Double Spring Clip Webley Mk1 Air Pistol.

[micky2]

l have just been on Jimmies very good airgun sight, and with the blown up photo on there. is just me, or is there a very faint number 2 and 1 stamped under the 15 of the pistol that is in Holts auction.

[JimmieDee]

l have just been on Jimmies very good airgun sight, and with the blown up photo on there. is just me, or is there a very faint number 2 and 1 stamped under the 15 of the pistol that is in Holts auction.

Thanks Micky.

Yes, I think there is a faint 2 and a 1 as well. There may also be a 3 but that's even harder to make out. The overstamping I find the most intriguing part of this pistol. Why would anyone restamp it? Even if it was returned to the factory, why would Webley restamp it?

[slug-gun]

Of course. I'm usually more careful with my words as you know. Maybe the word "probably" would be more appropriate. But as you say, without any official proof, we only have physical evidence to base our assumptions on.

But let's take each of the three potential explanations and explore them....

The first one I think I read sarcasm coming through. We know of at least two such pistols. It's possible that both may have been repaired by the owner. But I think this very unlikely. I also measured the breech blocks of mine this morning and could not tell any difference in length from the rear to the front. I would have expected some difference if it had been re-machined to remove any signs damage. I'll take another indepth look this evening. But let's be perfectly clear. Mine, and it sounds like the other, show absolutely no signs of repair or damage in this area.

The third case is very similar to the first. Do we think Webley would have re-machined and reblued pistols that had been returned to the factory? Hmm. I wouldn't have thought so. That's a lot of work perhaps. It may have been cheaper to send out a replacement and repackage the original one with the lugs removed for resale. Who knows.

For me, option two sounds the most plausible and pondering over these questions is one of the most interesting parts of collecting in my opinion.

Maybe in time other double spring clips will be revealed and may so the same trend, or not. We do know for certain that Webley kept improving their designs. We also know that some, probably the later variants of the double spring clip, did indeed have the compression tube cap locking screw as shown in Gordon's book if you look carefully, but also on my own later pistol. I wonder if the other later pistol mentioned above also has the locking screw?

All the best,
Jimmie Dee

There is no "sarcasm coming through" here - I am merely presenting a possible scenario, albeit an unlikely one in my opinion. Perhaps it is the negative vibe that you attributed to sarcasm - not so ?

Anyway I too am inclined to the opinion that Option 2 is the most likely but as has been stated until other lightly used, original and late numbered spring-clips come to light it is just a bit of interesting speculation at present.

[JimmieDee]

Does your later variant have the lock screw in the back?

[micky2]

Thanks Micky.

Yes, I think there is a faint 2 and a 1 as well. There may also be a 3 but that's even harder to make out. The overstamping I find the most intriguing part of this pistol. Why would anyone restamp it? Even if it was returned to the factory, why would Webley restamp it?

l am glad you think the same as me Jimmie as l thought it just might be my old eyes playing up. and l agree with you l can't understand why Webley would over stamp it for any reason, very strange indeed.

[JimmieDee]

Revisiting this thread as I have some new observations....

There were three proposed reasons for the missing breech protrusions:

To quote slug-gun, who is a very experienced collector and author of Webley Air Rifles 1925-2005, there are three scenarios:

1. Either both projections were broken off on a pistol which has seen very little use, and then expertly repaired and blued over by its owner to match the existing action?

2. Webley decided at some point, probably fairly late on in the making of the double spring clips, that the projections had a limited function and removed them during manufacture?

3. The pistol was sent back to the factory by the owner because the projections were bending or whatever, and Webley 'fettled' the pistol at that point in time?


Not too long ago, a double spring clip came appeared at Kempton. Looking at the photos it seems that it has the breech protrusions or at least one is intact. It is serial number 1257 which is pretty high. That would seem to preclude option 2. Unless this pistol, and maybe there are others, was old stock that Webley eventually decided to stamp with a serial number and sell. Would Webley have left stamping of the serial number to a late stage in the production cycle though?

More food for thought for sure!