BSA GRT Lightning Reviews

If you want too turn your trigger into a match grade trigger here is what you need to do. Go to Fastenal supply store anywhere and order a m2.5- .45x 10mm.order part number 0134611. Take out the trigger adjustment screw and replace it with this hex screw. Screw it in until the gun will not cock , then back the screw out until the gun will stay cocked.and you will have a match grade trigger.adjust it to your liking

Lock tight on the stock screws. Grub screw wants to come loose and it effects accuracy. Should be tapped into the barrel

None

If you want too turn your trigger into a match grade trigger here is what you need to do. Go to Fastenal supply store anywhere and order a m2.5- .45x 10mm.order part number 0134611. Take out the trigger adjustment screw and replace it with this hex screw. Screw it in until the gun will not cock , then back the screw out until the gun will stay cocked.and you will have a match grade trigger.adjust it to your liking

Lock tight on the stock screws. Grub screw wants to come loose and it effects accuracy. Should be tapped into the barrel

None

This is a beautiful rifle. I like the wood, the blueing, the build quality, the solid feel, the balance, the short length, the relative light weight. My gun is very accurate H&N Field Target Trophy pellets. I have tried a variety of pellets, and to date the FTTs are the best. Gamo match pellets are second best at present. Other pellets have shown promise, only to fall out of favor.

The trigger and the shroud. This gun really deserves a great trigger. The one provided seems to pull forever and I never know when it will release. This makes it difficult to shoot great groups. But it is possible to learn to overcome the trigger and find some great shooting. My gun is rather loud for a back-yard friendly gun. It's okay, but could be a lot better. I wish the shroud were more effective.

I love this gun. Yes, she's a bit picky about pellets. She's a little loud in the back yard. But she's sweet when you get to know her. After a heck of a lot of shots, I think I am approaching the potential of this gun, which I measure at about 1 MOA. One thing I found is that, in order to get this gun to settle down, I had to Loctite (Blue Loctite) every bolt on the gun and scope mounts. Without this, the bolts kept working loose, and the groups kept opening up. After Loctiting, she really seems to be solid. I have written a review of this gun on the Pyramyd Air Daily Blog. Here is the link: https://www.pyramydair.com/blog/2017/07/revisiting-the-bsa-grt-lightning-xl-se/

Feels solid with very good fit and finish. Love the gas piston. While this is no Air Arms or original Webley Patriot in terms of quality it is, nevertheless, a very nice piece for the money. The most impressive things are how quiet it is and that it's a "tack driver" when it comes to accuracy. The shot cycle is short, quick, quiet and tight. Quite simply, it is a pleasure to shoot and difficult to put away. Just a blast to shoot! I appreciate the compact dimensions for handling purposes. I have no trouble achieving 750-850 ft/sec with mid weight lead pellets for about 18-20 ft/lbs at 5 feet from the muzzle.... thru a chrony. Better than anticipated/advertised.

Virtually nothing except a metal trigger would be a plus.

This is a nice "mid grade" air gun that's well made (so far anyway) and a pleasure to shoot. If you want to step up from basic but cannot afford the "high end" stuff, I think this is a superb alternative. Don't shoot heavy pellets with it though, as the velocity drops off sharply. Get a decent scope to go along with this air rifle and you will not likely be disappointed. The short barrel requires good technique for cocking efficiency.

Compact size, solid weight, impressive finish

I could have done without the letters 'GRT' embossed into the otherwise flawless stock

A solid, well made air rifle

Ordered 2/11 delivered 2/16, arrived well packaged and with no package damage. Very good looking rifle. Appreciated PA advise as their recommended scope rings are far more stable than those that came with the separately ordered scope. Initial impressions after about 200 rounds, free free hand seated and standing; cocking effort minimal, (I am 62 years old in ok shape); recoil, what recoil (for the past 40 years have shot mostly 12 ga shotgun (skeet and trap, duck and pheasant hunting), 30-06 for boar and deer, and 9mm handgun, really cannot describe it as having recoil); noise, minimal much less than 22 lr more of a low snap as opposed to the loud crack of 22 lr; very pleased with Initial accuracy, (impressive despite free handing, after adjusting scope, at 25 yards all on target with good groups, more variance than I want at 50 yds (should tighten up with more rounds through the barrel and more practice; so for now I am rating the accuracy as excellent.

Minor point, needed to shim the scope, made my own. Could do without the large GRT carved in the stock. Other than that it seems to be a fine hunting rifle.

The 37.5 inch length is perfect for my size 5'9" and intended use; squirrel hunting in thick forest.

The looks and feel are great I liked the short barrel gave the gun a carbine look . Adequate power for close rang small game hunting in .22 caliber , and back yard friendly .

The trigger .

The trigger on my gun was awful I could not adjust the second stage to where I like It . It must have had a 6ib pull , I think They fit a Gamo trigger on these rifles which are plastic something I didn't know at the time . This gun deserves a match grade trigger If It had I might have been able to hit something. Maybe It was just my gun I don't know....But I sent It back to PA for a refund . I cant give any stars for accuracy cus the trigger was so bad . Bought a Pro Sport .22 instead .

Really nice stock but with GRT in BIG print on both sides it makes the gun look cheap. Fairly quiet, nice trigger.

The term 'flier' was coined to describe this rifle. No matter which pellet, you get wild spreads.

This little .22 carbine rifle is a real gem of a find and a pleasure to shoot. With the 6.5 lb weight and the short 37.5" length, it points and shoots so easy that it's hard to put the darn thing down. When you consider that this little jewel sells for about half of what an Air Arms Pro Sport sells for, there's really no comparison.

If they could ever figure out a way to get a little more velocity out of this thing, they'd really have something, but of course then it would be 40+ inches long and weigh 8+ lbs, which would definitely take away the fun factor of this thing.

This little rifle deserves a good scope. The only reason you'd be disappointed in this rifle is if you don't scope it right or if you use cheap pellets. Allow a 500 shot break-in period before you decide it's not accurate.

It's a handsome looking rifle. It's also quite compact and easy to handle. It points and mounts to the shoulder very well. Accuracy is great and the trigger, while less refined than a Rekord trigger on HW rifles is still a nice trigger. Mine is in .22 caliber and gets right around 14 FPE. Like almost all gas ram/nitro piston rifles, the firing cycle is a solid *thump* rather than a buzzy twang like in a springer.

Not much. I'm "eh" with the idea of the engraved GRT on the buttstock. I could do without it, but it's not so obtrusive to be awful. I haven't measured the cocking effort, but it seems to be very stiff and heavy for a 14 FPE rifle. Took the muzzle cover off and it’s different from the one on my Lightning XL spring piston. That rifle has a male threaded section that screws into the moderator on the front of the rifle. The moderator is empty (hollow, no baffles). The new rifle has a female threaded end cap with what appears to be a screwed in baffle set. The muzzle report on both sounded awfully similar in terms of volume when fired inside.

I have the spring piston Lightning XL as well as the gas ram Lightning XL GRT (this rifle). I like 14~ish FPE .22 rifles for light hunting and pest control. It's always felt like a sweet spot to me. This is among the nicest 14 FPE rifles I've encountered. I really liked my spring piston Lightning XL and thought "man, the only thing that would make this rifle better is if it were a gas ram". Now I have both and I was right.

Insanely accurate, very well made, beautiful wood and bluing. I've owned Diana, HW, Theoben, UK BSA and UK Webley air rifles and this one is right on the money. The firing cycle is fast, smooth with a rearward nudge. Compactness is another great feature, other air gun makers are missing the boat with compact (sub 40" & sub 7LB) air rifles. Compactness must be an English thing, at one time you could buy a Webley Stingray and Xocet carbine and Longbow which were all about 37" long. BSA has offered variants of the Lightning, Supersport and XL Tactical in 37" to 38" length configurations. Theoben had the Evolution Carbine and Fenman which were about 38" long.

Advertisement and information, call BSA USA and you get "Thank you for calling Gamo USA." I called over there and they have virtually no info on the BSA Springers/Gas Ram line. Clear up where these are made. Are they assembled in Spain with UK made parts or assembled in the UK with Spanish made parts or is everything but the barrel made and assembled in Spain? Are they made or assembled in the same warehouse as Gamo? I really wish someone would get to the bottom of this, maybe visit and document where they are made. They are kind of expensive but hey..

I purchased the .25 cal version, I wanted a mid powered compact thumper and this fit the bill. I knew it wasn't going to put out 700 fps, if you don't know by now mostly all air gun manufacturers shoot super light pellets in order to achieve higher velocity which they use as promotion. It hits hard, it's not a magnum but I didn't want one for what I do. There is some cocking effort and it's prob because of the short barrel. I had PA chrony it for me and 10 shots using 25.39 grain JSB pellets where between 494 fps and 498 fps for 13.4 fpe to 13.9 fpe. I've shooting 20 grain H&N FTT pellets which should be coming out at 540 fps to 565 fps for about 13 fpe to 13 fpe.

I should have received the rifle on Saturday 2/01 but according to FedEx it had two delays. The outside box was torn and taped back together. Not a good start. I removed the outside box and the inside rifle box did not look damaged. I removed the rifle and did not see any damage. My first impressions were very good. The beech stock is chunky but feels good in your hand. It was stained a nice dark color. The checkering at the grip and fore stock added to the appeal. While not sharp it was well done and what I would expect in this price range. The wood to metal fit is tight. I felt that it detracted from the beauty of the stock. I mounted a UTG bug buster scope and overall I liked the feel and heft. It is solid in your hands and easy to shoulder. With everything in place I moved to my 20 yard range to see how it shoots. The cocking stroke is stout but manageable and smooth. There was some grit on the upswing but should smooth out. I used my very unscientific iPhone app and registered 95 db. For reference my Umarex Fusion registers 90db. Not bad and good enough for the back yard. I fired five different pellets through the chrono. JSB Match Diablo, 7.33 gr averaged 875 fps, RWS Superdome 8.3 gr averaged 817 fps, Predator Polymag 8.0 gr averaged 835 fps, Kodiak Crow Magnum 8.33 gr averaged 794 fps, and the Kodiak Match 10.65 gr averaged 719 fps. All standard deviations were single digits. I did not adjust the trigger. The first stage was nice with a slightly heavy pull in the second. It broke clean and I will likely adjust to a lighter pull for the second stage. Overall the trigger was fine. Some other complaints, the thread protector shoots loose very easily and the grub screw backed out of the the shroud to the point that the shroud was moving on the barrel. At the end of the session I also had to tighten loose stock screws. I also tried the Crosman Premier Dome pellets and they wouldn't fit in the barrel. The dome was too wide. I tried several with the same results. Groups were nothing to write home initially but tightened up after break in with Kodiak Match in the .35”-.50” at 20 yards and Predator Polymags at .50”-.80”. The Kodiak Match pellets are accurate out to 50 yards (my max tests).

My only complaint with the stock is the laser engraved GRT logo on both sides near the butt end. I didn't like how the trigger was positioned and was always putting my finger at the top and had to make a conscious effort to re-position it. After practice my finger is now positioned correctly every time I grip it. Some other complaints, the thread protector shoots loose very easily and the grub screw backed out of the shroud to the point that the shroud was moving on the barrel (I have since used blue Loctite to secure it). At the end of the session I also had to tighten loose stock screws. I also tried the Crosman Premier Dome pellets and they wouldn't fit in the barrel. The dome was too wide. I tried several with the same results. The “integral silencer” has no baffles and is an empty tube. I almost returned it but found that the rifle is quite enough and it felt so good in hand and shot well so I am keeping it.

Pyramyd was very good and offered to take the rifle back when I contacted them about the lack of baffles and issues with the grub screw. The rifle really is a good value and I decided that even with those minor flaws that I would keep it.

Good quality, very well made, excellent trigger, compact and light.

Nothing really except to add more power. I am getting 500 fps to 560 fps with approximately 25.0 grain to 27.0 grain lead pellets. Gun is advertised with 700 fps velocity.

It's a beautiful piece of stock! Love the finish. It's a very comfortable short gun. No more twang! But has a good kick. Everything seems to be well made. Barrel made in England but assembled it Spain.. No big deal. Still well built! You can cock it and let it sit for weeks without stressing anything. Will not affect any springs...

Harder to cock than I excepted..even after 300 pellets.. Come on,a plastic trigger?->rest of gun is solid as a rock! (thanks Gamo)

If your looking for something you don,t have to fill with air every 50 shots go for this one. It's a great value..The gas ram system will out last any springer far as I can tell!!It's a well balanced unit!! Solid and accurate.

Compact size, gas piston, comfortable stock.

Replace pins that hold barrel to receiver with screws.

This rifle is wildly inaccurate. The rifle grouped 4-5 inches at 20 yards with H&N .25 caliber Field Target Trophy 19.91 gr. pellets. Groups with BSA Pylarm pellets were worse. The reason for the dreadful accuracy is that there is a lot of play between the barrel and the receiver. I compared the BSA with an HW R-11 and my beloved 1960s Wischo 55. There was absolutely no play in the HW and the 50 year old Wischo. As far as I could tell, there is no way to adjust the play out of the BSA. I like the concept of the BSA--compact, powerful, good looking. The factory defect ruins an otherwise attractive rifle. Pyramyd Air's return policy is the best in the business. I had no trouble returning the BSA. Now I will save to buy a German or genuine English springer in .25 caliber.

This gun is beautiful!!! It screams overbuild. looks like it should cost two or even three times as much , but I didn't buy it to look at.The carbine length is great. It cocks and fire as smooth as silk. very accurate at 70 yards but I think the critter kill range is about 40 yards.A beefy aduld air gun!

The plastic trigger! Everything else is metal or wood even the safety is heavy duty metal

The short barrel makes it a beast to cock. As I recommend with all air rifles, LOC-TITE everything including the fore grip bolts! This one of the best looking guns I own and I don't mean air rifles! I've got a lot of guns.... Use heavy lead pellets!!

I am impressed. The Lightning is comfortable, it feels good. Finish is great and the GRT, I believe, is worth the extra expense. The gas ram is smooth and there is no twang.

What I would change is to eliminate the confusion as to where the BSA rifles are manufactured.

I don't keep a log of shots put through the rifle so I guess about 600 to maybe 800 did show a lighter effort in the cocking force required, which wasn't bad to begin with. Also the trigger did smooth out. JSB proved the best pellet for me, great accuracy. Do I recommend the Lightning GRT SE XL? You bet I do.