!!! VERY RARE BSF S54 STANDARD AIR PELLET GUN RIFLE FROM 1950 !!!!

YOU ARE BIDDING ON THIS MODEL BSF S54 STANDARD .177 MODEL FROM 1950'S

EXCELLENT CONDITION 100% WORKING CONDITION

QUOTED FROM The Most Collectible Airguns of the Twentieth Century

The B.S.F (Bayerische Sportswaffenfabrik) air rifles are not especially noteworthy, except for the Model S54. You will know, as soon as you pick up this gun, that it is one of the most rock-solid, most desirable underlever air rifles ever made! Weihrauch bought out BSF and integrated their models into new economy lines in the late 1980s.

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 by B.B. Pelletier

Let's look at an old air rifle that left the world stage several decades ago. The Bayerische Sportwaffen Fabrik (Bavarian Sporting Weapons Manufacturer) or BSF, as it was known, operated for several decades after World War II. They were based in Erlangen, Germany, and the guns they made were approximately equivalent to Dianas, though in some aspects they were the better brand. It was BSF that first broke the 800 f.p.s. barrier with their model 55 breakbarrel. They remained at the forefront of the airgun horsepower races of the late 1970s and early '80s until the Beeman R1 buried the field. Then, like everyone except Diana, they gave up.
 

This BSF S54 is a gorgeous underlever sporting air rifle with serious target sights, as well as standard sporting sights. The buttstock is a typical Bavarian style.

BSF S54

The S54 was the top model made by BSF. It wasn't the most powerful, because quality was not measured in feet per second in its day. Rather, it embodied the finer things of airgun technology such as metal finish, wood, sights and overall smoothness. It was also the largest rifle BSF made, at nearly 47" overall and 8.8 lbs.! You knew it was a fine rifle just from the finish and the weight. According to the

Not that powerful, but smoooooth!

The S54 came in both .177 and .22 calibers. I have seen about six guns in the past 10 years, and all were .22 caliber. I don't know what to make of that, but apparently the .177 is not as common in the U.S. The rifle was around in 1957 and discontinued in 1986, so it had a long run. I do not know the exact first year it was offered. Cocking was by the underlever, which is not cut from a solid bar, but rather a folded piece of very thick sheet steel. BSF was an innovator in using plate steel to cut the fabrication costs. Their sears, for instance, were not machined from solid stock but punched from many thin sheets of steel that were riveted together!

The triggers were stiff and creepy when new, but soon wore into very fine pull weights.

This rifle's trigger breaks fairly clean at less than two pounds.

A taploader

Because the barrel is fixed, the rifle loads through a rotating tap, with a handle located on the left side of the action. Unlike some taploaders, this one is entirely manual - meaning you first cock the rifle, then open the tap by hand. A pellet is dropped nose-first into the tap, which is then rotated closed, making the rifle ready to fire.

There is no safety, as such; but, if the tap is open, the rifle cannot shoot.

The loading tap lever is raised, opening the tap for loading. This is done independent of the rifle being cocked. Notice the sporting rear sight.

Not powerful
The S54 is not a powerful rifle despite its size and weight.

A good one shoots medium-weight .22 diabolos at around 525 f.p.s., and I would suppose medium-weight .177 diabolos at around 650, or so. The loading tap is partly responsible for this, as it lengthens the transfer port, which is the passageway through the tap. That lessens the pressure of the air blast that starts the pellet on its way. However, the benefit of less power is a rifle that's easy to cock - as this one is! The powerplant is a little on the buzzy side, but a clever tuner can get rid of that and make the gun feel like the proverbial bank vault door!

How hard are they to find?

Good luck finding one! These rifles don't tend to move around very much. There may be more of them than the few I've seen would indicate, but this is an airgun that owners hold on to. Although the

Blue Book

lists a 100 percent gun at only $235, I've see 80 percent guns change hands for $500! The quality of the gun is its best selling point, so don't expect to find a deal in a pawn shop or thrift store.

Almost everyone immediately recognizes the quality.