BSA Ultra SE Beech Stock

The Ultra SE is one of a range of modern pneumatic airguns, produced in the UK, at BSA’s famous old Armoury Road site in Birmingham. Having met Simon Moore, the company’s Sales Manager, at the factory for a sneaky look around a while back, I’ve seen firsthand the enthusiasm and energy behind the current operation. Simon’s pride in the company was obvious, and with an experienced and dedicated workforce behind him, it’s good to see this historical marque going from strength to strength.

Design brief

Coming up with airguns that gets us shooters excited, is half the battle of course. Then it comes down to nailing your reputation to the mast in terms of not only performance, but also quality control and customer service. And it’s here, if the feedback I get on the competition circuit is anything to go by, Simon can be rightfully proud of his achievements.

The current range of BSA pneumatics are making quite a name for themselves, and tucked away in the line-up, is the Ultra SE- a diminutive little gun, bursting with character. The Ultra brief was always about a super compact hunting rifle, and the beech stocked model, on test here, is not only super practical, but it also ticks all the right boxes in terms of aesthetics. It’s packed with a host of features too; so let’s cast an eye over this pint-sized beauty.

 

Spec sheet

The action follows BSA’s tried and tested configuration, and features the company’s latest design of 10-shot magazine cassette, a two-stage trigger, cold hammer-forged barrel, ‘Fast-Strike’ hammer /valve set-up, manual safety catch, recessed manometer, bolt action, barrel diffuser/ muzzle brake, and probe quick fill adaptor.

That eye-catching beech stock is manufactured in Italy by Minelli, who of course now produce woodwork for the majority of the big players on the airgun scene. Their work is hard to fault, and the quality of the furniture here is seriously impressive. Pin perfect, laser-cut chequering covers both sides of the pistol grip and forend, and that sweeping design (now so synonymous with BSA) across the forend, just looks superb! A small thumb shelf sits to the rear of the action, and the whole fully ambidextrous configuration just looks the part.

 

Action stations

Looking to the action in more detail, the chunky Bolas-style bolt is still evident along with a scaled down cylinder, and the standard BSA breech block. Both the barrel and cylinder are chemically blued to a good standard, whilst the receiver/action (a BSA trait) still looks rather dull and lack lustre. Unlike many PCP rivals however, the configuration sees one continuous length of scope rail to play with on this model, due to the way the magazine is kept low slung inside the action. This means there’s just a little bit more freedom when deciding where the scope mounts will sit, which will make eye relief and general set up as to the optic you choose more flexible.

Unlike many manufacturers, forced to go running to market-leading barrel manufacturer, Lothar Walther, BSA still actually make their own, and the ‘cold hammer-forged’ process employed, is still a source of much pride. Being able to keep a check, ‘in-house’ so to speak, on barrel production is a luxury few manufacturers have, so BSA of course make the most of it.

The muzzle is threaded, and this Ultra SE then factory fitted with a barrel diffuser, or muzzle brake if you will. It’s a neat add-on, but I would wager it has more to do with looks than any influence it might offer down range. Given the ultra short barrel here, you may find a silencer preferable; certainly for any hunting forays- and there’s no doubting that any rapidly expanding gases will be tamed to almost nothing with a can on-board; as opposed to a significant or possibly louder crack due to the configuration of the brake as standard.

 

Preparation

Time to ready the action. One slightly irritating feature of BSA’s pneumatics is that they do require filling to a higher pressure than several rival makes. The Ultra SE needs 232bar, so with the probe adaptor (supplied) fitted to the airline, it just needs to be inserted into the valve at the front, and the cylinder charged accordingly. Once done, remove the probe, and screw the valve cover back on, to keep any dirt out of the system. A manometer (air pressure gauge) is built into the underside of the forend, so nice to see it here as opposed to in the nose of the air cylinder!

Priming the magazine comes next. To do this, pull the bolt to the rear to cock the hammer, pull the mag retaining clip forwards, and remove the magazine from the side of the action. Drop a pellet head first into each chamber in turn, insert the full magazine into the slot in the breech block, lock the retaining clip and finally close the bolt, which drops down automatically in a most satisfying way incidentally. We’re now ready to go- and good to the tune of ten shots.

 

Facts & figures

In use, the latest ‘self-actuating magazine system worked very well, and with the central rotor within the high impact polymer base, now numbered, it means keeping track of remaining shots has never been simpler. PTFE is used for the rotor, so it effectively self lubricates the system.

BSA claim 40-shots in .177 calibre for the Ultra SE, from their specified 232bar, and approximately 50-shots in either .22 or .25. My test rifle came in bang on the button, with a 51 consistent shots recorded before velocities dropped away. A total velocity spread of 16 fps over the charge was impressive too, and proof that the new lightweight ‘Fast Strike’ hammer was doing its job.

The two-stage trigger proved very civilized too, with a reasonably sensitive release and predictable feel, the only gripe here has to be how awkward it is to make any adjustments- with the stock having to be first removed to access that rather crude nut arrangement.

 

Performance

On my 30 yard range, from a supported position, the Ultra SE performed well with several pellet brands, and if I did my part, 3/8th inch (10mm) groups were fairly easy to come by. Not bad for such relative lightweight hardware. Groups were only around ½” from the kneeling position too, which surprised me, but my inconsistent standing technique found no help with the Ultra being so light at the muzzle.

Personal taste will always play a part, and if this were my gun, I would have to add weight at the front; a task made easier, since the barrel is threaded at the muzzle. As it stands, that ported muzzle diffuser is extremely neat, but it simply unscrews. Replace this with a heavy silencer for example, and handling could be effectively fine tuned. Would this lose the Ultra’s raison d’être? Possibly, and that super short action, and ultra fast handling give this model an edge in certain scenarios- such as shooting from a hide or from a vehicle.

 

Compact & bijou

Compact hunter or a gun for ladies and shooters of any gender of a sleight build, or for those who just value an ultra compact and light PCP? It’s all these things and more!

In fact, BSA label the Ultra SE a mini super-gun, well they are going to say that aren’t they? Saying that, and having spent time with this super stylish beech stocked version, I’m inclined to agree. OK; the forend stops a little short for my orang-utan –like build and I did find myself touching the cylinder with my lead arm in the aim occasionally. But overall, this model is a triumph of de