The "best" Webley pistol

[PaulR]

I collect Webleys - both rifles and pistols.
I use all of them - my pistol collection is:

Mark 1 -straight grip.
2x Mark 1s - slant grip.
2x Senior
2x Premier
1 x Junior (pre WW2)
1 x Junior (post WW2)
1 x Typhoon (original)
1 X Hurricane
1 X Tempest (original)
1 X Tempest (Centennial)
2 X Nemesis
1 X Typhoon (modern)

So as I say I use all of them and my overall favourite has to be the original Mark 1 - the design that started it all.

HOWEVER

I'd like to know from fellow enthusiasts what your favourite is.
I have heard that the Senior is the choice of many - but not mine, heavy and no trigger adjustment.
My overall choice (Mark1 aside) has to be the Premier - I have an "A" and an "E" - both shoot superbly, light triggers (with adjustment) and cock the smoothest of all of the others.

Anyone else have a opinion of them?

[Gareth W-B]

I'm a defo for the Senior lobby -- lovely curly trigger.

[anightrains]

MK1 slant grip 177

[edbear2]

Mk 3!

Mk 1 if air!

[PaulR]

I'm a defo for the Senior lobby -- lovely curly trigger.

My two must need sorting then.

They both have the strongest triggers ever and no way of adjusting. To be any way near accurate I have to aim way off left (if shooting right hand) as the triggers are so heavy that there is an inevitable "pull".

The Premiers (and to be honest most of the others) have the lightest of touches and I can use them with either hand and can adjust. Senior triggers - in my experience are very tight and therefore poor. I'll admit they look good though.

[ashf9999]

Of my many Webleys the Seniors takes it...possibly because it was the first air pistol my Dad introduced me to. Ok, the triggers are not adjustable, but I've never had an issue with them, including a very well used pre-war one. Closely followed for me by the original Senior pattern. Lovely.

[Josie & John]

I have a fondness for the early Premiers. They took the best features of the Mark 1 and Senior, these being adjustable trigger with no creep from the Mark 1 together with fully adjustable sight, stirrup catch and longer cocking stroke from the Senior to form a well made pistol in the Premier. Then costs reared their ugly head and cheaper manufacturing techniques inevitably reduced the overall quality of the Webley air pistol with the later series of Premiers. I think the A Series Premier was probably the peak of the design when all is said and done.

Kind regards,
John

[PaulR]

Ok - I'll expand.

When I was a teenager in the 1960's I had a Junior pistol and it was great.

Then I would have loved to have a "Senior" as that would have been SO "cool" but I just couldn't afford one then.

As an old man I rediscovered air weapons - I bought the "Junior" first as that reminded me of my youth. Then, at last, after all of those years (about 40) I knew I could finally get a "Senior". So I did and tbh I was disappointed - not much better than the Junior and the trigger was a bit shit.
I bought another - thinking maybe the first was faulty - but no still - disappointing.

Then I went back to basics and got the 1920's Mk1 and that lead me to buy all of the others.

Bottom line? I guess I am saying that I think the "Senior" was the worst compromise (trigger) Webley Birmingham came up with. Certainly a solid hunk of metal in your hand but they had already done that with the Mk1.

They got it right with the Premier though.

[PaulR]

I have a fondness for the early Premiers. They took the best features of the Mark 1 and Senior, these being adjustable trigger with no creep from the Mark 1 together with fully adjustable sight, stirrup catch and longer cocking stroke from the Senior to form a well made pistol in the Premier. Then costs reared their ugly head and cheaper manufacturing techniques inevitably reduced the overall quality of the Webley air pistol with the later series of Premiers. I think the A Series Premier was probably the peak of the design when all is said and done.

Kind regards,
John

Thank you John - that sums up precisely what I was stumblingly trying to say.

[ashf9999]

all Webleys are special...except the break barrel Typhoon.

[Josie & John]

all Webleys are special...except the break barrel Typhoon.

Can't argue with that. Only comment I would add is the break barrel Typhoon is not technically a Webley in my view. It has been made abroad to the spec of a company that bought the rights to the Webley name. I may be a little harsh here but to me, Webleys were made in the UK and after the factory closed in 2005, there is no more Webley.

John

[leroy02]

only yesterday did i finaly purchase a webley junior boxed and a premier boxed with the pellet tin targets and darts for years i have just bought only air rifles but these two are unused and perfect i only hope i am not drifting from my
original passion of air rifles as this could be very costly

[ashf9999]

I agree John. Wasn't it just a straight re-badge of the Hatsan 25? Not a very successful choice in my opinion. Yet the Alecto maybe proves that not all re-badges are a bad idea, even though there's no shiny deep blueing on show. Agree that post '05 is the cut-off date, but let's see what the future brings.

[ashf9999]

only yesterday did i finaly purchase a webley junior boxed and a premier boxed with the pellet tin targets and darts for years i have just bought only air rifles but these two are unused and perfect i only hope i am not drifting from my
original passion of air rifles as this could be very costly

Many of us have succumbed to the same problem. It can't be helped

[PaulR]

i only hope i am not drifting from my
original passion of air rifles as this could be very costly

Like me you have - although I started with pistols and went on to rifles - 2 x Webley Service Mk2 - and then the rest - Eclipse, 2x Mk3, Vulcan, Original boxed Hawk Mk 1 with both barrels, Junior (rifle), there are more. BUT they all get used.

Welcome to the dark (and costly) side!!!