Webley Service date?

[Mzee]

I wonder if any of you olde Webley gurus can date my Service, serial no. 12801 (both on action & .22 barrel), please? From my research I think it's a series 3 as it has a centrally mounted peep sight & no safety & could date from the late 30's. I was born in 1938 & wonder which is the older of the two, me or my precious Service? I can only shoot it in the garden at present &, using the peep sight, consistently hit 1" diam. targets at 10 yards. I keep meaning to dig out my Combro & find out what it's doing power wise, but it passes the tin can test - in one side & out the other. I'm looking forward to being able to try it out at my club, hopefully later this year, & see how it shoots out to 55 yards, assuming I can see the targets at such extreme ranges! Any information would be gratefully received. Another thing - lubrication. Assuming it still has a piston ring & hasn't been modded internally (I daren't start taking it apart as it is working so smoothly & consistently & is a delight to shoot), what oil do you experts recommend, where & how often?
Thanks for reading this & looking forward to hearing from you experts on these lovely olde guns.
Best wishes, Glyn

[Abasmajor]

I wonder if any of you olde Webley gurus can date my Service, serial no. 12801 (both on action & .22 barrel), please? From my research I think it's a series 3 as it has a centrally mounted peep sight & no safety & could date from the late 30's. I was born in 1938 & wonder which is the older of the two, me or my precious Service? I can only shoot it in the garden at present &, using the peep sight, consistently hit 1" diam. targets at 10 yards. I keep meaning to dig out my Combro & find out what it's doing power wise, but it passes the tin can test - in one side & out the other. I'm looking forward to being able to try it out at my club, hopefully later this year, & see how it shoots out to 55 yards, assuming I can see the targets at such extreme ranges! Any information would be gratefully received. Another thing - lubrication. Assuming it still has a piston ring & hasn't been modded internally (I daren't start taking it apart as it is working so smoothly & consistently & is a delight to shoot), what oil do you experts recommend, where & how often?
Thanks for reading this & looking forward to hearing from you experts on these lovely olde guns.
Best wishes, Glyn

Hi Glyn,

Firstly, you may not be aware of an excellent book titled "Webley Air Rifles 1925-2005" written by Chris Thrale and still available which fully documents all of the Webley rifle products including the Mk2 Service.

Although the Mk2 Service is generally split into three main variants, there are a number of examples with minor differences which have been split into 'Series' for clarity. Your rifle should have the letter "S" stamped in front of the Ser No which would then read S12801 and make it a 3rd Model, 4th Series example dating it to 1937-1938.

Webley originally recommended so called No 2 oil for the Webley Service rather than the mineral based No 1 oil which was only suitable for use with leather washers.

Webley No 2 oil is basically ordinary SAE 30 engine oil which is what I use to oil my own Mk2 Service. I apply 3 or 4 drops round the nose of the Intercepting Sear through the slot at the top of the Air Chamber (with the rifle in the cocked state), thus lubricating the head of the piston. 3 or 4 drops every 300-400 shots should be sufficient to maintain velocity. Oil should not be applied round the joint washer or down the barrel as if the rifle is left in the upright position it will run down to the joint washer resulting in erratic shooting. It's also a good idea to sparingly apply a coating of light grease to the mainspring. The Mk2 Service is ruggedly built, so well able to withstand a bit of 'dieseling', but it plays havoc with accuracy.

Hope this helps.

Brian

[Mzee]

Thanks for your prompt & very helpful reply, Brian. I'd heard of Mr Thrale's book & now ordered one on the strength of your recommendation. There is an "S" before the serial number behind the trigger guard, as you say, but I'd missed it. I see there isn't one on the barrel, just the number. Is there such a thing as a list of serial numbers & associated years? I've an LP53 & dated that from such a list I could well have found via this site some time ago, before I plucked up courage to join such erudite company.
Cheers,Glyn

[micky]

Thanks for your prompt & very helpful reply, Brian. I'd heard of Mr Thrale's book & now ordered one on the strength of your recommendation. There is an "S" before the serial number behind the trigger guard, as you say, but I'd missed it. I see there isn't one on the barrel, just the number. Is there such a thing as a list of serial numbers & associated years? I've an LP53 & dated that from such a list I could well have found via this site some time ago, before I plucked up courage to join such erudite company.
Cheers,Glyn

Hi Glyn you will find all the information you need in Chris Thrales excellent book as reccomended by Brian, happy reading when you get it.
regards,
Mick.

[Josie & John]

Hi Glyn,

Webley changed the rearsight in 1938 when serial numbering reached S12400 according to a spare parts list the company published. You will see later rifles with the earlier sight and earlier rifles with the later sight as rifles did not leave the factory in strict serial number order. However, I don't think an estimate of 1938 is that far out for your rifle. Grab yourself a copy of Airgun World - I'm currently featuring the Service in a short series.

Kind regards,

John

[Mzee]

Thank you for your very helpful replies, gentlemen. It seems my Service & I are about the same vintage, as I'd suspected. I'm now eagerly awaiting Mr Thrale's book & will go in search of Air Gun World to read your article, John, & thus learn more about the gun.
Best wishes,
Glyn