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BSA Majestic 458win light

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23 December 2009, 04:16
PoppaW
BSA Majestic 458win light
Does anyone know of these guns? I have an opportunity to buy one and was just wondering if anybody had experience with it.


WOODY
Everyone is allowed an opinion, even if its wrong.
23 December 2009, 05:52
fla3006
no claw extractor, aluminum bottom metal, weak trigger safety


NRA Life Member, Band of Bubbas Charter Member, PGCA, DRSS.
Shoot & hunt with vintage classics.
23 December 2009, 06:36
mel5141
Didn't a Mr. Grobler & a Mr. Harland have some experience with BSA .458 bolt Guns.....?
Some Southern African Country if I recall....
23 December 2009, 07:07
465H&H
quote:
Originally posted by mel5141:
Didn't a Mr. Grobler & a Mr. Harland have some experience with BSA .458 bolt Guns.....?
Some Southern African Country if I recall....



They both thought very highly of their 458 Wins by BSA.

465H&H
23 December 2009, 09:16
ALF
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23 December 2009, 10:20
458Win
The earlier CRF models were highly reguarded in both Africa and Alaska.


Anyone who claims the 30-06 is ineffective has either not tried one, or is unwittingly commenting on their own marksmanship
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23 December 2009, 18:03
fla3006
The earlier CRF models were the Royal models, not the Majestic. These were very nice, some also had steel bottom metal.


NRA Life Member, Band of Bubbas Charter Member, PGCA, DRSS.
Shoot & hunt with vintage classics.
23 December 2009, 18:11
umshiniwam
I have a .30-06 BSA Majestic Fatherweight.

It has a push-feed action and the extractor is tiny. I have also encountered some feeding problems.

Unfortunately I could not recommend it for a large bore if it was intended for use on dangerous game.

Richard Harland did mention this exact rifle as one of his favourites though.
24 December 2009, 19:38
465H&H
Harland's BSA as well as Grobler's were push feed models. See Harland's book for more info.

465H&H
27 December 2009, 03:26
PoppaW
Thanks for the info. The seller would not budge on the price so no deal. It was going to be a truck gun/bush beater.


WOODY
Everyone is allowed an opinion, even if its wrong.
27 December 2009, 15:05
Shinzo
The rifle illustrated above is not a Majestic which were push feed, it is the Royal/Hunter depending which market it was sold into & was a fully CRF action, they used in fact surplus M17 extractors & I have often wondered if the supply of these dried up causing the move to push feed.
Steve
27 December 2009, 22:49
umshiniwam
Just some further info on Richard Harland's BSA; below is quoted from African Outfitter June/July 2007:

quote:

I have used more .458 Win Mag rifles than any other calibre and I still own two. One a no-frills but very dependable weapon made by BSA in 1958, was owned by that most experienced elephant hunter of all time, Paul Grobler,and he sold it to me in 1961. I sold it to a friend around 1965 who then gave it back to me in 2004 when he left Zimbabwe under duress. The weapon has accounted for more than a thousand elephant and much else. It is still in excellent condition. The other .458 is FN Mauser-actioned, a once-off, made beautifully for an American friend in 1975. He gave me the rifle after his last safari in 1977 and I treasure it. It is my regular carry-gun these days.



It is interesting that Harland says that his BSA was made in 1958, if it is a Majestic (he makes no mention that it is a Majestic above) as these were only launched by BSA in 1959.