Best Fittings BSA/Theoben Buddy Bottles Valve kits

Though both the BSA SuperTen and Theoben Rapid PCP air rifles are discontinued, the amount of airgunners who own these models must run into thousands. A reliable source of spares for these classic hunters will be welcomed by many – in that I certainly must include myself – as it’s no secret I’ve long hunted with both these multi-shot PCP’s.

Granted spares are being advertised by certain select retail outlets and up-grades by custom houses, however, the products featured here are already available ‘off the shelf’ from Best-Fittings who had the forethought in making available 3 very attractive options. You can either buy a fully built up ‘buddy bottle’ (the removable compressed air reservoir these rifles use), in both sizes of 400cc and 500cc, or a re-buildable ‘Stainless Steel Valve Kit’, and even just the ‘Bare’ (no-valve fitted) bottles. There are some other very useful ‘bits’, and a few I’ll mention later.

First up is the BSA/Theoben Buddy Bottle complete with Stainless Steel (Rebuildable) Valve unit. The main difference - due to the internal air capacity storage rating (cc) - is the bottle length and at what pressure they are recommended to be filled to. Both share the common M18 X 1.5mm end thread for screwing into the front of these air rifles. Manufactured from high-grade aluminium by the respected ‘Luxfer’ brand, they come with a 10 year test cycle. They are the same bottles, as originally used by BSA, Daystate, Theoben, FX etc… the 400cc version holds a 230-bar maximum fill pressure, the 500cc holding 250-bar.

They have the familiar 60mm outer diameter yet are 255mm and 315mm respectively in length. Cosmetically the 400cc has what is termed a semi-gloss black finish while the larger version is described as flat black in colour!

The Buddy Bottle Valve Kit for 400/500cc bottles is largely manufactured from Stainless Steel, with Universal Valve Pips. Obviously it has the required M18 X 1.5mm thread to insert into the rifle, is fully rebuildable, and for this is thoughtfully supplied with spares. The ‘extras’ are additional rubber ‘O’ ring seals and an extra valve pip. The latter is coloured white for Theoben models and black for BSA.  It may seem an obvious statement to make but do ensure before purchase that your model does have the same female threaded inlet at the front of the rifle.

They can even supply ‘Bare’ Buddy Bottle’s in both sizes with no valve should you prefer to fit a Dr Bob QF Kit plus air gauge for those wanting to keep the rifles and bottles as originally intended to be removed for re-fills. They also supply a ‘Universal Buddy Bottle Fill Adaptor with Seal & Cap’ for off the rifle filling. This includes the 1/4"BSP Female to 1/8” BSP male thread for direct fitting to a flexible fill line, which suits BSA SuperTen, Theoben Rapid (including MFR), and even Logun S16 and S16s. Full instructions are included for all kits supplied.

The BSA/Theoben 400c & 500CC Buddy bottles are priced at £90 & £95 respectively, Rebuildable Stainless Steel Valve Kits are £32.50,  ‘Bare’ (Empty and Valve-less buddy bottles) in 400cc & 500cc are £60 & £65 respectively and the Universal Buddy Bottle Fill Adapter with seal and cap is £11. All prices include P+P to anywhere in the UK.  Contact Best Fittings on 0845 456 1185 or visit the website at www.best-fittings.co.uk