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Thread: What's in a name? BSA/Webley's

  1. #1
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    What's in a name? BSA/Webley's

    One of my other interests is old motorcycles. Took me ages a while ago to realise that some BSA guns & motorbikes shared names, Lightning, Spitfire, Gold Star...
    On Webleys, specifically the later named pistols (Hurricane, Tempest, Typhoon). Heard 2 theories about their names, 1 - After types of air movement, & 2 - For the Hawker fighter aircraft of WW11.
    With the latter, anyone know the definitive answer?

    You can tell I've got too much time being furloughed, housebound & unable to have a beer!

    Bru
    Webley Mk3 x2, Falcon & Junior rifles, HW35x2, AirSporter x2, Gold Star, Meteors x2, Diana 25. SMK B19, Webley Senior, Premier, Hurricane x 2, Tempest, Dan Wesson 8", Crosman 3576, Legends PO8.

  2. #2
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    Hawker Osprey, Avro Vulcan, Handley Page Victor, Vickers Viscount - I know where I'd put my money!

  3. #3
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    A lot a Webley’s rifles were named after British military aircraft, not just WWII ones either. Off the top of my head I can think of the Vulcan, Jaguar, Victor, Hawk. There might be one or two others. Oh and they named their dome head pellets Harriers.

    Others may contest but I doubt it’s all a coincidence.

    Cheers
    Greg

  4. #4
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    Rifle names...

    Good points - obvious when it's pointed out. DOH!

    Bru
    Webley Mk3 x2, Falcon & Junior rifles, HW35x2, AirSporter x2, Gold Star, Meteors x2, Diana 25. SMK B19, Webley Senior, Premier, Hurricane x 2, Tempest, Dan Wesson 8", Crosman 3576, Legends PO8.

  5. #5
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    Aviation: Vulcan, Viscount, Victor, Hurricane, Typhoon, Tempest.

    Native American: Tomahawk, Longbow.

    Misspelled missile: Xocet.

    Birds: Falcon, Hawk, Osprey.

    Snakes: Viper, Mamba.

    Other: Excel, Junior, Jaguar, Ranger, Senior, Tracker, C1 carbine, Air Wolf, Omega, Exclipse, Patriot, Nimbus, Sport. Mk1, Mk2, Mk3. Axsor, FX2000, Spectre. Stingray. Verminator.

  6. #6
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    later webleys were named after missiles
    tomahawk,exocet...stingray

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by the logun-ator View Post
    later webleys were named after missiles
    tomahawk,exocet...stingray
    Good knowledge that man! The Longbow was also a missile. Wouldn’t really have made sense naming a rifle after an actual longbow.

    Cheers
    Greg

  8. #8
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    I admit I had not thought about the names like that before this post.
    But .... what riles me is not using names seen in other areas of life but companies recycling old names from within the airgun history book for new airgun models.
    e.g. BSA Scorpion.

    Cheers, Phil

  9. #9
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    The Longbow isn’t a missile. It’s a variant of the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, which uses Hellfire missiles.

    The Stingray isn’t a missile. The Sting Ray (two words) is a British naval torpedo.

    The Tomahawk is indeed a missile (though originally a type of axe), as is the Exocet (not Xocet).

    We’ll probably never know. And it’s easy to over-think it. Webley’s maketing department was probably one guy trying to decide what the kids would think was “cool”. It appears that in the 70s and early 80s that bloke was an aeroplane enthusiast.

  10. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Geezer View Post
    The Longbow isn’t a missile. It’s a variant of the AH-64 Apache attack helicopter, which uses Hellfire missiles.
    I can assure you the Longbow Hellfire is a missile.

    It’s a safe assumption that Webley’s final generation of springers were named after missiles, even if the Sting Ray is technically a torpedo, and the other spellings aren’t exactly the same.

    Cheers
    Greg

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Thegreg View Post
    I can assure you the Longbow Hellfire is a missile.

    It’s a safe assumption that Webley’s final generation of springers were named after missiles, even if the Sting Ray is technically a torpedo, and the other spellings aren’t exactly the same.

    Cheers
    Greg
    I double-checked and you are indeed right on the Longbow Hellfire. So I think you’re right.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Thegreg View Post
    Good knowledge that man! The Longbow was also a missile. Wouldn’t really have made sense naming a rifle after an actual longbow.

    Cheers
    Greg
    Thank you
    didnt know about the longbow so i left it out the list
    i read about them being named after missiles,god knows where,tinternet probably,but its nice to be right

  13. #13
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    Webley sub-contracted parts for Hawker's during the war. In chronological order, their fighters were the Hurricane, Typhoon, and Tempest.

    The Webley pistols were introduced in the same order. First the Hurricane, shortly thereafter the Typhoon junior version, and a couple years later the Tempest.

    There was a pre-war Hawker Osprey too (biplane naval recon), but it was relatively unknown compared to the wartime fighters, and thus seems a more tenuous connection.

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