I came across a webley tracker in the early 90s in sweden in a hunting store. It was such a beautiful rifle I could never completely get it out of my head. Never saw one again and ended up collecting several other sidelever rifles over the years. But three years ago I finally found one and I'm glad to have it! 😍 Thank you for uploading your videos. I'm looking forward to the dis- and reassembly of your tracker! Best wishes !
Thanks, Martin. It's good to hear that you finally have your Tracker. I promise that I'll get to that teardown video eventually. 😉 Thanks for watching, my friend.
I've only recently discovered your channel and I've been working my way through many of your videos, I'd just like to say I'm enjoying every single one. Informative, precise and your opinions are spot on. The chill atmosphere, the music and the little stories you tell all make a great watch. Thank you.
Music to my ears. I've just inherited this very same rifle and you're absolutely right about there being nothing out there about any kind of strip down or maintenance of this rifle. Mine definitely needs some attention and a little TLC to bring it back up to scratch. Thank you sir. 😁👍
The Tracker was available with a longer barrel & I believe it was called the Viscount and it came with open sights. Carbine Tracker had the barrel weight & sight blanking plate. The Tracker is a bit more challenging to strip than other Webley Models. One of the main things that catches people out is that the pin that secures the body tube end plug is secured/locked with a grub screw which is hidden away in a hole in the end plug. Many do not realise this & damage the end plug pin trying to force it out. The other problem area is getting the large cocking lever tensioning spring located. Easy way to get around this is by using the anti bear trap ratchet to hold the lever under spring tension & then fit the pivot pin through the spring hole. Just be careful letting the bear trap off. You will be lucky to get 10ft lbs out of the Tracker & my advice is don't try to increase the power as it's harsh at higher levels. One last point is the trigger. This can be improved by 'carefully' polishing the sear/trigger contact surfaces. The trigger parts are counted in a gritty phosphate type black finish that really compromises the triggers feel & performance. Mirror finish the sear/trigger faces & the pins and it does improve the feel. You can fit a lighter trigger spring but you have to be really careful & know what you are doing (not for the amateur) & trip test the trigger, also test the safety as too light a spring means engaging the safety can fire the gun). Keep up the good work sir 🫡
The tracker and viscount were different models. Not one of the same. The viscount was discontinued pretty quickly whilst the tracker was produced for around 20 years.
@@mercury8180 The Tracker came in basically three versions. Tracker had carbine with barrel weight & also standard barrel with open sights. The Viscount is essentially the Tracker with a barrel length between the carbine & standard length. The Tracker standard barrel model basically superceded the Viscount but for all intents & purposes the Viscount was a long barreled Tracker under a different name.
The cute little Carbine is unusual enough to be included in the collection. All these English air rifles are interesting and worth looking at. We all have unusual channel names, but I'll make an exception and wish you a nice day - greetings from central Germany...Andy.
Great to see a review of these rifles 👍 I think the longer barrelled ( as per your rifle) was sold as an 'Osprey' here in the UK. The Webley Tracker has a far shorter barrel, essentially carbine length. My. 22cal Tracker can produce under 1" group at 25yrd using RWS Hobbies, spits em out at about 10ftp. Cracking little field gun, a carry all day'er, with it being so light. They do have a bad reputation for maintaining though due to the trigger latching. Regards to all from the UK
The tracker along with the viscount came out in the early 80s both were a replacement for the osprey. The viscount did have a long barrel like the osprey but it was not as thick or heavy as the osprey barrel. The tracker as far as I recall always had a short barrel as I have never seen one with a long barrel here in the UK. Maybe someone at the factory got confused and put a viscount barrel on your tracker. Either way I would say that it is super rare. I believe the tracker was webley's longest running production rifle. Great video.
Thanks very much. I often wonder if, at some point, someone changed the barrel out for a longer, possibly Viscount barrel? Either way, it's a curiosity, for sure.
Ya' got me Douglas. I've had a few folks suggest putting the pellets out ahead of time. That way, I won't lose count. It's a terrific idea. Now I just have to remember to do it...🤒
I learned a trick with these to make them shoot nicer and gain extra fps with no more spring was to use a tx200 25mm piston seal and get rid of the hard ptfe one, mine was also same accuracy wise untill I tweaked the tap alignment.
Hello Kevin I own one of these guns , the gas ram has gone on it , I have been tempted to tackle replacing it . Just want to say I think this channel is great .
Thanks so much. I wasn't even aware that it was offered in a gas ram. Now I'm fantasizing about converting mine. Let me know if you find a replacement. Thanks for watching, my friend.
Hi Kevin I got to the range today, it's only 12 yards but that's all I've got , I took my Barnett Spitfire apart again here's what I did , cleaned up everything, it has a Welsh Willie kit in it , I would recommend you make a top hat and spring guide on your lathe , the piston seal was good but I put a new one in anyway tx200 is a direct fit the original piston seals some kind of weird plastic, I polished both ends of the piston and made a piston sleve out of a soda can but left the cocking slot open , I put a slip washer between the sleve and top hat with a little moly on them so the top hat wouldn't chew the teeth on the sleve if it rotated, a very thin layer on the inside of the sleve spring tar on the spring and another slip washer on the spring guide with a little moly between them , I polished the trigger and sear on a stone , it made a world of difference, gun shoots great 9fpe best pellets so far are h&n barracuda ft 4.52 , barracuda match 4.51 not far behind, clover leaf groups at 12 yards , I read on line the barrels on these older English guns prefer larger head pellets because they are not 5.5 or 4.5mm like the European guns but are slightly larger 5.6mm and 4.6mm but that's a another rabbit hole I've been down, hope this helps, looking forward to your video mate best of luck ,ps it is an absolute joy to shoot fps is very consistent with the h&n pellets
@razor1962 you are correct mate it's so satisfying, unlike my .22 diana 34 , I've put a vortek kit in that that I had to take back out and shortened the spring, tried 3 scopes on it one bought new and various pellets its so smooth but not groupinglike it should, but it's still a work in progress very frustrating to say the least, unlike my .177 34 that's preforming amazing,
@razor1962 my .177 34 loves the barracuda match 4.51, chp not at all , I've just been in the garage, changed out the piston seal in the .22 34 and did some chronograph testing it was very consistent jsb , I have plenty of h&n ftt but they are all 5.55 , I'm going to the range again Monday in, .22 I have jsb jumbo and jumbo heavy, ftt 5.55 , chp , if none of them work il have to put another order in to pyramid air , I got a load of ftt delivered the other day but in .177 , at the 12 yard range the .22 chp do great in my other .22s , weihrauch hw90k, diana 52 , I know it's only 12 yards but I am surprised as the chp.177 in my 34 suck , even at 12 yards 🤷 thanks for the advice mate hoping something I already have will work, il let you know 👍
Dear Kevin Thanks for the video... I'm pretty sure that your gun was called the viscount here in the UK. Had a tracker in the early 1990s... shorter barrel...no sights and a barrel weight held in place with a rubber O ring
Hi Kevin,I use to own a webley Tracker Deluxe with a walnut Stock,but foolishly sold it. I'm looking forward to your strip down on this Rifle All the Best kevin Steve
Thanks, Steve. I'd love to come across a walnut stocked Tracker. What a find. The teardown video shouldn't be too far off. I have zero recollection of the procedure.🤔
Hi Kevin. Great video, I had a tracker and an osprey growing up in the uk, I have a Barnett Spitfire now in the us , I really need to get mine out , I put a tune kit in it years ago and had it apart multiple times shortening the spring it was a pita not the gun but the kit , last time I had mine out I was actually getting decent accuracy at 12 yards with some old gamo pellets I got when I bought a used gun off the internet, currently working on one of my diana 34s put a vortek 12fpe kit in it today unfortunately its doing 15fpe 😫 I'm going to the 12 yard airgun rang on Monday I shall take my tracker and report back, thank you for the video I love these little guns pity they don't perform as good as they look ,I think of them as a mini diana 52 , and I love my 52
Congratulations on owning a Tracker. It is indeed an adorable rifle. I'm hoping that I can squeeze out a little more accuracy if I find a good pellet. Thanks for watching.
Nice video. If my memory serves me correctly, the long barrelled version of the Webley Tracker was called the Viscount. I wonder whether the short barrel was changed to the longer barrel after purchase… if that’s possible?! 😊
That's a really neat gun. I have a thing for tap loaders and I have a Webley Eclipse, which it also a tap loader but it's an under lever. I also recently acquired a Diana 46 that I recently tuned with some ARH parts. I haven't had much time to shoot it, but through a couple test shots it seems like a sweet little gun. The neat thing about tap loaders (IMO) is that if you're pesting or something you can load a pellet and wait to cock until you have a target.
Nice old Webley Kevin 👍 I'm surprised she doesn't shoot better,; European rifles tend to be accurate overall in my experience & sidelevers are supposedly the most accurate action type....maybe there IS something wrong with that tap mechanism?? She could be a factory "parts gun" of sorts too....maybe with an Osprey barrel? Still a good enough shooter for small pests and maybe the odd red squirrel though methinks 😁👍 I'd probably run her with the iron sights or maybe a peep as a walkabout rifle..😁👍 Thanks for sharing as always Kevin.
I’ve never seen a Tracker in the flesh, I wonder if they are quite rare hence the lack of videos? Will be interesting to see how they are fabricated in comparison to guns of a similar age👍🏻
That table is a little too far gone for a protective finish. It's getting to the point that a replacement will be in order. Thanks for watching, David.
Years ago I had a Webley Ospray, what did it cost me? I wanted it and the guy wanted my Ford Cortina😂😂. Anyway I took it apart, piston had expanded in the middle...... Yep, me as a youngster not realising what dry firing does to a springer, lost loads of parts so it was junk. I do remember it being a nice rifle but I didn't know any better back then, nothing to compare it to.
Yes, I am aware of that. Evidently, mine appears to be the exception to that rule. Perhaps the barrel was swapped out at some point for a longer one. In either case, she's a keeper. Thanks for watching, Brian
Hi Kevin .. I’ve just pellet tested mine (.22) short barrel and settled on the RWS Superdome & JSB Hades ..results are all within a 2” diameter at 25m ..I don’t like the supplied barrel weight as it’s a push fit over an o-ring method and moves on recoil ..The 3 part moderator is the same but has a short aluminium internal sleeve !! .the moderator is fitted over this and tightened by gripping the moderator and a half twist with a wrench but still moves at the slightest touch…if any of your subs has any advise I’d appreciate that.theres nothing in the instructions that covers the subject ..it’s not a Rekord trigger for sure 😆
Well, it just so happens that I have an FWB LP80 and an FWB that both in need of an overhaul. There's a HiScore model 816 / Diana model 6 recoiless pistol as well that needs cosmetic work in addition to an overhaul. Stick around. I'll get to it in good time, my friend.
Not to sure about this particular rifle age wise, but with a number of older British rifles the barrels were not metric sized, so it might be worth seeing if you can get hold of some 4.60 .177 pellets and I know what you mean about finding info on some older guns as a guy turned up at my place a couple of weeks ago with a Webley Scott Hawk mk1 twin barrel, who was having trouble with the trigger that was so heavy I nearly dislocated my finger trying to get it to fire, turns out he said he had put a over powered OX spring in it, which was more than likely the cause of the problem and I could not find any info on it.
Hello friend, how are you? My name is Rafael, I'm from Brazil and I really like sports shooting with an air rifle. I like your videos, congratulations!😂
@@razor1962 You have a rifle that I thought was very beautiful, the FWB sport, We don't have this brand here in Brazil. I have a BAM b19 that I customized to participate in competitions at 10 meters and a Nitro-X 1000 CBC for distant shots.
I've had two of these guns over the years,in .22 calibre,and found them to be inaccurate with all the pellets tested.The piston seal is rubbish and a parachute seal would be beneficial,also the loading tap and the mediocre trigger doesn't help with the accuracy.
Don't sugar coat it, Alan. Tell us how you really feel...😊 I've had more accurate guns for sure, but there's a fun factor hear that can't be overlooked. Thanks for watching, my friend.
Hey, loved your video on your favorite rifles. I have the HW 30 and HW 50, would love the 97k but it's too long for me. Modified my other rifles by cutting the butt plate back about 3" inches. If you ever have the chance to buy a 97k and cut 3 - 4 inches off the butt stock i would buy it from you. My jobs are not as neat as yours. Please respond, I am serious. Doesn't have to be a new rifle as I know you tune them better than I ever could. Let me know!. FYI, I'm 5'4". 140 lbs.
Thanks so much for watching, my friend. Back when I had my firearm refinishing business, I had a jig that I made, which allowed me to adjust the position of a buttstock and hold it perfectly still. I used it in conjunction with the mitre gauge on a tablesaw fitted with a sharp, finish cut blade. That's the secret. Trying to do it freehand or at the wrong angle will result in a poor job. I don't own that jig anymore, I'm afraid. Perhaps a competent gunsmith in your area would be willing to make the cut for you. I sincerely appreciate your viewership.
I would be interested to know if this gun has the tracker piston seal or the osprey piston ring? Remember folks no real need to disassemble the trigger unit two small electric screw drivers will do the trick one to pull down the sear and the second to wedge it clear one goes in the side the other goes in the back , blade size fairly critical too big wont go in too small and it wont hold.
Barrel weight or air stripper might work I put a Hatsan air stripper on my BSA Meteor retro fitted the brass insert close to the muzzle it will shoot same hole at 25 yards with Kevinator 16 grain pellets with med firm hold and it took a while to break in the gun [new meteor] i also had to really clean the new barrel But Hatsan 95 22 pellet falls out the barrel all different?
Brother in law had one I could shoot it good. He liked shooting my bsa think it was gold star. Underleaver 10 shot mag. That drove me crazy loading mags.😢
Avoid the 22 in British rifles, they are actually.22, ie 5.56mm NOT 5.5mm so are pretty baggy in the bore, made worse in tap loaders which are around 5.58 in the tap. This Tracker seems a bit down...maybe because of the US style "treacle tune" it's had, but maybe the tap is leaking, put a half inch square of masking tape over the tap before firing, if it flies off..there you are.
It's definitely not shooting up to full power. I can tell you that the tap seals while it's in the open position because the breech holds pressure if the gun is fired with the tap open. I've heard of the .22 curse with Brittish barrels. However, I have a BSA Supersport Mag in .22 that shoots remarkably well with RWS Superpoints. Thanks for watching.
@@razor1962 You'll not see more than 10-10.5 ft/lbs from a Tracker, maybe 9 in a 177, it might wear in a bit and fling some of the tar off, it does slow them, a proper tune will kill the vibration bone dry with correct spring tension and controlled rotation, not seek to damp it with gloop, if you look at the Pope and The Venom tunes from the eighties they used almost no grease anywhere. The Supersports were late enough to all be 5.5mm...as were some original pattern Meteors, the last of the Airsporters (RB2) was too...all Webleys except the Patriot though were a full fat 5.56mm RWS pellets however often work best in the oversized (correctly sized in truth) barrels, as they are quite soft by comparison with the higher antimony JSB's etc...and especially the very hard Crosman ones...the air blowing the skirt out to size I'm assuming. I can give you an occasional one inch group off open sights with my only tap loader, at about 18 yards, but it's in .177 However it was made in 1908 lol, so I cut it some slack.
If I find a model 45 at the right price, I will be taking it home with me. When I was a young man, I lusted after the Beeman R1. However, my financial situation at the time prevented me from acquiring one. There was one other choice on the market. Another German offering. It could be had through Cabelas for $169.99 . In those days, it was marketed as the RWS model 45, but it was indeed a Diana. I was able to scrape up the cash for a 45, and soon , I stepped foot into the wonderful world of springers. So, I have a soft spot for the 45. Mine honked like a goose and kicked like a mule, but it shot straight, and it wet my appetite for more.
Hi Kevin good morning,as it turns out my Rws Diana 45 has the metal trigger and uses a leather capped piston. Therefore the tune kit apparently will not work,do you know if the piston can be swapped out to a new version with a synthetic seal ? So I can put in the tuning kit. Sorry to bother you with this but no one else seems to know anything about this Diana. Thanks
