24-Aug-2026
Few names carry as much weight in British airgunning as Webley. For well over a century the Birmingham firm has been part of the furniture in UK gun rooms, and its air pistols in particular have introduced generations of shooters to the sport. Interest is climbing again, searches for the Webley Tempest have risen sharply over the past fortnight, and second-hand examples are moving quickly on the used market.
If you are weighing up a Webley, whether it is your first air pistol or a nostalgic return to a model you owned twenty years ago, this guide covers what the range offers, what separates a good example from a tired one, and how to judge value before you commit.
Why Webley still matters to British shooters
Webley’s reputation rests on simplicity. The company built air guns that a shooter could strip on a kitchen table, that tolerated neglect, and that kept shooting long after fancier designs had gone back to the workshop. That engineering philosophy is why so many Webley air pistols made in the 1970s and 1980s are still in regular use.
The brand’s history is not entirely straightforward. Webley & Scott’s airgun production has changed hands and changed location more than once over the decades, and models carrying the Webley name have been made in Britain and overseas at different points. For buyers this matters less than you might think, condition and provenance drive value far more than the badge on the box, but it does mean you should always ask where and roughly when a gun was made.
Browse the current Webley listings on Rightgun.uk alongside the wider air gun category to see what British sellers are offering right now.
The Webley Tempest: the pistol that keeps coming back
The Tempest is the model driving most of the current interest, and it is easy to see why. It is a break-barrel spring air pistol built around a compact alloy frame, offered historically in both .177 and .22. It is not a target pistol in the Olympic sense, it was never meant to be, but it is accurate enough for informal plinking at sensible ranges, it is pleasingly solid in the hand, and it has a mechanical honesty that modern gas-powered pistols cannot quite replicate.
Two things explain its staying power. First, parts and seals have historically been available, so a tired Tempest is usually a repairable Tempest rather than a write-off. Second, the design is compact enough to be genuinely convenient, it lives happily in a gun cabinet without demanding the space a rifle does.
Current listings sit under the Webley & Scott Tempest pages and the separate Webley Tempest .177 listings. If you want a fuller treatment of the model itself, our Webley Tempest review goes into more depth on handling and shooting impressions.
What to check on a used Tempest
Seal condition. A weak, inconsistent report or noticeably reduced power usually points to a perished piston seal. It is a common and generally straightforward fix, but it should be reflected in the price.
Breech lock-up. With the barrel closed, there should be no perceptible wobble at the breech. Play here affects both accuracy and consistency.
Frame and finish. Surface wear on an alloy frame is normal on a gun of this age. Cracks, previous repairs, or heavy corrosion around the pivot are not.
Trigger behaviour. The Tempest trigger is simple. It should be predictable rather than gritty or creeping.
Grip integrity. Original grips in sound condition add meaningfully to a collectable example.
Webley air rifles: the wider range
Beyond the pistols, Webley has produced a broad spread of air rifles over the years, spanning break-barrel springers aimed at general shooting and heavier under-lever designs built for more serious hunting and target work. The pattern is consistent: robust build, straightforward mechanics, and a shooting character that rewards technique rather than flattering it.
Springers of this type reward what shooters call the artillery hold, a relaxed, consistent grip that lets the rifle recoil the same way on every shot. If you have come from a pre-charged pneumatic, expect a short adjustment period. Our comparison of air guns and rifles sets out the broader differences between the two approaches, and if you are choosing pellets, the guide to airgun slugs versus pellets is a useful companion.
For a sense of how Webley sits against its main rivals, it is worth looking at the Weihrauch range, the Air Arms S410, and the BSA R10, three very different answers to the same question.
Buying a Webley on the second-hand market
Webley air guns hold their appeal partly because they are so well represented used. That is an advantage and a caution in equal measure: there is plenty of choice, but condition varies enormously.
The most useful thing a buyer can do is decide early whether they are buying a shooter or a keeper. A shooter can carry honest wear, a replaced seal, and a non-original grip without much penalty. A keeper, an example bought partly for its collectability, needs original parts, matching finish and, ideally, the box and paperwork. The two sit at genuinely different price points, and confusing them is the most common way to overpay.
Ask sellers directly about service history, whether the gun has been re-sealed, how it has been stored, and whether it has been shot recently. A gun that has sat unused for years is not necessarily a problem, but it is a reason to expect a service before it performs at its best.
Where Webley fits for UK shooters today
For someone starting out, a sound Webley air pistol is one of the more sensible entry points into airgunning: mechanically simple, forgiving to learn on, and inexpensive to feed. For experienced shooters, the appeal is different; it is the pleasure of a well-made piece of British engineering that does one job properly.
Neither group should expect a Webley to replace a modern PCP for extended field work. That was never the brief. What it offers instead is character, durability, and a low cost of ownership, and those qualities are exactly why interest keeps returning.
Before buying, it is worth being clear on the law as it applies to air guns in the UK. Our guide to UK air rifle laws and licensing sets out the framework, and if you will be moving guns between locations, how to transport firearms legally is worth reading alongside it.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Webley Tempest available in .177 and .22? Both calibres have been offered over the model’s production life. Which suits you depends on use: .177 tends to shoot flatter, while .22 is often preferred where a heavier pellet is wanted. Check the listing carefully, as calibre is not always obvious from photographs.
Are Webley air pistols still worth buying second-hand? For most shooters, yes. The designs are mechanically simple and generally serviceable, which means a used example in honest condition can give years of use. As with any spring-powered gun, seal condition is the main variable to assess.
How much should I pay for a used Webley Tempest? Prices vary widely with condition, calibre, originality, and whether the box and paperwork are present. Rather than working to a fixed figure, compare several current listings side by side; the spread between a well-used shooter and a collector-grade example is substantial.
Do I need a licence for a Webley air pistol in the UK? Air weapons below the legal power thresholds are treated differently from Section 1 firearms, but the rules around purchase, ownership, age, and storage are specific and worth understanding properly before you buy. See our UK air rifle laws guide for the detail.
Find your Webley on Rightgun.uk
Whether you are after a Tempest for the workshop bench or a Webley rifle for garden and pest work, Rightgun.uk brings UK sellers together in one dedicated shooting marketplace. Browse the current air gun listings, compare examples across dealers and private sellers, and set your search to catch new Webley stock as it appears.
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