Any further news yet on the arrival of the Webley Air Rifles book? Last I heard was projected to be end of September. Here we are, middle of October and it's still not out. Has it not been released, or could my order have been forgotten?
Any further news yet on the arrival of the Webley Air Rifles book? Last I heard was projected to be end of September. Here we are, middle of October and it's still not out. Has it not been released, or could my order have been forgotten?
The South of England has 2 good things, the M1 and the A1. Both will take you to Yorkshire.
I've seen the 29th October as publication date on two different websites.
Is the book any good and how much does it cost? Also does it cover webley air pistols?
The publisher is saying 30th October.
AFAIK the book covers Webley air rifles, not pistols. There is a book by Gordon Bruce on Webley air pistols.
Anyone who knows the author is very confident the book will be a 'must have' for anyone interested in Webley air rifles.
WH Smith are offering it at £43.40 and the publisher, Robert Hale books, at £49.
Vintage Airguns Gallery
..Above link posted with permission from Gareth W-B
In British slang an anorak is a person who has a very strong interest in niche subjects.
I have just received an e~mail from Smiths to say that publication date is 30th October.
For those who can't be bothered to 'Google' it, here's a link to the publishers web site telling you the estimated publishing date, their current price and a synopsis of the contents:
Webley Air Rifles
I have just had a call from WHSmith regarding my order. This was placed on 14 April but I did not receive it. I asked WHS why not and today have had a very nice chat with the customer services.
It appears that orders placed at £31 by some people in the period from mid April upto around June (??), became stuck in a (electronic?) system with the suppliers (Gardners?) that meant the order just sat there and was not actioned. I was advised that I had to cancel my order (which was done while I waited on the phone) and re-order the book at the higher price of £43.40. But WHS would then refund me the difference (£12.40) at the point of book despatch. I re-ordered and now await further communication ...
I had the impression that the other people who were still waiting for their early orders were being contacted by WHS, but if you have not been contacted soon then you may wish to contact WHs yourself. I believe this does not apply to those who ordered at the £43.40 price.
I await further developments.
Cheers, Phil
I think it is an extremely valuable book, particularly regarding the Mk.I, Mk.II, and Mk.III. The chapter on the Mk.III clears up all the anomalies that surround which variants had the early "double pull" trigger. The published serial no.`s and status of the known Mk.I`s are enlightening, and the illustrations of the Mk.II Service variants are superb. In my view the best book since John Griffith`s work on pistols, and look how that is regarded at present.
Laudator temporis acti
An extremely useful addition to my library. Chaps who bother to sit down and "put it all together ",do a tremendous service for our hobby. Nice to see my old Mk1 #s,577 and 787,in the lists.
I wonder if anyone is contemplating a Weihrauch book? So many marques(including Webley,BSA,Diana and FWB)stood in the shadow of this great German establishment in latter years.
Trev
One thing not mentioned by Chris Thrale in the Mk.III chapter is the alleged fragility of the early "double pull" trigger that is emphasised by Dennis Hiller in his book. I recently obtained an early Mk.III with this feature, the rifle being in well used condition, but this trigger works very well, and is lighter and superior in "feel" to those on later Mk.III`s. Is this so called fragility a myth? I can`t recall any complaints regarding the Diana`s that used this design which essentially is what Webley copied. It makes me think that if Webley had been really serious about making the Supertarget competitive they should have used this trigger and accepted that the cost would have been higher.
Laudator temporis acti
I think you're spot on about the suitability of the Diana double pull trigger as a better target trigger for the Mk3 Supertarget. I haven't come across any complaints about the Diana version of it either and I have quite a few of them that all work flawlessly.
I did wonder when I read Hiller on the subject whether somehow Webley had introduced a flaw into the manufacturing process when they set up the machinery to copy the trigger? Although surely by the 1960s Webley could have come up with something better? By then the German manufacturers, the FWBs, the Dianas, the Walthers and the Anschutzs had developed fantastic match triggers.
There's something cringeworthy to me about the final pattern Mk3 Supertarget, supposedly the finest match rifle Britain could produce in the early- to mid-1970s; a pre-War design with its absurdly incongruous modern (German) Anschutz diopter sight!
Vintage Airguns Gallery
..Above link posted with permission from Gareth W-B
In British slang an anorak is a person who has a very strong interest in niche subjects.