Pre-war "Slant 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 "Slant Grip" Webley Air Pistols

Post by Certus » Mon Jun 10, 2013 2:00 pm

In 1935 Webley streamlined the appearance of both the Mk1 and “Senior” air pistols by increasing the angle between the cylinder and the front butt strap from 110 degs to 120 degs thus immediately giving the pistols a more modern appearance and allowing it to sit more comfortably in the hand. The breech end of the cylinder was also slightly extended and the muzzle no longer protruded beyond the cylinder. In most other features, however, the new pistols did not differ greatly from the earlier models with the exception of the omission of the safety catch on the Mk1 as was already the case with the “Senior”.

The “Slant Grip” Mk1 and” Senior” pistols were made in both .177 and .22 calibre between 1935 and 1939 and still carried serial numbers on the left side of the frame with the MK1 serial range being 50,000 to 65,000.

The Slant Grip “Senior” models were also available in both calibres between 1935 and 1939 and were serial numbered in the range S7000-S19,000.

Both pistols were all steel and fitted with either black (Mk1) or Brown (Senior) synthetic grips and are mainly found with a polished blue finish. The pre-war “Slant Grip Senior” is definitely my favourite Webley air pistol due to its compact elegant appearance helped by the lack of knurling added after the war to aid grip when cocking the pistol.

Both pistols are capable of good accuracy at 10 yards or a bit further although the “Senior” is still far easier to operate due to the extra cocking link carried over from the Straight Grip model.

Pre-war Slant Grip Mk1s in reasonable condition can usually be picked up for around £150 with better examples making £200 or more when the usual premium for a boxed example applies.
Pre-war Slant Grip “Seniors” obviously attract higher prices with the rarest and most expensive being an original canvas cased example complete with correct pellet tin and oil can which would set you back somewhere in the region of £1000 !

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PRE-WAR "SLANT GRIP" WEBLEY MK1.

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PRE=WAR "SLANT GRIP" WEBLEY MK1 BOX LID.

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BOXED PRE-WAR "SLANT GRIP" WEBLEY MK1.

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PRE-WAR "SLANT GRIP" WEBLEY SENIOR.

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RARELY SEEN PRE-WAR "SLANT GRIP" WEBLEY SENIOR IN ORIGINAL CANVAS CASE WITH ACCESSORIES.

Webley suspended the production of air weapons between 1939 and 1945 to concentrate on the war effort but resumed manufacture immediately hostilities ceased. The final post in this series will look at the post-war Webley air pistols up until 1975.

Regards

Brian

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

Post by pmh » Mon Jun 10, 2013 6:37 pm

You can certainly see how this particular model finally evolved into the "current" shape.

Kind regards,



Phil
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Leonardj
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Re: Pre-war "Slant Grip" Webley Air Pistols

Post by Leonardj » Mon Jun 10, 2013 10:37 pm

Another fine post.
Pretty hard not to love these old Webleys.

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