I have a Webely Senior I picked up in a pawn shop, in the original box. From the serial number it was built in 1935, 89 years ago! This one is in nearly as new condition, it must have just sat in someone's drawer for the last 9 decades. I am wondering how rare these pistols are and what they are worth? It seems like just about the finest quality air pistol I have ever seen. This one is 177 cal if that makes any difference. 
N/A Question regarding Webely Senior
- Thread starter alohamed
- Start date
to me what you have is confusing
first off the finish is wrong it should be bright shiny bluing
there would be no white lettering
the slant grip would make it a Senior new model and they started in 1935 as the all model before that would have had a straight grip and a longer barrel
now you can go to the Vintage and or post on the AGF and see if you can get some better info
https://forum.vintageairgunsgallery.com/webley-pistols/webley-senior-air-pistol/
https://airgunforums.co.uk/
https://www.pyramydair.com/blog/202...aDkaPlBJMCevFxUwSSrSJvB3p-gG99XPpR9PxGsncEUsg
if the slant grip started in 1935 what do you have
first off the finish is wrong it should be bright shiny bluing
there would be no white lettering
the slant grip would make it a Senior new model and they started in 1935 as the all model before that would have had a straight grip and a longer barrel
now you can go to the Vintage and or post on the AGF and see if you can get some better info
https://forum.vintageairgunsgallery.com/webley-pistols/webley-senior-air-pistol/
https://airgunforums.co.uk/
https://www.pyramydair.com/blog/202...aDkaPlBJMCevFxUwSSrSJvB3p-gG99XPpR9PxGsncEUsg
if the slant grip started in 1935 what do you have
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From my research and the serial number, this is a slant grip new model from 1935 with a serial number of 8xxx. The "white lettering" is just chalk I rubbed in to make the lettering more visible. The blueing is pretty shiny, it may be just the lighting when I photographed it. Or maybe the blueing has faded with age.
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I'm in the UK and have owned many of these models in my time.
First the positives....
What you have there is a pre war Senior which followed the earlier straight grip version but before the advent of the curly polished trigger and the knurled barrel which were added post war, and as such your earlier version is even more desirable than the ultimate version which followed it (possibly the finest air pistol ever made from a manufacturing point of view....The first slant grip version then...
Sadly however, your pistol has been re-finished. The giveaway, being the rust pitting present is blacked over which is classic characteristic of a re-blue job.
The reblue would have taken away the cream highlighting of the " Senior " stamping..but which does not look deep enough suggesting it has been polished down to remove rust.
Finally the true Webley bluing was highly polished and looked a mile deep.
First the positives....
What you have there is a pre war Senior which followed the earlier straight grip version but before the advent of the curly polished trigger and the knurled barrel which were added post war, and as such your earlier version is even more desirable than the ultimate version which followed it (possibly the finest air pistol ever made from a manufacturing point of view....The first slant grip version then...
Sadly however, your pistol has been re-finished. The giveaway, being the rust pitting present is blacked over which is classic characteristic of a re-blue job.
The reblue would have taken away the cream highlighting of the " Senior " stamping..but which does not look deep enough suggesting it has been polished down to remove rust.
Finally the true Webley bluing was highly polished and looked a mile deep.
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OK, thank you for that info. i guess we learn something new every day. Being in the states, we do not see many Webeley pistols.
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Steveoo confirms much of what I suspected, but am not expert enough to speculate. He is (expert).
Great reply, Steve.
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Thanks Gasman...
Alohamed ...don't feel too bad about it, those grips alone worth considerable money to a collector...the barrel even more so...
If it were mine, I would get a more sympathetic re-blue done. A very light polishing on a polishing mop, not to remove any material this time you understand but to get it professionally shiny hot blued.
Failing that you could try a light polishing of the blue.
It's a strange finish which looks almost Matt painted when looking at the rear plug but I'm sure is just an attempt at cold bluing..
This process would also remove the garish white infill....
Finally, you could do a nice attempt at matching the off white infilling of "Webley Senior" if that's what you wanted by using some white oil paint which usually turns off white very quickly ...the way I did it with the later Seniors I had..
If mine I would not bother with any whiting in as it only occurred on the post war version.
Alohamed ...don't feel too bad about it, those grips alone worth considerable money to a collector...the barrel even more so...
If it were mine, I would get a more sympathetic re-blue done. A very light polishing on a polishing mop, not to remove any material this time you understand but to get it professionally shiny hot blued.
Failing that you could try a light polishing of the blue.
It's a strange finish which looks almost Matt painted when looking at the rear plug but I'm sure is just an attempt at cold bluing..
This process would also remove the garish white infill....
Finally, you could do a nice attempt at matching the off white infilling of "Webley Senior" if that's what you wanted by using some white oil paint which usually turns off white very quickly ...the way I did it with the later Seniors I had..
If mine I would not bother with any whiting in as it only occurred on the post war version.
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OKAY GUYS HOW DOES A PISTOL THAT WAS MADE STARTING IN 1935 HAVE A DATE OF 1925
OR WAS THE SLANT GRIP MADE IN 1925
OR WAS THE SLANT GRIP MADE IN 1925
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What I’ve been wondering for awhile is just how all of these different barrel over cylinder Webleys stack up to each other? If I’m not missing any, there’s the Mk1, Junior, Senior, Premier, Tempest and Hurricane and from what I’ve read the Tempest and the Hurricane produce around 4-5 fpe and I understand they’re all hold sensitive and challenging to shoot well.
Were the older ones as powerful as the newer ones and how does the build quality compare?
Were the older ones as powerful as the newer ones and how does the build quality compare?
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Pre-war British airguns seem quite proud of their patents...you'll often see a whole raft of their numbers and dates stamped on old Webleys and BSA's!
Webley's barrel-over-cylinder cocking mechanism was patented in 1924; the 1925 patent was for an improved breech seal. The Senior's double-jointed cocking links was patented In 1930.
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Your list of basic models lacks the pre-war Mk 2 Target, and post-war Typhoon.
A proper reply would be encyclopedic in length. Short answer, the old guns are largely hand-fit from solid steel, properly machined, polished, and blued. The Tempest and Hurricane are also superb, with steel everywhere it counts, but the grip/frame is a heavy alloy casting.
First stop for researching any vintage airgun should be Danny Garvin's fantastic "Vintage Airguns Gallery" site:
Plenty of other info on the interwebs, and what you can't find there is in this superb book. It's the best airgun monograph in existence, in my opinion.
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This is what a steel Webley (not "webely") pistol looks like...post-war .22 cal Senior from the 1960's.
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Mike did the Factory do the white in the lettering and when was that started, i know a hard question
of course all the Beeman Tempests and Hurricanes had white on them and in reality Beeman loved white lettering
that pistol of yours is a fine example
of course all the Beeman Tempests and Hurricanes had white on them and in reality Beeman loved white lettering
that pistol of yours is a fine example
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The white is just chalk I rubbed in so the lettering was more visible in the photos. It will wipe right out.
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Oh - I see you were asking someone else. That comment refers to the Webly senior photos I posted.
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Alohamed: for future reference, it's easy to edit or delete posts here (I do the former compulsively...and depend heavily on the latter to keep my foot outta my mouth... ).
Marflow: there may not be a good answer...Webley is infamous for infinite wee variations! For what it's worth, I have two Seniors: a nice .177 (no. 1127), and even nicer boxed .22 (no. 189) - on postwar guns these are not individual serials, but shop batch numbers. Per the notes in Bruce's book, both were made between 1958 and 1964; no. 189's box contains a 1962 price list. No. 1127 may be a bit older; the stamping is a bit more petite and note the different trigger finishes.
Both guns have factory white fill in the model name and "oil" mark on the left side, but only no. 189 has the address and "Webley patents" done on the right side. Bruce does not specifically discuss white lettering, but the book's photos suggest it is more common on later Seniors.
).Marflow: there may not be a good answer...Webley is infamous for infinite wee variations! For what it's worth, I have two Seniors: a nice .177 (no. 1127), and even nicer boxed .22 (no. 189) - on postwar guns these are not individual serials, but shop batch numbers. Per the notes in Bruce's book, both were made between 1958 and 1964; no. 189's box contains a 1962 price list. No. 1127 may be a bit older; the stamping is a bit more petite and note the different trigger finishes.
Both guns have factory white fill in the model name and "oil" mark on the left side, but only no. 189 has the address and "Webley patents" done on the right side. Bruce does not specifically discuss white lettering, but the book's photos suggest it is more common on later Seniors.
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thanks Mike
Webley is not my strong suit i do own a couple Tempests and a nice Hurricane and i personally think they are a very harsh shooting pistol and i don't believe most people know how small they are
but as with every long-lived guns, it is hard to keep up with the changes as time passed and i do use vintage to take a good look see
take care my friend
Webley is not my strong suit i do own a couple Tempests and a nice Hurricane and i personally think they are a very harsh shooting pistol and i don't believe most people know how small they are
but as with every long-lived guns, it is hard to keep up with the changes as time passed and i do use vintage to take a good look see
take care my friend
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There was a hilarious fictional tale in an old "Gun Digest" annual, about a guy who went insane collecting every variation of Webley revolvers! Their air pistols are not far behind.
The Hurricane and Tempest were widely criticized in their day, mostly just cuz they were not as "nice" as the older steel pistols. 20 years ago you could buy and sell minty used Tempests all day long for 75 bucks.
But I love 'em: outrageously sturdy, better ergonomics and more power than any of the old guns, and better made than most people realize. The piston is milled steel, and runs in a steel sleeve around which the alloy grip/frame is cast. The trigger, sear, and cocking links are high-quality steel extrusions made in Germany. The piston seal is solid PTFE and pretty much indestructible. The stock plastic grips fit me perfectly, and heck I even like the trigger once it's broken in.
There are tons of cool springer pistols in the world, but I think the Tempest and FWB 65 are the two I could never be without.
The Hurricane and Tempest were widely criticized in their day, mostly just cuz they were not as "nice" as the older steel pistols. 20 years ago you could buy and sell minty used Tempests all day long for 75 bucks.
But I love 'em: outrageously sturdy, better ergonomics and more power than any of the old guns, and better made than most people realize. The piston is milled steel, and runs in a steel sleeve around which the alloy grip/frame is cast. The trigger, sear, and cocking links are high-quality steel extrusions made in Germany. The piston seal is solid PTFE and pretty much indestructible. The stock plastic grips fit me perfectly, and heck I even like the trigger once it's broken in.
There are tons of cool springer pistols in the world, but I think the Tempest and FWB 65 are the two I could never be without.
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There was a hilarious fictional tale in an old "Gun Digest" annual, about a guy who went insane collecting every variation of Webley revolvers! Their air pistols are not far behind.
The Hurricane and Tempest were widely criticized in their day, mostly just cuz they were not as "nice" as the older steel pistols. 20 years ago you could buy and sell minty used Tempests all day long for 75 bucks.
But I love 'em: outrageously sturdy, better ergonomics and more power than any of the old guns, and better made than most people realize. The piston is milled steel, and runs in a steel sleeve around which the alloy grip/frame is cast. The trigger, sear, and cocking links are high-quality steel extrusions made in Germany. The piston seal is solid PTFE and pretty much indestructible. The stock plastic grips fit me perfectly, and heck I even like the trigger once it's broken in.
There are tons of cool springer pistols in the world, but I think the Tempest and FWB 65 are the two I could never be without.
View attachment 494226
I'll see your Hurricane and Tempest (very nice, btw) and raise you a cased pre-war Senior.
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