Review: BSA Spitfire 10 air rifle - Quality from Birmingham
Therefore, I took the offer of Mr. Jan Kaleta from Balistas to try the English break-barrel air rifle BSA Spitfire 10, which claims a power of 26 J and 310 m/s for a calibre of 4.5 mm. For 5.5 mm pellets it achieves 29 J at 240 m/s. In countries where it is permitted, these weapons are also used to eliminate small vermin.
BSA Spitfire 10 – INTRODUCTION
It is an air rifle with a ten-round magazine that seats the BB in the chamber in front of the feed channel each time the barrel "breaks", so there is no need to reload each one individually before firing. This sturdy 4.5mm caliber gun is a combination of mostly steel and alloy parts, plastic and wood.
The foundation consists of a steel cylinder with an outer diameter of 32 mm, in which the piston moves and is tensioned by an articulated rod. The barrel is housed in a plastic sleeve and serves as a tensioning lever.
The trigger mechanism is mounted on the lower rear of the cylinder and is held by a silver carrier made of non-magnetic metal. A thin steel string connecting the trigger mechanism to the tension lever blocks the trigger if the barrel is not properly cocked. Nevertheless, the manufacturer recommends that the manual safety be engaged when the weapon is handled in any way other than firing.
Its selector lever is located on the right side above the trigger in the stock recess. The trigger tab is covered by an alloy slide with a cut-out for a Phillips screwdriver, which can be used to adjust the trigger pull.
patented loading system
The prism, into which the rifled barrel is fitted, is fixed against the cylinder by a spring-loaded "lock", which is probably the most common but also the most reliable system. The end of the barrel is finished with a simple plastic compensator.
For "feeding" the gun, the manufacturer used the 10 × Quick Shot system, which is patented by the Spanish company GAMO. It consists of a ten-round rotary magazine, housed in a large plastic carrier above the barrel joint.
It can be assumed that the collaboration between the two companies didn't just end with the magazine, because the BSA Spitfire 10 model is almost identical to the GAMO Fast Shot 10X IGT rifle, which you can also find in our product offer. The fact that the BSA brand has been owned by GAMO since 1986 is also an indication of the close cooperation between the two manufacturers. Neither of these guns is equipped with fixed sights, but with a sighting optic supplied directly with the rifle.
For the Spitfire 10, it is a BSA 3-9×40 riflescope with a Mil-Dot crosshair, mounted on an 11mm mounting rail on the back of the cylinder. The optic itself has a slightly taller mount due to the tall magazine system. It needs to be like this to keep the optic really steady when fired.
The whole assembly is mounted and fastened with three screws in a stylish Monte Carlo type wooden stock with a raised cheekpiece and a flexible rubber boot. The grip surfaces on the foregrip and pistol grip are chequered.
Apart from the brown stock, the weapon is black and even the steel parts are blackened. The markings are highlighted in gold. From these we can learn that the rifle was made in good ol' England, not in one of their former colonies or in China.
The BSA Spitfire 10 air rifle is packaged in a simple cardboard box together with two magazines, a scope with a mount and a key to install it on the gun.
the spitfire is dangerous even at long range
The weapon was tested at a distance of 20 metres while seated and supported and aimed at an airgun target. It should be mentioned in advance that it is not necessary to shoot at an authorised shooting range, but due to the higher power we have to follow basic safety rules.
Firstly, we "feed" 10 pellets into the magazine. The top window always shows the current number of BBs. We clip the magazine into the carrier of the safe weapon, on which we have already mounted and firmly tightened the optic. Then engage the mechanism by snapping the barrel. Slide the safety lever forward and fire.
Further loading is done by breaking the barrel and snapping it into its original position. During this operation, the carrier moves the magazine down which rotates one chamber and slides the firing pin into the barrel. The manufacturer recommends that the gun be put on safe for this operation.
They also warn that it is not advisable to break the barrel of an already loaded gun by more than 45° again, for example to check the bore. This would result in a second pellet being inserted into the chamber and thus making the barrel obstructed. However, the BSA Spitfire instruction manual also provides a solution to this problem.
It takes some getting used to the heavier trigger, but the results on a target at 20 metres are very favourable. And with the gun firmly supported it is impossible to miss the 40 mm diameter ring. Tin cans can be shot at much greater distances. However, the only negative that comes with the performance of this gun is the need for more strength when tensioning the piston.
Children or physically weaker people should always have the gun cocked or equipped with a bipod for more comfortable shooting. A basic one can be bought for up to 500 CZK. It is also possible to buy more powerful guns with more comfortable handling (for example with pressurised cartridges), but these are in a completely different price range. But it is safe to say that the BSA Spitfire 10 air rifle bundled with the appropriate optics has a very good price/performance ratio.
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TECHNICAL DATA
| Manufacturer | BSA (Birmingham Small Arms Company) |
| Model | Spitfire 10 |
| Calibre | 4,5 mm |
| Muzzle velocity | 310 m/s |
| Power | 26 J |
| Weight (without optics) | 3350 g |
| Weight (with optics) | 3 935 g |
| Overall length | 1120 mm |
| Barrel length (without compensator) | 400 mm |
| Magazine capacity (Pellets) | 10 pcs |
| Material of the stock | Wood |
| Powered by | Spring |
| Type of tension | Break-barrel |
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