Webley Pistols-

[laverdabru]

Haven't done a lot of shooting with my pistols since March, due to arm problems. As the frozen shoulder seems to have defrosted, over the weekend thought I'd give them some exercise. There's a Senior .22, Premier .22, 3 Hurricanes two in .22 & a Tempest. All in reasonable nick, & fitted with those lovely walnut grips from a gent on here.
As I haven't really used them for nearly a year, I wasn't expecting pellet on pellet*. Set up targets at 6 yards. With one exception, barn door comes to mind, or even barn. I wasn't aiming to hit the bull, just getting some groups to start with.
A beermat size was the best group,(shame on me) apart from one of the .22 Hurricanes. That was closer to a 2p piece. It was shot about halfway through the tests, so it's not down to 'getting my eye in'.
The only factor I can think of is that this early Hurricane I have had from nearly new (think I paid £25 for it, mint & boxed, shows how long ago it was!), & have got used to it's individual foibles. The others I have bought over the last three or so years. Anyway, my groups with the others are now improving, but still nowhere near as good as the 'old' Hurricane.
Any thoughts?

Bru
*ps Not that I could do pellet on pellet even with my Model 6!

[Geezer]

I have over the years had a Typhoon, a Hurricane, a Tempest, a post-war Mk1 and a post-war Senior. My conclusions:

1. Webleys are inconsistent. Some shoot really well, some not. My current Hurricane and Tempest were probably made on the same machines at roughly the same time by the same set of people. The Hurri could pass almost muster as an entry-level match pistol at 10M. The Tempest can barely hit a coke can with every shot at the same distance.

2. Webleys are really really sensitive to technique, especially hold. I had a plink one-handed with my Senior a couple of weeks ago and shot very well. I tried it two-handed the other evening and I was all over the shop.

3. Though I don't have enough experience to judge, I have a hunch that they are more accurate in .177" than .22".

[laverdabru]

Thanks, Geezer, & also Grrr for the pms.
I'm now trying to concentrate on one pistol at a time, experimenting with holds etc. Still getting the best results with the Hurricane I've had for well over 20 years.

ATB

Bru

[beagle2]

Its funny how some people like .177 and other people go for the .22 it always seems to me that over 7m a .22 webley pistol is better than a .177 having said that over 10m it is the other way around as the .22 does tend to drop after 7m I would love to have a webley premior pistol in .22 that would shoot out to 20m but I am afraid that is just wishfull thinking.

[ETCHY]

Hello

I tend to find my Webley's (an '80's .177 Tempest & a .177 '50's Junior), quite sensitive to how I hold them.

I'm pretty inexperienced at this airpistol malarkey (& this forum), so not much to compare with, but my grip does seem to make a difference to how the shot turns out.

Cheers

Dave

[Modski66]

Hi Folks,

I have a late-ish Brum 0.22 Tempest that I 'rescued' with some TLC and elbow grease. One of the mechanical tweaks I did was to reduce the trigger spring by a couple of coils and the other was to fit some PTFE shims at each end of the spring. All other mating surfaces inside were polished and lubed with high load grease, it now shoots as smooth as the proverbial, but my goodness, it is as hold sensitive as hell!
It generally seems to twist up and to the right if I hold it lightly, but with lots of experimenting, I have found that I can get POA = POI when I pinch the top of the grip with the web between thumb and index finger, this is with a one handed hold.
Not what I have found with all the other pistols I have had, but this is my only springer, and not a recommended method, but it works for me!

Cheers, Mark.

[Richardwales]

I've a tempest and a nemesis in .22 Love them both.

Recently got a .177 barrel for my nemeses from a nice gent on here. Couldn't hit a thing with the .177, just couldn't get used to it. Wierd as it was the same gun I've had for twenty years.

Rick.

I

[harry mac]

When it comes to accuracy, there seems to be no rhyme or reason with Webleys. I have a .22 Tempest which shoots really well right out to 20 yards. A 177 Mk1 I used to own was the same, but my .177 Hurricane's trigger is really heavy, even at its lowest setting, and that means it's hard to get good results with it much past 6 yards. I also have a Premier which seems to be mid way between the two extremes.
No matter which model you use, though; Webleys are very intolerant of lapses in technique. Get it even a liitle bit wrong and you'll be digging a pellet out f the shed door instead of emptying it out of the pellet catcher!

[ETCHY]

Is there much difference in how the gun "feels" when shooting a .22 vs a .177 ? I ask as I have the .177 Tempest but whilst on my travels I saw a .22 Tempest for sale & wondered if it was worth bothering with?

Forgive the potentially daft question - I'm new here & have never fired anything apart from .177's

Ta

Dave

[PaulR]

Is there much difference in how the gun "feels" when shooting a .22 vs a .177 ? I ask as I have the .177 Tempest but whilst on my travels I saw a .22 Tempest for sale & wondered if it was worth bothering with?

Forgive the potentially daft question - I'm new here & have never fired anything apart from .177's

Ta

Dave

I've got both calibers and cannot tell the difference in "feel" when firing them. I find this applies to all of my Webleys as I have various examples - Premiers, Seniors and Mk1s in both sizes.

Aiming as distances increase is a different matter.

[Geezer]

I've got both calibers and cannot tell the difference in "feel" when firing them. I find this applies to all of my Webleys as I have various examples - Premiers, Seniors and Mk1s in both sizes.

Aiming as distances increase is a different matter.

Nor can I, but I appear to be pretty insensitive to recoil levels.

What I do know, on a statistically irrelevant sample if the four I currently own, is that the Webley with which I have shot best groups is a .177". The second best is a .177". The other two are .22"s, and are markedly less good.

You could argue this is in some way a function of 5.6mm bores and modern ammo. But my .22" BSA Scorpion is really accurate with modern ammo....

So, as above, my hunch is they are often better in .177". But it is only a hunch. Proof would require a thousand pistols to be fired at length by Olympic-level shooters over a sustained period.

[ETCHY]

That's good to know thanks for that. I'll look to get a Hurricane (or other Webley) in .22 rather than a Tempest as at least it'll be different looking.

Ah, a BSA Scorpion there were a couple of those being sold by an airgun dealer at a Militaria show a couple of weeks ago & for some dumb reason I didn't get one (they're beasts !) Been kicking myself ever since

Dave

[clarky]

That's good to know thanks for that. I'll look to get a Hurricane (or other Webley) in .22 rather than a Tempest as at least it'll be different looking.

Ah, a BSA Scorpion there were a couple of those being sold by an airgun dealer at a Militaria show a couple of weeks ago & for some dumb reason I didn't get one (they're beasts !) Been kicking myself ever since

Dave

Ive had many Webleys but never got any to shoot anywhere close to my Walther Lp53s after years of practice with both gun types.
While the Hurricane can do a little better due to longer sight base and more accurate adjustment, my groups have never been better than about 1.5 inches off hand at 10 yards.
The rest of the models closer to 2 inches owing to a flier here and there but most of my club compadres not quite so good.
For comparison the similar spring power of the Walther gives me 1/2inch to 3/4 inch groups depending on how well im shooting.
The Walther is mentioned as having a difficult upward recoil but it can be mastered.
The gun is highly consistant and the trigger perfect. Once mastered its deadly but i have never been able to fully master the Webley.
Heres why.
The rearward travelling piston was often quoted as being ideal as it sends all the recoil straight toward the hand. This is true but its the secondary recoil in springers that is hardest to control.
Here, Scorpions and such like get their secondary recoil toward the hand after the initial jump forward, but thr Webley is opposite.
Thus most shooters will out shoot a Webley with Scorpions, Original 5 s etc.
The Walthers secondary recoil is strangely none existant as it comes down through the gun after the initial iump upwards but is very easily controlled in the hand.

[hwtyger]

Dont have experience with old webley pistols. Dó know tempests.
They're just VERY holdsensitive. They are inconsistent in the way that their poi can vary per shooting session. But I also put that down to hold sensitivity.
I can get them to shoot 1 cm edge-edge groups though at about 4.5/5m and can keep 20 shots within 1 "at 10m.
I even shot a 47 ex 50 with my 4.5 Tempest. One-handed, on official 10m pistol target

[Modski66]

"47 ex 50" - Cool!

I struggle to do that with my FWB match pistol...

Mark.