Bonehill Britannia vs Webley Service

[ptdunk]

Hi,
Anyone got an opinion on how these two compare to shoot?
Specifically accuracy, power and trigger lightness.
I’m toying with the idea of trying to find a good condition example of one of them in .177. For vintage hft comps.

Got the missus a lovely Diana 27, which is fantastically accurate. Now I’m thinking of something a little more substantial for me to use.

I’m assuming spares for either are pretty scarce,

Cheers,
Matt.

[Josie & John]

Hi Matt,

Both are nice rifles and I have enjoyed accurate results from each.

Triggers can vary between different examples and although the Britannia's can be adjusted, the sear notch in the piston is more prone to wear than a Webley. The rearsights on the Britannia are also more fragile than the Webley and the latter comes with a choice of rear and peep sight. The Service is more robust and a little easier to find than a Britannia.

Given a choice, I would opt for the Webley but if you're after something for vintage HFT, have you considered a BSA Club Standard (CS)? This is generally my rifle of choice for such competitions as being a long cylindered .177, you have probably the flattest trajectory of any vintage air rifle. They're not all that common and I am probably splitting hairs, as a standard length BSA serves the same purpose very well. There was a CS for sale on this forum earlier in the week - I know the rifle and the shooter: both won more than one competition with it and I'd be surprised if it stays unsold for long.

Kind regards,

John

[ptdunk]

Hi Matt,

Both are nice rifles and I have enjoyed accurate results from each.

Triggers can vary between different examples and although the Britannia's can be adjusted, the sear notch in the piston is more prone to wear than a Webley. The rearsights on the Britannia are also more fragile than the Webley and the latter comes with a choice of rear and peep sight. The Service is more robust and a little easier to find than a Britannia.

Given a choice, I would opt for the Webley but if you're after something for vintage HFT, have you considered a BSA Club Standard (CS)? This is generally my rifle of choice for such competitions as being a long cylindered .177, you have probably the flattest trajectory of any vintage air rifle. They're not all that common and I am probably splitting hairs, as a standard length BSA serves the same purpose very well. There was a CS for sale on this forum earlier in the week - I know the rifle and the shooter: both won more than one competition with it and I'd be surprised if it stays unsold for long.

Kind regards,

John

Hi John,
Thanks for the advice.

The BSA CS rifles came up as a recommendation when we were researching a vintage comp rifle for the missus.
I think we dismissed it based on her wanting something a little bit lighter, so we went for a Diana 27 and were lucky enough to get a great example that shoots really nicely.

I’ve contacted the seller of the CS with a view to buy it, it looks like a great shooting example so thanks for the heads up.

I can always save up for a nice Webley Service in the future!

Cheers,
Matt.

[Geezer]

I have, on the basis of no evidence or experience, an idea that the pre-WW2 “DRP” Diana 45 may be one of the best of the vintage rifles for this sort of thing. Rare though, and definitely Webley Service (£400+) pricing.

[Huttles94]

I would go for the Webley over the Britannia. I dont own a Webley but I do a Britannia in .177. The Britannia are a very nice air rifle, rarer than the Webley and to some, nicer looking. But (and this is from what I have seen and heard) the Webley is more robust and is probably better performing. Dont get me wrong I love my Britannia to bits, even though its not in great shape and likes to fire just after cocking it causing me some grief (They have the worst trigger adjustment system I have seen, at least mine does) but the Webley will serve you better. Though in the end there is nothing stopping you from getting both ;D I know I would.

[micky2]

l don't think you will go far wrong with the BSA CS model. l have both the Webley and the Britania and l find that there is not much between them in the accracy side. but the BSA should have that little bit extra in that department. and they are cheaper and easy to work on.

[Shed tuner]

yeah, not much in it, but the webley sights are much better, and it's much easier to find spares for. That said I much prefer the Britiania design, and the weight distribution makes it feel much lighter in the shoulder.
It's probably no harder to find a .177 Britannia than it is to find a .177 Service, if the calibre matters, but .22 Services are everywhere. The BSA I'd say is indeed probably the best of the three; accurate, robust, and as said above, cheaper and very easy to work on.

In terms of shooting, all three are a bit slammy as standard. It's very easy to sleeve the transfer port down on the britannia and the BSA, making them noticably softer to shoot (and adding a little power), but the Webley you can't do much with, although an o-ring piston seal helps. I should say that they are all better in .177 in this respect, especially the BSA.

[Josie & John]

Hi John,
Thanks for the advice.

The BSA CS rifles came up as a recommendation when we were researching a vintage comp rifle for the missus.
I think we dismissed it based on her wanting something a little bit lighter, so we went for a Diana 27 and were lucky enough to get a great example that shoots really nicely.

I’ve contacted the seller of the CS with a view to buy it, it looks like a great shooting example so thanks for the heads up.

I can always save up for a nice Webley Service in the future!

Cheers,
Matt.

Hi Matt,

That is a very sensible approach and just goes to show how important it is to handle a rifle before buying. The 27 is a great choice, as would be a BSA Light Pattern if overall size is an issue. I have a 27, which I have just had re-washered and need to spend some range time with at some point in the near future.

Good luck with the CS!

John

[ptdunk]

Tha CS sold before I could arrange to pick it up ☹️
Think I dithered a bit.
Never mind, obviously wasn’t meant to be.

I’ll see if anyone at the club has a Service, Britannia or CS for me to try.
I guess any that come up for sale will have their own characteristics, but at least I can see if I’m drawn to any particular model. (Hopefully not all of them!)


Thanks for your input guys, I’ll let you know what I get.


Matt.

[Shed tuner]

Hi Matt, what part of London are you ? I'm SW

[Huttles94]

I have a BSA CS that was my grandfathers first air rifle. Really nice rifle to shoot and probably my favorite out of the BSA under levers of that time. Mine is a bit tatty but in ok condition. I remember being very surprised by the accuracy of the gun when I first used it, just keep in mind that this gun had been heavily used in the past (My uncle left it outside on the grass over night during bad weather back in the 80's, grandfather found it the next morning when he went to feed the pigeons, oh boy he was pissed...) and not been serviced in over 50 years!

[Phil Russell]

The 'pre-war' 27 is a beautiful rifle and so easy to work on. There are a few different variants as well if you want to start collecting. Not very expensive either ... much cheaper than a Service.
With regards to the Service, when I first got one I was keen to clean it up etc and relubed it with 'modern' lubes and expected the moon. I failed.. performance was awful. Only when I cleaned it again and relubed the piston rings with car engine oil did performance become very good again.
Cheers, Phil

[ptdunk]

Hi,
I’m in Ladbroke Grove, West London.

Hi Matt, what part of London are you ? I'm SW

[D10bore]

There is a very nice long tom bsa airgun and a Diana modell 27 (£90) and 3 Britannia’s 2 Webley services on proteks web site worth a look pre 1939 airguns nothing to do with me just a freindly heads up mike

[Shed tuner]

Hi,
I’m in Ladbroke Grove, West London.

not so far... I'm beween Wimbledon and Kingston. If you are unable to try the rifles you are interested in more locally, I have a Britannia, a Service, and a couple of pre war BSA underlevers (a Light and a Standard) that you could try out if you wanted...