BSF Air Rifle Restoration Questions

[Anovak]

Greetings all, new here and hoping to find some answers from those more experienced and knowledgeable than I.

I have two very nice Bayerische Sportwaffen Fabrik air rifles that were given to me by the original owner of the BSF factory, Herr Schütt, when I was a kid, so very sentimental pieces and I want to do things properly to restore them back to usable condition. They have not been fired in over 50 years to my knowledge. They were stored at my parents' home and recently came into my possession once again. I have no interest beyond some target shooting at home but think it would be fun to do that. First, however, I'm sure there are things that I need to attend to.

Am I in the right place here or would another forum/existing thread be the place to look?

The larger has the designation "S70 Kal.4.5", the smaller "Bavaria 35." If I remember they both shoot the same size pellets.

Any help will be greatly appreciated. I think I'll need to start from the ground up and welcome the challenge, just kind of need a step-by-step tutorial on how to go about it if such a thing exists and preferably, that deals with these specific types of rifles.

Thank you very kindly.

[SpiralGroove]

Can you post some pictures so WE know what you've got .

[Arch_E]

A moderator will kindly move this to a better subforum if it's not in the right place.

Congrats on the gifted guns! I hope you find folks here that can point you in the right direction.

One thing for sure to do is to browse the tuners subforum and send PMs to a few, asking if they work on your guns.

Best of luck,

Archie

[SteveP-52]

TW Chambers in the UK does list both rifles and some but not all parts for them. Will at least give you a little bit of info:

The S70:
https://www.gunspares.co.uk/products/24805/BSF-S70/
https://www.gunspares.co.uk/showcatimage.asp?id=24805

The 35:
https://www.gunspares.co.uk/products/24798/BSF-35/
https://www.gunspares.co.uk/showcatimage.asp?id=24798

[MDriskill]

I agree, we'd like to see pics!

A lot depends on the condition of the guns. If they are complete and not rusted or abused, they may not need much more than cleaning and lubing of the insides. Note that these guns typically have leather piston and breech seals which may need some attention.

I might respectfully suggest this thread be moved to the "vintage" gate. Several fellers who can help hang out there.

[Yogi]

How is your German?  There are many German airgun sites that stock parts for the BFS guns.
Do a Google search and you will find them.

-Y

[Anovak]

Thanks all for the helpful suggestions!  I have a picture of the rifles but was under the impression that it was not permitted for me to post pictures until I have been a member for some time.....I will try and see what happens.  Also, let me know if more detailed pictures are needed/wanted.  They are in exceptional condition although the Bavaria, the one I used most as a teenager, has some scuffs on the wood.  No rust at all and they look pretty remarkable.  If these were records (I'm an audiophile and records are my preferred listening experience!) I would grade them somewhere between near mint and very good++, aside from the wood on the Bavaria which I believe could be re-finished.  I don't want to do anything before I know what exactly to do so I don't screw things up; that even goes for the refinishing but this is the least of my concerns.  Firstly, do no harm.....meaning pay attention to the mechanics of the things.

PS - I am still fluent in German, it is my first language!

PS2 -  I just tried to attach a picture but after choosing the file, nothing happens.......I think I must not be allowed yet.  The file was 5.6MB

[MDriskill]

Andreas, you are correct, I believe there is a minimum number of posts before you can show photos.

When you attach a photo, it brings up a thumbnail that has "actual size" at the bottom. Click on that to pick a smaller size - "small" or "medium" is usually adequate. I don't think the site will take a 5MB file.

It sounds to me as if those guns need relatively little work. You probably want to dismantle them, clean and lube the insides, and re-condition the piston seals with silicone oil.

Here are some reference sources you may find of interest...

The two German sites mentioned are Waffencenter Gotha and Sportwaffen Schneider:

http://www.waffencenter-gotha.de/

http://www.versandhaus-schneider.de/


John Groenewold here in the US may have some BSF bits as well:

http://www.jgairguns.biz/


An awesome resource for any vintage spring-piston airgun is Danny Garvin's Vintage Airguns Gallery, based in the UK. Here is the BSF section of that large and entertaining site:

https://forum.vintageairgunsgallery.com/bsf/


The vintage gate on this forum has already been mentioned. Another fine forum devoted exclusively to older airguns is American Vintage Airguns:

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/americanvintageairguns/index.php

[lefteyeshot]

One way to build-up your number of post is to welcome new comers.

Interesting project. By the diagram trigger looks similar to a RWS34 or XS25/Airhawk.

[Anovak]

Danke vielmals to all and I will head over to the vintage gate.....

When I tried to upload a photo, I did not get that option of "small" or "medium" etc. etc. so I am thinking I'm still in the gray zone of not being able to upload pictures yet.  I will follow your advice of welcoming new members, LES and thanks for the tip.  I'd love for you all to see these, especially the S70 which is a beast! 

A little more history.....my father was commissary officer in Erlangen, Germany in the mid-40s after the war where he met a gentleman who the army had commissioned to do gunsmith work.  They had put him in a tiny little cubicle that was barely large enough for him to sit in, let alone work on weapons effectively and my father, seeing his plight, told the post commander, with whom he had a good relationship, that the gunsmith needed a better space to do his work.  The post commander agreed and provided a much nicer, larger area and supplied him with other amenities as well.  The gunsmith so appreciated my father's help that they became close friends. 

A couple years later, after the Germans were allowed to own weapons again, that gunsmith who had started Bayerische Sportwaffen Fabrik in the 30s, re-opened production.....his name was Herr Schütt!  Honestly, I don't even remember his first name as that was all I ever called him, Herr Schütt, as is customary in Germany in terms of how you address your elders.  (The name "Hans" sticks in my brain though.....).  He also, at the same time, reclaimed (had owned it before the war) proprietorship of a large hunting "Revier," or "Jagdgebiet," (German name for hunting territory) a hunting preserve and we (my father and I) became his only guests until I graduated high school and moved away in 1967. 

Sometime between age 10 and 15, Herr Schütt gave me the Bavaria and later the S70.  They stayed with my parents until they passed and I then recovered them as my brother and I handled the estate.....

So, now you know "the rest of the story....." about these rifles  

[MDriskill]

Airgun procurement stories don't get much cooler than that!

Sounds like a couple of very special air rifles, on several fronts. Really looking forward to seeing them.

[Anovak]

Thanks for your kind comments, Mike.  This is post #15 for me and when I hit 20, I can put the pictures up.  I've done a bit more searching and especially after seeing the diagrams in the links from SteveP (thx!), I'm pretty sure the taking apart piece of this will happen without issue. 

First, I'll need to know the best method of cleaning everything as in what type of solution?  I know that there are special gun cleaners out there but which one do I need? 

Then, knowing the precise location of the points to lubricate, again with what, and how much? 

As far as the piston seals are concerned, which silicon oil would I use?  Soak them or just rub it in? 

Some of these questions may be answered when I have them taken apart, but for now I'm just thinking out loud as far as what questions I'll have when I get them apart and start to address the maintenance first hand. 

[SteveP-52]

I sent you a PM with my email addy. If you want, email the pics and I can post them for you.

[Yogi]

This is about all that I could find about BSF Airguns:

https://forum.vintageairgunsgallery.com/bsf/bsf-miscellaneous/

It does have a bit more history and lots of pictures.

-Y

[MDriskill]

Thanks for your kind comments, Mike.  This is post #15 for me and when I hit 20, I can put the pictures up.  I've done a bit more searching and especially after seeing the diagrams in the links from SteveP (thx!), I'm pretty sure the taking apart piece of this will happen without issue. 

First, I'll need to know the best method of cleaning everything as in what type of solution?  I know that there are special gun cleaners out there but which one do I need? 

Then, knowing the precise location of the points to lubricate, again with what, and how much? 

As far as the piston seals are concerned, which silicon oil would I use?  Soak them or just rub it in? 

Some of these questions may be answered when I have them taken apart, but for now I'm just thinking out loud as far as what questions I'll have when I get them apart and start to address the maintenance first hand.

As you do some google searching etc., you will find lots of info (and different opinions of course!) on this subject. But some basic things that I usually do:

I use alcohol, Windex, and Ballistol for various cleaning tasks. Ballistol is great stuff (it's mostly inert mineral oil) and my favorite for cleaning barrels, and wiping down the metal parts. You will probably find the guns were originally lubed with thick brown grease, and it may be dried up and caked up inside. Don't use firearm cleaners like Hoppe's, etc.; since there is no powder residue you don't need powerful solvents, and the stuff can damage leather or synthetic parts.

Use 25-weight silicone oil for the piston seal - I use the stuff designed for model car shock absorbers which you can buy online or in a hobby shop. Clean the seal, you may need to sand it a bit to get crusty material off. Stand the piston in the oil overnight, then wipe off and stand the piston on a paper towel to pull out excess oil. Silicone oil is an excellent leather-to-metal lube, but a TERRIBLE metal-to-metal lube, you don't want excess stuff loose inside the gun.

Use a thin layer of moly grease on the sides of the piston seal and rear area of the piston. Some like to burnish a very thin layer into the inside of the receiver tube walls as well.

You may want to use a vibration -damping compound on the mainspring. Various types of open-gear lube, aka "tar" can be used for this. A small amount on the outer surfaces of the spring is all that's needed.

Use moly grease, normal gun oil, or light tar to lube obvious pressure points like the breech pivot and cocking linkage joints.

I believe these guns had leather breech seals, and there is a good chance those are deteriorated. They may need to be replaced, but others can give better advice here.

Jim Maccari's "Air Rifle Headquarters" (ARH) site is a good source for replacement springs and lubes. (Historic note: ARH is named in honor of Robert Law's dealership in West Virginia that imported many BSF's originally. Mr. Maccari is a fan of the guns!)   https://www.airrifleheadquarters.com/page/page/251327.htm

 

[Toxylon]

I have owned a late-60's BSF S54 Match .177 cal for a couple of decades now. It's in fully working condition. I have never opened her up or even chronoed the gun. Ought to do it, some day. Nothing like them in today's market, for sure.

[Bmannator]

 As I understand it, the S70 share's it's dna and some other parts with the Beeman R10, HW85, and Marksman Mod70 rifles from the 90s. HW bought the BSF factory, and many BSF parts found their way into the aforementioned air guns.
 Like the others have stated, some basic maintenance should get you shooting again, and parts are still available if you need them.
 Good luck..

[Anovak]

Many thanks to all for your suggestions.  I'm feeling like I have some direction at the very least and will try to forge ahead as time permits.  I was very tied up today but will try to get the photos on here later on....

[tjk]

Cant wait to see before and after pix!!!!! 😁

[Anovak]

I now have 21 posts and still can't upload any pictures.  Not sure what's going on since I think I should now be able to....maybe someone can explain?