Webley Senior/Mk2 Target Question

[pjbingham]

I have a number of Webley air pistols and I cast my own grips. So far I have made replicas of the post War Mk1 grips and the pre war slant without the "Webley" logo and also the standard Junior grips. My question is are the grips from the Mk2 Target the same as the Pre war straight grip Senior? Reason being is I have a Mk2 Target but not a Pre war Senior to compare them,comparing pics they appear to be interchangeable. I am in the process of creating the moulds for the Mk2 Target but as you can imagine it will be good to find they are interchangeable with the Senior. I may be wasting my time but I am also making moulds for the A&S Warrior although tbh I've never heard of anyone having broken grips on one,theory is if I make some atleast there are some spares in excistance if need be. Atb Phil

[ccdjg]

Yes, the Mk 2 Target and pre-war straight grip Senior do have identical grips. Both made of vulcanite rather than the bakelite used for the slant grip Senior. As far as I can make out, the Warrior grips (old and newer versions) are made of horn (stained black) , which might explain why they do not chip so easily.

[pjbingham]

That's really good news,Thankyou for that The moulds turned out well so all good to go.
Regarding the Warrior grips that explains why they appear a little more robust plus they don't have the inherent weaknesses associated with the Webley grip pin/hole area I guess. Many thanks,Phil

[ccdjg]

Any chance of some pics and description of your work, as it sounds fascinating?

[pjbingham]

Any chance of some pics and description of your work, as it sounds fascinating?

Thankyou,I confess to being worse than useless with computars and have failed so far to work out how to post photos I'm afraid otherwise I'd be more than happy to.
I originally looked into casting grips as I saw a pic of JohnBaz's Premier with Ivory grips and found I couldn't buy any. I looked into making silicone moulds and started with taking casts of post war Webley slant grips. Did a few ivory pairs,then black and then someone suggested trying two-tone so I experimented with that. Moved on to pre War Mk1 grips and Juniors in both black and white. As a one off I cast a number of Webley Service butt plates for a very nice chap on here. I've been asked if I've made any for the straight grip senior which I hadn't as I've yet to add one to my collection sadly but I got my hands on a pair from a Mk2 Target hence the question. I made the moulds today which I'm pleased to say have turned out really well. There was enough silicone left over to make a mould of the Warrior grips too so rather than let it go to waste I did that. I've never been asked about Warrior grips but never say never.
I've not made any to sell,I've just swapped a few and given some to like minded chaps. Sounds sad but I just like the idea of helping to keep some of these old air pistols alive. Atb Phil

[pnird]

Fascinating! I restored a badly-mutilated Mark 2 by reconstructing the grip completely. That involved shaping and attaching the steel frame to the otherwise intact pistol. Having no certain knowledge about the grips, but being the owner of a Senior of the right vintage, I had a friend (a dental lab technician) cast new grips in dental casting plastic, using the Senior grips as the model. This was very successful. I like the idea of producing replacement grips for the Warrior, because I have two, both of which have the original horn grips, which are deteriorating. If you have the same success with these as with your Webley project, please let me know!

John