Webley & Scott Service - The Holy Grail?

[piggy589]

Serial number 7###,a series three I inherited from my grandad,matching numbers on barrel,carrier and trigger guard.

It was always amusing to watch the .25 bricks on their way down range,although occasional dieseling certainly speeded things up .

[greasemonkey]

hi all,i dont know about the holy grail of airguns but the mk2 is a very pleasant thing to own and shoot .i also have quite a few BSA prewar underlevers.i like those a lot to shoot and own as well.i think one of the more enjoyable aspects of the MK2 is that most folk have never seen one and show great interest in such a quirky piece.i think the price differential is down to the webleys more complicated contruction means they have not survived in the numbers that the superbly engineered but more simply constructed BSA underlevers have.heres a few poor photo's of my MK2 which although in good mechanical condition had no original finish or pleasing patina so i restored it..cheers greasemonkey. http://i1278.photobucket.com/albums/...pstnpnqttf.jpg http://i1278.photobucket.com/albums/...psksfo2zpb.jpg http://i1278.photobucket.com/albums/...psclv97gxg.jpg

[johnbaz]

http://i1278.photobucket.com/albums/...pstnpnqttf.jpg http://i1278.photobucket.com/albums/...psksfo2zpb.jpg http://i1278.photobucket.com/albums/...psclv97gxg.jpg

Beautiful!!

Greasy- Your green room is fab!!


John

[greasemonkey]

Beautiful!!

Greasy- Your green room is fab!!


John

tis my man cave john,wife only allowed in to dust..

[Abasmajor]

hi all,i dont know about the holy grail of airguns but the mk2 is a very pleasant thing to own and shoot .i also have quite a few BSA prewar underlevers.i like those a lot to shoot and own as well.i think one of the more enjoyable aspects of the MK2 is that most folk have never seen one and show great interest in such a quirky piece.i think the price differential is down to the webleys more complicated contruction means they have not survived in the numbers that the superbly engineered but more simply constructed BSA underlevers have.heres a few poor photo's of my MK2 which although in good mechanical condition had no original finish or pleasing patina so i restored it..cheers greasemonkey. http://i1278.photobucket.com/albums/...pstnpnqttf.jpg http://i1278.photobucket.com/albums/...psksfo2zpb.jpg http://i1278.photobucket.com/albums/...psclv97gxg.jpg

Hi,

A very nice, well presented set. I think you a have a point regarding the relative simplicity of the BSA contributing to it's higher survival rate.

When I was looking for a Mk2 Service I really wanted a .177 or .22 example, but picked up one in .25 calibre at no extra cost so couldn't turn it down. I had intended to swap it later for a smaller calibre in the belief it wouldn't be as accurate for target shooting in the larger calibre. I have since discovered that with Rhino pellets it shoots very comparable groups to my smaller calibre BSA rifles at 20 to 25 yds.

Regards

Brian

[mark@mbb]

Hi every one I am looking for a Webley MK 1
If any one has one they are looking to sell
Even a MK 11 series 1 I would be interested in

[SRV1]

Mmmm....@greasemonkey; fantastic photographs of your collection. Bit by bit, my pleasurable experience with Protek may turn out to be one of joy after all.....can't wait for the ultimate climax of receiving it, the MK2 that is.

Didn't think there would be so much response and information, many thanks all.

Best regards to all....

[mrgeoff]

Like some, I struggle to know they they are so desirable.
Viewed with little knowledge, I had to have one, more so as it seemed like the perfect vintage as a take down I could carry on my motorcycle. Thank you to Pete for finding me a nice example to try.

The true experience was far from the fairytale. Clunky shot cycle, not that accurate, not that powerful, always smelling of oil like a dirty back street garage, just didn't enjoy it.

Give me a BSA of a similar vintage with a peep on any day, I will never sell my CS.

Still looking for a classic more motorcycle friendly rifle though. That's my holy grail...

[SRV1]

Oh no Mrgeoff....

Your comments on your experience of the Service is of great concern to me......no so much as taking it out on my old 1948 Matchless G3L, but, whether I have spent unwisely. I suppose I could have done better by buying many Airsportes for what I paid then?

[Garvin]

Oh no Mrgeoff....

Your comments on your experience of the Service is of great concern to me......no so much as taking it out on my old 1948 Matchless G3L, but, whether I have spent unwisely. I suppose I could have done better by buying many Airsportes for what I paid then?

Relax! You have bought a piece of history that is beautifully made and lovely to handle. You might even come to love the way it shoots. True, it probably doesn't perform quite as well as other rifles of its vintage, but that didn't stop thousands of people buying them at the time. And you can't compare the performance of a Webley Service with a rifle made decades later, so don't try.

[clarky]

Relax! You have bought a piece of history that is beautifully made and lovely to handle. You might even come to love the way it shoots. True, it probably doesn't perform quite as well as other rifles of its vintage, but that didn't stop thousands of people buying them at the time. And you can't compare the performance of a Webley Service with a rifle made decades later, so don't try.

I think this hits the nail on the head. I found mine at the time @1986 to be quite novel and quirky even though it was already decades old even then. Beautifully made but utterly trounced by the Lincoln Jeffries that i also owned.
A Service nicely cleaned out and with a good piston ring (we didnt super tune such guns back then so cannot comment) would hit about 10.3 ftlbs in .22 and a tad more with the .25 barrel.
As regard the 80 yd accuracy, i could usually get most of my shots into a 2 inch circle at about 20 odd yards with the apeture sight.....it was not the most accurate of tools.
In comparison a Lincoln Jeffries could hit 11.5 ftlbs all day long and the model D could stray over 12 in some cases.
The accuracy of both a good 1/2 inch smaller at the same range and handle much nicer..

[Binners]

Oh no Mrgeoff....

Your comments on your experience of the Service is of great concern to me......no so much as taking it out on my old 1948 Matchless G3L, but, whether I have spent unwisely. I suppose I could have done better by buying many Airsportes for what I paid then?

Fear not, I do not know how much you paid, or for which series, but if you secured the 2nd series they had for around £700, it will not turn into 5 magic beans. I reluctantly sold one for £900 last year.

[SRV1]

Mr Binners, spot on...looking for your next heads up it is then......many thanks for lifting my spirits, I was crying like Tim Farron over Brexit when I read that buying into a Service Mk2 would be a disaster. I have had so many mood swings over this thread and I haven't got it yet....! Maybe one of our experienced and savvy Collector NT boffins could set up one of those polls and see where the Service is ranked against other air rifles of that period?

All the best to all.......

[hwtyger]

Have you looked in the mirror lately.The pot calling the Kettle black.

Still its the truth.
Whats nice/beautifull and whats collectable/valueble is subjective to personal preference.
Its why we dont all drive the same cars either

[flogger]

Still its the truth.
Whats nice/beautifull and whats collectable/valueble is subjective to personal preference.
Its why we dont all drive the same cars either

Hope i did not offend you only joking, beauty is the eye of beholder.