Webley mk3..

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Oldtime

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Hi there,

Any Webley Mk 3 experts on here??? I have a very nice Webley mk3 in .22, one of the later ones. I think it is from about 1968???

Anyway, it works well [10.2ft/lb] [which is a lot more than i was expecting] and if you open the tap it holds the piston back for about 20 seconds, so no leaks, but when you fire it, it seems very harsh??

I have not fired a spring powered gun for many years, so have nothing to compare it to, but the vibration slackens off the stock screw by the trigger guard.

Are they all like this??
 

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That certainly looks like a well maintained and looked after example of the classic Mk3.

The mainsprings that Webley used in the Mk3 were quite strong and with that short cocking lever, the rifles required quite a bit of effort to cock. I agree with the posters above in that a smoother firing cycle producing 9 ft lbs or so beats a harsh 10 ft lbs.
 
The large diameter transfer port doesn't help and they can be slammy. Taking it down to 9 ft lbs will help as others have said. I'm just about to take ownership of a very tidy early one with a gunsmith mounted scope rail.
 
Hi Everyone,

It is hard to know what to think... I bought it a while back. It is very nice, although you can see where it has had a light speckling of rust at sometime in the past. You can only see this in certain light though.

It seems to be completely original in one sense, no chewed up screws at all, and when i took the stock off, there was a paper sticker that had worked its way underneath, the one that was on them when they were new saying not to dry fire it or whatever it was..

Looking up into the spring chamber thingy, it all looks clean and lightly greased...

So, hard to know. Surely if it had the original spring from 1968 it would be no where near 10.2 ft/lbs??? In addition, the only adverts i have seen for the things states 600fps for the 177 and 500 for the 22.

Now, from when i was a kid, as best i can remember, a 177 pellet was 7 grains and a 22 was 14 grains, so 500fps and 14 grains gives you more like 8ft/lbs rather than the 10.29 [13.96 grains] and an average 576 fps that i am getting, so perhaps it IS well and truly oversprung??

I think i should get lighter spring?? I do not fancy just shortening the one it has now, as from my engineering past i can tell you that shortening a spring, increases the rate of the thing.. Have any of you experience of a more suitable spring i can buy, or if a better spring out of something else fits??

It is a nice old thing!!
 
Oldtime said:
Hi Everyone,

It is hard to know what to think... I bought it a while back. It is very nice, although you can see where it has had a light speckling of rust at sometime in the past. You can only see this in certain light though.

It seems to be completely original in one sense, no chewed up screws at all, and when i took the stock off, there was a paper sticker that had worked its way underneath, the one that was on them when they were new saying not to dry fire it or whatever it was..

Looking up into the spring chamber thingy, it all looks clean and lightly greased...

So, hard to know. Surely if it had the original spring from 1968 it would be no where near 10.2 ft/lbs??? In addition, the only adverts i have seen for the things states 600fps for the 177 and 500 for the 22.

Now, from when i was a kid, as best i can remember, a 177 pellet was 7 grains and a 22 was 14 grains, so 500fps and 14 grains gives you more like 8ft/lbs rather than the 10.29 [13.96 grains] and an average 576 fps that i am getting, so perhaps it IS well and truly oversprung??

I think i should get lighter spring?? I do not fancy just shortening the one it has now, as from my engineering past i can tell you that shortening a spring, increases the rate of the thing.. Have any of you experience of a more suitable spring i can buy, or if a better spring out of something else fits??

It is a nice old thing!!
Click to expand...

Just as an fyi, not a sales pitch, I have springs and discounts for agf members, but many places do.
Our 3.1mm wire spring needs a piston internal diameter of 20.8mm and is available in 29, 31 and 34 coils.
 
Tinbum said:
Just as an fyi, not a sales pitch, I have springs and discounts for agf members, but many places do.
Our 3.1mm wire spring needs a piston internal diameter of 20.8mm and is available in 29, 31 and 34 coils.
Click to expand...
That is very well worth knowing. Thank you for that!! When i get around to it i will take the Webley to bits and measure what i have now.

I saw you on youtube last night going on about Hw35's !!!

What you think of them quality wise?? I was thinking of buying a new one. Would you recommend that, or not a good plan?? I only shot one once in about 1980. It seemed ok, but a lot of mechanical noise compared to my airsporter i had..

I was looking at a brand new HW95 not an hour ago, brand new in the shop, and you know the barrel hinge screw, it had actually been chewed up in the factory.. Could not believe what i was looking at to be honest..

I was thinking an Hw35 as the old ones were very nice quality, so hopefully, so are the new ones??

What you think??
 
Oldtime said:
That is very well worth knowing. Thank you for that!! When i get around to it i will take the Webley to bits and measure what i have now.

I saw you on youtube last night going on about Hw35's !!!

What you think of them quality wise?? I was thinking of buying a new one. Would you recommend that, or not a good plan?? I only shot one once in about 1980. It seemed ok, but a lot of mechanical noise compared to my airsporter i had..

I was looking at a brand new HW95 not an hour ago, brand new in the shop, and you know the barrel hinge screw, it had actually been chewed up in the factory.. Could not believe what i was looking at to be honest..

I was thinking an Hw35 as the old ones were very nice quality, so hopefully, so are the new ones??

What you think??
Click to expand...

I have hated the HW35 since 1985, but not because of the gun itself!😁

That and the HW99 are similar in many ways, the 35 has it on pedigree alone, but I would choose a 95 over either👍
 
Oldtime said:
That is very well worth knowing. Thank you for that!! When i get around to it i will take the Webley to bits and measure what i have now.

I saw you on youtube last night going on about Hw35's !!!

What you think of them quality wise?? I was thinking of buying a new one. Would you recommend that, or not a good plan?? I only shot one once in about 1980. It seemed ok, but a lot of mechanical noise compared to my airsporter i had..

I was looking at a brand new HW95 not an hour ago, brand new in the shop, and you know the barrel hinge screw, it had actually been chewed up in the factory.. Could not believe what i was looking at to be honest..

I was thinking an Hw35 as the old ones were very nice quality, so hopefully, so are the new ones??

What you think??
Click to expand...
New 35s are just dandy, run ( as OEM) within U.K. power constraints & won't need the messing with that a FAC designed 95 needs...though 95s are a nice rifle.
 
Oh wow, nostalgia time. . 1968 was when I had a brand new Webley Mk.3. . Bought for me by my grandmother. ❤️
Yes, they kicked a bit but it wasn't violent... and it was never violent enough to losen the screws.
 
chouchin66 said:
New 35s are just dandy, run ( as OEM) within U.K. power constraints & won't need the messing with that a FAC designed 95 needs...though 95s are a nice rifle.
Click to expand...
Yes.. I think might get one, the "E" model..
 
Both my .22 Mk 3's ('61 & '72, I think) aren't too harsh, much the same as my Airsporters of the same eras. Neither has vibrated out any screws.
Did buy a new HW35 in .177 back in 2013. Harsh & jumpy. And did loosen screws. Bit better after an in g'tee rework, but not my favourite rifle. In contrast, got an '80's one in .22 which is a joy to use.
 
Had a Webley Super target, picked up second hand, but it was knocking out about 750 FPS in .177, even though it was advertised as 600FPS, don't know if it had a new spring?, back in the 60s 70s, manufacturers didn't worry too much about going over the legal limits, air rifles were still much thought off as being guns for children, authority was not like it is today.

If you wanted something more potent, it wasn't that hard to get an FAC and even easier to get a shotgun Cert.
Might just be the power it had when it left the factory?, if so, it was probably closer to the 12 FPE, hard to tell, long time back.
Quick fix, if you do not want to cut a coil off, try packing the spring with thick axle grease ? .
 
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