BSA Defiant
- Category
- Rifle
- Barrel
- 470 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.10 kg
- Introduced
- 2016
About
What it is, and why it matters
The BSA Defiant is a pre-charged pneumatic (PCP) bullpup air rifle produced by the Birmingham Small Arms Company. It was BSA's first bullpup design, pairing a regulated action and a 470mm cold hammer forged barrel with spring-assisted side-lever cocking and a 10-shot rotary magazine. Offered in .177 and .22 calibres with an ambidextrous walnut, black soft-touch or black pepper stock, it is aimed at hunting and target shooting within the UK 12 ft/lb legal power limit.
The Defiant marked BSA's move into the bullpup air-rifle market, compressing a full-length barrel into a compact carbine layout by seating the action behind the trigger.
Charged from a 232 bar air cylinder, delivering roughly 120 shots per fill in .22 and 110 in .177. A .177 version reaches about 251 m/s (825 ft/s) muzzle velocity.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- BSA Guns (UK) Ltd
- Category
- Rifle
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Status
- In production
- Produced
- 2016
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 470 mm
- Overall length
- 780 mm
- Weight, empty
- 4.10 kg
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Gas operated
- Firing mechanism
- Hammer fired
- Trigger
- Two stage
- Capacity
- 10
- Magazine
- Detachable box
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Aluminum
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Walnut
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 174 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 16 J
- Effective range
- 45 m
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Bullpup configuration
Spring assisted side lever cocking
Regulated action
Cold hammer forged barrel
Adjustable two stage trigger
10 shot rotary magazine
Ambidextrous stock
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 60 .22 Air (5.5mm) rifles | 4.10 kg | 3.20 kg | Heavier than about 90% |
| Overall lengthAmong 60 .22 Air (5.5mm) rifles | 780 mm | 987 mm | Shorter than about 90% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 58 .22 Air (5.5mm) rifles | 470 mm | 487 mm | Shorter than about 60% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 60 .22 Air (5.5mm) rifles | 10 | 10 | Holds fewer rounds than about 60% |
Its place in the rankings
Answers
Questions about the BSA Defiant
How much does the BSA Defiant weigh?
The BSA Defiant weighs 4.10 kg (9.04 lb) empty.
What caliber is the BSA Defiant?
The BSA Defiant is chambered in .22 Air (5.5mm).
How many rounds does the BSA Defiant hold?
The BSA Defiant holds 10 rounds, fed from a detachable box magazine.
How long is the BSA Defiant?
The BSA Defiant is 780 mm (30.7 in) long overall, with a 470 mm (18.5 in) barrel.
Who makes the BSA Defiant?
The BSA Defiant is made by BSA Guns (UK) Ltd (United Kingdom).
When was the BSA Defiant introduced?
The BSA Defiant was introduced in 2016.
How does the BSA Defiant operate?
The BSA Defiant uses a gas operated action, and its firing mechanism is hammer fired.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
Provenance
Confidence in this record
80%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/bsa-defiant' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "bsa-defiant", "name": "BSA Defiant", "manufacturer": { "id": "bsa", "name": "BSA Guns (UK) Ltd", "countryCode": "GB", "foundedYear": 1861, "website": "https://bsaguns.co.uk", "logoUrl": null, "description": "British manufacturer of air rifles, scopes, and shooting accessories with over 160 years of gunsmithing heritage.", "status": null, "defunctYear": null, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": null, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "updatedAt": "2026-06-21 23:00:46", "version": "5c5fd5adcdb58a5c06cfa9afa502ba7c008d08d9cd9fe76c3812269343a10d2f" }, "category": { "id": "rifle", "name": "Rifle", "description": "Long-barreled firearms designed for accurate shooting" }, "country_of_origin": "GB", "year_introduced": 2016, "barrel_length_mm": 470, "weight_empty_g": 4100, "action_type": "gas_operated"}