Guy's 'Frankenpistol' and 'Typest/Guypest'

Guy's 'Frankenpistol' and 'Typest/Guypest'

With thanks to Guy and Vic.

Read about the genesis of the first Webley-based pistol here:

http://www.airgunbbs.com/showthread.php?867272-The-Webley-based-Frankenpistol

Chris added these pics:

Another one of Guy's Webley adaptations here, the 'Typest/Guypest'. He explains:

For about 10 years now I have been hoping a rough Webley Typhoon would turn up so I could turn it into a Typest (a cut down Typhoon, like a Tempest is a cut down Hurricane).  A few months back, John (Duomatic410) sent me some bits and they contained a Typhoon frame. I had some other bits and Chris Hough sent me a .22 barrel. I was originally going to do it as a .177 as that seemed more in keeping with a Junior sized gun.  When you think about it, a Typest would have been a more apt replacement for the Junior Mk2 than the Typhoon. 

I spoke to Ray Hall, who used to work at Webley and asked him if he could modify the back of the frame for me. I thought he would use a hack saw and some steady filing but he managed to mill the back.  He then drilled and tapped for a Tempest rear sight.  He has stamped the gun with his initials and a date and also sent me a letter saying what he had done and when.

I really wanted the gun to look more like a prototype------and the intention was to leave the safety catch off and maybe the fore end (although someone is doing some Typest stickers for me), and to fit a set  of Andy's wooden grips-----He agreed to do me a pair that looked a little rough to get the effect.  I may go down that route when the pistol gets back from Chris in the New Year. I only had a quick couple of plinks with it before posting it off to beat the Christmas post.

I have previously experimented with a lightened piston and a leather washer on a Tempest and decided to do the same with the Typest. The hole in the piston is bored deeper and this reduces pre load on the mainspring quite a bit, as well as losing a bit of weight.   On the Tempest I added a couple of washers on the guide, to restore a bit of the pre load. This was done by "Feel" and the gun has never been chronographed. 

On the Typest, I have not added washers yet, so the action, feels a little bit slower than the Tempest I did. It is running a normal Tempest/Hurricane  mainspring rather than the Typhoon one, which is round wire and (so the blurb used to go) 30% weaker.  I have also done the usual Trigger tune.  

Chris has probably shot the gun more than I have by now and says it is quite sweet. 

Some people didn't approve of me doing this to a Typhoon frame, yet the same people approve of modern Co2 conversions of old/collectable airguns, and would have no problem fitting a period sight to an old gun. But --we are all different. 

Call it what you want----a Typest replica, a Guypest  etc, but to me, it is something that could have been done by someone any time in the last 45 years, and the work has been carried out by a former Webley employee--------so to me, it is a TYPEST and I look forward to plinking with it.