now the .177 B.S.F Model 55N.

My B.S.F. Model 55 surprised me when I found matching barrel and action serial numbers. Also it has some sort of stamp in the stock just behind the action (not sure what this is for). 

In addition, it has the multi-steel plate B.S.F. trigger, instruction in German stamped on the trigger guard for trigger adjustment, double groves on fore end of compression tube, peep sight rail with stop lug, original front and rear open sights, articulated cocking arm and no safety and leather breech seal (very good condition) so I am positive it must have a leather piston seal (fingers crossed it is still good). Also it is stamped “Made in Germany West”.

Since it just arrive today all I have done so far is a light cleaning and inspection but I know I will be getting tuned at some point this year, but before I do that I need to find information on disassembly/reassembly. 

Also not sure on year of manufacture at this time, best estimate is mid sometime from mid 60’s to late 1970’s at this point. However, if anyone has advise on how to determine year of manufacture or pointers on future tune I am all eyes and ears.

 

[c801tfd]

More pictures

 

[Moog]

That looks like a really nice find. I love the stock with the rounded grip and finger grooves. Let us know how it shoots.

 

[c801tfd]

Mood - I will keep everyone posted on its performance, before I shoot it I just want to make sure there are no problems internally and that the seal is in proper condition.

 

[r1lover]

Oh man, that's a nice one. I'd love to have that! That's the gun that started my infatuation with German spring guns way back in 1971 at the ripe age of 12. The Wischo 55N appeared in ARH's 1971 catalog but by 1973 the hot model was the new Wischo 70. According to the 1973 description the Wishco 70 basically maintained the same power plant with improved craftsmanship and an improved (albeit beach wood) walnut stained stock. A shorter barrel upped the velocity slightly.

Here are a couple of pages from the '71 catalog along with a third page describing the power of the 55N. ARH price in 1971 was $62.50.

If you notice under ADDITIONAL INFORMATION near the bottom right of the 2nd page, there was a 48 page booklet called ARM 17 that detailed the 55N.

 

[MDriskill]

OUTSTANDING find! Superb example of one of the true classic air rifles. I'm measurably envious, LOL. As r1lover's post shows, these guns were heavily identified with Air Rifle Headquarters in their heyday. Great company and great airguns.

The stamp on the stock is "SILE." That''s the Italian firm that made the stock. I think today they are more in the business of custom shotgun stocks and such, but back in the 60's and 70's they mass-produced airgun stocks for many companies including BSF.

The first "serious" European springer I was exposed to was a BSF, namely an S20 pistol owned by a childhood friend. Half a century later I'm still trying to recover from the shock, LOL...

 

[c801tfd]

Thank you for the compliments and information, that’s more than I have seen online with the exception of what Mike D. provided on another site. Combined I am starting to feel comfortable with being able to properly maintain this rifle for many years.

While I would likely never find one, it would be great to own or have a copy of the 48 page supplement for this rifle.

 

[KWK]

Real nice BSF you have.

Just some other comments regarding the Sile stocks. John Bowkett stated that the BSA Mk 3 Superten stocks were manufactured by Sile/Minelli in his fakebook posts. Also I know Sile made stocks for early Mk1 BSA Airsporters as far back as the late 40's

 

[c801tfd]

Thanks to the suggestions of Mike D and R1lover, I tracked down an original copy of the elusive Air Rifle Monthly, Issue #17, it is estimated to be delivered Tuesday, January 19th. Can’t wait to start reading it and getting an in depth understanding of my B.S.F. Model 55N and how to maintain, disassemble and reassemble correctly.

 

[MDriskill]

You will love that booklet! Very good comprehensive instructions on taking the gun apart and putting it back together, and a lot of other interesting insights.

Half the fun is Robert Law's obviously unbridled enthusiasm, and shall we say, "unique" writing style, LOL. And some of his early tuning techniques are obsolete to say the least (like, for example, you really don't want to stuff a whole tin of moly grease in it all at once!). But all his publications are great from both a technical and historical aspect.

 

[r1lover]

Awesome! Vintage literature to go with a vintage air gun. Would love to hold that gun, read that booklet and relive 1969! Writing from an era when people took time to write for people who had time to read.

 

[c801tfd]

This finally arrived today after making its way from Havana, Florida on Friday, January 15th, arrived in Billings MT on the 17th the was in Great Falls MT on the 18th, somehow made its way to Whitehall MT on 19th (Original estimated arrival date to East Helena), called local Post Office was advised there were a few mis-sorted items in Whitehall but mine was back on its way to me, checked tracking package went back to Billings on from Whitehall on the 19th, then departed Billings on the 20th and arrived in Great Falls late that night, left Great Falls early on the 21st ONLY TO FIND ITS WAY BACK TO WHITEHALL MT at 8:00 am. I immediately got on the phone to the local post office and told them what had happened, all the local Postmaster could say was “WT?” from there she contacted Whitehall Post Office and asked them to direct ship item to East Helena. The town of Whitehall is only 66 miles from East Helena and sadly this package passed through our town twice while going from Great Falls to Whitehall adding approximately 350 additional miles and 4 extra days moving around the State of Montana to get here, but hey it’s here now.

After the crazy journey i finally have an invaluable and very informational book to go along with my 55N. Just as MDriskill advised me there are some outdated ideas that should not be tried, such as excessive use of moly and no spring compressor usage.

 

[Wischo55n]

It may come as no surprise the the "Wischo" (BSF) 55n was my first 'adult' airgun: from ARH in 1971. I still have it, and I'd estimate 60,000+ shots fired over those years (I even wore through the original cocking arm-first and only time that's ever happened to me). Mine did have a habit of breaking mainsprings (maybe 4 or 5) and I had trouble with the scope (a Bushnell "Scopechief" model ARH also sold-I think the scope cost $17 at the time) staying together (the front lens shattered twice). 

Like the typical 'power obsessed' kid at the time, I picked the 55n over the slightly costlier HW35 because the velocity spec for the 55n was around 750 fps vs the HW35's 710 fps. Eventually, I ended up buying a HW35 L also, but I really liked the smaller/lighter 55n for 'field activities'. When ARH went out business, I bought a Wischo 70 stock (larger, but plainer [not walnut; beech I think]) for it, but eventually put the original 55n stock back on as I like its look better.

Eventually, I had enough of the broken springs and the leather piston seal kept folding down over the piston (I may have over-lubed the leather, making it too soft) and the gun sat with a broken spring for 20 years. A few years ago, I found and installed a Jim Maccari/ARH mainspring and purchased a leather piston seal replacement kit from Vortek (26mm dia. "Vac-seal"; can't recall if I had to sand it to fit) and the old 55n is going again (though for some reason, it won't quite make original 'power' levels). The only other re-current problem was the trigger return spring breaking (looks like a safety pin; in fact the last time it broke, I fashioned a replacement from a safety pin and that one's lasted longer than any of the factory replacements I put in!).

ARH's ARM Volume 17 ("55n Handbook") gave me the knowledge to take the gun apart, though as a light-weight kid, the "lean down on it" method to release mainspring pressure outlined on pg. 30 (no spring compressor) in that magazine was not optimum to say the least. The other instructions I did not care for (page 31) was to pound out the pin securing the cocking arm to remove it for piston access (much less harmful to remove the barrel pivot bolt-no pounding with hammer required!). That same information is given in the similar ARM 18 ("The Weihrauch Handbook"), and later in the ARH "Complete FWB Sporter Owner Manual 12/124/120 Series" though at least ARM 18 does mention removal of the pivot bolt as an alternative to pounding out the pin. The factory mainspring is quite stiff (I still have a new/un-used one that's at least 45 years old): the Maccari spring is much easier to install, and the velocities with it are only around 40 fps less (with much smoother firing sequence) than the OEM spring. The last time I had to replace the breech seal, I made one out of a piece of stiff rubber ("Tygon"?) tubing and that's worked fine since (a difficulty with the 55n's breech seal is that the slot it fits in is not of uniform depth (being significantly deeper at the top side than the bottom). Anyway, it's as fun to shoot as those old ARM magazines are to read? Enjoy yours! Photo is my 55n (with the Model 70 stock and the $17 Bushnell scope) the the HW35 I got some years later.

 

[c801tfd]

Wischo55n, 

Great story about your rifles history. Also thank your for the other little cues such a trigger return spring and how to correct that if it ever became a problem. The ARM #17 does have a lot of helpful information, but I also found some of it to be very outdated and potentially damaging such as hammering out the pin on the cocking arm or taking a hammer to remove/adjust the front sight. I was also surprised that there was no mention of using a spring compresor back then. Reading the ARM #17 bought back memories of a time not forgotten to me in 1969 I turned 5 on October 31st; I had not yet entered Kindergarten (had not even learned to read or write yet); and remember watching the 1st Lunar Landing and Neil Armstrongs walk on the moon (July 20, 1969) all from Walter Chronkites news broadcast on our Black and White TV. This date is easy for me to remember as well because by pure coincidence my wife and I were married on that date in 2002. 

Back in 1969 I did not even know what a BB gun or Pellet gun was, but I remeber I went with my dad that fall to watch him and some of his Air Force friends hunt with shotguns for ducks and pheasants, all I know is I made a great retriver for the pheasants because none of them or us owned a bird dog.

I have only shot my 55N a few times and know that this is one air rifle that will be passed down when I get much older and my sons get older and have established thier own proffessions and families. Currently the oldsest is 17 and the youngest is 15 so I will protect them and enjoy them until they get past the college years and any potential strapped for cash issues they may encounter and then and only then will they get possession of the vintage rifles in our family collection.

 

[Steveoo]

The 55 was what a good rifle should be, powerful too. Simple, low profile, steel sights (heck imagine that now in a new world of lumps of plastic sitting atop even uglier plastic shrouds) The stock, simple, sleek and purposeful, ideal for long walks across your shoot. (imagine that also, no ugly great stock with massive angular trigger guard.....

I think designers of new guns would do well to look at this old mark.....getting it right 40 years ago!