BSA

BSA, an abbreviation for Birmingham Small Arms Company, was a British manufacturer of firearms, automobiles and military equipment. The company was founded in Birmingham, England in 1861. It was formed by fourteen gunsmiths from the Birmingham Small Arms Trade Association, who had jointly supplied weapons to the British government at the time of the Crimean War. The company began manufacturing bicycles in the 1880s and constructed it's first experimental motorcycle in 1903. In 1907, BSA produced its first prototype vehicle and sold 150 vehicles in the following year. In 1910, the British Daimler Company was purchased by BSA for its car engines.

BSA’s subsidiary business, BSA Bicycles Ltd, was purchased by bicycle manufacturer Raleigh Industries in 1956. The various motorcycle models by BSA included the M20, A10 Super Flash, A50R Royal Star, A65F Firebird Scrambler, B25 Barracuda, BSA Bantam and B50SS Gold Star 500, among others. Today, BSA is an airgun sport producer and distributor. Military equipment manufactured by BSA includes the Besa machine gun, Lee Enfield rifle and Sten submachine gun. Popular air rifles manufactured by BSA include BSA Goldstar Air Rifle, BSA Supersport Air Rifle and BSA Spitfire Air Rifle, among others. BSA products like badges, spare parts, collectable metal signs and boxed type number plates are widely available online.