Thread: BSA CF2 action mods

Afternoon all
I have a .308 bsa which is a bit of a safe queen with a big scope and suppressor
I’d like to turn it into more of a bush gun, which is about all i get to play around in.
Problem is the action doesn’t have a good half cock and is prone to open up and drop out a round if sneaking around the bush.
Does anyone know of these old actions can be tricked up to make safer and/ more reliable for bushhunting.
I’m not that keen on waltzing around with a chambered round and relying on the safety.
Any assistance appreciated

Cheers

I think I read @Sideshow mentioned something once about half-cock and CF2.

I was going to suggest, if your safety is no good and your rifle keeps spilling out ammo just carry a round handy somewhere and drop it in when needed.

Tell me how half cock is safer than just running a round on safety? If anything it's more dangerous as if you fall or drop the rifle the bolt can quite possibly close and then you have a rifle with a chambered round and no safety on, honestly don't know who dreamed up this brilliant idea.....

Well Ryan we can agree to disagree on many things but - in this you are 100% right.

I wish this half cock myth would go away and quietly expire somewhere.

No idea
Someone told me once
You know how it is

So what’s the preferred method

Unchambered for me, chamber a round with safety on when see/smell/hear animals, safety off when animal identified, done that for 40 years.

Half cock is what the lee enfields did and were designed to do which was lock the firing pin, no rifle since has had one. The so called half cock put other rifles is an indent on the cocking camming path which can be jolted off with a knock firing the rifle.

Originally Posted by Walker

Half cock is what the lee enfields did and were designed to do which was lock the firing pin, no rifle since has had one. The so called half cock put other rifles is an indent on the cocking camming path which can be jolted off with a knock firing the rifle.

Yes, correct meaning of half cocked.

I realise now that @i41do2 when talking of walking with the gun "half cocked" means walking about with the bolt half closed on a round, mountain safety council advice style.

The MSC advice was done after work done experimenting with Lee Enfield rifles cocked and with their safety on (the safety lever, not the half-cock facility) and it was found it was often unreliable, particularly you could drop the safetied LE on a rock and the rifle could go off if the rock impacted on its cocking knob. They could also set off rifles with a hammer to the cocking knob despite the safety lever being on.

Long story short, that was how the MSC advice was born. It was good advice for cock-on-close Lee Enfields which most people were using back then, but for a cock-on-open Mauser it is less great - with a smooth action you might accidentally go fully into battery by stumbling or by dropping it end-first.

Yes thanks @Cordite
That’s basically what I meant.
Understand there’s many ways to skin a cat, but I take on board what you all said.
I think my current situation it would be best to use safety when the round is chambered rather than half cocked.
Still keen to learn if anyone knows of a smith who’s worked on bsa CF2’s
Cheers

Originally Posted by i41do2

Yes thanks @Cordite
That’s basically what I meant.
Understand there’s many ways to skin a cat, but I take on board what you all said.
I think my current situation it would be best to use safety when the round is chambered rather than half cocked.
Still keen to learn if anyone knows of a smith who’s worked on bsa CF2’s
Cheers

Hugh Bradley in Alexandra has had experience with BSA's over the years.

In Scotland , pretty much every deer stalker have a round chambered and safety on , at least on the last bit of the stalk.
I ll check for the accident report using that method but I believe they are extremely rare if non existent.

Re read Jeff Cooper, the art of the rifle. He is for a round chambered and safety at all time.

Use one system, learn it well and stick to it!
And always point the barrel in a safe direction , because that is what kills people in the first place and I believe that should be rule number one of every firearm safety manual.

treat every firearm as loaded and never trust a safety. What I mean there is that you don't go walking around the bush all day with it loaded, safety on unless you are actually prepared to see something. Safetys are mechanical things and potentially feck up.
If you are on your own hunting its a little different as while you could shoot yourself it would take a bit to line all those ducks up.
With someone else, then other rules come in like only the lead dude is ready for action so to speak.
Shot with a browning A5 for years. One of my favourite shotguns. used to do a lot puke drives and rabbits. You walk around with it loaded all the time and the safety on.
If it wasn't for 303's back in the day we wouldn't have this half cock notion.
A good friend years ago had a Winchester m70. he was cranky that the safety wouldn't come on. He'd adjusted the trigger that light, it wouldn't cam over properly.
He WAS going to do some grindy grindy on it so it would work, but saw the light and thought better of it.

Older win 94s are another rifle that has a proper half cock. They have no safety so thats the only method.

Originally Posted by Marty Henry

Older win 94s are another rifle that has a proper half cock. They have no safety so thats the only method.

@Marty Henry So the same as other levers with half cock on the hammer, or has a transfer bar thingy in there?

No transfer bar