The new BSA XT-SL must be the most talked about airgun of the year. While some shooters have been surprised by the Birmingham gunmaker’s tactical direction with this offering, others have praised its functionality. Although its looks seem to be getting all the attention, I can tell you that its performance is nothing short of excellent.
Distributed in the UK by Range Right, the BSA XT-SL has a recommended retail price of £999. That’s not cheap but this British airgun has been designed to deliver high-end precision and functionality, and you’ll struggle to get that for under a grand.
Minimalistic design and the use of polymers helps to keep the weight down on the XT-SL. It tips the scales as just over 3kg and, because of its length-adjustable butt, overall length can be extended from around 940mm to around 1020mm. Most importantly, it’s a nicely balanced airgun and is comfortable in the shoulder.
The polymer stock is ambidextrous and its forend incorporates an underside Picatinny accessory rail. As standard, it gives you around 40mm of clamping space. However, if you fit the optional aluminium extension rail, which costs £129.99, as seen here, you get around 190mm of clamping space.
Moving back, you can see the polymer stock also incorporates the trigger guard, and just in front of that is a recess which can hold a spare magazine very securely. If you want more magazine storage, the Mag Accessory, which costs £79.99 can hold two spares – either standard or the high-capacity version. Styled like a machine gun magazine, the Mag Accessory also enhances the XL-SL tactical aesthetic. It snaps into place and appears to be secured by magnets, although its attachment doesn’t seem to be sturdy enough to enable it to be used as a handle.
Below top: The BSA XT-SL is tactically-styled for functionality
Below bottom: You can carry spare magazines in the optional Mag Accessory
The stock features an AR-type pistol grip. It’s quite a simple design but is comfortable and effective and set me up for the trigger perfectly well. The grip is a modular component, so you could swap it out for a different design if you wanted to.
The butt stock is another modular component that can be swapped out, and I can see shooters who want to use high scope mounts opting for something with more elevation. However, although fairly basic, the standard setup is actually very good. It incorporates a sling attachment point but, more importantly, it is length adjustable, with different stop points shifting length of pull from 280mm to 360mm, meaning just about anyone should be able to achieve a comfortable fit. It’s a push-button mechanism and, what impressed me most was the fact that it’s probably the most secure one I have ever used. There is virtually no wobble in it – which is more than can be said for a lot of others.
That solid, dependable build quality is apparent throughout and the XT-SL is covered by a five-year warranty. It also boasts BSA’s famous cold hammer forged barrel which is renowned for its accuracy. It’s a 380mm barrel, available in .177, .22 and .25 calibres. It is threaded, and comes supplied with a highly-effective BSA silencer, which does a brilliant job of keeping it quiet.
Scope attachment is via a Picatinny rail. There are two sections straddling the magazine slot and they give a combined clamping space of about 150mm. It’s a nice secure setup that should be sufficient to accommodate most optics.
Below top: The extendable butt on the XT-SL has one of the most secure mechanisms Mat has used
Below bottom: Hunters are assured very quiet shooting with the supplied BSA silencer
The XT-SL runs a tried and tested 12-shot metal magazine. It comes supplied with one, and a high-capacity 20-shot magazine is also available. I really like these magazines – they feel reassuringly solid, they’re easy to load and they have a very clear shot counter on them.
That magazine is driven by a brilliant sidelever action. Unfortunately, it can’t be reversed for left-handers, but it features a really nice rotating, grooved dropdown handle. BSA have done away with their anti-double-loading system on this setup. Personally, I don’t think that’s a huge deal on a sidelever action, which is harder to double-load than a bolt action. The key thing is that this mechanism is slick and reliable – it’s just a joy to use.
Below top: BSA's proven 12-shot magazine is at the heart of the multi-shot action on the XT-SL
Below bottom: A smooth yet positive sidelever action ensures rapid and reliable cocking and loading
The trigger on the XT-SL is excellent. In fact, out of the box, I think it might be the best I’ve had on a review gun this year. It has a match-type blade, which can be adjusted forwards and backwards and for height and angle. Out of the box, the actual action is awesome. First stage weight and travel are perfect. There is then a very clear stop point before the second stage break, which is crisp, clean and completely free from any creep.
There is a neat little safety catch at the rear of the action – sensibly away from the trigger and still easy enough to access. It’s safe when the switch is in the central upright position and you simply flick it across to the right when you’re ready to take the shot.
Below top: The BSA XT SL has a very, very good trigger which is fully-adjustable
Below bottom: The safety catch is discreetly positioned at the rear of the action
The BSA XT-SL is fitted with a 300cc carbon bottle. You could replace it with a smaller or larger option but I think this one balances quite nicely and shot capacity is pretty good. From a full charge you can expect more than 160 shots in .177 calibre and more than 210 in .22. Maximum fill pressure is BSA’s standard 232 bar – on board pressure is displayed on a colour coded gauge in the belly of the stock.
As for power, this one is running at around 11.5ft/lb. It shares a lot of components with the brilliant R-12, but I’m told its regulator is a new and improved version. It is certainly very good and kept shot to shot variation within 5fps over a ten-shot string with pellets taken straight from the tin. Apart from improving consistency, I imagine that regulator is also improving air efficiency. When it is time to refill, just remove the cover from the belly of the stock to expose the inlet which – very cleverly – is equipped with its own filter. It’s a Foster connection, which makes for fast coupling without the need for an additional probe.
Below top: The 300cc carbon bottle keeps weight down and delivers enough shots to cover any hunting trip
Below bottom: Lift the cap that frames the gauge to access the inlet which is equipped with its own filter
I’ve mentioned shot to shot consistency, the cold hammer forged barrel and the excellent trigger. Those three factors are a pretty good indication that this should be a very accurate airgun, and it is. Shooting from a bench in windless conditions, and running BSA Goldstar pellets, it was more or less pellet on pellet at 30 metres and was still producing cloverleaf single-hole groups at 40 metres. This gun is right up there when it comes to precision.
Any armchair experts who want to take potshots at the new tactical direction of the BSA XT-SL should reserve judgement until they have actually given it a try. It might be a bit of a departure from what people typically expect from BSA, and that might not be to everyone’s taste, but it happens to be a very good British-made airgun. It’s been built for functionality and combines that with a refined shooting experience and exceptional accuracy.
MAKE: BSA Guns, England
DISTRIBUTOR: Range Right
MODEL: XT-SL
PRICE: £999
LENGTH: Adjustable – 940mm to 1020mm
LENGTH OF PULL: Adjustable – 280mm to 360mm
WEIGHT: 3.1kg
POWER: 11.5ft/lb
SHOTS PER FILL: 160-plus in .177, 210-plus in .22 and .25
Article first published September 9th 2026
