Webley Longbow ... The Omega MkII

[Gareth W-B]

Just passing on some info to my fellow collectors here really, as though some of you may find the following interesting. I had a most informative and detailed chat with a well known and respected Brum-based springer guru recently, and told him that as a life long lover of the Webley Omega, that I also now found myself championing the Brum-built Webley Longbow as a great British air rifle, too.

Not only did he agree with me wholeheartedly, but (and wait for it) he also told me, that during the development of the Longbow to replace the short lived, long stroked, Webley Tomahawk (a rifle best suited for FAC levels, which struggled, unfettled, below 12ft.lb), the R&D bods at Webley were going to call it the Omega MkII before the marketing men came up with the name Longbow. Fact or fiction? Knowing the source, I'd say fact. There, food for thought for my fellow anoraks to cogitate over . Atb: G.

[Hsing-ee]

They couldn't call it the 'Omega II' because that is a giant oxymoron with bells on. You can't have something that is 'the ultimate' and then advance a step further than that without seeming silly.

From wikipedia's definition...

Omega (the last letter of the Greek alphabet) is used to denote the last, the end, or the ultimate limit of a set, in contrast to Alpha, the first letter of the Greek alphabet.

and

An oxymoron (plural oxymora (Greek plural) or, more often, oxymorons) ("sharply dull" in Greek) is a figure of speech that combines normally contradictory terms.



I THINK ....

They called it the 'Longbow' because of Henry V by Shakespeare, 'Once more into the Breech' (with your Superdomes) and race-memories of driving off Johnny Foreigner with clouds of broadhead arrows...

Sadly, poetic names don't sell rifles. I mean, the Feinwerkbau Sport 124 is named after a crappy Fiat but sold tens of thousands. Although they don't make the 'Sport any more either...

Erm what about ... The HW80? Named after a type of Scottish beer. Nothing less glamorous than that, I'd say, but still selling in their thousands...

And the Longbow doesn't have the barrel-latch and other features of the Omega, so HOW VERY DARE the Webberlies even think of calling their Longvulcanbow an Omega?

[Gareth W-B]

Oh Alistair my friend, you do make I laugh.

[slug-gun]

My thoughts are that it would have been ridiculous and confusing to call the Longbow the Omega Mk.2, as they are completely different rifles, and the Longbow for instance lacks the open sights, barrel catch etc of the Omega.
'Mk.2' versions of anything are normally just subtle improvements on the original, and the Longbow was not that in relation to the Omega.
Having said that the Longbow is an excellent rifle in its own right, and is properly named as something to differentiate it from its predecessor.
Also it follows the same theme in terms of name as the Tomahawk - if the Longbow had been the Omega Mk.2 then what would they have called that?

[Hsing-ee]

Also it follows the same theme in terms of name as the Tomahawk - if the Longbow had been the Omega Mk.2 then what would they have called that?

They would have called it the 'Cods Liver'.

Webley did like romantic names, I had a Webley-badged QB78 (nice one actually, but still a QB78!) which was given the name of

The Webley Firebolt


I think it is as pretentious a name as the Relum 'Tornado' and also literally untrue - a long accuracy testing session meant the action chilled so much that the bolt seized in the action.

Should have been called The Webley Frostbolt.

[mallyally]

stingray tommahawk longbow exocet patriot are all named after missiles are they not so why go back to the omega name
dont think so

[Hsing-ee]

stingray tommahawk longbow exocet patriot are all named after missiles are they not so why go back to the omega name
dont think so

Yes you are right Malcolm!

Did BSA name theirs after ciders?

[mallyally]

Yes you are right Malcolm!

Did BSA name theirs after ciders?

no only the METEOR and MERCURY

[boku]

stingray tommahawk longbow exocet patriot are all named after missiles are they not so why go back to the omega name
dont think so

The Patriot is a missile too, isn't it?
I seem to remember it as a ground based anti-missile missile used during the first Gulf war.

[Hsing-ee]

The Patriot is a missile too, isn't it?
I seem to remember it as a ground based anti-missile missile used during the first Gulf war.

Errr ... that is what Malcolm said!


The Patriot is indeed an air-defence missile and it has been adapted to shoot down some types of missile as well. They hit a few Scuds in George Bush Snr's Gulf War. You'd have to aim off alot with a Webley Patriot to hit a supersonic missile, probably a battery of them would be necessary - and they are hard to cock!

[R. P. McMurphy]

Just passing on some info to my fellow collectors here really, as though some of you may find the following interesting. I had a most informative and detailed chat with a well known and respected Brum-based springer guru recently, and told him that as a life long lover of the Webley Omega, that I also now found myself championing the Brum-built Webley Longbow as a great British air rifle, too.

Not only did he agree with me wholeheartedly, but (and wait for it) he also told me, that during the development of the Longbow to replace the short lived, long stroked, Webley Tomahawk (a rifle best suited for FAC levels, which struggled, unfettled, below 12ft.lb), the R&D bods at Webley were going to call it the Omega MkII before the marketing men came up with the name Longbow. Fact or fiction? Knowing the source, I'd say fact. There, food for thought for my fellow anoraks to cogitate over . Atb: G.

The Longbow was named after a missile like the rest of Webley spring rifle line up at the time,its my belief that the Longbow was Webley's finest spring rifle too.

[boku]

Doooh.
Too much post Leeds victory beer fuelled euphoria means 'exocet' spells 'except'

[mallyally]

The Longbow was named after a missile like the rest of Webley spring rifle line up at the time,its my belief that the Longbow was Webley's finest spring rifle too.

ok dave buddy
your longbow only goes to prove your point

[mallyally]

doooh.
Too much post leeds victory beer fuelled euphoria means 'exocet' spells 'except'

:d:d:d:d why does it do that dddd thing sometimes

[R. P. McMurphy]

ok dave buddy
your longbow only goes to prove your point

Alright Mr Ally matey . Thanks mate,I like me Longbow meself too :-)