Pre-war "Straight Grip" Webley Air Pistols

A place to discuss all things Webley. As this is probably the most collected airgun maker we felt it deserved a section of its own.
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Certus
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Pre-war "Straight Grip" Webley Air Pistols

Post by Certus » Sat Jun 08, 2013 8:13 pm

Having previously posted some examples from my collection of early non Webley English spring powered air pistols, I thought I would go back to where it all started for me with examples from the Webley range between 1924 to 1975 starting with the "Straight Grip" Mk 1, Mk2 Target, Junior and Senior.

We have probably all owned one of these superb air pistols in our time but it is not widely known that the first Webley air pistol design dates from 1910. Up until this time Webley had been mainly concerned in manufacturing firearms for both the civil and military markets. In 1910 W.J. Whiting, Chief Designer in Webley’s Revolver and Pistol Department applied for a patent to protect a new type of air pistol. The design incorporated an air cylinder in line with the barrel, the mechanism being cocked by lifting the front of this cylinder away from the barrel until the sear engaged, when it was returned to its original position. Unfortunately, this resulted in the in a pistol with an overall length of more than 15”,which made it very barrel heavy and difficult to shoot with accuracy and comfort. The other factor which may have influenced the decision not to proceed with the project was that the need for a Firearms Certificate had not yet been introduced so live firing pistols were still readily available. The pistol looked remarkably similar to the company’s .22 semi- automatic pistols and would have been constructed to the same high standard. Unfortunately , only a single prototype of the pistol was ever made which is on display at the Birmingham Industrial Museum.

Following the introduction of restrictive legislation regarding the private ownership of firearms in 1920, Webley looked once again at the possibility of producing a commercially acceptable air pistol. In 1923 two senior members of the Weaman Street factory, Douglas Johnstone and John Fearn, working in conjunction with an independent advisor Frank Clarke, provisionally patented the now famous design for a compact “overlever “ air pistol we all recognise today.
The first examples of the design designated the Mk1 appeared in 1924 and were an immediate success. The barrel on these early pistols was retained by a single spring clip which was soon replaced with a double clip to provide better barrel retention. This too was soon replaced with the now familiar sliding latch which was a far more elegant solution. Early “Springclip” Webley air pistols however are extremely rare and fetch very high prices whenever they appear for sale.

The so called “Straight Grip” Mk 1 was made between 1924 and 1935 during which some 50,000 pistols were produced in either .177 or .22 calibre. The pistol was of all steel construction with a rifled barrel and included an trigger adjustment screw together with a handy little safety catch fitted to the side of the frame. The rear sight was only adjustable in the vertical plane but was perfectly adequate for the intended purpose.
These pistols are quite accurate at ranges between 6 -10 yards but are extremely hard to cock until you learn the knack. Current prices vary from between £100 -£200 depending on condition with a significant premium to be added if the pistol is offered together with its original cardboard box.

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PRE-WAR WEBLEY "STRAIGHT GRIP" MK 1

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"STRAIGHT GRIP" MK 1 BARREL BROKEN READY TO COCK.

Following the successful introduction of the Mk1 Webley acknowledged the need for a deluxe version specifically designed for the more serious target shooters. This model was designated the “Mk2 Target” and first appeared in 1925. The pistol was produced between 1925-1930 in the serial range 10,000-40,000. As the pistols were produced and serialised in conjunction with the MK1 it is not clear how many were made. However, if as seems likely, they were made in similar numbers to the later separately serial numbered “Straight Grip Senior” model, it can be safely assumed that around 7000 were produced in total.
The main differences from the standard Mk1 were provision of an improved rear sight adjustable for windage and elevation, replacement of the leather piston washer with tungsten piston rings and vulcanised (hardened rubber) grips instead of the wood grips fitted to the Mk1.
Although slightly more sophisticated, the Mk2 does not represent a significant advance in performance over the Mk1.

Expect to pay a bit more for a Mk2, especially with an original box or if one of the rarer examples exported to the USA and distributed by Webley agents Stoeger Inc New York. Prices vary between £200 for a reasonable example up to £500 for a nice boxed example.

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PRE-WAR WEBLEY MK2 TARGET

As stated above, the Mk1 was very hard to cock and consequently not suitable for younger shooters. Wishing to encourage youngsters who might go on to buy other Webley products the company introduced a smaller version of the design designated the “Junior”. The all steel pistol was made in smoothbore .177 calibre only and was available between 1929-1939 with serial numbers in the J1-J34,000 range. The first examples came with an adjustable rear sight and nicely grooved wooden grips quickly replaced with pressed steel grips and a fixed rear sight. The earlier pistols are more desirable and consequently attract higher prices when offered for sale. Expect to pay around £120 for a nice later “tin grip” example and up to £250 or more for an earlier wood grip model . Again, add another £100-£150 if boxed. As the pistol was aimed at the junior end of the market, it is only accurate up to 6yds and I have found it to perform considerably better with pellets rather than darts.

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PRE-WAR WEBLEY JUNIOR.

The final variant of the “Straight Grip” pistols appeared in 1930 and was designed to replace the “Mk2 Target” with another pistol meant for the serious competitive shooter.
The pistol was designated the “Senior” and was made between 1930-1935 with around 7000 pistols being produced. Again a quality all steel pistol available in .177 and .22 with two significant improvements over the “Mk2 Target”. The most significant improvement was the introduction of an additional cocking link which acting on a fulcrum mounted the cylinder resulted in a significant reduction in the effort needed to cock the pistol. The second improvement involved the replacement of the sliding barrel release latch with a more convenient “stirrup” lever mounted on the side of the frame. The only other major change from the “Mk2 Target” was the omission of the safety device previously fitted to the side of the frame.
Straight grip “Seniors” are at least as accurate as the “Mk2 Target” with the added advantage of being much easier to cock and load. Very early examples retained the trigger adjustment screw but this was soon removed and consequently some triggers can be a bit heavy.

Good unboxed examples fetch £250-£300 with boxed or Stoeger distributed pistols making £400-£500.

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PRE-WAR WEBLEY "STRAIGHT GRIP" SENIOR.

Next post will take a look at the Pre-war "Slant Grip" Webley Mk1 & Senior.

Regards

Brian

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Tank
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Re: Pre-war "Straight Grip" Webley Air Pistols

Post by Tank » Sat Jun 08, 2013 8:20 pm

Holy Smokes!
graham.
I’m going off to go find myself. If I’m not back by the time I return, keep me here.
https://tamesidepistol.club/

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pmh
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Re: Pre-war "Straight Grip" Webley Air Pistols

Post by pmh » Sat Jun 08, 2013 11:11 pm

Yet again, another quality post.

Also a very good picture showing what has been described as plum coloured bluing.

I have read some posts saying this is deliberate, and some saying is a chemical reaction over the years.

I'd probably air towards the chemical reason theory personally.

I have never really been a fan of the Webleys, but did pick up a mid 70s version recently.

Kind regards,



Phil
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I now have so many airguns I've had to make a list, which is >>HERE<<
>>North Manchester Target Club<<

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wmp50075
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Re: Pre-war "Straight Grip" Webley Air Pistols

Post by wmp50075 » Sun Jun 09, 2013 7:49 pm

superb, keep this webley info coming...............

Certus
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Re: Pre-war "Straight Grip" Webley Air Pistols

Post by Certus » Mon Jun 10, 2013 2:05 pm

wmp50075 wrote:superb, keep this webley info coming...............
Thanks for the positive feedback and glad you find the posts of some interest. I have just posted a bit about the pre-war "Slant Grip" Mk1 & Senior and will complete the series with something about the post-war Webley air pistols soon.

Regards

Brian

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Re: Pre-war "Straight Grip" Webley Air Pistols

Post by Leonardj » Mon Jun 10, 2013 10:30 pm

An excellent post on one of my favourite subjects......Webleys. :D

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