The Osprey was the half-thought through replacement for the much loved Webley Mk III. Although some were sold as target rifles with chunky target stocks and diopters, most were sold with a slim, shotgun like beech stock. They had thick bull barrels on them but were low power - 8 fpe in .22 - and had indifferent triggers. They never seemed to sell well and I don’t know who would want one, they didn’t really have a niche. Not enough power for a hunter, the stock was wrong for target shooting and too expensive for a plinker. Must have just got people expecting they were getting a side-lever Mk III.

Did Webley remodel it into the Tracker or was that a new design? The Tracker followed the Sussex Armoury AR7 in having a short barrel which was radical for the time. It was supposed to improve handling, giving the opposite of the Osprey’s very front-heavy steady-on-aim feel, but I think it also appealed to youngsters and childish adults because it went off with an impressive ‘crack’ like a rimfire.

I know the piston-rings were dumped and a more conventional parachute fitted to the piston, and something was done about the flimsy trigger. It’s a much more powerful rifle than the Osprey, and eventually an Osprey analog was released called the Viscount with a full length barrel and some fancy timber attached.

So does anyone know the relationship between the Tracker and the Osprey? Can you make an Osprey into a heavy-barrelled Viscount by fitting a Tracker piston and trigger unit or is it more complicated than that?