Webley Raider 10-shot

[arjimlad]

Operation

Having secured my Hawke Airmax 6-18x44 to the long scope rail, and adjusted for correct eye relief and level cross hairs, I used the muzzle end plug adaptor to attach a basic moderator of unknown make to the gun. This moderator is only a little larger in diameter than the barrel shroud itself, and adds 4 ¼ “ to the length of the gun. It is a simple design, consisting internally of one long spring with a washer in the middle.

The magazine is released by moving the bolt back and engaging it in its rearmost position. The magazine itself pivots around a small steel pin, which has a knurled tip accessible from in front of the scope rail. This pin is simply pulled out (it is retained in a channel) and the magazine pushes itself out a little proud for easy acquisition.

The magazine is reminiscent of those supplied with my Umarex CP88, save that it is bigger and lighter. There is a channel cut around the magazine where the pellets skirts sit and a pip in the centre around the axis hole. The front-facing side of the magazine is quite smooth by contrast. It would be hard to insert the magazine the wrong way round. The pellets are held in place by a rubber O-ring which runs around the outside of the magazine in a slot. The O-ring slot is cut just into the pellet holes, and allows the pellets to be held by the waist.

The magazine can be inserted into the gun and held in place with the right thumb whilst the little finger pushes the pin back into place. The pin does not seem to click or otherwise to be retained in place.

The bolt is then returned to the forward position and pushed down to engage with a slot in the action. This pushes a pellet probe forwards which inserts a pellet from the magazine into the bore. The gun is ready to fire. The bolt is simply lifted, pulled right back to cock the action, pushed forward and re-seated in the slot to reload the gun.

It is possible to see whether the next chamber in the magazine is full or empty. The magazine moves in a clockwise direction.

[arjimlad]

Shooting Impressions

Shooting after work and after the children are in bed means shooting at night at this time of year. Turning on the lights in the back rooms of my house, I illuminate both my backstop and a shooting position 10m away. I set up a rough benchrest style operation with a plastic garden table and chair, and used my old FT seat and a rolled up sheet as a support for the rifle.

First, I simply plinked with the gun for 10 shots, without zeroing. A shot at a line of empty 12 bore shells told me that the gun was shooting 1” to the left and a touch high at 10 yards.

The gun had hardly any muzzle report at all. There was a prrrp noise from the action rather like a frog’s croak. I will try the gun without the additional moderator later, to see what the sound is like unmodified. I cannot imagine that a better quality moderator would make the gun quieter, but if I ever acquire one, will see what results it gives.

The gun moved slightly on firing with the impact of the hammer. This was not appreciable though, and over a longer distance I am sure I would still be able to follow the pellet’s flight through the scope.

I then put up a standard 10m 5-bull air rifle target and proceeded to zero the scope so that the gun would shoot 1” high at this range. I was concerned that the moderator might affect accuracy and was quite prepared to chuck it away.

I found the trigger a little heavier than I am used to. The stock needs to be removed to adjust this, so I may do this later. There is a very slight amount of creep, which is predictable and did not detract from my enjoyment of the gun. The trigger is nothing like as bad as an untreated CZ rimfire, but not as good as that on my old Titan Mohawk.

Using 9x mag and Accupells, the first 5-shot group was 1/8th" centre to centre. The pellets all went through the same hole. I moved the group over to where I wanted it to be on the target and again, the group was very small indeed. I then emptied a full magazine into a target using the upper mildot on the scope, which was set at 6x for this exercise. My group opened up to ½” centre to centre mainly because I was having fun rather than really trying to keep things tight.

Switching to RWS Superdomes, I carried on plinking at a double spinner (45mm and 13mm discs) and resetting 45mm disc target, empty shotgun shells, a beer can (end on of course) until I had fired 80 shots or so. I didn’t miss anything I aimed at, nor did I notice any drop off at all in zero. The pressure gauge now read 120 BAR, a drop of 50 BAR from the 170 the gun came with. I was able to reload fast enough to keep the spinner spinning.

The 300-BAR 3ltr bottle I bought with the gun is with the diving shop being charged from empty. I will pick it up tomorrow and recharge the gun to the recommended 190BAR pressure.

My first impressions are that this is a superb British product. I love the lines of the gun, the way that the cylinder finishes short, allowing the barrel to protrude. It looks like a gun, if you know what I mean.

For me, it balances beautifully, and the large Airmax scope does not look cumbersome or out of place. The moderator adds to the grace of the design, being only ever so little thicker than the diameter of the barrel shroud. I am sure that this will put many rabbits in the bag. Without seeming so light as to bounce around on aim, particularly for a standing shot, it is that much lighter than my Mohawk, and will be easier to carry as well as easier to load. I am very pleased with the choice I made.

[arjimlad]

Woke up this morning and realised I had omitted to mention the trigger !

Rather important, so I edited to include comment on this now.

[jeff0100]

nice review...any pics ???

jeff

[arjimlad]

Not got sorted on pix yet I'm afraid..reliant on DV stills only so they are not best quality, and I have not got around to getting picture hosting. Gun Mart has an ad for it though..

[arjimlad]

My usual haunts were not accessible this weekend, but I took the gun on a stalk about, and accounted for a rabbit very nicely at 25 yards or so. Clean head shot with Accupell.

The rifle seems very quiet to me. The bolt action is weird. I am so used to .22RF that I was looking to catch the ejecting brass when pulling the bolt back. It's certainly fairly easy to cart about. The bolt can be put in the rear position so that the trigger is disabled and there is no pellet in the breech.

I have put a QD stud in the fore-end to fit a bipod to later. Main reason - this will allow me to put the gun down whilst paunching etc, without laying it down on the grass.

[arjimlad]

2 magpies at approx 30 yards. First one nice 'n easy, second one came for the funeral. And a cracking young rabbit again at about 30 yards, just rolled over, kicked the once and was gone. The moderator does not affect the accuracy at all and this gun is so easy to shoot. I have adjusted the trigger to make it a little lighter than the factory setting, and the creep has diminished too.