Good on you for buying British as well, I've only ever bought six new rifles, a mk1 Lightning, the first of the Lightning XL's, a TX200hc, an SFS tuned Longbow, Cometa 400 and Karen's HW30S, my second hand collection though is mainly 80/90's BSA's and the last of what Webley produced and a Tracker, I am a advocate for buying British, if it's possible, especially in this world of Chinese consumer productsbut if I know I can buy a British made quality item, then I will (just bought better British made plane blades for my old Stanley planes), I feel we should be buying British, to support our businesses but I understand why people buy elsewhere, the embarrassing quality of BSA's now and the expense of Air Arms, aren't helping, that's what gets my goat, I recently moved up to Telford and we are a stones throw from Ironbridge, the amount of old industrial buildings around that are either empty or are being used for something else saddens me, when you think what we used to design and build and our industry was the best in the world, we hardly have anything now and all our top companies are owned by other foreign consortiums, it's a shame.
Far too many rifles to list now, all mainly British but the odd pesky foreigner has snuck in
I just bought four chickens from Lidl for £2.46 each! They’re in the freezer. A freezer filled with ice-packs to save on electricity (full freezer uses less energy).
I did break the £250 rule a few times .. a glided Vortek kitted 97K, a FWB 300S Junior, a Drulov Eagle, Pete’s ProSport, a Park 93 and a couple of TX200SRs.. maybe a couple more over the years.
However, it’s significant I’ve only kept one of them.
I think my most extravagant purchase was the custom HW30S stock I got imported from the US, but that decision was armwrestled by too much Guinness…
Four rifles for £1000 seems ok. Orange label collectors will understand.
I agree entirely with 'Look no hands'' post above. All very sad and depressing and it would cause that great and fervent supporter of British industry (unlike the current non-entities), Joseph Chamberlain, to revolve in his grave.
https://npgshop.org.uk/products/joe-...npg-p142-print
What is equally sad and depressing is that the new owners of Webley, who probably bought this great British brand for next to nothing, then thought it a good idea to offshore production to Turkey when there was an opportunity to follow the splendid lead given by Air Arms and produce something worthwhile in the UK, even if at premium prices. For my part, I will have nothing to do with these contemptible people or their products.
Rgds
A
Far too many rifles to list now, all mainly British but the odd pesky foreigner has snuck in
It would be very interesting to know what those debts were. Companies House would reveal this but it would need a little bit of footwork to discover it, or some time on Google.
I omitted to say, in my earlier post, that Joseph Chamberlain was - before entering the Commons - the Mayor of Birmingham, when it was England's leading manufacturing city (competing only with Glasgow), where BSA and Webley later produced their air rifles, before their owners decided to offshore.
All so sad and who would want to buy something made in Turkey under the Webley brand? One really wonders if the owners have any self-respect.
Rgds
A
The seven-shot Anderson Wheeler Webley Mk VII in .357 is probably the last of the true marque, even though it was not made by Webley.
Unfortunately it seems to have ruined it's maker's business and is no longer made. At £10,000 a pop it may have been a little too expensive even for the global market.
If I come into a large fortune I may buy a house in the Languedoc and a brace of these revolvers...
Last edited by Hsing-ee; 05-01-2025 at 08:51 PM.
Last edited by Hsing-ee; 07-01-2025 at 11:19 AM.
I'd be more inclined to sing it's praises if they'd based it on the WG model.
The extra shot is a nice idea , two extra would have been very nice !
If correct, then the price seems a little excessive...
Atb
Mark
He spoke almost nothing about his time in Russia, although there is an Eastern Orthodox icon my Dad inherited, which he either found by the side of the road (churches being destroyed was a Red Army thing) or was given to him by some White Russian family he helped - no-one seems to agree on the story. He was in intelligence and never spoke about his active service in other trouble spots, the near East and central Asia either.
He did re-enlist in WW2 and trained South African troops and was involved in the incarceration of the South African Nazis and their sympathisers. He had a 1911 by this point.
He must have been only 20 or 21 when he went to Russia, but he was an absolute genius at languages so he must have been useful. Not a skill he passed down to me sadly.
Important to note that the current owners of the Webley name are not the decision-makers who decided to close the English factory and get the products made abroad.
I was not aware that the old Webley from Birmingham had closed their own factory and offshored production to Turkey. Is this correct? But, why have the new owners not re-commenced production in the UK and followed Air Arms example by producing excellent UK made air rifles? I think there are few on this site who would wish to buy a Turkish air rifle but we would have confidence in a leading British brand, manufacturing in the UK.
Rgds
A