Webley and Scott Hawk Mk II accuracy at 30 Yards and other stuff

The Webley Hawk with the two Relum springs fitted can put out 10 ft/lb with manageable recoil, however it did cause the 3-9x40 AGS scope to shift as the Hawke medium mounts needed fitting more securely. So with the screws tightened all the way up and the stop pin pressing tight down on top of the compression tube I took it down the woods for a test, i had also built a new bit of stock for the pump arm on the SMK B45-3 as the old one was too short and moved. So the multi pump could have a field test as well, it would be nice to see how well the open sights worked now the rear sight had been moved forward a bit.

Webley and Scott Hawk Mk II and SMK B45-3 multi pump, both in .177.

I sighted the scope at a little over 10 yards, then moved back to a tree a little over 30 yards away and resighted. My shooting position was sitting with my back against the tree with the rifle supported on my fore arm which was wrapped around my knees, this is quite comfortable and the rifle is nearly as stable as it would be in a rifle rest. I have found that i had to concentrate on my breathing in this position, and my heartbeat can effect the shot a little as the rifle is rested against my shoulder no matter how lightly.

A4 target paper on a tree 30 yards away.

Changing the target paper i then shot groups of 8 or 10 shots, and though the sun did interfere with the scope a little the groups were generally about an inch and a bit with .177 RWS Superdomes.

Not the best 8 shot group of the day, but most the groups were similar to this.

The scope did shift a little but stopped and the only spread in the groups were from left to right, which i would put down to the sun shine in my scope and a slight side wind. All in all the Webley Hawk Mk II with the .177 barrel would appear to be a capable hunting rifle out to 30 yards at least, maybe a bit further once i got to grips with it's hold over and any side wind.

SMK with the original stock and pump handle.

Happy with the Hawk i started on the open sights on the SMK B45-3 .177 multi pump, the rear sight had been moved forward and the square notch and post were a tight fit and proved to give good accuracy. I love this air rifle because it is so accurate with a scope fitted, it can give ragged hole groups out to 40 yards at times and that was with the old stock.

SMK with new stock Mk I, the bend in the pump arm is exposed.

Making a new stock for it made it feel more comfortable to shoot as  the combe held my head at the perfect height for the scope, But the stock on the pump arm was a bit short. So i built a new longer piece with the last of the wood i used to build it, which made the pump arm a lot more stable and secure.

SMK with new stock Mk II, does it really look like i want an Air Arms s410?

Happy with both air rifles i spent the rest of the afternoon shooting both of them at a hole in a steel drum some 40 yards away, i moved a bit closer for the multi pump as i couldn't see the hole without a scope from 40 or 30 yards.

Well it looks like i did want an s410 after all.

I must have put half a tin of Superdomes through the Hawk and nearly all went through the 1 1/2 inch wide hole, those that hit the drum still had plenty of energy and splatted flat against the metal.

A couple of mullered .177 Superdomes from 40/45 yards down range, these were hard to find as most were on target and passed through the hole.

It would be nice to get the other .22 barrel for the Hawk now the power plant is working well, also i reckon fixing the stock so its more like the Mk I and earlier Mk II and a reblue would not be wasted on this lovely 70's British springer. 

TTFN

Wing Commander Sir Nigel Tetlington-Smythe

Testing the SMK B45-3 for Improvement.

Now the .177 SMK multi pump is up and running i find myself getting to really like it, and as it's a pretty light rifle i usually take it as a 2nd rifle when i go down the woods for practice. I know it's not the nicest looking rifle by a long shot, but once you get to know it;s many little faults you can compensate.

SMK multi pump as i like it.

It can come apart and be put back together in 20 minutes, so replacing things like inlet valve seals is no problem. Also the magazine works if you load and feed twisting it down and away from the loading port, though it still doesn't like some pellets all the same.

Start loading with red marker in this position so it lets me know when to stop when it reaches the barrel.

2nd pellet loads turning the magazine down and around, avoiding the ball bearing between the barrel and loading port.

Solid harder pellets like Crosmans work well, and the Premier heavies at 10.9 gr and only just fitting never fail. Air Arms diabolo's with their soft skirts deform easily, and H&N Field Trophies are a happy compramise.

When i tested the rifle with the chronoscope i discovered that after 8 pumps the power didn't go any higher, and that it stayed nicely within the UK legal limit of 12 ft/lb.

 

.177 pellets currently in favour.

At 8 pumps.

Crosman Premier Heavies   10.9gr         11.8 ft/lb

Air Arms Diabolo's               8.4gr         10.4 ft/lb

H&N Field Target Trophies  8.65gr         10.5 ft/lb

H&N Barracuda Power       10.19gr         10.8 ft/lb

It doesn't like wadcutters because the flat nose prevents them from loading well, so i didn't bother testing them at all. But on a string of 10 shots each there was no more than 12 FPS variation, and only 8 FPS variation with the Crosman Heavies. This was one of the reasons for being forgiving with this air rifle.

Pellet on the left has the tip worn, this is caused by the tight fit in the magazine.

But the main reason i like this rifle is that it is pretty accurate for what it is, and i can easily hit the hole in my field target rat at 35 to 40 yards. With it having an exhaust valve the trigger is fairly heavy on 8 pumps, but if i squeeze it at the tip it's a lot lighter. The trigger is also the sear and is pivoted at the corner of a rough L shape, remembering how levers work this could easily be redesigned to be lighter. The trigger blade even drops down through a fair bit of stock so there is room to design a trigger with a couple of sears in it, there are plenty of proven designs i could base this on.

Direct trigger and sear, fairly heavy pull at 8 pumps.

The elevation screw on the rear open sights had snapped off, but the two windage grub screws either side of the sight blade will still hold any adjustments made. 

Adjusting grub screws for windage, elevation is achieved by loading thin washers then tighten the grub screws.

 With open the sight's square notch and post it is accurate, however there is a small dove tail on the action for a scope. First i tried the generic 4x32 scope and was very pleased with the results, this only just fitted on as the rear open sight stops any further forward positioning. 

The 4x32 scope fits nicely and is easy to shoot with.

When i tried the AGS 3-9x40 i had to set it back a bit on the dovetails, but it still fitted and accuracy improved no end. 

The 3-9x40 AGS scope can't be moved forward because of the rear sight.

To make this better i would either need higher mounts, move or remove the rear open sights, or extend the shoulder stock by two inches.

This is the butt  being too short if i relax my neck when sighting with the AGS scope.

With a scope mounted on the multi pump i am limited in places to hold the rifle when operating the pump, i can do 8 pumps holding the stock at the rear of the action. Less tiring is supporting the rifle with the side of my palm on the rear sights, though this digs into my hand if i'm taking a lot of shots. If i could extend the pump arm in some way, pumping would be easier and i could support the rifle at the back of the action.

'Ee by gum', it's still a fun little air rifle though.

One way of sorting out most of these problems would be to make a new stock for it, this is something i have often thought about doing. It wouldn't have to be anything fancy, and this air rifle would make the perfect donor for a first attempt. The stock as it is at the moment is pretty naff so i'm sure i could improve upon it, after all i have plenty of bits and bobs in my shed for this project.

Looks like it's time for taking a shufty through the internet for some insperation, there's nothing like a good bit of pluagerism to achieve ones goals.

TTFN

Best wishes, Wing Commander Sir Nigel Tetlington -Smythe