Webley Hawk Mk III Accuracy

[Hsing-ee]

Before I overhaul this rather tired Webley Hawk Mk III, I decided to do some accuracy testing. The spring seems shot, and the power must be about 4 fpe.

I tried three types of pellets, Hobby, RWS Superdome and Defiant 5.6mm. Because that is I have in .22.

The RWS Superdomes worked best, and at 15 yards a ten shot group is 18mm, nine of the pellets fitting in to a 13mm circle. So you can hit a 1 pence piece with this tool at 15 yards every time.

I tried again at 30 yards but either the rifle became wildly inconsistant, the low muzzle energy cause the pellets to destabilise, the crap scope I grabbed out of the spares box was causing problems or my shooting went off, because it looked like a shotgun spread, 25 shots in a 10cm by 6 cm vertical spray. Not the neat 30mm group I expected.

I might try again with another scope, and with a few turns taken off the trigger weight. The trigger is actually a surprise, smooth and consistent. Just heavy and with a narrow blade. It is a single stage, but so what?

Anyway, I think a half-inch group at 15 yards is not bad for this old musket. I had believed they were one of the worst air-rifles made in Britain, or maybe anywhere, but I enjoyed shooting it. Apart from the safety issue, whereby the slightly oval back block retaining bolt hole means if you squeeze the trigger with the safety on, and then press the safety to 'FIRE' the rifle will discharge. That I did not like.

[harry mac]

Provided your eyes are up to it (and it has them) try the same test again with open sights. Whether or not a Hawk shoots well with a scope fitted is down to the amount of "wiggle" in the barrel lock up.