An 'in The Field' Review Of The Webley Valuemax .177

[milegajo 595]

Taken from the blog AirgunAddicts

Though I feared the land was, like Narnia, in the grip of winter forever, finally Spring has burst forth and too long I have delayed in reaping the fruits of this season of life and beginning.

First order of the day was to ensure the rifle and scope were zeroed. Having previously ascertained JSB Exacts to be the best performing pellet it was time to explore the guns other demands. Namely hold. Generally a springer must not be held too tight, it must be supported to allow it to recoil naturally. Due to the harsher recoil of the calibre, combined with this guns unrefined firing cycle, I have found that in order to tame muzzle flip, a slight grip must be maintained on the forestock.

A bullseye in the top right target signaled a successful 'acquaintance' session.

Confident now that Gun and shooter could put a pellet where it matters consistently, the time had come to visit my hunting grounds and break my prolonged spell of unintentionally enforced vegtarianism!

 

Accompanied by a good friend along with his superb HW100, the pressure and odds were piling on the outclassed Webley.
The contract was already out on squirrels, but the bonus to sitting under one particular tree where the squirrels frequent, is all around are pigeon 'sitty' trees!
Before we sat and waited, we had a recce;

 

It was during our tour of the hedgerows that one quality of the ValueMax really struck me. It was noticeable how unnoticeable the gun was. That synthetic lightweight stock may not absorb much recoil, but it certainly makes for an excellently weighted rifle that placed no strain at all upon arm or shoulder.

 

Not long after we holed up in our ambush positions, the ValueMax was presented with its first opportunity. A pigeon flapped into the hedge-line. Alas, neither the HW100, nor Webley could be brought to bear due to the multitude of twigs shielding our target. Unbelievably, the pigeon obligingly fluttered out from his sanctuary to alight dead ahead of my position.
BOIIIING!
Spring was Sprung and down the grey bird fell. The Weihrauch promptly read him the last rites, and dinner was assured.
Despite a thorough inspection, we could find no fatal trauma to the bird. I would ordinarily be puzzled if it were any other quarry, but not with these birds. They are something else, I am nigh on positive that our local variety are either titanium robotic hybrids or at least have evolved a layer of kevlar feathers! Mawders later hypothesized that the pellet did not strike at all, rather the sonic boom of the ValueMax's TWANG liquified the birds brain. It's certainly an earful for the shooter!

Within 30 minutes we had our first squirrel in our sights. Thanks to some agile and deft maneuvering on my part, the ValueMax secured the kill. Down the bandit tumbled, only to roll/twitch himself down a cavernous badger sett!

I didn't fancy sticking my arm down to retrieve my prize.

 

A bloodstained twig the only clue.

A chance on a second provided further adrenaline surges, until the blighter sheltered in a hollow tree, but I was delighted with what I had as well as feeling cheated of proof of our efforts for the landowner.
What I did gain from this afternoon was a real appreciation for a rifle I have wanted to dislike.

A lightweight, accurate low cost carbine.

The price tag invites derision. Like a foreign exchange student in the playground waiting to be bullied, yet when you actually engage with it, get to know it, you find out that the two of you get on surprisingly well, despite some challenges and rough edges.
I can definitely picture this rifle slung in the back of a tractor or the 4x4 of a gamekeeper. The synthetic stock able to withstand the elements and abuse. The action delivering the accuracy required to do the job.
It most certainly lacks the refinement of the top end springers, to get specific; the trigger will never win competitions, BUT, it releases the spring that sends the pellet flying that kills the prey and it does it consistently. Job done. There is also a smile factor to be considered, as well as the challenge of competently shooting something that isn't tuned to the point it may as well be a pre-charged pneumatic. It has soul, character irrespective of the fact it may resemble Darth Vader's Baguette.

It is not the best rifle in the world, nor do I really believe it to offer the maximum value for the money as it name suggests when it faces such stiff opposition from the second hand market. But as far as brand new guns that you can walk into most gun shops tomorrow and pick out of the rack, you can certainly do a lot worse! I bought it as an inexpensive platform to explore tuning, test pellets etc to be passed on when I lost interest in it, but with each session we spend together, I can see this gun becoming a permanent fixture in my armoury as a knockabout all rounder I can pick up at any moment. If I remove the scope, I will have an excellent close-medium range rifle I don't have worry about knocking off zero! No, it has not threatened my oath to the Hunting Goddess Diana that one day I will get my mitts on a TX200 HC, but until then, she'll do a cracking job I'm sure.

Now to buy one in .20!

Edited April 26, 2013 by milegajo

[ecp2012 14]

This is a great read. You don't often get the opportunity to read about the more budget end of the spectrum and I enjoyed your turn of phrase in describing the outing.

[milegajo 595]

Thanks a lot, you've also captured exactly what i wanted to convey.

[secretagentmole 1,701]

I still reckon the 55 and 60S are a lot better value for money! Much better trigger, better built and once you factor in a scope and mounts, the price is roughly the same!

Edited April 27, 2013 by secretagentmole

[milegajo 595]

I still reckon the 55 and 60S are a lot better value for money! Much better trigger, better built and once you factor in a scope and mounts, the price is roughly the same!

Don't forget the walnut stocks!

 

I have to agree with you there.

[Marksman 934]

Nice read mate!

 

I'm a serial tinkerer, if it were me I'd have it stripped, de-burred, smoothed and polished and relubed.

I recently done a .177 Stoeger X20 of all things and it made a hell of a rifle out to 40yds and I put this in the same category.

In that respect Im thinking of making a "sleeper" as a new project..... Get a budget rifle and tune the cr*p out of it to make it a hell of a smooth accurate rifle then surprise the crap out of people when they shoot it.....

 

Darryl

[secretagentmole 1,701]

Look at a 55 or a 60 then Darryl, lovely trigger to start with, basically the same action as the £200 Webley Stingray mark 2, a lot of people are now carbining them as the snouts are a tad on the long side (then fitting a silencer as a cocking aid/noise reducer), polishing, deburring etc and also fitting tuning kits (Welsh Willy does one for the 55 and 60). If you want to really surprise them, fit a gas ram to it (AWT Bedford supply them).

[milegajo 595]

The investment of time and end result on a Mod55/60 over the ValueMax would be far more pleasing in my view.