The Webley based Frankenpistol

[ggggr]

Hopefully when it comes back I'll be able to play a blowlamp round bits of it and then Plum brown most of it to give it an "Aged" look.

I think the grips Andy sent look pretty good. They are a bit "blocky" but I think that adds to the look and spirit of the pistol. If i get plinking with it i may slightly round off the front of the right one. I wont do any finger grooves as I do want it to be Ambi. One of the ideas kicked around was making the barrel catch so it could be reversed for Lefties . I was not too bothered about that but I think it can be. The catch is heavier duty than a standard Webley one and i asked for it to be made to look a bit crude, so it looked more like a copy than an actual Webley one. It was left for me to do the final shaping and it is a fine like between it looking too rough and too good. A number 5 was stamped on the catch and it is also stamped on various bits of the gun. The frame is stamped up 1957 7 4.

If another rough Webley frame crops up , I might be interested in trying something similar. Maybe the barrel pivot and the long bracket in one pice like the Hurricane /Tempest? Also using Webley parts , barrel pivot screw, long link and cocking shoe off a Mk1 to make things easier.


I am quite looking forward to having a plink with it.
If it is rubbish, I could always send it to Ij for a doorstop or paperweight

[WebleyWombler]

If it is rubbish, I could always send it to Ij for a doorstop or paperweight

No need to. I understand he already has plenty of those with HW stamped on them.

[ggggr]

Well things went a bit pear shaped with this and someone else is having a go at sorting it. You never want to ask one engineer to try to sort out another engineers work---- as (1) it pisses off the original engineer (2) sometimes try to modify something is harder than doing it at an earlier stage (3) the 2nd engineer might not have the same equipment so cannot really do the parts from scratch.

Sometimes I think people with the skills look for a harder way to do things where as us idiots try to find the simple way as we dont have the skills.

The stepped barrel going into lugs idea was a good one and Noma, Lov and Mahely all used it. Webley also did it with the late Premier, Hurricane and Tempest. If the thing is done right it means unsklled people can put the bits together.

Looking back at it, I think a single barrel pivot/ cocking arm lug, like the Hurricane/ Tempest would have been a good idea, but the spacings would have had to have been done to the MK1 pistol spacings due to no pivot lug.

It would be nice if someone with the skills had a go at making one of these. I mean, I want to try this, but it would be nice to see one that someone had done in the spirt of things.

[ggggr]

The pistol came back to me before Christmas ---but went on a road trip for 3 people to try. Its been back here for a while now and I've been getting used to it. I found the grips too square and uncomfortable, which I knew they would be , but I didnt want to sand them to fit me until other people had tried the gun. Once I got the grips right (for me) I opened up the rearsight notch a little bit.

Dannys site https://forum.vintageairgunsgallery....frankenpistol/ and the last 3 pics are of the gun before I sanded the grips to fit.
To say there is no trigger adjuster, the trigger is not bad. The gun is quite accurate with its rusty Chinese rifle barrel.

AND It is bloody good fun to plink with

[Gamocfx]

Well genius is a word too often used by people but not in this case! I love it, amazing work.

[ggggr]

Well genius is a word too often used by people but not in this case! I love it, amazing work.

Sadly it is not my work although the idea and final fettling was down to me.

From Memory apart from the donor pistol frame (I forget), Cringe (Al) did most of the work, Radlad on the other forum made the barrel catch (which everyone seems to like if you are reading this Fred), Airgunner .177 made the grips to order, Vic Thompson sleeved the end of the barrel into the pivot and CCDJG pinned it when the gun went to him before Christmas, Phil Russell supplied the rusty Chinese barrel , Flat trajectory off the other forum supplied the piston, Troubled shooter the VODLEY sticker and I used Van Dyke crystals to stain the grips that Lawrie sent me years ago.
John Baz welded up the damaged end cap.

If Ive forgotten anyone, drop me a Pm and I'll amend this.