Webley Tempest/ Hurricane messing about

[ggggr]

Recently I have been having a bit of a mess about with a Webley Hurricane and a couple of Tempests.
I wanted to get a piston lightened (cannot understand why a Mk1 pistol has a piston weighting about 67 grams and the Tempest / Hurricane 83? g as they seem to use generic mainsprings now).
The piston was lightened but the bore for the mainspring was also deepened a bit. A very kind chap off here did the piston for me, drilled and tapped it for a 2BA screw, supplied some Ptfe piston washers and "power washers" and also made up some piston weights with a thin flange so they would not add much preload to the mainspring.

I had brief use of a chronograph before it expired, actually dying of natural causes, rather than me killing it!

The Ptfe piston washer did not have a split in like the standard one and I found that the tightness of the screw seemed to make a lot of difference. I also found that they needed about 15 shots to warm up. With marksmen pellets, I was getting readings of 3.9 -4.2 ft lb and the odd ones a bit higher.

I discovered that some cylinders have a slight tight spot about 3mm from the end and asked troubled shooter about the construction. Somebody also cut open a corroded gun and found that there is a steel washer about 1/16 of an inch thick that goes into lip at the end of the cylinder and is crimped over. The cylinders were supposed to be honed afterwards. Ive got 2 pistols with the slight tightness and 1 without.

Anyhow, I wasnt happy with the Ptfe washers and tried to make a leather cup one that sealed well but sapped power. After the chronograph died, i was just shooting at a bit of cardboard with a steel backstop, so no real way of measuring.
One pistol had another washer made with a thinner "cup" and a bigger diameter centre-----------and the other a solid leather washer that has had a washer tightened down do form a shallow recess. A plastic disc has been cut from a milk bottle to go over the steel washer in this and also the other leather cup washer.


At various times, combinations of 2 mainsprings , a long (36 coils?) one and a shorter shiny one were tried. Also 3 different piston weights of 10/15 and 20 grams were tried and also "power washers"

At the and of it, the Hurricane has the lightened, deeper piston, a thin wall leather cup washer, the long mainspring and No (NO!) piston weight or power washer.
I dont know the power but the accuracy is great. Even at plinking speeds, it is very easy to get bottle cap sized groups at 7 1/2 - 8 yards shooting 2 handed. (I was even doing that without the grips on)

I think maybe the mainspring could do with a coil off , but I'm not cutting it yet as another piston is getting the bore done slightly deeper, to go on another pistol.

I had to cut down a guide to try the piston wieghts as I couldnt scrounge one that was already cut. You need to cut the guide or the piston weights with touch it and the gun wont cock. I've refitted the standard guide now.

So there you go if you fancy a tinker

[evert]

That sounds like a lot of experimenting, good to hear you got decent accuracy!

With the access you guys have to old parts and airguns, you can allow yourself a bit of tinkering... over here its just a matter of getting all the parts to get the guns working properly!

[archer24]

Very interesting please keep it coming, will you be fixing the chrono? Be nice to see the true power, I know how difficult to judge it. My Tempest carbine feels and knocks down cans much the same as my 2240, but a i know it’s about half the power.
Next task is to try and get the power up........

[ggggr]

The chrono is "dead" . Ive been advised not to get the same on as the flux used had corroded the sensors. I may get one of those really cheap Chinese ones, just to see, but Im really happy with the Hurricane.
I should have gone by "feel" instead of putting all those shots through the chronograph.

Interestingly I tried the Tempest , both with the spring out of the Hurricane and one a couple of coils shorter, and there was more recoil. I think this is down to the piston washer being a little too tight. Things were not much different with a 10 gram weight, so it is another stripdown and "ease " the washer or maybe make a new one.

At the end of it, it is down to "feel" and what suits me might not suit someone else. However , hopefully, this might help someone else get a start with tinkering
I dont feel like getting another piston done but trying to leave the normal washer and boss intact.


UPDATE--I've just stripped the Tempest and "eased" the washer. It feels better now. I also tried it with 2 "power washers" in as the spring is a couple of coils shorter than the long one, (which I'll see if I can get one) . AND the accuracy is there

[Ebony1022]

If you want to play with my hurricane and do the same then send it back 😀 your more than welcome haha

[archer24]

How was the piston lightened?

[ggggr]

Ive messed with a Tempest with a standard piston and washer but with one of the shiny , stronger mainsprings. After fettling the trigger as well, the gun seems to shoot best with a 10g piston weight. That is just off "feel" . The 15g weight doesnt seem to shoot as well and with no weight, it shoots ok but with more recoil.

I prefer the set up I've done on the Hurricane.

[archer24]

Did you consider drilling holes in the piston to lighten it?

[ggggr]

Did you consider drilling holes in the piston to lighten it?

Yes---but I wanted the mainspring to go deeper as well so the piston was bored deeper as I said in the first post.

I wouldnt want a drilled piston on a Webley pistol either.