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Thread: In praise of Webley air pistols

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  1. #1
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    ggggr is offline part time super hero and seeker of justice
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    In praise of Webley air pistols

    A lot of you know that I have messed around with a lot of old and pretty knackered guns since I joined the site. I have come across a lot of abused guns/broken guns/ guns that are virtually impossible to repair or get spares for and some plain old crappy designs. One of the things that stand out are Webley pistols. Think of how old the design is. Think of how much abuse some of these have had and how many are still working.
    got a few (cough,cough) of these things now. a tin grip junior, early Mk1 with a safety, later post war mk 1,mid 50,s junior, senior,premier,premier and junior mk2's, typhoon,hurricane and tempest. Ok they are not the most powerful of guns and I wish they had done a beefed up one with a larger diameter cylinder and stronger linkage. They are not the most accurate of guns either and with that firing cycle take some getting used to. The grips on most models will chip or crack with a little abuse and the linkage and pins can wear, usually with abuse as well.
    BUT---when you think about it. With the junior they made a gun that could take the abuse young boys could throw at it (I think Edbear put up an advert of some running round a camping site, shooting in the glory years before everyone was terrified of "GUNS" :rolleyes) Some of these things are still going strong after 80 years. I think that there are about 20 parts in a Junior? You can undo 1 screw and then the end cap and get the mainspring and piston out in about a minute! The mk1 and senior are similar, even the early mk1 with the end cap at the rear and the little lock screw to locate it. The Mk1 and premier sears could do with being a bit tougher but they last long enough I suppose. All of the guns up to the Hurricane could be stripped without removing the trigger. I usually strip guns right down but it is a bit of a pain on the later ones having to strip the trigger to get the piston out. That is a criticism of the later guns as well as the plastic fore end and grips. But these things plink great, despite the short sight line. With practice, with anything from an earlier junior or mk1, right through to the last tempests and hurricanes, it is possible to hit bottle caps more often than not at 7 or 8 yards. Now that is not bad really is it? I know a few people on here do wooden grips for these pistols and if you want a bit of fun plinking, buy yourself a rough Webley pistol and a set of wooden grips and you will have something that will last longer than you.
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    My first gun was my Webley Senior. Second hand from my grandad one Xmas 37 years ago. I still have it and must have fired it tens of thousands of times. Loads of memories but never been an easy one to shoot. Just good fun...
    Last edited by Big Seth; 08-01-2013 at 10:18 PM.

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    Webley pistols

    Very interesting stuff, just a thought but has anyone got any views on the way a .177 shoots as opposed to a .22

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    Quote Originally Posted by pushbikeman View Post
    Very interesting stuff, just a thought but has anyone got any views on the way a .177 shoots as opposed to a .22
    I have always been a one handed precision target shooter and was used to shooting high quality PCP pistols, always in .177 calibre, so naturally chose this calibre when I got interested in vintage Webley spring air pistols. I did however pick up a couple of Seniors and a Premier in .22 which I didn't expect to be as accurate as their .177 counterparts. In practice this has not proved to be the case and the .22 pistols appear to just as accurate at 10 metres. I shoot H&N Match flat head pellets in .177 and RWS Hobby pellets in .22. The main thing I have found which affects accuracy in these old springers is follow through. If you hold the pistol on aim for a couple of seconds after pressing the trigger the results are improved dramatically. Of course you still need to use the correct, stance, grip, breathing, sight picture and trigger control, but I have found follow through to be most important for me anyway.

    Regards

    Brian

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    Webley pistols

    I've noticed barrels on early Mk1s and Mk11's tend to "banana" if they are .22.Simply not enough steel to be a cocking lever.
    Trev

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    I really like Webley pistols, having started with a tin grip Junior back in the '70's. I have an early Hurricane now, but wish I still had my placcy grips Mk 1.
    I was interested in Trevor's remark re the banana barrel on the .22. Mine had this, & at the time I assumed that it was due to 'bear trapping' - I think that's the term for when the trigger is operated when the action is open.
    Does anyone make wooden grips for the Hurricane? If so, what's a ball park figure re cost?
    Webley Mk3 x2, Falcon & Junior rifles, HW35x2, AirSporter x2, Gold Star, Meteors x2, Diana 25. SMK B19, Webley Senior, Premier, Hurricane x 2, Tempest, Dan Wesson 8", Crosman 3576, Legends PO8.

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    ggggr's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by laverdabru View Post
    I really like Webley pistols, having started with a tin grip Junior back in the '70's. I have an early Hurricane now, but wish I still had my placcy grips Mk 1.
    I was interested in Trevor's remark re the banana barrel on the .22. Mine had this, & at the time I assumed that it was due to 'bear trapping' - I think that's the term for when the trigger is operated when the action is open.
    Does anyone make wooden grips for the Hurricane? If so, what's a ball park figure re cost?
    think some of the earlier pistols could benefit from a slightly lighter spring to reduce the stresses on the guns. On a lot of old rifles, I just fit a spring that will do for plinking. A lot of ASI paratroopers get trigger failure because strong springs have been fitted.

    A few people on here or that auction site do grips. Airgunner.177 has done me a few pairs of Walnut grips. Prices usually around the £28 mark but seen them go for more at auction.
    Cooler than Mace Windu with a FRO, walking into Members Only and saying "Bitches, be cool"

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