Birmingham Small Arms Co. Ltd. Model 12/15 Target Rifle, .22 LR

Type:  Pivoting Block Single Shot Target Rifle Caliber:  .22LR Capacity:  Single Shot Sights, front:  Parker-Hale F.S.22 tunnel type with interchangeable inserts Sights, rear:  Parker-Hale P.H.7A aperture with 1/4 MOA adjustments Length: 44.75" Barrel length:  29" Weight (unloaded):  9 lbs Suggested Retail Price:  $450

At that point it's time to put the fun back into your day at the range.  Put down the Mauser, the Springfield, or the Mosin, take a breather for a few minutes and return to the firing line with a .22 rifle.  Shooting a .22 is all about you and the gun, without the distractions of noise, blast, and recoil.  In many ways, it's the art of the rifle in it's purest form, forcing the shooter to mind all the fundamentals.  Put another way, without the grandiose language, .22's are just plain fun.

.22' s are also among the most accurate rifles available; even a run of the mill .22 rifle is capable of making the shooter look good.  Match grade .22's take this accuracy to another level, routinely delivering groups of better than half a minute of angle.  For American shooters there's never been a better time to purchase a high quality .22LR rifle.  Due to the draconian gun control laws recently enacted in the United Kingdom, many of that country's shooting clubs have been forced to shut down.  As they closed, these clubs sold many of their match rifles to importers that brought them into the United States.  While these rifles had been used for many years, their fine condition evidenced the great care and attention with which they had been treated.  Available at a fraction of the cost of comparable rifles, these British refugees represent one of the best bargains currently available.

The majority of these rifles were manufactured by the Birmingham Small Arms Co. Ltd. (BSA), and are single shot Martini-Henry dropping block rifles with match grade barrels and target sights.  BSA was one of the leading contractors supplying Martini-Henry rifles to the British government.   BSA was well positioned to exploit this experience by producing a sporting rifle using the same action.  Though a corporate decision was made in 1884 to produce Trade Pattern "Rook Rifle" (i.e. small) and "Sporting Rifle (i.e. large) actions for custom gunmakers to use in producing sporting rifles, BSA did not offer Martini actioned sporters of its own until the early 1900's.  In 1906 the Australian government placed a large order for .310 caliber Cadet rifles.  While target and sporting guns made on these patterns were available prior to 1914, it was not  until the end of the First World War that BSA began to promote its Martini sporting rifles in earnest.  Production ceased during the Second World War, and resumed again in late 1945, but the line was reduced to a single pattern.

The first of the series was the No.4, which was offered in the .310 Cadet chambering.  A refined No.4, rechristened the No.6 was offered as late as the late 1930's in .25-20 and .32-20 Winchester.  The No.6 was followed by the No.12.  The No.12 was a .22LR target rifle with a 29 inch barrel that weighed approximately 8.7 pounds.  It had a straight wrist stock with a Martini-style action lever, a short fore-end with panel checkering, a sling swivel on the underside of the barrel and another beneath the fore-end directly in front of the receiver.  The No.15 target rifle was offered concurrently with the No.12, and offered the shooter a slightly strengthened action, a heavy 29 inch barrel, a broad beavertail fore-end and a pistol grip stock with a contoured cheek piece.  The standard No.15 weighed 9.6 pounds, with the heavy barrel version tipping the scales at 11 pounds.

Production of the Nos. 12 and 15 rifles was halted during the Second World War.  At the war's conclusion a hybrid was produced for a short period of time.  This rifle, known as the No.12/15, was basically a No.12 married to the improved action, pistol grip butt and beavertail fore-end of the No.15.
 

PRODUCT REVIEW
The John M. Appleton Company of Fairfax, Virginia is now importing former shooting club BSA No.12/15's from England.  In addition to being an importer, John Appleton is a collector and shooter specializing in English firearms.  His expertise is evident, as he personally inspects each firearm for quality, condition and pedigree prior to importation.  Mr. Appleton advised us that his 12/15's were in "very good" condition and included the Parker-Hale sights, palm stop and sling swivels.   Since it's hard for us to say no to any Martini type rifle, and harder for us to say no to a match .22, John really didn't have to do too much arm twisting.  A few days later the BBT arrived bearing a long package.

External Inspection
We opened the package and immediately concluded that John Appleton is not to be trusted with respect to grading a firearm's condition.    What was supposed to be a "very good" condition gun was much better described as excellent.   The 12/15 has long, lean lines that give the impression that there's not a frivolous contour or curve.  Everything has a purpose, and anything that doesn't isn't tolerated.  Despite its spare aesthetics, the rifle is one of the most attractive longarms we've had the pleasure to handle.  The finish on the receiver and barrel was a flawless satin blue that belied more than fifty match seasons.  The operating lever and breech block were both flawless, displaying an attractive case colored finish.  Equally impressive was the highly polished walnut furniture.  Both the stock and the fore-end were finished with a glossy hand

rubbed oil finish.  While a careful inspection turned up a one or three minor handling dents, our overall impression was one of a prized piece that had been lovingly cared for.  Only the hard rubber butt plate displayed any signs of hard use, with a bit of wear at the toe and a small chip (roughly 1/4" by  5/16") at the top.  The bore was mirror bright with high, sharp rifling.  The bottom of the fore-end is grooved and inlet for removeable palm stop.  The palm stop, like the rest of the rifle is a simple but effective affair.   Cast in unfinished aluminum, it not only provides a comfortable resting place for

BSA 12/15 Buttstock

BSA 12/15 Receiver Logo

BSA 12/15 Proofmarks - Visual Inspection (BV), Black Powder (BP) and Smokeless Powder (NP)

The top of the barrel shank bears the BSA stacked rifles.  The only visible serial number is found on the right side of the barrel shank, directly below the Birmingham view, black powder, and smokeless powder proofmarks.  The base for the Parker-Hale 7A rear sight is affixed by two screws into the rear of the receiver, while the foresight is dovetailed into the barrel.

One of most interesting design features of the BSA Martini smallbores is that the entire action can be removed from the receiver en suite.   There's a knurled thumbscrew at the lower forward edge of the right side of the receiver.  Removing this thumbscrew allows the action to be pulled down and out of the receiver.  The action itself is very simple, consisting of six main components:

• Triggerguard/housing
• Trigger
• Ejector
• Breechblock
• Sear
• Striker

Unlike the military Martinis, where the receiver serves as both the housing and the mounting for the action components, the smallbores use an enlarged triggerguard to mount the action, with the receiver serving only as a housing.  The breechblock is pivoted at the upper rear of the triggerguard, the ejector at the lower front, the trigger at the lower middle, and the sear and action lever behind and above the trigger.  When the action lever is pulled down, the lever's upper ears and the sear pivot to the rear.  The sear pulls the spring loaded striker to the rear, pivoting the block downward at the same time.  At the furthest point of the lever's downward travel, two events take place:  The breechblock strikes the rear end of the ejector, forcing it to the rear, and ejecting any cartridge or case in the chamber; and the nose of the sear is retained by the trigger.   When the lever is returned to the rear, the upper ears return the breechblock to the closed position and prop it in place.  Squeezing the trigger releases the sear and allows the striker to move forward to fire the cartridge.  The system is very simple and

BSA 12/15 Action - Note interaction between lever, block and sear

Shooting the BSA No. 12/15
We had great expectations for the 12/15, given the long heavy barrel, target sights and fast lock time. With these thoughts in mind, we packed up the rifle, ammunition, and supplied and headed out to the NRA range in Fairfax, Virginia.

Ammunition
We brought along several types of .22LR ammunition with which to test the No.12/15:

CCI Mini-Mag 40 grain FMJ
Federal Gold Medal Match 40 grain LRN
Winchester Super-X 40 grain LRN
Eley Club Xtra 40 grain LRN

Accuracy
We fired the 12/15 at fifty yards.  Target was a three inch black center.  To say that we were pleased with the results would be an understatement.  Accuracy was, by our standards, phenomenal, with the Federal Gold Medal Match and the Eley Club Xtra ammunition turning in the best results.  We shot five round strings for accuracy, and our best groups were:  A ragged hole measuring slightly more than half an an inch, and a group that was slightly less than three-quarters of an inch.  Results with the other ammunition were not as good, but were close, with the worst group of the day being turned in by the Winchester ammunition with a

fifty yard group of one and a quarter inches.   The Parker-Hale 7A sight plays no small part in the rifle's fine performance.  The sight has an adjustable rear aperture, which was of tremendous value.  By carefully adjusting the aperture to the smallest usable size it was much easier to focus on the front sight's relation to the target, yielding significantly enhanced accuracy. Recoil and Ergonomics Recoil, as expected, was non-existent.  Indeed, the only sensation indicating that the rifle had fired was the click of the striker going forward.  Ergonomically, the 12/15 is a surprisingly comfortable rifle.  It balances extremely well and points quickly.  Target acquisition is slower than with an open sighted rifle, but this is to be expected with target

Parker-Hale No. 7A Sights

The single stage trigger pull is excellent, being very short, light and very crisp, breaking cleanly at about two and a half pounds.  Being a single shot rifle, there is no mechanical safety.

Reliability
We fired approximately two hundred and fifty rounds, and noted no failures to fire or eject.
 

Conclusion
The BSA No.12/15 rifle is a thoroughly enjoyable firearm.  It's accurate, reliable and extremely well made.   The standards of workmanship and quality are exquisite, representative of a bygone era of craftsmen who took pride in their work.   As a match rifle it's a superb choice, and given its features, it's an excellent value.  Indeed, the retail value of the sights alone is in excess of $200.00.  While there are less expensive .22's to be sure, there are few if any that offer the 12/15's combination of craftsmanship, accuracy, versatility, fun and history.  It's a timeless piece worthy of an honored place in any collection, and one that will be passed down from generation to generation.
 
 

And now, our Buy-O-Meter rating for the BSA No.12/15:
 
 

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