Webley Junior - Advice please .

[Gerry B]

I have been asked to sort out a Webley Junior for an associate.

It has absolutely no power.

It apparently has a new piston seal , barrel bush & main spring , but it just does'nt have enough puff to push a pellet out of the barrel.

I checked , pellets go through very smoothly with a brasss brazing rod .

What do I do now ?

[johnbaz]

Have you replaced the breech seal ?? (where the barrel closes down to)


John

[Gerry B]

Yes, a new rubber one fitted .

[Prewar]

Was it a leather piston washer? Maybe oversized, not lubricated?

[Fronteria]

I don't know if this is relevant but it might be of assistance to you. I bought a webley pistol with the same problem many years ago.
The problem in that case was caused by someone who had tried to remove the rear chamber plug and had moved it a few degrees this shut down the size of the hole from the cylinder to the barrel port/breech asm.
The next action was to strip it for parts and add the rest to scrap bin.

[Gerry B]

Was it a leather piston washer? Maybe oversized, not lubricated?

You may be right ! It is extremely tight , & almost dry .

Its looks new , must have been forced in .

I have a new seal soaking in linseed oil now , I'll fit it next week & try again.

Many thanks .

[Prewar]

You may be right ! It is extremely tight , & almost dry .

Its looks new , must have been forced in .

I have a new seal soaking in linseed oil now , I'll fit it next week & try again.

Many thanks .

Keep us posted!

[olivercromwell]

Check the barrel is not pinched at the breech - often caused by snapping the barrel closed with numerous 'nd's whilst cocked...

[johnbaz]

You may be right ! It is extremely tight , & almost dry .

Its looks new , must have been forced in .

I have a new seal soaking in linseed oil now , I'll fit it next week & try again.

Many thanks .

Gerry

Linseed oil whether boiled or raw will set solid eventually (boiled will set faster though), i think that engine oil is the right stuff for makingh the leather supple...

Boiled linseed oil sets relatively quickly and is used for treating timber whereas raw linseed oil is mixed with cement i believe to make glazing putty, it takes months to set but will set rock hard...


John

[Gerry B]

Well , the old gun is back to working , although it needs a loose pellet , 4.50 . Any thing bigger struggles .

It has a new piston seal , a barrel bush rubber & a new spring .

What a job to get the spring right , it was about 2 inches too long , compared to the old one .

Now , its working , cocking easily , about half an inch longer than the old spring .

So , gentlemen , thanks for all the advice & help .