Best Webley Rifle made?

[Geezer]

.
Ok, here goes. Imho ...


Best engineered, but worst designed: Service Mk.II

Best finish and build quality: the Mk.III

Best (personal choice) for nostalgia: the Vulcan

Best classic shooter: the Omega, and ...

Best over-all all-rounder: walnut Brum-built Longbow.

Fixed that for you, Gareth. Lovely guns, the Services, but the whole design is flawed. A sort of 1920s Sterling HR81.

[Gareth W-B]

Fixed that for you, Gareth. Lovely guns, the Services, but the whole design is flawed. A sort of 1920s Sterling HR81.

LOL.

[Troubledshooter]

Fixed that for you, Gareth. Lovely guns, the Services, but the whole design is flawed. A sort of 1920s Sterling HR81.

Ok, so what's 'flawed' about the whole design, apart from it being a tad underpowered in it's standard form ?

[Rickenbacker]

Ok, so what's 'flawed' about the whole design, apart from it being a tad underpowered in it's standard form ?

Is it because the piston travels the wrong way?

[Mach 1.5]

Seems the Longbow and Omega getting the thumbs up. Have a Stringray Express in .20 cal with full Webley Venom tune and it's a lovely bit of kit. Don't forget the Cobra Webley Venom did based on the Tommy. Only 12 made and they shoot AMAZING. Mach 1.5

[Geezer]

Is it because the piston travels the wrong way?

That and a long transfer port that forces the air to do two right-angle turns before it gets to the pellet.

In a pistol, those aren't such big issues, and they allow an appealing compactness compared to the more conventional layout. In a rifle, the performance limitations if the design are more apparent.

And I've never been sure about the quick-change barrel, from an accuracy point of view.

Don't get me wrong, they are fascinating, charming, important rifles. But as a shooting proposition, the LJ BSA and similar knock them for six on both power and accuracy. Which is probably a factor in why Webley replaced the MkII with the BSA (via Diana 45) derived MkIII.