Webley Hawks

From what I put up on AGF

The Webley Hawk , which we know now as the Hawk Mk1 was introduced to replace the Falcon. You could get it with interchangable barrels, which you changed by turning the cam on the LHS of the breech block to release the one that was fitted and then fit the other. The breech block had a rearsight base welded on. The rearsight itself was a really crappy plastic thing that broke easily. Nibbs used to do a steel replacement. The breech block will fit the later models and I think Mick T20 on the other forum has one on a Vulcan. The foresight is metal.
The action is secured to the stock by 3 screws these are triangular self tappers that were used for cheapness. The diameter of the front ones is quite small and was increaesed on the Mk2 and Mk3 versions. I have seen the pistons fitted with both Ptfe and leather washers, held by a rivet. I have retro fitted leather ones in the past as years of machine oil, Wd40 etc has soaked into the Ptfe washer and they can diesel like hell.
The trigger is in a trigger cage, spot welded to the cylinder and its a different trigger to the the Mk2 and Mk3 versions . It has an automatic safety catch which is bloody dangerous! WARNING If you cock the gun and forget to knock the safety off before pulling the trigger, the gun will then go off when you push the safety! So if you forget to knock the safety off, recock the gun to reset the safety, before knocking it off.
The cylinder on the Mk1 is shorter than the Mk2 and Mk3's and the actions of those wont swap into a MK1 and vice versa.
All 3 Mks have a barrel pivot pin rather than the bolt of the Falcon.
Mk1 to Mk5 BSA Meteor mainsprings are a better fit in the pistons of all 3 Hawks, which often show signs of springs rubbing and scoring them.
The gun isn't a power house but not a bad plinker, although the trigger seems to be heavy on them. Its one of those guns that is more fun to use with a tired mainspring.

The Mk2 and Mk3 versions are very similar but the Mk2 has a screw in interchangable barrel that is secured by a grubscrew and the Mk3 is not interchangable. The have a longer cylinder than the Mk1 and the front stock screws are bigger in diameter. The rear stock screw goes into a few threads in the trigger housing and sometimes people fit a nut or weld something on to give more threads. When I was a nipper I got someone to weld a lug on the cylinder end cap and tap it to take a screw----which is very similar to what they did with the Vulcan.
The rearsights are the familiar plastic one that is the same as on the Hurricane pistol. The pistons are the much slagged off 2 Ptfe ring set up, and swapping the front one for an O ring helps. They are however more solid than the Falcon one.
The triggers are different to the Mk 1 but the same set up as used on early Vulcans. The safety is better than the Mk1 but if you are plinking, you are better off doing away with the catch and using a sear spring from a Victor, which tensions under the trigger pin rather than on the safety.
The safety slide is made of something like biscuit tin and they often fracture or the lug that makes it "safe" breaks off.

The Hawk Mk3 is much slagged off, yet a Vulcan is virtually the same gun with a larger diameter cylinder???
I know people have tuned Hawks Mk2 and 3 to full power by modding the piston head-----although Ive been told sleeving the transfer port does the job.
I have a Hawk Mk3 here that I use to shoot the odd rat. It has an O ring on the front piston groove, a Meteor spring and it does 9.5ftlb. Its not a bad gun. I got it for a fiver about 10 years ago.