freelancer Posted March 31, 2006 Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 (edited) I'd first like to say hi to the forum. Not only am I new to the forum but I'm new to the whole air rifle scene. I've been meaning to buy an air rifle for years, mostly for target shooting and perhaps some hunting. A few weeks ago I was sat at home and suddenly the urge grabbed me to go out and buy an air rifle. So I went to my local gun store and purchased a new Webley sport. I had read several reviews of the sport prior to buying it and I got the impression that it was a good rifle for a beginner: Easy to use and light. I just went and purchased a scope: http://www.surplusstore.co.uk/catalog/prod...products_id/682 ...And a clip-on bipod: http://www.surplusstore.co.uk/catalog/prod...roducts_id/1041 Ultimately I want to upgrade my rifle to make is as powerful and accurate as possible. The next thing I'm planning on doing is upgrading the spring because the Webley sport only has a power of 10 ft.lbs. I'm wondering if I can double this and whether it is advisable to do so? What I'm really looking for is an online guide that will show me how to strip, clean, maintain and upgrade the parts for my air rifle. Does anyone know of any web resources that I might find helpful? Any general help and tips would also be greatly appreciated. Thanks for any help! Edited March 31, 2006 by freelancer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNAKEBITE Posted March 31, 2006 Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 In my opinion for what it is worth have a go with what you have got. Practice on paper targets and that sort of thing until you feel happy and are a reasnable shot. Try to get a grouping of 10 shots in a 1" diameter circle at 25 yards then move to 30 yards. This will start you off and when you can do this you will be able to start on the hunting side of things. As for modifying the rifle, don't. Unless you know what you are doing you could put it over the LEGAL limit of 12lbs. This will get you into trouble. Any mods should be done by a gunsmith. If you have a club near you, join it! This will give you the help you need and they will be able to start you on the correct track. Any questions you have then ask away, don't be shy and we will help all we can. Oh and welcome aboard! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axe Posted March 31, 2006 Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 Welcome to the forum. Firstly the scope is worthless so send it back and either use the iron sights or buy a decent airgun rated scope and mounts. The clip on Bi-pods arent much cop either especially on a springer so be careful with them. Most importantly though is your desire to double the power. The legal limit for a Non-FAC airgun is 12ft/lb. So anything over will make it illegal unless you have an airgun slot on a Firearms Certificate. As a begginer the rifle should be more than good enough for you to spend many an hour learning to hit paper or tin targets. Don't think about trying to hit live quarry until you can consistently hit a 2pence coin at 30yards. Even if you have an FAC I still don't advise you taking the gun apart. The internal spring will be under tension and if you do not know what you are doing and have the correct tools, you could earn yourself a trip to the hospital to have the spring removed from you! Be patient and learn to use the rifle. As and when your confidence grows, consider upgrading it to a more refined rifle or perhaps even consider applying for an FAC. Edit= Snakebite, have you learnt to type faster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNAKEBITE Posted March 31, 2006 Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 Ultimately I want to upgrade my rifle to make is as powerful and accurate as possible. The next thing I'm planning on doing is upgrading the spring because the Webley sport only has a power of 10 ft.lbs. I'm wondering if I can double this and whether it is advisable to do so? NO NO NO NO! Anything over 12lb without a Firearms certificate will have you showering with other men for upto 5 years! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNAKEBITE Posted March 31, 2006 Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 Firstly the scope is worthless so send it back and either use the iron sights or buy a decent airgun rated scope and mounts. The clip on Bi-pods arent much cop either especially on a springer so be careful with them. A bit harsh Whilst not the best it might be good enough to start him off on the right track, just until he finds his feet. (As long as it zeros in properly!) But you are dead right about the bi-pods! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axe Posted March 31, 2006 Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 You should know from experience about the cheap cigar tube scopes Snakebite. Remember your old Bf-3 If the scope isnt rated airgun the springer will kick the zero from here to kingdom come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freelancer Posted March 31, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 OK so I need to make sure it doesn't exceed 12ft/lb. Thanks for clearing that up! Is it actually worth me upgrading the spring at this time? I assume that an FAC is a firearms certificate? My problem is that I have two separate drink driving convictions from when I was younger and I also suffered a spell of agoraphobia which might class as a mental health problem. I strongly suspect that I might find it difficult to get an FAC? I would ideally like to to do rifle shooting at targets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axe Posted March 31, 2006 Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 Seriously, dont mess about with it. Learn to shooot it straight then consider your options at a later date. Paper targets wont mind the 10ft/lb at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freelancer Posted March 31, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 (edited) You should know from experience about the cheap cigar tube scopes Snakebite. Remember your old Bf-3 If the scope isnt rated airgun the springer will kick the zero from here to kingdom come. Well I phoned and asked the chap in the shop whether it would fit a Webley sport and he said yea. Whether that means it will work well with it, I don't know. It arrives later today or tomorrow. Edited March 31, 2006 by freelancer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freelancer Posted March 31, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 Seriously, dont mess about with it. Learn to shooot it straight then consider your options at a later date. Paper targets wont mind the 10ft/lb at all. Okay I wont bother upgrading the spring at this stage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted March 31, 2006 Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 (edited) I used a smal scope like that, and to be honest by the sounds of things, you should be well over that kind of cheap plastic junk.. no offence. For around 40 pounds you can by a nice scope that you can actually see your targets clearly with. As for clip on Bi-pods, I seriously dont reccommend them for spring piston type airguns. They affect the guns accuracy in a big way. If you want to becoem a good shooter, you need to learn to shoot without using a support. Practice in a kneeling position with the gun resting in your arms almost like a baby.. then try a little prone shooting, leags spread out, elbows on the ground, and when your ready, try standing shooting. If you want to shoot well, you can only shoot as good as the scope/gun combination will go. Using a cheap pistol scope or similar will really reduce your shooting capabilities and you will loose confidence and interest. Welcome to the forums hope you stick around, and do ask more if you need more information. (there are hundreds of members all with different veiws.. so it will get complicated sometimes ) EDIT: Freelancer, at NO stage should you upgrade the spring. Unless of course you want to go to prison for 10 years.. minimum 5.. dont go down that route.. Edited March 31, 2006 by Hunter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freelancer Posted March 31, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 Great forum BTW! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axe Posted March 31, 2006 Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 If you can send it back, I would. Have a look on ebay and in the for sale section here. There is a wide range of better scopes available secondhand for just a few more beer tokens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freelancer Posted March 31, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 I used a smal scope like that, and to be honest by the sounds of things, you should be well over that kind of cheap plastic junk.. no offence. EDIT: Freelancer, at NO stage should you upgrade the spring. Unless of course you want to go to prison for 10 years.. minimum 5.. dont go down that route.. Ok but how do you know that the scope I provided in the link above is going to be ****? ..Oh and I DEFINITELY wont be upgrading the spring now. Thanks for the warning. I have heard of air rifles with a power of 20 ft/lb. I guess you need an FAC for this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freelancer Posted March 31, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 If you can send it back, I would. Have a look on ebay and in the for sale section here. There is a wide range of better scopes available secondhand for just a few more beer tokens. Well, I bought the bipod from ebay for £9.25 inc postage. Not bad compared to £15. I don't understand how the accuracy could be worse using a bipod compared to firing unsupported, springer or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axe Posted March 31, 2006 Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 The springer rifle moves when fired and therefore works best on a soft but firm grip. Not rested on a hard solid mount like a bi-pod or branch. You will notice having zero shifts when firing from the 3 main positions prone, kneeling and standing. Juist to give you an idea how much a springer can affect the shot, Snkaebites BF-3 used to actually knock the cheap scope and mounts of the poorly made dovetail! No surprise at all when he very quickly upgraded to an HW-57. 12ft/lb is the legal limit. Hunter, Mandatory 5 years actually means a maximum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freelancer Posted March 31, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 So what are my chances of gaining a FAC? I want to do target shooting using rifles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Roberts Posted March 31, 2006 Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 (edited) So what are my chances of gaining a FAC? I want to do target shooting using rifles. I think most FT shooters are 12fl/lb's mate. by FT i mean field target (a form of target shooting competition) Edited March 31, 2006 by Simon Roberts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axe Posted March 31, 2006 Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 All airgun target shooting as far as I am aware is 12ft/lb limit rifles only anyway. Although I could be wrong. Its not for me too judge you, my best advice is to phone your local FEO and discuss your previous with him/her. Only then will you know if you'll be ok, it wont hurt to ask. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hunter Posted March 31, 2006 Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 I used a smal scope like that, and to be honest by the sounds of things, you should be well over that kind of cheap plastic junk.. no offence. EDIT: Freelancer, at NO stage should you upgrade the spring. Unless of course you want to go to prison for 10 years.. minimum 5.. dont go down that route.. Ok but how do you know that the scope I provided in the link above is going to be ****? ..Oh and I DEFINITELY wont be upgrading the spring now. Thanks for the warning. I have heard of air rifles with a power of 20 ft/lb. I guess you need an FAC for this? Because after 6 years of airgun shooting I know that those scopes are a waste of time. I have tried them before, and no success. By all means keep it and try it, but I highly suggest getting a more reliable model. E.G a fixed magnification 6X40 or 6X42. This will be perfect for learning with, and even for hunting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freelancer Posted March 31, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 Is there anything worth getting from this selection here? What I'll do is send it back and get a better model. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axe Posted March 31, 2006 Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 I personally wouldnt go with any of them, as they seem to be the cheap chinese rubbish you can get from ebay for at least half the price. You should look at either AGS, Hawke, Nikko Stirling, etc. have a look on this website: www.opticswarehouse.co.uk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roblade Posted March 31, 2006 Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 (edited) I'd first like to say hi to the forum. Not only am I new to the forum but I'm new to the whole air rifle scene. I've been meaning to buy an air rifle for years, mostly for target shooting and perhaps some hunting. A few weeks ago I was sat at home and suddenly the urge grabbed me to go out and buy an air rifle. So I went to my local gun store and purchased a new Webley sport. I had read several reviews of the sport prior to buying it and I got the impression that it was a good rifle for a beginner: Easy to use and light. I just went and purchased a scope: http://www.surplusstore.co.uk/catalog/prod...products_id/682 ...And a clip-on bipod: http://www.surplusstore.co.uk/catalog/prod...roducts_id/1041 Ultimately I want to upgrade my rifle to make is as powerful and accurate as possible. The next thing I'm planning on doing is upgrading the spring because the Webley sport only has a power of 10 ft.lbs. I'm wondering if I can double this and whether it is advisable to do so? What I'm really looking for is an online guide that will show me how to strip, clean, maintain and upgrade the parts for my air rifle. Does anyone know of any web resources that I might find helpful? Any general help and tips would also be greatly appreciated. Thanks for any help! OK so it looks to me like you have had an impulse buy, dont panic you wont be the first to have had one of these i should know i have had many what you have is a very basic set up that wont have cost an awful; lot and which you can enjoy in the garden (if its big enough) or at a club. lasty point first. power level for the rifle, dont worry about power for the time being, power does not equate to accuracy. As for going for an FAC mental health issues can effect your application but it depends on how logn ago and how sever it was. the bipod you syhouldbnt have any problems with, but they are not advisable to be used on a spring rifle due to the recoil. the scope you have erm not much i can say about that, but we live and learn by our mistakes, my first mistake was buying a new rifle from a local shop for 270 and then selling it for 100 6 months latter, that was the first and last time i ever bought a new rifle, since then i have been through roughly 40 airguns now ranging from 30 quid up to 500, so dont be put off if this isnt the right5 rifle for you as there are pleanty of others out there to try without braking the bank. Like i said we all started somewhere. Now you have your rifle it would be good if you can find soemwhere to shoot, before you contemplate going to the fields a few facts that you should know. only shoot where you have permision to use your air rifle, i.e. your garden, and only then as long as its more than 50ft from the centre of a public foot path or a road. You should only carry your rifle to and from a place you have permision to shoot, if you are found shooting on land that you do not have permision to shoot on, this would be deemed to be armed tresspass, and can carry some pretty nasty suprises the best thing you can do is find out where you nearest club is where you can go along and find out what others are shooting, and most the time you will be able to try a lot of the rifle there (shall add a link to club list once im done with this post) there is also a link somewhere on here to the BFTA (British Field Target Association) web site where you can down load a lot of useful information, mostly it will be things you will never need to know or use, but they do have a few hints and tips for the normal airguners out there (shooting stances, how to hold the rifle and a few other hints and tips) (again i shall add the link in a little while) Im going to be guessing that your going to be mostly going for tin cans in the garden at the moment and the set up you have is going to be ideal for that, though it wont be long before you choose to upgrade the scope and soon after that if the bug bites you hard, upgarding to another rifle (but dont sell your first one! you will only regret it latter LOL). the only bit of advice i can really give you at the moment is dont buy cheap pelletsw or you will quickly learn to get fed up with missing things, go for half decent pellets and you should find that your ghitting a lot more things that you aiming at. am sure i shall be adding to this when i have had a read of what i have typed and then had a think about more info for you. the most important thing about any rifle you buy is how much you enjoy shooting it, it doesnt matter if you spend 50 quid or 1000. all the best and welcome to the forum, happy shooting ROB ps best go out and spend a couple of quid on an airgun mag, but only buy one as there is much more honest reviews about rifles on here but its good to find out the best prices available out there. Or you can go to the following links: blackpool air rifles JS RAMSBOTTOM they are about the cheapest mail order companys out there for airguns/scopes/accesories. Edited March 31, 2006 by roblade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SNAKEBITE Posted March 31, 2006 Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 So what are my chances of gaining a FAC? I want to do target shooting using rifles. What is the rush?! Learn to shoot, get a better rifle if that is what you want to do, then learn your field craft (If hunting) and then when you have some experience under your belt look into your FAC. If you are just target shooting then you don't need an FAC rated gun anyway! Just take it one step at a time and ENJOY IT! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freelancer Posted March 31, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2006 only shoot where you have permision to use your air rifle, i.e. your garden, and only then as long as its more than 50ft from the centre of a public foot path or a road. You should only carry your rifle to and from a place you have permision to shoot, if you are found shooting on land that you do not have permision to shoot on, this would be deemed to be armed tresspass, and can carry some pretty nasty suprises Believe it or not I was going to take a stroll into the hills, upon getting a decent scope, and do some practice plinking. Thanks for warning me about that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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