Webley Hawk improvements

[evert]

I have a few Hawks & Vulcans I never would have guessed that you could get the power up to the legal limit on them!

The Vulcan is no problem to get close to the UK limit, it is the Hawk that needs some work...

[peddy]

Ive owned. A mk2 for 40 years in the early years I had a floating tube of copper to act as a make do guide, not bad as I was only 14 when I did it. More recently had the factory pathetic factory guide machined down and fitted a delrin guide, sleeved the transfer port ( thanks mick), squeezed up the breech jaws, swopped to o ring piston seal. Shoots lovely now though still 8fpe. Would like to mod the piston but lost my lathe friend so it's staying as is for now.

[BTDT]

I fitted a floating guide, along with a Meteor mainspring, in a Mk.3 Hawk many ears ago, which worked well, no machining necessary.

I later made a guide and 'dummy' piston rod for a Tracker.

P1010492.jpg

[evert]

I fitted a floating guide, along with a Meteor mainspring, in a Mk.3 Hawk many ears ago, which worked well, no machining necessary.

I later made a guide and 'dummy' piston rod for a Tracker.

P1010492.jpg

Been thinking about using a Meteor spring in the Hawk as well. Jim Maccaris Meteor spring is superb in my old meteors, and as the Hawk is a 25mm/1" piston like the meteor, it seems like a sensible choice.

How do you ensure that the floating guides do not end up all the way forward in the piston? Do they reset position with every cocking stroke?

[BTDT]

How do you ensure that the floating guides do not end up all the way forward in the piston? Do they reset position with every cocking stroke?

From memory, I think it used to end up somewhere in the middle. It would have been better to anchor it at the rear, but the important point is that it kept the compressed mainspring straight.

[evert]

I had an extra Hawk piston in the box of webley parts, and comparing the two pistons I found that the original piston in the gun was not rounded the same way at the edge where the spring enters at the rear of the piston. The spare piston seem to be unaltered, but was radiused at the rear. Changing pistons made a huge improvement in the cocking stroke!