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Thread: New Webley Service

  1. #46
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    FWIW, like Andrew I have grave doubts this venture will succeed while original Mk2 Services in good nick can be bought for £500 or so. Anyone wanting a more powerful, near-legal limit, air rifle will probably go for a more modern one, while the market for a high-priced, non-original classic reproduction without the bells and whistles of the original is surely tiny?

    But I applaud the innovation behind the idea.
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  2. #47
    micky2 is offline The collector formerly known as micky
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    Quote Originally Posted by Garvin View Post
    FWIW, like Andrew I have grave doubts this venture will succeed while original Mk2 Services in good nick can be bought for £500 or so. Anyone wanting a more powerful, near-legal limit, air rifle will probably go for a more modern one, while the market for a high-priced, non-original classic reproduction without the bells and whistles of the original is surely tiny?

    But I applaud the innovation behind the idea.
    l have to agree with you Danny, why would you do a reproduction of a rifle that there are still plenty of the originals about. with the only advantage being higher power. but good luck to them if they do it.

  3. #48
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    Well, after reading all these highly constructive comments, I hope someone will forward them to Sterling. As with launching any product, the views and observations of the potential users are essential. I really hope Sterling is successful with this launch, as and when it occurs, and also hope that it will, in time, give rise to a new family of air rifles from this well-known British manufacturer. There cannot be much more to invent in the field of air-gunning, so all the knowledge must be out there. That being the case, there is no reason why we cannot compete with the Germans on the technical ability - even although it would be pleasing were some new technology to emerge. This being the case, the essence is to capture the market and to do that, only the very best will succeed. An imitation of a design over 80 years old will not necessarily stimulate demand, especially at the price indicated.

  4. #49
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    Quote Originally Posted by andrewM View Post
    Well, after reading all these highly constructive comments, I hope someone will forward them to Sterling. As with launching any product, the views and observations of the potential users are essential. I really hope Sterling is successful with this launch, as and when it occurs, and also hope that it will, in time, give rise to a new family of air rifles from this well-known British manufacturer. There cannot be much more to invent in the field of air-gunning, so all the knowledge must be out there. That being the case, there is no reason why we cannot compete with the Germans on the technical ability - even although it would be pleasing were some new technology to emerge. This being the case, the essence is to capture the market and to do that, only the very best will succeed. An imitation of a design over 80 years old will not necessarily stimulate demand, especially at the price indicated.
    Hi Andrew,

    The Sterling stand at the show also had a full stocked PCP on display, where the walnut stock ended in a Schnabel tip and had s Stutzen look about it. With its Mannlicher profiled spoon shaped bolt, I felt this was one of the first PCPs that actually looked stylish. I should have photographed it but was concentrating on the Service. Nigel Allen filmed it whilst I was handling it for his You Tube Airgun TV channel if anyone is interested in this classically shaped PCP.

    John

  5. #50
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    City Air weapons, Solihull advertising them for sale pre order £975 on G..star.

  6. #51
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    Quote Originally Posted by erichtfisherman View Post
    City Air weapons, Solihull advertising them for sale pre order £975 on G..star.
    Is that for a Matched pair ?

  7. #52
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    Quote Originally Posted by erichtfisherman View Post
    City Air weapons, Solihull advertising them for sale pre order £975 on G..star.
    Thanks Tim,

    That's crazy - these rifles are unlikely to be available for some time and are not yet in production. Estimated price is between £700 and £900 according to Sterling.

    Kind regards,

    John

  8. #53
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    Quote Originally Posted by Garvin View Post
    FWIW, like Andrew I have grave doubts this venture will succeed while original Mk2 Services in good nick can be bought for £500 or so. Anyone wanting a more powerful, near-legal limit, air rifle will probably go for a more modern one, while the market for a high-priced, non-original classic reproduction without the bells and whistles of the original is surely tiny?

    But I applaud the innovation behind the idea.
    yeah I agree.. also if you pay £500 for an original, it's only going to be worth more a few years later. Pay £900 for the repro, and it'll be worth what, £200 less ?

    As said, I love the idea, but pricing is tricky to swallow...
    Always looking for any cheap, interesting, knackered "project" guns. Thanks, JB.

  9. #54
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    Quote Originally Posted by Josie & John View Post
    On the face of it, the ability to interchange barrels has always been one of the most attractive features of the Webley Service air rifle. However, I understand why Sterling are reluctant to offer this after speaking with the rifle's 'reverse engineer' at the British Shooting Show. Sterling want to offer power levels up to the legal limit and in order to do this, they would have to set up a multi barrelled set for a heavy .25 pellet, which is more efficient ballistically than a lighter .177. Therefore a rifle set up to shoot a .25 or even a .22 would be less efficient in .177 and therefore high power could not be offered in the smaller calibre. I am a huge fan of the original and if I am completely honest with myself, I do not regularly swap barrels/calibres unless I am experimenting for a review. Doing so results in different trajectories anyway, so having just one barrel but consistently high power kind of works for me.

    Agreed about open sights though. The rifle needs a quality peep sight in keeping with the original. It just so happens my friend Paul O'Donnell makes excellent replacement sights for the Service, so I'll speak to him when I next see him about this interesting project.

    John

    Two options ref removable barrel power issue...

    - make the larger cal barrels shorter to reduce ME.. can be counterbored if needed to preserve aeshetics
    - make the barels removable but not swappable - so you buy a gun with a .177 keyway barrel carrier, the keyway of the .177 only fits the .177 carrier. So long as the .22 key is larger in size, so it can't be fitted to the .177 carrier, you are fine. Least you preserve the takedown function
    Always looking for any cheap, interesting, knackered "project" guns. Thanks, JB.

  10. #55
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shed tuner View Post
    Two options ref removable barrel power issue...

    - make the larger cal barrels shorter to reduce ME.. can be counterbored if needed to preserve aeshetics
    - make the barels removable but not swappable - so you buy a gun with a .177 keyway barrel carrier, the keyway of the .177 only fits the .177 carrier. So long as the .22 key is larger in size, so it can't be fitted to the .177 carrier, you are fine. Least you preserve the takedown function
    Now these are both excellent ideas.

    Kind regards,

    John

  11. #56
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shed tuner View Post
    yeah I agree.. also if you pay £500 for an original, it's only going to be worth more a few years later. Pay £900 for the repro, and it'll be worth what, £200 less ?

    As said, I love the idea, but pricing is tricky to swallow...
    It it could be worth much more. How much were Whiscomes originally compared to what they cost now?

  12. #57
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    Quote Originally Posted by oneseven View Post
    It it could be worth much more. How much were Whiscomes originally compared to what they cost now?
    Just remind me, what were Whiscombe's a copy of ?

  13. #58
    micky2 is offline The collector formerly known as micky
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    Quote Originally Posted by erichtfisherman View Post
    City Air weapons, Solihull advertising them for sale pre order £975 on G..star.
    Hi Tim it could be that Stirling arms are testing the water with the reaction to pre-release?.

  14. #59
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    Quote Originally Posted by Josie & John View Post
    Hi Andrew,

    The Sterling stand at the show also had a full stocked PCP on display, where the walnut stock ended in a Schnabel tip and had s Stutzen look about it. With its Mannlicher profiled spoon shaped bolt, I felt this was one of the first PCPs that actually looked stylish. I should have photographed it but was concentrating on the Service. Nigel Allen filmed it whilst I was handling it for his You Tube Airgun TV channel if anyone is interested in this classically shaped PCP.

    John
    Hi John!

    If you could advise a contact email address for Sterling (I could not find one via the internet), I will forward to them the link here, so they can read the comments from various collectors and enthusiasts (I wonder if there is a discussion in place on the General Airgun forum, here, too). Were I the manufacturer, I would be keen to read the constructive comments. Alternatively, perhaps you could let them have the link, yourself, if you have not already done so.

    Best
    A

  15. #60
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    Quote Originally Posted by Troubledshooter View Post
    Just remind me, what were Whiscombe's a copy of ?
    They weren't really a copy as such, but were loosely based on a 1960 design patented by Kurt Giss :-

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