Webley Falcon info please

[ggggr]

On the other forum I put something up about Webley Falcons, and that I had heard of barrels breaking at the breech block, probably due to heat treatment? although I had never seen this. Someone said that had come across one with a broken barrel and it had a barrel liner

So--2 questions--(1) has anybody ever come across a Falcon with a broken barrel?
(2) has anyone ever come across one with a barrel liner?

Thanks

[mallyally]

The Webley Junior had a sleeved barrel never seen a falcon with one though !!

https://youtu.be/yVV2q_wFPDk

[laverdabru]

Never heard of a Falcon breaking that way, or having a sleeve liner. The Junior rifle had a rifled brass(?) insert to the barrel.

HTH,

Bru

[trajectory]

Not best placed to give a comprehensive answer about this as I've only handled a couple of them & never owned one to have a really good long look at one, but, I thought they had solid steel barrels. Never heard anyone saying to me the barrel on theirs had snapped off. In reviews & comments about them they are usually referred to as solid, well made rifles of good to high quality which sounds a bit at odds to barrel liners & tubes; but every day is a learning day. Anyone seen anything about this in the Webley book by Chris Thrales? I don't have a copy, maybe I ought to get one.

[jjjjjj]

I have had quite a few Webley Falcons never had a problem with any of them with the barrel or ever known it to be a week point, never seen any Falcons with a barrel liner,
The only air rifle i have come across with a weak barrel is the original 45 I have had two of them where the barrel has been bent just buy normal use over time.

[HOMER]

I have had quite a few Webley Falcons never had a problem with any of them with the barrel or ever known it to be a week point, never seen any Falcons with a barrel liner,
The only air rifle i have come across with a weak barrel is the original 45 I have had two of them where the barrel has been bent just buy normal use over time.

Yep definately concurr with jj, I bought one from him which was an early model with straight scope rail & marked "FALCON", I allready had a barelled action (no back block or stock) from a later "dumbell" type rail, which are both solid (very) steel, actually according to my Mitoyo's actually measure 5/8" (15.72mm) which if my failing memory fails me (again?) is the same as HW80, and thicker than HW35. Broken breach, well anythings possible but only way would be via accidental slamfire I recon deffo not down to manufacturing quality OR materials. I think the only Webley long guns which utillised a brass linered barrel were the Junior and the Jaguar. The larger Ranger was solid steel from what I can remember.
H

[ggggr]

Well I've seen 6 or 7 Falcons and they have all been steel barrels.
Also, I had a dead British Diana that i cut open the breech block to see how it was fixed. There was some slight marking / knurling on the barrel and it was pinned and also held in place by the breech bolt------Ie not brazed.

I thinks Gedfinn mentioned something about heat treatment on here , but I was also told about ten years ago by a collector that the barrels broke I;ve never seen one broken and if it was I'd suspect over enthusiastic cocking, when the piston was worn, rather than anything else?

[Thegreg]

It sounds like someone has got these mixed up with the tin plate barrel off the Junior/Jaguar. The Falcon is a very solidly built rifle and has an excellent lock up at the breech. I’d be surprised if it suffered from the issues you mentioned.

As is well recognised the only real let down of these guns is the rolled steel piston, which is surprisingly out of place on an otherwise superbly engineered gun.

Cheers
Greg