Page 1 of 1

"Senior" pre-war Slant

Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 6:29 am
by RayinNZ
Arrived today
Well packed
Image

Image

Screws not to badly messed with, plus a screw rather than a pin

Image

Serial
Image

Image
Breech seal in good condition and spring straight with plenty of energy

Re: "Senior" pre-war Slant

Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 10:40 am
by Certus
Hi Ray,

Thanks for sharing the pictures and congratulations on your new acquisition. I have always been a Webley fan and have nice examples of all the main models both pre-war and post-war. There are of course many minor variants, but collecting examples of all of these would be a daunting task.

Although the additional cocking link introduced with the pre-war 'Straight Grip' Senior significantly improved the ease with which these pistols could be cocked, it lacked the sleeker lines of the 'Slant Grip' model. I also prefer the lack of serrations on the barrel and the plain grips of the pre-war model to those of the post-war Senior.

You will probably have guessed that the pre-war 'Slant Grip' Senior is my favourite Webley air pistol and this originally cased example with together with accessories is the pride of my Webley collection anyway.

Image

Regards

Brian

Re: "Senior" pre-war Slant

Posted: Wed Oct 21, 2015 8:36 pm
by RayinNZ
Yes, when I was looking for pictures of a Pre-war "Senior" I came across the picture of your cased example
Seriously envious, seriously. Really sets the bar, certainly gives me something to aim at
I seem to remember carrying a little leather case like that to school with my lunch in the early 50s, it would be nice to find one and make up a replica for my Webley, they look so nice and practical

My reading suggests that the Premier was considered the"best" Webley because it has the best features of the Senior and the Mk1, mostly the adjustable trigger but the trigger on my Senior is very smooth and lets off at
3 lbs according to my Enfield trigger tester which suits me just fine

Was the screw rather than a pin holding the back plug kosher?

Re: "Senior" pre-war Slant

Posted: Thu Oct 22, 2015 12:22 pm
by Certus
Hi Ray,

Strangely, the pre-war canvas cased pistols are found far more frequently here than the post-war rexine covered examples.

An almost mint, cased post-war Senior complete with pellet tin and oil can sold for a record £2,100 hammer price at a recent UK auction.

Reproduction canvas cases can be sourced here in the UK for around £100, but they fall well short of the quality evident on the originals. Pre-war pellet tins also occasionally appear and usually fetch around £60-£80 depending on condition. Original pre-war and post war oil cans fetch between £150-£200 for post war and anything up to £300 for a reasonable pre-war can.

The small locking screw on your Senior is perfectly correct and was introduced somewhere between Ser Nos S8063 and S8860. The trigger weight on these Senors can sometimes be a bit heavy, so 3lbs would represent one of the better examples.

Regards

Brian