BSA Lightning Reviews
Latest Reviews
★☆☆☆☆
“VERY BAD MODLE OF BSA ”
Written on: 22/04/2013 by Airifler123
I brought this gun for Christmas it costs £303 and a nikko Stirling scope and the guns safety chatch failed and smashed 2 nikko scopes and got the gun replaced and that gun sheared the 2 screws that hold the stock to the inerds of the gun took it back to Exeter gun centre where I brought it from and told the man who sold it to me what kept happening and tryed telling that there was nothing wrong with this modle and he sent it of to BSA to see what. Keeps happening to the rifle. (read more)
★☆☆☆☆
“lightning xl se”
Written on: 27/11/2012
bought it new for 277 pounds put 300 pellets through it and both the stock forend screws sheared .came back from bsa repaired so called range tested . put 50 or so shots through it utter rubbish.i now own a hw 95k and cant fault it. i lost 57 pounds on part x would not recommend lightning xl se (read more)
★★☆☆☆
“Bad bad bad”
Written on: 11/11/2012 by Whw95
Bought brand new xl se lovely Finnish chose it over the hw95 had back to shop 3 times in 4 times out with it just trying to zero it first it smashed the scope a hawke 3-9-40 hd ir scope scope creep was horrendoeus then silencer came loose and wouldn't tighten up I put 400 pellets through it trying to zero in only 4 times out bsa credited the shop with another gun so I went for hw95 wat a difference I mite have just got a bad 1 but the trust was gone I couldn't have took a unreliable gun out... (read more)
★★☆☆☆
“Not worth owning”
Written on: 30/08/2012
Purchased as a weapon for removing ferral pigeons. Returned to BSA after the cocking lever snapped. Repair was ok but after shooting a weirauch 95k and 97k you realise how poor the BSA actually is. (read more)
★★★★☆
“My BSA Banter”
Written on: 03/05/2012 by exterminator
hi i bought a bsa ultra pcp new from a shop and shot over the legal limit then they replaced it for an air arms with top scope silencer mounts worth triple the ultra :) what a bad thing to experience as a non fire arms licence holder!!!!!!!!!! total bil for them 950.00 for my free kit! BSA me 1 them nil i bought a bsa lightning springer again with a scope but no hope with accuracy AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! sent it back to the shop and bsa repaired it they called it rock barrel where the... (read more)
★☆☆☆☆
“WORST RIFLE I'VE EVER OWNED”
Written on: 03/04/2012
Went to Lincoln on a day out and on a impulse bought the XL Tactical version of this supposed great little gun from Lincoln city air guns, Can't fault the guys in their excellent shop, but the rifle is in a word a "PIG". Bought it Saturday tried to zero the pig with quality ammo IE accupells, superdomes, ft trophy and lastly airarms all to no avail!, and to top it all a energy level of 9ft pound. Now the round trip back to Lincoln is about 120 mile, so I duly sent it back to BSA, thinking... (read more)
Baggus's Comment
Written on: 12/05/2012
its called lightning because it never hits the same place twice, after 3 months and 2 different scopes i gave up on mine. i traded it in against an 8 year old tx200 and what a difference,I should never have bought it . the recoil was horrendous when i fired i lost sight of the target due to recoil being so fierce. The groupings were very poor and I even changed the scope thinking it was faulty,I was missing magpies at 15 yards.This was the worst gun I have ever owned but also the best looking gun.If it shot as well as it looks it would have been brilliant. the gun shop where I bought it offered me half of what I paid for it. (new 3 months ago). do not buy one of these without trying it first I dont know if there all the same but there seems to be lots of complaints about them. mine was .22 cal. but more chance of hitting a target by throwing the gun at it.
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Vultee's Comment
Written on: 12/05/2012
I also have a BSA Lightning XL, and I have found it a pig to shoot accurately, it's extremely pellet fussy, and as noisy as hell despite having a full length silencer, I have a 30 + year old Webley Vulcan that out shoots the BSA, and I've been an avid fan of BSA since cutting my teeth on a Meteor and moving to an Airsporter 'S', but sadly I will NEVER buy a BSA again
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★☆☆☆☆
“Does not live up to it's reputation.”
Written on: 14/01/2012
I bought this gun new and it had to be sent back to Birmingham twice for losing power. It dropped to below 8fps each time. After a new spring was fitted and it lost power again, BSA offered me my money back And I bought a Weirauch and never looked back. (read more)
Guest's Comment
Written on: 16/03/2012
Had to send mine back today same problem i'v had mine two months and the barrel screws have snapped and its now 8fps well angry. Do not buy this gun!!!
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Guest's Comment
Written on: 05/04/2012
And here was me thinking it was just me, I did the same but I'm stuck with this useless rifle!
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★★★★★
“great accurate gun”
Written on: 17/09/2011
I recently bought a second hand bsa lightning for £200 after doing much research on it. I have owned a number of spring air rifles including a hw97, crosman phantom and a modified Webley tracker. With the exeption of the weihrauch as that cost £100 more than the bsa, the lightning is by far the best. It gets 1cm groupings at 25 yards! Also, the woodwork and build quality matches the hw97 as I chose to buy the old model made in england. It's very light and the carbined barrel makes it easy... (read more)
Guest's Comment
Written on: 05/12/2011
Hi..I have also recently bought a second hand .22 lightning and waiting for its deliver this week.Having found these reviews after buying it has opened my eyes a lot more on the spec of the rifle and you do get some bad opinions always, sometimes its the factory building of it to handling and carriage .Their was a person that i was reading about could not get his lightning to stay zeroed so it was shooting out of aim terrible ,he try and checked all sorts ,check barrel ,checked scope creep, checked fitting screws .And after a long time the rifle was stripped down and it was found that it had a broken spring guilde tube..It was changed and was spot on ,but he curse this model to bits. The main thing i are just wanting to no are all lightnings made in the Uk. And the XL's models the GAMO range then..And what pellets People find best for their shooting.I'm looking for removing rabbits and vermin. I'm not looking to be shooting at 50mts unless it his the right day and everything his spot on well tested at that range...Thanks for any help new lightning bsa, owner shortly....
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★★★★★
“A cracking rifle, takes out rabbits at 50yrds no...”
Written on: 21/05/2011
A cracking rifle, takes out rabbits at 50yrds no problem and has plenty of power. 10/10 (read more)
★☆☆☆☆
“ ”
Written on: 07/03/2011 by Infiltrator2K (7 reviews written)
Terrible rifle! Accuracy was shockingly bad. Then I found that the bullbarrel had actually bent slightly causing the pellet to clip. The direction it had bent indicated that it had been caused by cocking the rifle. The BSA Lightning Tactical is hard to cock, but you don't expect it to bend! (underlever next time).
Then I found the rifle's trigger and safety would lock solid. This turned out to be caused by the loose sear pin in the trigger mechanism misaligning. I loctited it to...
(read more)
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Showing 1 - 10 of 241 Reviews
★★★★☆
“I bought this gun from someone and i went out hunting...”
Written on: 22/01/2011
I bought this gun from someone and i went out hunting and when i shot it there was a lot of recoil which was making the accuracy bad, im not sure why this is happening as it isnt over the limit as its 12 fps-llb. It might have been modifiyed im not sure, it is a carbine. Is this truee ??? (read more)
Grocott2964's Comment
Written on: 21/05/2011
This is not a review it is a question. If you dont know what is wrong with you weapon get it looked at. Then tell everybody what it's like then it might be helpful as a reveiw.
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★☆☆☆☆
“the bsa lightning is a completely rubbish gun i had to...”
Written on: 05/01/2011
the bsa lightning is a completely rubbish gun i had to constantly send mine back to bsa i had loss of power screws snapping not accrate and kept letting me down. (read more)
★★★★★
“Bought an BSA Lightening .22 around 12 years ago for...”
Written on: 20/11/2010
Bought an BSA Lightening .22 around 12 years ago for pest control, mounted it off with a simmons 3-9 x 40 scope. Shot about 20 rabbits and around 20 squirrels then managed to slip in the mud and bend the barrel. Got a replacement barrel from BSA although it fitted straight on it was longer than original but had no problems at all with accuracy so left it at that. 12 years later lost count of rabbits it has killed, still used on a weekly basis for crows and rabbits out to 45 meters. Overall... (read more)
★★★★★
“Hi there i was wondering if any of you guys have any...”
Written on: 02/09/2010
Hi there i was wondering if any of you guys have any ides of how to up the power on one of the old bsa lightnings because mines running at about 8-9fpt
any suggestions would be great thanks
(read more)
★★★★★
“this rifle is exelent i shot a rabbit at 30 yards....”
Written on: 23/07/2010 by gun guy 123 (1 review written)
this rifle is exelent i shot a rabbit at 30 yards. this gun is very acurate i recomend this to a person who goes shooting often. my vesion is 1.77 i use super point and air arms field diabblo pelets. the only down side to this rifle is there are no open sights the good things about this air rifle is that it is verfy acurate and a good power i definatly recomend this for hunting small game such as rabbit rats pigeons etc if you want to see me shoot my gun go on www.youtube.com and... (read more)
★★★★★
“very good air rifle not sure wot pellets work best as...”
Written on: 09/07/2010
very good air rifle not sure wot pellets work best as ive only used accu pells any advice would b great (read more)
★★★★★
“a top class light weight (2.8 kg) air rifle comes...”
Written on: 23/06/2010
a top class light weight (2.8 kg) air rifle comes with a silencer got 730 fps power in the 2.2 ... i put a hawke3-9x40 sight on & r hitting within 5mm with each shot ,it sure is a real belter of a gun & it is only 37 inch long & for £210 new ....cant wait 2 get go hunting with it (read more)
★★★★★
“this is a very good gun takes out things very easy. ”
Written on: 21/06/2010 by poonilahead (2 reviews written)
this is a very good gun takes out things very easy.
i would just like to know what is the fps of this gun in .22 caliber?
(read more)
★★☆☆☆
“Ive changed my mind about this little lemom ive had it...”
Written on: 26/05/2010 by veni74 (2 reviews written)
Ive changed my mind about this little lemom ive had it about 4 weeks now and noticed bare steel on the barrel cocking block where there used to be blueing.The barrel axis pin and stop pin keep sliding out, the riffle unit dosnt sit in the stock properly the trigger sits to the right of the trigger guard so it nips my finger, the fore end screws keep falling loose and now its started firing when i take the safety off, 2 triggers? i prepher just the 1 and a safety catch thank you. i just hope... (read more)
★★★★★
“swapped back to spring rifle and chose the xl,i could...”
Written on: 11/05/2010
swapped back to spring rifle and chose the xl,i could not beleave how far spring guns had come since my wh80 back in the 1980`s. (read more)
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Showing 11 - 20 of 241 Reviews
★★★★★
“Bought my bsa lightening .22 today i am more than...”
Written on: 26/04/2010 by veni74 (2 reviews written)
Bought my bsa lightening .22 today i am more than happy with its looks and performance just needs a bit more running in. 10/10. LITTLE BELTER I WOULD RECOMEND THIS GUN. (read more)
★★★★★
“Great little gun. I detuned my USA version to just...”
Written on: 10/02/2010 by gr8art (1 review written)
Great little gun. I detuned my USA version to just under 12ftlbs. I love it. Smooth cycle, very accurate out to 50 or so yards, and it is my favorite gun for all day carry due to its size and weight. Another plus is that the small size makes it easier for youngsters to handle the weapon. Everyone that I lend it to loves it. (read more)
★★★★☆
“i got mine when they first came out,wanted something...”
Written on: 06/02/2010
i got mine when they first came out,wanted something for the wet nights lamping etc.i put a gas ram in mine nearly straight away as had then for ages also.paid for itself in rabbits and pigeons so cant complain.woods a bit basic,but i,ve stipled a grip on mine for those rainy days and nights.
my lightnings doing just over 11ft pounds and it kills rabbits,squirell,s,rats,woodies and ferrals no worries.
(read more)
★★★☆☆
“Based on the BSA Supersport, the lightening is a short...”
Written on: 17/10/2009
Based on the BSA Supersport, the lightening is a short barreled super carbine with its own integral silencer which doubled as a cocking aid for the break barel. It is a super little hunter, having 1ft lbs of torque to drive out the pellet. It has variants in calbre going from the .177 up to .25. I find .177 the best for what I do which is hunting and some target shooting (read more)
★★★★★
“the best air rifl;e for the money very happy with it...”
Written on: 23/09/2009
the best air rifl;e for the money very happy with it would highly recomend the BSA Lightning (read more)
★★★★☆
“The BSA Lightning is a compact versatile air rifle...”
Written on: 23/07/2009
The BSA Lightning is a compact versatile air rifle with a nice balance, my only fault is the trigger adjustment, i couldnt ease 2nd pressure light enough,that aside a real good buy (read more)
★★☆☆☆
“I bought the BSA Lightning as a lighter, handier...”
Written on: 20/07/2009 by part timer (1 review written)
I bought the BSA Lightning as a lighter, handier alternative to my Weihrauch hw75k. Much lighter in weight but poor in terms of manufacture and nowhere near in terms of accuracy and comfort. Will need to be tuned to eliminate poor performance adding to the overall cost. I'm sticking to Weihrauchs in the future. Well worth the extra money. (read more)
★★★★★
“BSA lightning is a very accurate and lightweight...”
Written on: 02/07/2009
BSA lightning is a very accurate and lightweight rifle. I went through two springs in less than 12 months. I deciced to customise it. I had a gas ram fitted, new stock from the Xl, Logan silencer and adjustable butt plate. Gas ram meant I never had to worry about the spring giving out on me again. I converted a good hunting rifle into a great one. Blackpool air rifles done the conversion for me and made an excellent job. (read more)
★★★★★
“I have owned a .177 BSA Lightning for about 5 years...”
Written on: 03/06/2009 by DavidEnoch (1 review written)
I have owned a .177 BSA Lightning for about 5 years now. It has become my favorite airgun and most shot airgun. I have tried to replace it with a Beeman C1 and a Beeman R-9 but I like the Lightning better. I like the light weight and compactness plus the shoot-ability of the gun.
My BSA Lightning shoots Crosman Premier Light pellets (7.9 grain) at about 865 fps. This gun was tuned and is very smooth to shoot. It is the least hold sensitive airgun I have ever owned. I think the short...
(read more)
★★★★☆
“The BSA Lightning is a really good gun but should be...”
Written on: 14/05/2009 by Shootingfanatic112 (2 reviews written)
The BSA Lightning is a really good gun but should be made as a classic the carbine is harder to cock will do for 20yds rabbit shooting and vermin like pigeon but should come with open sights. Is a great starter gun (read more)
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Showing 21 - 30 of 241 Reviews
★★★★☆
“BSA Lightning is a nice rifle straight out of the box...”
Written on: 31/03/2009 by Northern Raider (2 reviews written)
BSA Lightning is a nice rifle straight out of the box though I would prefer to be able to have it set up without the silencer, but because of the ultra short barrel its almost impossible to use cock the rifle without the silencers extra length on the barrel.
No Iron sights which is disgraceful.
Wooden stock, why in the 21st Century do working guns still use wood when synthetic stocks have been proven superior.
(read more)
★★★★★
“The BSA Lightning is a great vermin control weapon...”
Written on: 04/02/2009 by farrow1 (2 reviews written)
The BSA Lightning is a great vermin control weapon easy to handle medium wieght top all rounder. i have owned this gun for about 3yrs, my combo is completed by a ags 3-9x40 scope,sound moderator,useing bisley pest control pellets, targets don't have a chance if they are within 30/35yds. i have on the odd occasion been out shot by my son who shoots a cometa 50,3-9x40 optik,sound moderator,and oxspring fitted. (read more)
★★★★★
“The BSA Lightning air rifle is overall a great gun,...”
Written on: 18/01/2009 by bri1
The BSA Lightning air rifle is overall a great gun, good quality from a maker who understands what is required. No recoil, constant accuracy, good looks, feels good, killed many rats with this gun. Balance good. some larger tele sights may not fit. (read more)
★★★★★
“I love the BSA lightning air rifle. I think it looks...”
Written on: 12/12/2008
I love the BSA lightning air rifle. I think it looks nicer than the xl and the tactical and from what ive heard it proforms better to.
if shot 12 crows ,8 rabbits and 25 rats and nothing has gone wrong (touch wood). The safety is a bit annoying but its light and powerful.
(read more)
★★★★☆
“Playing with this rifle for my mate, its brand new and...”
Written on: 21/11/2008
Playing with this rifle for my mate, its brand new and is probably the worse brake barrel rifles i've used in years new out of the box. Although admittedly the others have been in a slightly higher price bracket than this. i've stripped it down, added a piston weight, changed the spring, turned down a metal spring guide, sleeved the piston, sized a ptfe washer to fit, reamed the transfer port and added nylon slide washers to eliminate any metal to metal contact. 100% better now, actually... (read more)
443087_Chewy0013's Comment
Written on: 15/03/2009
I have just bought this rifle and have to agree. Please could you send me detailed instructions if you have the time on what you did to it and what else you could to to improve it? It is a really nice rifle, but its makes far too much noise from the mech'and myn kicks like a mule. Thank you
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★★★★★
“Its a very good gun and i would recomend it to enyone...”
Written on: 21/11/2008
Its a very good gun and i would recomend it to enyone who want a gun or has a collection of guns. Its got good power and acuracy and it is lovely to carry around. (read more)
★★★★★
“Excellent rifle, I'v had one for over five years now...”
Written on: 19/11/2008 by dutch1604
Excellent rifle, I'v had one for over five years now and its not let me down yet.
I find prometheus pellets work exceptionally well for taking bunnies and pigeons at around the 30 meter range.
(read more)
★★☆☆☆
“My mate bough this rifle brand new, following one...”
Written on: 13/11/2008
My mate bough this rifle brand new, following one sighting in session i took it home and stripped it down, cleaned the internals from the mountain of grease, lubed, sized the piston washer and reassembled. Massive difference. still sounds odd though, so am removing the cheap plastic spring guides tomorrow and fitting something more substantial. Few design features let it down, such as the silly allen head stock screws, which soon round off, and the noise. the safety catch is a bit silly... (read more)
★★★★★
“Shampsie on sept 7 asked what pellets to use i found...”
Written on: 21/10/2008 by wabitpie (2 reviews written)
Shampsie on sept 7 asked what pellets to use i found smk spitfire pellets work well set the scope to 25 mts then shorter or longer distances seem to shoot in the same place (read more)
★★★★☆
“I got a BSA lightning. Its a whole quality package, a...”
Written on: 20/10/2008
I got a BSA lightning. Its a whole quality package, a good robust field gun. The only problem I have with it is that I thought the trigger was pretty poor and needed to be improved. (read more)
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Showing 31 - 40 of 241 Reviews
★★★★★
“For the price a good bunnie basher. A good, well made...”
Written on: 17/10/2008 by wabitpie (2 reviews written)
For the price a good bunnie basher. A good, well made weapon. I found the safety catch poorly engineered and not enough drop on the stop (read more)
★★★★☆
“This is a very good gun except for the amount of...”
Written on: 13/10/2008 by gutworm45 (6 reviews written)
This is a very good gun except for the amount of recoil. Carries its reputation as a hunters rifle very well and has great handling and accuracy. You would be better off saving just a few extra pounds though and purchasing a Lightning XL as they are a massive improvement on the standard lightning! (read more)
★★★★★
“Really enjoying this gun only had it for a few weeks...”
Written on: 09/10/2008 by wayne renney
Really enjoying this gun only had it for a few weeks started off aiming at paper targets then tin cans now i can hit coloured drawing pins in trees from ruffly 20 yards away just shows how good the acuracy is and i'm not an experienced shooter, great gun and great fun highly recommend it BUY ONE! (read more)
★★★★★
“I think that the BSA lightning is the best air rifle...”
Written on: 07/10/2008 by 22dougie (1 review written)
I think that the BSA lightning is the best air rifle on market. Its light, easy to handle, very accurate and awesome when fitted with a gas ram. There are no bad points that I can think of. (read more)
★★★★★
“I got offered a discounted Harris bipod so i bought it...”
Written on: 01/10/2008 by Sean038 (1 review written)
I got offered a discounted Harris bipod so i bought it and fitted it to the barrell. What a difference to the accuracy from the prone position!!! . The recoil is now subdued and the extra weight on the front is negligiable.
I now own a daystate x2r sports but my lighting will still be around for a very long time yet. As the saying goes ' you have to go back to basics to re-learn to shoot every now and again'.
(read more)
★★★★★
“Good for hunting iv taken piegons from 35 yards ...”
Written on: 24/09/2008
Good for hunting iv taken piegons from 35 yards taken rabbits and squirrels more than enought power for the rabbits. Nice and light good power and relie gd value 4 money i really rate the gun. I had a few problems with the spring and had to send it back 2 times but after that i never had a problem with it (read more)
★★★★★
“The BSA Lightning is a great rifle,i can kill a Rabbit...”
Written on: 23/09/2008 by HOBGOBILN
The BSA Lightning is a great rifle,i can kill a Rabbit 30m away. You Have to aim between the back off the eye and the base of the ear or just to the right off its collor bone. sorry if spellings a bit Iffy! (read more)
453916_Brufo's Response to 403866_HOBGOBILN's Review
Written on: 13/04/2009
I agree with this review because... i have the same rifle and it does work
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★★★★★
“It would ould be nice if you could have an...”
Written on: 22/09/2008 by paul rambo18
It would ould be nice if you could have an interchangeable barrel between 177 and 22. The BSA Lightning is a really light weight weapon. You are slightly limited to the size of telescopic scopes you can use which isnt very good. (read more)
★★★★★
“Bought the BSA Lightning .22 a month ago and I've bin...”
Written on: 09/09/2008 by mark2581
Bought the BSA Lightning .22 a month ago and I've bin smiling since, powerful, and accurate, hawke scopes and bsa laser finish it off perfect (try the laser ull love it). (read more)
★★★★★
“I didn't mean to buy a new gun, i went with my brother...”
Written on: 07/09/2008 by shampsie (1 review written)
I didn't mean to buy a new gun, i went with my brother to buy a Webley Xocet (for him not me!) and while I was waiting I was looking around and saw the BSA. I loved the feel of it and it's a great rifle to shoot. I've had it about a year now and I'm really pleased with it, excellent value rifle. p.s. if anyone could reccomend the best pellets to use i would be very grateful. (read more)
399285_Doran's Response to shampsie's Review
Written on: 09/09/2008
I use superdome .22s a very acurate and quality pellet!!! would strongly advise to use.
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Showing 41 - 50 of 241 Reviews
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Dsz77's Comment
Written on: 11/11/2012
Got to agree I picked a bsa lightning xl se over hw 95 bad mistake had back to shop 3 times in less than 2 weeks only used it 4 times broke the scope hawke 3-9-40 ir so not a poor scope had to change mounts cos scope creep was really bad then silencer came loose wouldn't tighten back up I put 400 pellets thru it and couldn't get it zeroed pile of poo basically got hw 95 brilliant gun shooting bottle caps out to 50 yards excellent gun