Probably one of the best videos of seen on stripping down a WEBLEY pistol,the rest of the content is fascinating to watch,thanks this has renewed my interest in pistols 👍
I first became familiar with the Webley Pistols in the early 1980's while in my early 20's. I never owned one but had a friend that sold them so I shot them a lot back then. This was the second video I have watched of yours so I am a new sub really enjoying your content thanks 😊
The section that covered the Abas Major took me back to the John Atkins stories regarding these air pistols. One such story was quite funny, recalling the time he had won an informal shoot out using a discarded medicine bottle as the target against a friend and his revered vintage Webley pistol.
John Atkins got in touch after seeing this video to say how much he enjoyed it, and that my post war mk1 is surprisingly powerful. He also liked the Webley cake! I do miss his articles in Airgunner, I was very disappointed that he wasn’t carried over to the new Airgun world mag. Maybe he’ll contribute to a video!
My father had one which I used when I grew up, and I agree it's a classic. But! I then purchased a Hi Score .22 pistol and never looked back as this is a beautiful ultimate design as some pcp's are now using this cylinder over barrel idea -40 years on I now wish I had never sold it.
I agree the Hyscore is a brilliant design, I have the UK version that came out in the 90's and it's a great air pistol. I'll do a review on it in the future and maybe test the accuracy in the same way. Thanks
In my opinion, having owned the Webley of 1980s vintage (gave it to my brother), the HW45 is indeed superior in many ways, especially the trigger. Mine is match light, and ridiculously competent in these days when it’s impossible to fire a real pistol in the UK - unless your job is guarding the powers that shouldn’t be, and your hobbies are rewarded with prison sentences. The build quality is also very robust, it feels serious in the hand, behaves sufficiently like the real thing, and it can dispatch rats. And although the HW45 is modelled on the 1911, it’s my service HP-9 that it’s a stand-in for. Very well done and interesting video though. You’ve inspired me to get my Sterling HR out. I seem to recall it needs some work.
I had a Diana model 5 hand me down when I was a kid, 45 years ago. I can still remember the sights and handgrip, I have exactly the same views as yours, which makes me feel better, I was not just me being an awful shot.
What a brilliant professional video. I subscribed a few years ago and have enjoyed all your videos. I have over 30 pistols in my collection, including three Webleys, an early Hurricane, a Junior, and a Premium Mk2 B series which I only acquired last month. I've been after a good one for years because in the mid 1960's when I was a boy I saved up and had the choice of a Webley Premium or an American Hyscore, both about the same price. I chose the Hyscore because it resembled a Luger P08, which all boys my age lusted after. I still have the Hyscore, and I'm looking forward to comparing it with the Premium to see if I made the right choice all those years ago.
I'm 53 and crazed my parents to buy me an air rifle when I was like 12 or so and in the end they bought me a brand new Webley Tempest from Andy Cochranes in Wisbech. I must have put thousands of pellets through it at the bottom of the garden. It's only ever been serviced the once back in like 1994 but still seems to work just like it always has over 40 years later. To be honest it was better my parents bought me such a quality pistol rather than a cheaper rifle. It still lives at my parents in the orginal box as I moved to the City as an adult. I fired a few shots with it just last year. Good times.
@@dkjngl1 Yeah what is funny is that there is a real knack to cocking the thing. I as a 13 year old had it down pat but I could hand it to a strapping adult and they would struggle. It's all in the angles of the gun and the wrist.
My brother and I used to plink away down the side of the family home with his Webley Junior air pistol that our grandfather had given him. One time we were taking turns shooting at a match box when one of our shots ricocheted off the paving slab and hit dad who was walking up the garden on his ankle! He didn't 'arf curse at us while we fell out in hysterics😁
I still have an early Webley Premier that is still in fair condition. My only wish is that they had kept the grip shape of the Mk1. Even with my smaller hands i find the grip slightly too small for comfort. The amount of imitators proved that Webley had a wiñing design. They were so well engineered that they are extremely durable.
My dad gave me one of these when I was 6 or 7. I had a job to cock it. I also had a similar WW1 rat pistol for use in the trenches. It looked like the Webey but the cocking lever was in a groove in the butt and you had to fold it out straight and push it in to cock it. The spring was too strong for me at that age.
Just remembered. It was aTitan .177 cal. It may not have been military issue but that's what I was told. But that was over 60 years ago. I think they were made from around 1910
Ah yes, I asked on a forum and the Titan was suggested, although no one had ever heard of ratting in the trenches with air pistols. Very interesting thank you. Do you know anymore, were the titans effective?
@@dkjngl1 No I don't but my father dealt in antiques specialising in arms and armour. As a child I was always being taken to castles and frequently the Tower of London where he bought swords, pistols, muskets etc. Our house was full of antique weapons, polearms edged weapons and firearms. He had original suits of armour, duelling pistols, so many things. He was very knowledgeable and had contacts in the military so I think he was probably right about its use.
A really excellent review of the Mk1 Webley ! And a very enjoyable comparison test, I have always wanted a Westly Richards Highest Possible", but I can see it is less than efficient of a design, the "Concentric " looks very similar to the Accles & Shelvock, was that built under licence? Chris B.
Do you mean the Acvoke? That was recognised as more of a copy of the little Tell 2 by Venus waffenwerk but yes I see what you mean, the concentric is almost identical, apart from the breech closer locking mechanism. Interesting, thanks.
I believe the barrel on the 240 magnum remains fixed on the main body of the pistol, and only the top cover is used to cock the pistol, but yes very similar.
Yes the 240 barrel remains parallel to the cylinder whilst the overlever pivots across the top using two wire straps that draws back the piston towards the muzzle. These pistols have an awkward transfer port that wouldn't appear to work at all efficiently but infact they seem to do the job rather well. The mark 1 version had a fixed 'O' ring sealing the breech and mark 2 versions have a securing grub screw to enable easier replacement, I guess. I have one of each both in .177 calibre in excellent condition that chrono at approximately 500fps using RWS Hobby and a tad faster using RWS Super H. On a good day I usually can hit a hanging pellet tin at 20 yards which is great fun!
Different ones for different pistols. Mine are all most accurate with either JSB express, AA field, Bisley practice or Falcon accuracy +. All in 4.52, and I test the pistols to see which pellet is most accurate for which pistol. Cheers
I have designed a blued steel airpistol based on the tell 3 and am currently making the 2nd one, I have found however that the trigger mechanism, which I based of one of the tell 3 mechanisms, is somewhat heavy. Do you know if the tell 3 had this problem too? Cheers.
Hi, I don’t own a tell 3 but have been offered one to do a similar video test with. If I do one I’ll be sure to have a good look at the trigger. My contact details are in the channel bio, I’d be interested to see your remake. Cheers
@@dkjngl1 Thank you for your response. That would make for an interesting video since Tell 3's are quite rare. I'll send some pictures this afternoon. Cheers.
Great video, very informative thanks! You noticed that it would be hard to purchase an air pistol this nice today, however this isn't really true. Weihrauch still makes a couple of pistols with very similar design even if the aesthetic is different. The HW40 is a single stroke pneumatic of a similar design and is less than 200€. Beeman makes a cheaper version too.
I know mate but the HW40 is moulded plastic, hardly comparable to machined and polished blued steel. The HW40 isn’t a spring pistol either, but a single stroke pneumatic, and without the recoil is a very different shooting experience. Good pistols though as you say. Cheers
@@dkjngl1 Personally I prefer quality plastic to most alloys out there, and all the important bits are steel. The only downside I'd say is the cock on close which is pretty hard and can make you touch the rear sight, not ideal.
Webley made a similar pneumatic pistol back in the 90’s called the Nemesis. Much easier to shoot accurately that the spring pistols but as you say, hard to compress. Cheers
Interesting, when I was asking around for suggestions for mk1 competition the Lincoln pistol never came up. Not sure how accurate they are but I would love to try one.
i have a mk1 No 7150 which i know has been in the snowball family since new does anybody know when it would have been made and any idea of worth although i wont be selling it Ron Snowball
Hi Ron, according to Gordon Bruce’s book it’s an early s.n, probably late 1924 - early 1925. I assume it has straight grips, safety catch and no trigger adjusting screw?
@@dkjngl1 you're very wrong. Do some research. Two handed shooting is to allow for faster follow up shots with a centrefire. For maximum accuracy pistol target shooting is done with one hand to reduce the effects of disturbance due to muscle tremor.
That may be how two handed shooting initially developed.... one handed target pistol shooting developed from the time when people participated in duels, where you would stand side on to your opponent to offer them the minimal target for them to shoot at. In this position you can only use one hand. The tradition of this shooting position is carried on today. Having done plenty of single handed 10m air pistol shooting I can assure you that two handed shooting is much more stable, unless maybe you are an Olympic level pistol shooter? It does depend on the pistol though, an Olympic 10m match pistol is not ergonomically suited to two handed shooting.
@@dkjngl1 it's based in an understanding of human physiology that one handed is theoretically more accurate for deliberate fire. In practice it is. Personally I can produce smaller groups one handed. Of course if I was shooting a Glock in a dynamic situation I'd mostly be using two hands if they were both working.
I have similar Webley & Scott I bought for a few quid about forty years ago. There is no blueing on it and the metal is pocket marked from rust etc, but it still works like new, not many new airguns will ever beat that in my opinion. Very well used over its history as most of the metal etched grip lines between the front of the grips has been worn off with use. Production of the first airguns by Webley & Scott were from 1924 with the MK 1 having a straight grip and then 1935-1964 with a slanted grip which is the grip mine has. I put a quick vid on my youtube channel if anyone is curious. It is a bit of an ugly duckling though. Details of my gun:- I believe it is a MK 1 pre war model with a dubious history from the way the serial number has been deliberately scored out. Barrel end has 089 stamped into it. GB PATENT NO 219872 USA PATENT NO 7-7-25 CANADA PATENT NO 1925
