Webley Junior.

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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zooma
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Webley Junior.

Post by zooma » Mon Sep 30, 2013 11:47 pm

I have owned a slightly tatty example of a Webley Junior Mk2 (with the cast alloy body) for some time now, but the last time I owned a steel Junior was when I lived in Barnstaple over 30 years ago when I had to dispose of my entire collection of Webley air pistols and spares prior to making the move up to the north west of England - and this unfortunately included my mint and boxed steel Webley Junior. :doh:

I had some really nice examples of most of the Webley air pistol types in my fairly impressive collection of them at the time but strangely it is the loss of my boxed Junior pistol that still haunts me the most!

It is very unlikely that I will ever find one like that again but I hope to find another really nice example of a steel Junior one day - hopefully sooner rather than later! :pray:.......in fact any steel Junior in any condition would be offered a good home with me at the moment !

As you have probably guessed already - I really like the Webley Junior and shooting it at 6 yards probably gives me more fun than any other type and I never noticed any difference in accuracy between the smooth bore and the rifled barrel types when I was able to compare them both.

10 meter shooting is not the Webley Juniors strong point but to me it does not matter at all as a one inch group at 6 yards is a realistic proposition and provides a genuine challenge to try to achieve on a regular basis.
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Certus
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Re: Webley Junior.

Post by Certus » Tue Oct 01, 2013 12:41 pm

Hi Zooma,

I also have a liking for the 'Junior' which provides a nice compact little pistol still capable of good accuracy up to 6yds. Like you, I have found little difference in accuracy between smooth & rifled barrels at these sort of ranges.

Here are a few of photos of a couple of my 'Juniors'. The cased example is particularly interesting as it has the rather crude engraving reportedly added to the breech side by Webley apprentices to hide casting imperfections.

Image


Image

Image


Image

Regards

Brian
Last edited by Certus on Wed Oct 02, 2013 12:05 pm, edited 1 time in total.

zooma
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Re: Webley Junior.

Post by zooma » Tue Oct 01, 2013 12:52 pm

Hi Brian,

Thanks for sending me the pictures of your two Juniors - I feel even worse now! :cry:

You certainly have two nice examples there so I need to keep looking and hope something "similar" will crop up for me to buy in the future.

I really do miss my Junior air pistols - much more than any of the others - very strange!
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Re: Webley Junior.

Post by Certus » Tue Oct 01, 2013 1:02 pm

zooma wrote:Hi Brian,

Thanks for sending me the pictures of your two Juniors - I feel even worse now! :cry:

You certainly have two nice examples there so I need to keep looking and hope something "similar" will crop up for me to buy in the future.

I really do miss my Junior air pistols - much more than any of the others - very strange!
Hi,

Fortunately, they do seem to come up quite often with nice unboxed pistols selling at around the £70 mark with boxed examples fetching around £120 or maybe a bit more depending on condition.

I also have a couple of alloy framed Mk2s which shoot well but lack the quality feel of the earlier all steel pistols.

Good luck with your quest.

Regards

Brian

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Re: Webley Junior.

Post by zooma » Tue Oct 01, 2013 1:28 pm

Thanks Brian,

I already have an alloy Mk2 and as you say they do shoot OK but I also prefer the early steel types so I will keep looking until I find a nice example.

Have you found the Hobby still works the best in your smooth-bore and rifled versions of the Junior - or does the lighter( less powerful) pistol respond any better to a different diet?
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Re: Webley Junior.

Post by Certus » Tue Oct 01, 2013 3:52 pm

zooma wrote:Thanks Brian,

I already have an alloy Mk2 and as you say they do shoot OK but I also prefer the early steel types so I will keep looking until I find a nice example.

Have you found the Hobby still works the best in your smooth-bore and rifled versions of the Junior - or does the lighter( less powerful) pistol respond any better to a different diet?
Hi,

All my .177 Webley pistols including the 'Junior' seem to perform best using H&N Match pellets, but I have found the RWS Hobby to be a pretty good and much cheaper alternative.

Regards

Brian

zooma
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Re: Webley Junior.

Post by zooma » Tue Oct 01, 2013 6:04 pm

Thanks for the info - I will use Hobby to start with and see how I get on - but I will be tempted to try some Meisterkugeln too as they are a classic pellet and at £6.00 a tin they are not too expensive for a top quality match pellet.
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Re: Webley Junior.

Post by pmh » Tue Oct 01, 2013 7:03 pm

Nice pictures.

I do like the "distributors" label in the first picture.

Kind regards,



Phil
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Certus
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Re: Webley Junior.

Post by Certus » Thu Oct 03, 2013 10:55 am

Hello,

The link below is to another Webley 'Junior' with an engraved breech side similar to that on my own example.

The extent of the engraving was dependent on the number of casting blemishes that needed to be concealed. This was typical of Webley and BSA at the time when many hybrid air guns were sold sometimes using older parts on later models etc to avoid any waste.

Given that it's boxed and comes with some collectible pellets it would appear to have a very low estimate which doesn't mean it won't make more on the day of course.


http://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/aucti ... hitem=true" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Regards

Brian

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Re: Webley Junior.

Post by pmh » Thu Oct 03, 2013 6:03 pm

Common throughout the manufacturing industry.

I once got a Mk3 Astra when they first came out. After quite a number of years, when repairs were required, I often had to go back to the parts department to exchange the new parts, as mine was full of Mk2 parts. Quite annoying really.

Kind regards,



Phil
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I now have so many airguns I've had to make a list, which is >>HERE<<
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zooma
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Re: Webley Junior.

Post by zooma » Mon Oct 07, 2013 4:48 pm

Certus wrote:Hello,

The link below is to another Webley 'Junior' with an engraved breech side similar to that on my own example.

The extent of the engraving was dependent on the number of casting blemishes that needed to be concealed. This was typical of Webley and BSA at the time when many hybrid air guns were sold sometimes using older parts on later models etc to avoid any waste.

Given that it's boxed and comes with some collectible pellets it would appear to have a very low estimate which doesn't mean it won't make more on the day of course.


http://www.the-saleroom.com/en-gb/aucti ... hitem=true" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Regards

Brian

...............and another!

http://bobsairguns.com/index.php?option ... Itemid=165" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Feinwerkbau P40 Tricolour wanted.........still !
http://www.bobsairguns .com - proud to host the RMTC site since April 2011.

zooma
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Re: Webley Junior.

Post by zooma » Mon Oct 07, 2013 4:52 pm

Here are some pictures of an early Series Two Junior made just after the war

http://bobsairguns.com/index.php?option ... Itemid=164" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This pistol does not have an adjustable rear sight - even though some of the pre-war Series One Juniors (with the tinplate grips) did have an adjustable rear sight. This abnormality was quickly corrected when the Junior reverted back to the adjustable type very shortly afterwards.

I have shot this particular example of an early Series Two Junior and found when the correct trigger finger position is used it shoots dead straight ahead - only leaving the elevation for the shooter to "adjust" the aiming point to suite.

If the trigger is allowed to creep into the trigger finger joint them it shoots (consistently) to the right.

This is a lovely little 6 yard pistol that really performs well without the need for an adjustable rear sight - very nice indeed.

Here is a later Series Two pistol that does have the more normal adjustable rear sight

http://bobsairguns.com/index.php?option ... Itemid=166" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Note by this time the factory had moved and the pistols no longer bear the "Birmingham 4" post code stamping.

And here is where it all ended with the Junior Mk 11 - the last of the Webley Juniors to be made.

http://bobsairguns.com/index.php?option ... Itemid=167" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The on-going search for cheaper production methods was tested on the Junior Mk11 (and Premier Mk 11) before being used on its ultimate replacement the Typhoon which was a slightly smaller gripped and less powerful spring equipped sister to the Hurricane ( the replacement for the Premier) that also used the same cast alloy construction method.
Feinwerkbau P40 Tricolour wanted.........still !
http://www.bobsairguns .com - proud to host the RMTC site since April 2011.

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