BG international. What is it? Pre- Britarms pistol?

Dear fellow target shooters,

I was googling Britarms, just out of interest. Match pistols, especially the unknown and rare ones I find interesting.
I would like to know a bit more about Britarms. If you see one for sale or otherwise on the internet it always is a 2000 MK2.
What does the MK1 and MK3 look like? What are the differences? And was the .32 version actually built? A flyer mentioning MK3 and .32 versions I found but do they exist?
The history of the Britarms pistol was cruelly interrupted by the 1997 UK gun ban.


Those questions I have asked Alan Westlake from Westlake engineering and after his holiday he would get back to me. Of course If anyone has more info on the Britarms to share, please!
One of the things I asked him is what is the relation to the FAS/Domino pistols. Same designer? Copy?

But that is not what I really wanted to ask. My question is, what is this? Found on an Austrian auction site Dorotheum. Starting on $34 and did not sell.
BG arms. I can not find any info on it. Not one other picture. Is it a prototype? Looks production to me. Maybe a bit Crude but I like it.
BG maybe stands for Brit Arms? I will ask Mr Westlake this but who knows he might never have seen it too and one of you guys knows more?
It is missing its trigger and other parts. And has a strange nut, to fix it in a display cabinet?
When comparing pictures I can only conclude it is related.

Who does now more?






A Britarms to compare



The Britarms flyers

I am not sure they are related. The Britarms feeds from the top. This pistol looks to have a magazine the feeds from the bottom. There are some similarities but many differences. But the same could be said if a S&W revolver and a Colt revolver.

That is true. But the DES-69U was a bottom feeder and the DES-96U a top feeder.
Progress in design?

There may be more people with knowledge on targettalk.org

I would ask on Targettalk.  To be there is a strange similarity to the IZH-35m.  The profile of the trigger guard is very similar.  I cannot see the top of the gun, however the Izzy has a downward hinged hammer, fairly unusual.  It doesn't quite look like the case here but I can't really tell.

I guess BG appears to be a manufacturer, not an importer?  Interesting pics, I have never seen this one and I've seen a lot of weird target 22's.

EDIT: nevermind re IZH, just looked, the trigger guard is pretty similar shape but the upper of the receiver is totally different.

Speaking as a British pistol shooter at the time I remember the BG first coming on the market. The manufacture & design had nothing to do with the Britarms pistols.

I don’t know how many BG’s were made but it can’t have been many - I have a recollection of them being advertised for a year or so. I never handled one. They had no real advantage over the Britarms which by then were well established & very effective pistols (I had a Britarms as light relief from my Free Pistol main interest).

Regards
Russell

Under the heading of esoteric target pistols I've got a Sako Tri Ace and a Morini 102 E that will be on the market soon

tujuggernaut wrote:I would ask on Targettalk.  To be there is a strange similarity to the IZH-35m.  The profile of the trigger guard is very similar.  I cannot see the top of the gun, however the Izzy has a downward hinged hammer, fairly unusual.  It doesn't quite look like the case here but I can't really tell.

I guess BG appears to be a manufacturer, not an importer?  Interesting pics, I have never seen this one and I've seen a lot of weird target 22's.

I used to have a IZH-35. The only similarity between the IZH-35 & the BG is they were both chambered for .22 LR. Very different designs. 

BG was British made.

Regards
Russell

pilkguns wrote:Under the heading of esoteric target pistols I've got a Sako Tri Ace and a Morini 102 E  that will be on the market soon

Tri Ace looked pretty cool, that and the GSP500 might be best looking 22lr target pistols

I asked on Targettalk but no hit yet.

But asked on our Dutch forum as well. And someone had an old German book with some info.
See bottom left. Bowers & Gaskin. English, around 1981.
Stated is that this came on the market from till then an unknown companie.
Mentioned is also the similarities on the sights.

Googling does not find anything. I guess it was not successful but at least one item made it to Astria. Then maybe also to Germany.
I will ask on a German forum.

I do like it more and more. Probably never find one but the investigation is nice to undertake.

jeroenw114 wrote:I asked on Targettalk but no hit yet.

But asked on our Dutch forum as well. And someone had an old German book with some info.
See bottom left. Bowers & Gaser. English, around 1981.
Stated is that this came on the market from till then an unknown companie.
Mentioned is also the similarities on the sights.

Googling does not find anything. I guess it was not successful but at least one item made it to Astria. Then maybe also to Germany.
I will ask on a German forum.

I do like it more and more. Probably never find one but the investigation is nice to undertake.

The BG has nothing to do with the Britarms.

As far as I can recall the BG (B&G International to give it the correct name) was made by Bowler & Gaskins

It’s also a totally different design to the Britarms & was produced as a competitor to the Britarms pistols. I did consider buying a BG (B&G) when it was introduced but it offered nothing over the Britarms I already used.

The magazine called ‘Target Gun’ reviewed the B&G pistol (early 1982 I think). ‘Target Gun’ magazine was published here in the UK & was eventually renamed ‘Target Sports Magazine’.

That was the januari 1982 issue. Just found an bought on ebay.