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Thread: Webley Falcon sn 1798 .22

  1. #1
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    Webley Falcon sn 1798 .22

    I’ve got this rifle apart on my bench currently. Lovely and simple components and surprisingly the piston and washer are in very good condition. But it was only putting out 4 ftlbs and I’d like to get it up nearer to 8. The standard spring is also in very good condition with nicely finished ends and is exactly 8” long. The rifle has lost its rear sight but still has the medallion in the stock. The rear sight would sit in a cross breach dovetail but I haven’t been able to find one anywhere sadly. I has th curved section ‘I’ shaped scope rail on and I wondered about eventually fitting a light scope or a red dot... any recommendations ?

    Is there a better spring for this rifle without overpowering it and destroying the piston ?

    Does anybody have a trigger diagram for this as I feel it may be missing a spring ?

    Finally could anybody put me in touch with somebody who would do a nice rebluing job at a reasonable price ?

    Many thanks

    Steve
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  2. #2
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    There were two different types of Falcon rearsight. The earliest versions had a tangent sight similar to those found on the BSA Meteor Mk1 and early post war Milbros dovetailed into the top of the breech block. Later rifles had a spring leaf sight screwed into the block.

    I have had better results with a 3x 1960s Diana telescope sight than either BSA or Webley scopes from the same period and you may want to try one of these. I wouldn't recommend rebluing as that would devalue the rifle, which sounds like the rarer early variant from your description. Maybe a tidy up with cold blue if you must?

    Kind regards,

    John

  3. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bad Beagle View Post
    I’ve got this rifle apart on my bench currently. Lovely and simple components and surprisingly the piston and washer are in very good condition. But it was only putting out 4 ftlbs and I’d like to get it up nearer to 8. The standard spring is also in very good condition with nicely finished ends and is exactly 8” long. The rifle has lost its rear sight but still has the medallion in the stock. The rear sight would sit in a cross breach dovetail but I haven’t been able to find one anywhere sadly. I has th curved section ‘I’ shaped scope rail on and I wondered about eventually fitting a light scope or a red dot... any recommendations ?

    Is there a better spring for this rifle without overpowering it and destroying the piston ?

    Does anybody have a trigger diagram for this as I feel it may be missing a spring ?

    Finally could anybody put me in touch with somebody who would do a nice rebluing job at a reasonable price ?

    Many thanks

    Steve
    A Bsa Meteor Mk1 to Mk5 spring fits better than Webley springs but may need shortening. Your gun sounds like an early one as mine has a serial number below 400 and should have the Diana 25/27/ Mk1 Meteor type rearsight, but the one in Hillers book (number 766) has the spring steel sight. Nibbs used to sell a rersight to fit the Diana 25/27 and Mk1 Meteor (which should be squarer) and I suspect the Falcon one would be closer to this in looks. Very early Falcons did not have the grub screw on the LHS of the cylinder to stop the trigger block from rotating. The sear is the same as on the Webley Mk3 but the trigger seems like it is a wire insert into the main bit of the trigger. If it is loose, you can remove it an then solder it in or use loctite or epoxy.
    The trigger and sear should have a spring that is seated in the little holes in both.
    https://www.gunspares.co.uk/products/24522/Falcon/
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  4. #4
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    Thank you both this has been really interesting. There is no grub screw on the side of the end block.
    i am super impressed with the build quality and simplicity and hope to use it for a bit of plinking and garden target fun. Surprised to think that rebluing might devalue but then I have no plans to sell or keep it as a collectors piece, simply to enjoy it !

    i will have to keep an eye out for a Diana scope as described because it needs something of the right era and anyway that scope fail does not accommodate modern mounts. Anything that you guys want to add will be well received, many thanks.
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  5. #5
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    I have had few webley falcons most run about 5 1/2 ft lbs you will be very lucky to get above 6 ft lbs.

  6. #6
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    Hi Steve,

    I have a spare original tangent sight from a 1950s Milbro Diana, which was basically the same sight that Webley fitted to the early Falcon.

    There is a little lateral play, which may tighten up if you squeeze the sides of the sight in a vice, which I have not attempted. My assumption is the dovetail size is the same but I don't have a mike to measure the dovetails precisely. Link to photos below:

    https://photos.app.goo.gl/NMQw28cyfW1nQH1B7

    If you would like this sight, I'll let it go for £25 posted. Please PM me if of interest.

    Kind regards,

    John
    Last edited by Josie & John; 19-08-2018 at 07:14 AM. Reason: typo

  7. #7
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    I have sometimes wondered how many of the Falcon’s components (sights, and I suspect, trigger mechanism, piston assembly, perhaps more) were made by Milbro, even if the final fit and finish was by Webley.

    Any insight, John?

  8. #8
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    falcon not one of the best webleys well made and good lines but the ones I have had not very accurate and did not realise there power was so low especially as it was marketed as a hunting rifle

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by smallholder1 View Post
    falcon not one of the best webleys well made and good lines but the ones I have had not very accurate and did not realise there power was so low especially as it was marketed as a hunting rifle
    Factory velocity figures were a nominal 550 in .177” and 500 FPS in .22”.

    That works out (depending on pellet weight) to around 6 ftlbs in .177” and nearer 8 in .22”. The latter being fine for the sort of farmyard/barn open sight stuff that these would have been used for (back when everyone who used an air gun for pest control used a .22”, ideally with BSA Pylarm/Eley Wasp/Webley Special round heads). Yes, not quite up to MkIII or Airsporter standards, but the Falcon cost less than half the price of a MkIII (£10-12 versus £20-25in the sixties), and the MkIII wasn’t that much more powerful (Webley adverts made clear that for pest shooting the .22” was “essential”).

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Geezer View Post
    I have sometimes wondered how many of the Falcon’s components (sights, and I suspect, trigger mechanism, piston assembly, perhaps more) were made by Milbro, even if the final fit and finish was by Webley.

    Any insight, John?
    I agree - the Falcon was basically Webley's take on the Diana 27.

    Chris Thrale goes into the background in some detail in Webley Air Rifles and I don't have much to add to Chris's extensive research on the subject.

    However, I do have a little more to share on the Falcon and will feature a 'Falcon Shooting Kit' in an upcoming article as well as a few small anecdotes.

    Kind regards,

    John

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