Webley Mark 3 vs BSA Airsporter

[Geezer]

The Airsporter was a succesful design for half a century, the only real fault being the poor open sights but I think these were regarded as superfluous after continuous odovetails were introduced even though they were placed suitably for a giraffe BSA improved it continously alongside their break barrels whilst Webley chose to replace the MK III with a series of rehashed 'new' models.....but we wont go there.

So Airsporter for me

I find it hard to think of the Mk3-7 Airsporters as improvements. RB2, maybe.

[mallyally]

I remember as a kid I has an airsporter and my mate had a MK 3 the Bsa was more powerful and much more reliable ( and we used to give them some stick )
his used to keep undoing every screw and pin and he needed a tool kit in his pocket to keep it working
The airsporter just kept going ! Having said that I loved his MK3 and thought it was the most beautiful thing on earth ( not really too involved with girls at that age )

Have one of each and a osprey Now ( another gun that was WOW first time I saw it ) Never really shoot them but they are nice to have

[Geezer]

I remember as a kid I has an airsporter and my mate had a MK 3 the Bsa was more powerful and much more reliable ( and we used to give them some stick )
his used to keep undoing every screw and pin and he needed a tool kit in his pocket to keep it working
The airsporter just kept going ! Having said that I loved his MK3 and thought it was the most beautiful thing on earth ( not really too involved with girls at that age )

Have one of each and a osprey Now ( another gun that was WOW first time I saw it ) Never really shoot them but they are nice to have

Mally - Like you, most of my air gun collecting interests also date from the pre-girl period of my adolescence. When I thought MkIIIs and 'sporters were ancient rubbish. We live and learn as we age.

Osprey? Really? Mediocre at best in my book.

45flint: I think this is what you guys over there call a Ford v Chevy discussion. Some people have a strong affinity for one or the other, but they are objectively about as good as each other. (My answer, when I lived across the pond, was Pontiac. Specifically an SD-455. That thing was a bloody monster.) As I've said before, get both and form a judgment on what suits you. They are out there, even in the US. And get a D50 to compare.

[Hsing-ee]

Talking of days gone by .. the Webley Mk III I had on loan was very well made but a disappointing performer, and the pistol grip and comb are very odd, the hand placement and the low comb make for weird handling. The Airsporters I have had were strongly constructed, but like issue Lee-Enfields, not really a precision instruments. When I was 15 the Weihrauch HW35 Export seemed so much more the quality rifle, with a precise trigger, fine handling and greatly superior accuracy. It was in a different league.

[mallyally]

Mally - Like you, most of my air gun collecting interests also date from the pre-girl period of my adolescence. When I thought MkIIIs and 'sporters were ancient rubbish. We live and learn as we age.

Osprey? Really? Mediocre at best in my book.

You misunderstand mate ! in the 60s these two guns were Cutting edge not Ancient Rubbish and the Osprey didn't even come out till 1975 First time I seen one it was the most modern gun I had ever seen !
Nobody had even heard of Wheirach In my day let alone own one

[Hsing-ee]

You misunderstand mate ! in the 60s these two guns were Cutting edge not Ancient Rubbish and the Osprey didn't even come out till 1975 First time I seen one it was the most modern gun I had ever seen !
Nobody had even heard of Wheirach In my day let alone own one

The Webley Osprey IS a remarkable looking thing, with its elegant shotgun-style half-pistol grip and that great fat bull-barrel. Must have looked very impressive at the time, but I bet the lame performance left a lot of owners disappointed. I think of it as the Morris Marina of 70s airguns, except only a few people bought them.

[Geezer]

You misunderstand mate ! in the 60s these two guns were Cutting edge not Ancient Rubbish and the Osprey didn't even come out till 1975 First time I seen one it was the most modern gun I had ever seen !
Nobody had even heard of Wheirach In my day let alone own one

You I think misunderstand me. That's exactly my point. I was born in 1968. So when I got into shooting about 10-14 years later, the Airsporter and the (no longer made) MKIII seemed very poor compared to the HW80, FWB 124/7, Theoben, etc.

The Webley Osprey IS a remarkable looking thing, with its elegant shotgun-style half-pistol grip and that great fat bull-barrel. Must have looked very impressive at the time, but I bet the lame performance left a lot of owners disappointed. I think of it as the Morris Marina of 70s airguns, except only a few people bought them.

My mum owned an Ital 1300L (tarted up Marina, gutless family taxi) at one point and our near neighbours a sh1t brown Marina that sometimes took me to school in the late 70s or early 80s and did not hide its Morris Minor origins very well.

Loads of people bought Marinas, poor fools. My dad was more sensible and had a Cortina 1600E in the early 70s, then a 2000E (metallic blue and vinyl roof, very Life On Mars), a Maxi, a TR7 (truly awful, also sh1t brown) and then eventually a 2-litre Vauxhall Cavalier (unfortunately again in sh1t brown, but otherwise a bloody good car by early 80s standards).

Marinas were obviously awful even at the time. So I think you are being harsh on the Osprey. More like an Austin Maxi - good, innovative idea, badly executed.

[silva]

Airsporters, especially the earlier ones are very nice handling, well balanced guns. They were a slick and innovative design when they came out. I've owned a few over the years, but sadly never really bonded with one. It might still happen one day.

Whereas my .177 MK3 with a folding Parker Hale aperture rearsight, was an accurate rifle of which I have very fond recollections of. It sometimes felt I couldn't miss with it ! I sold it over 20 years ago for holiday funds and still feel remorse ! Though a very good mate of mine bought it and still has it, which is great too.

I don't think either is a better gun - the Airsporter was more graceful, innovative and a mile stone of airgun design - but the Webley Mk3 is accurate, massively constructed from high quality materials and tough as old boots !