BSA Mercury Challenger rebuild

[mrclark303]

I recently fought a 'back garden bush war' against a rat issue back in April. I was caught out without any suitable rifle to deal with the invaders in a suburban environment.

So, I decided I wouldn't be caught out again and reached for an air rifle I hadn't looked at in 25 years. The BSA Mercury Challenger has been oiled up in a gunslip at the back of my safe since the mid 1990's.

The Mercury Challenger was last of the line for the classic BSA rifles, made for only 18 months before the company went into administration in 1986 and was subsequently bailed out by the Spanish company Gamo.

Well I haven't tinkered with an air rifle since I was in my teens, a long time ago, passing nails to Noah while he built the ark!

But I rather enjoyed it. It was a complete strip down, polished internals, fitting a long stroke heavy piston and reassembly with a tuning kit supplied by an air rifle guru called Welsh Willie!

Repaint/reblue and reworked woodwork and I now have a rifle capable (and safe to use in an urban environment with a suitable backstop) of blowing rats into the Stoneage....

A gap in the Armoury has now been filled!

I was amazed at the lovely beechwood stock, its looks previously hidden under the horrible BSA period gloop, one of the nicest beechwood stocks I've ever seen!

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