The BSA Airsport SL has caused quite a stir since its launch at the British Shooting Show, and rightly so. Any new release from the historic Birmingham gunmaker is a big deal, and this one particularly so because it’s something of a departure from other recent offerings.
Distributed in the UK by Range Right, the Airsport SL has a recommended retail price of £899. The one featured in this review is also fitted with the optional extended forend accessory rail, which costs £129.99.
This is very much a British made BSA airgun, and only a couple of its components have been fabricated outside of the UK. The first thing to strike me was its robust build quality – it has the feel of an airgun that will stand up to heavy-handed use. It is also quite substantially sized at 104cm long with the supplied silencer fitted and about 87cm without it. The Airsport SL also has quite a long length of pull at 39cm from butt to trigger, and it weighs 3.4kg unscoped with the extended forend fitted. As a six-footer, I found its overall proportions to be just right, but shooters with a smaller frame may find it a bit of a handful.
The BSA Airsport SL has an undeniably tactical look to it, especially with its black synthetic stock. However, it feels and handles much more like a traditional sporter, which I really like. The previously mentioned forend rail extension is a really nice touch, particularly because moving the contact point forward results in greatly improved stability when shooting from a bipod. When fitted, it takes the length of the rail to about 180mm in total, although you still have 30mm of rail without it.
The forend of the ambidextrous stock has patches of stippling on either side to improve grip. The purchase of your lead hand is further enhanced by a row of notches, which continue along the extension piece (if you choose to fit one) on each side.
Below top: Despite its tactical styling, the BSA Airsport SL still handles very much like a traditional sporter
Below bottom: The forend extension gives you a longer Picatinny rail and improved stability when shooting off a bipod
The synthetic stock incorporates a moulded trigger guard, behind which is a very well-designed pistol grip. Just as I like, the grip, which has panels of tactile stippling on either side, is very steep and has a good swell which really fills the palm. Behind it is a large thumbhole cutaway which as plenty of room to accommodate bigger hands. The arrangement of the stock above the cutaway means you can’t really shoot thumb-up but I found it very comfortable to shoot thumb-around.
The cheekpiece on the BSA Airsport SL is not height-adjustable but its hogback profile has a nice high comb which gave me very good eye/scope alignment. Whoever designed this stock remembered all the important details, including a sling attachment point just in front of the butt pad. That pad is made from rubber and is ventilated to give it some cushioning. It is also height-adjustable but don’t make the mistake of slackening off the retaining bolt too much as I did. It has quite a short thread so the internal nut will fall off inside the stock if you push it too far. Removing the butt plate to retrieve it is a straightforward job, but I would still rather have avoided it. The adjustability is a very good feature though and helps again with that all-important gun fit and eye/scope alignment.
Below top: The steep pistol grip ensures very good trigger attack
Below bottom: An adjustable butt pad and high cheekpiece make for good eye/scope alignment
The Airsport SL has a 15-inch floating barrel, and it’s BSA’s famous cold hammer forged barrel which is renowned for being very accurate. I have already mentioned that the Airsport SL is supplied with a silencer. It is quite a slim one, but it actually does a surprisingly good job of keeping shots quiet. Screw it off and the barrel is finished with half-inch UNF thread if you do feel inclined to swap it out for something more substantial.
Scope mounting is via a Picatinny rail that gives a generous 170mm of clamping space. One of my favourite things about this rail (and those on numerous other BSA PCPs) is that it is not interrupted by the magazine. That means you get to use its full length and don’t have to worry about choosing mounts that are high enough to give you sufficient clearance.
Below top: The moderator might be slim but it still does a good job of stifling muzzle report
Below bottom: An uninterrupted Picatinny rail ensures fuss-free scope mounting
The Airsport SL runs BSA’s time-proven R-10 magazine, which holds ten shots in .177 and .25 calibres and eight in .25, and is held securely in place by a magnetic retention system. I’ve been using these magazines for years and I really like them – they’re kind to pellets, incorporate a shot counter and have never let me down. They also cost less than the newer R-12 magazines, which will save you a few pounds if you want to buy one or two spares.
BSA tends to engineer cocking and loading mechanisms that feel clean and positive in operation, and that familiar feeling of reliability is there in the Airsport SL’s action. It is driven by a sidelever mechanism, which works brilliantly but can’t be reversed for left-handers. The lever has a comparatively small dropdown handle which I managed to grip perfectly well, even when wearing gloves. The setup worked like clockwork during my testing and I would expect it to be utterly dependable in the field.
Below top: The tried and tested R-10 magazine is reliable and affordable
Below bottom: The sidelever handle on the BSA Airsport SL is not long but still provides ample grip
The trigger is another very well engineered feature of the Airsport SL. I like the little match-type blade which feels great against the pad of the finger and can be adjusted forwards and backwards and for height and angle. The two-stage let-off can also be adjusted but I did my usual thing of testing it straight from the box, as that’s how I imagine most people are going to use it. On the review gun, it had quite a deep first stage which came to a very positive stop followed by a crisp, predictable and creep-free second stage let-off.
There is a rocker type safety catch sensibly positioned to the rear left side of the action block, well away from the trigger. The configuration of the thumbhole stock design means you can’t reach the catch with the thumb of your trigger hand but it’s still easy enough to access. Furthermore, it is virtually silent in operation – great news for hunters like me who attach a lot of importance to stealth. It is safe when in the rearward position and you just push it forward when you’re ready to take the shot.
Below top: The exceptional trigger system on the BSA Airsport SL delivers predictable, creep-free shot release
Below bottom: Well positioned and simple to operate, the safety catch is also very quiet
The BSA Airsport SL is a full-power airgun, and the review gun was running at 11.4ft/lb with .177 BSA Gold Star pellets. It is also regulated, which makes for very consistent power output – variation over a ten-shot string remained within seven feet per second with pellets taken straight from the tin.
Maximum fill pressure is 232 bar and, thanks to the 300cc carbon wrap bottle and efficient regulator, to it delivers a pretty healthy shot count. From a full charge, you can expect about 260 shots in .177 calibre and more than 300 in .22 and .25. Onboard pressure is displayed on a gauge that’s sunken into the underside of the stock. Next to that is the inlet where you couple-up with a Foster connector to refill.
I have a BSA R-12 and an Ultra SE of my own – they are very accurate airguns so I had high hopes for the Airsport SL. It didn’t disappoint; the regulated firing cycle, high-quality barrel and extremely predictable trigger made easy work of tight single-hole grouping at 30m when shooting from the support of a bench. Paired with the supplied BSA Armoury 6-24x44 scope and shooting BSA Gold Star pellets, grouping remained comfortably within 20mm at 40m range. However, later testing with H&N Baracuda 8 pellets resulted in even better performance, with sub 20mm groups at 50m in windless conditions. This highlights the importance of experimenting to find the best ammo match for your airgun’s barrel.
That level of precision means the Airsport SL more than meets the standard for humane pest control and is also a very nice gun to shoot. The latter point was really hammered home when I had to literally drag the rifle away from the Airgun Extra cameraman after letting him have a go during our filming sequence on the range.
I have also really enjoyed shooting the BSA Airsport SL and was especially impressed with its potential for serious accuracy. Its styling is quite a departure from the Birmingham gunmaker’s more established offerings, but it is a tough and very functional airgun that you don’t have to wrap in cottonwool. Most importantly, you can really feel the BSA pedigree when running shots through it – and that level of reassurance counts for a lot.
MAKER: BSA Guns, Birmingham
MODEL: Airsport SL
UK DISTRIBUTOR: Range Right
PRICE: £899 (plus £129.99 for forend extension)
LENGTH: 1040mm (41in) with supplied silencer fitted
WEIGHT: 3.4kg (7.5lb) unscoped
BARREL LENGTH: 380mm (15in)
MAX FILL PRESSURE: 232 bar
Article first published April 7th 2026
