Webley Osprey Supertarget.

[harry mac]

If you still had that HW35 now it would still be competitive with new recoilling springers, you can't say that for the others. £55 might have been alot but for 50 years of use it would be a bargain.

Longevity isn't solely the domain of the Weihrauch, I've got Hawks (and just sold almost a full set), all of which are in v.good to excellent condition.

[zooma]

I wasn't too distressed when I sold my Osprey Supertarget, but I have kept my Mark 3 Supertarget for many years afterwards as it just felt like it was an altogether better built Webley target rifle that worked better too!

My HW55T is a far better recoiling rifle for target use IMHO (as are my .177 HW35's that have been fitted with WH diopters) which I found very disappointing at the time as I really wanted my Osprey Supertarget to perform well enough to be competitive when used against them, but it was not good enough and so after working with it for a couple of years I reluctantly gave up and sold it.

I am not a Webley basher (as IJ will confirm), but I was really disappointed with my Osprey Supertarget and would not want to own another one!

[Hsing-ee]

Longevity isn't solely the domain of the Weihrauch, I've got Hawks (and just sold almost a full set), all of which are in v.good to excellent condition.

I have a Hawk Mk III which has seen some use, the breech jaws are spread and the end block pin is just starting to show signs of making its retaining hole oval. The Hawk cannot take the same amount of use as the HW35, it is just a weaker design, albeit a much cheaper one to make in the first place.

[Troubledshooter]

Still hoping to add a normal stocked Osprey ST to the collection one day

I may have one for disposal. I'll have to dig it out of the cupboard to confirm it has the standard stock. I also have a boxed Osprey, but I think that is in standard form.

[bill57]

My Supertarget, in a modified Tracker stock.



The extra stock bolt, coupled with extra "bedding" inside the stock, overcomes one of Webley's weak spots, that crappy bolt at the front of the trigger guard, which is prone to stripping or loosening.
This is worse on the Osprey/Tracker models, which only have two stock bolts.

[hwtyger]

Never had issues with Tracker/Osprey stockbolts stripping. But than again, I loctite them from day one.
Besides that, there are lots of airguns with only 2 stockbolts. Its not unusual.
I díd have problems with a Patriot triggerguard bolt. But thats because its too short. Use a longer one and you wont have any issues

Troubledshooter, I PMed you

[bill57]

Yana, since you loctite and leave them, I guess you're unlikely to have any problems. I tend to take my guns apart frequently, being an inveterate tinkerer, and I think it's the constant screwing/unscrewing that causes problems with the rear screw. It's a fairly coarse thread, and it's formed in a shallow steel plate extrusion, rather than properly cut into billet steel - forgive the inaccuracy of my description. The front mount, a nice deep 0BA thread, has never given me a problem.

Where the extra bolt helps is that it allows me to tighten the action into the stock very tightly with no fear of stripping the threads. This, coupled with extra wooden packing inside the inletting, provides a really strong mount which resists any torsion effect from the sidelever cocking.



In no way am I suggesting others need to do this, I just did it as a project for myself, and I'm pleased with the outcome. It does also demonstrate one repair method for anyone unfortunate enough to really strip the thread - I have one other Osprey where the thread is gone (it came to me like that), and my Vulcan, although it will need a different approach as the trigger mounting unit is much shorter.

You'll notice from the green paint that this stock began life as a camo finished one. From the large knot in the wood near the top, clearly Webley selected the worst ones to receive any kind of painted finish!

[hwtyger]

Regarding 'bad'stocks being painted; I guess thats where things like fishsticks originated. Not cause theyre so nice and fresh
I dont fiddle much with mine indeed. Theyre tuned/serviced. After that bolts are loctited and theyre not disassembled until necessary.