Webley Eagle - Flying High

I still get excited when the Great British Shooting Show comes around early in the year, and it’s the chance to meet up with old friends as well as business contacts that makes it such an unmissable event. It is, of course, the perfect opportunity for manufacturers to showcase new products. This adds a real buzz to the proceedings, as you never quite know what dazzling piece of machinery awaits. This year’s show was no different, and one brand-new model that caught my eye was the Webley Eagle, taking pride of place on the Highland Outdoors trade stand. Paul Garrity, an ex-employee from the original Webley factory, was holding court, explaining the features, and there’s no doubt that this new model will appeal to many.

Regulated
For a start, this PCP has a buddy bottle, and the action is regulated, meaning we can expect a tighter band of consistent shots at our disposal. The design also includes a fully floating barrel, a moderator, a biathlon-style side-lever, a multi-shot system, and a thumbhole walnut stock. All in for £519, it certainly seems a steal at the price.

Build quality
First impressions are definitely favourable, as the Eagle is a stylish little number. Alongside the gun in its padded carton, we get two magazines, a Webley moderator, a filling adaptor, spare seals, Allen keys, and instructions. The visuals work well with the angular trigger guard, raked pistol grip, extended fore-end and defined cheekpiece, all combining to create a sleek, purposeful profile. My test rifle shows plenty of grain pattern on what is almost certainly Turkish walnut, and the end result is a highly attractive sporting airgun that’s bursting with features.
An all-metal construction, save for the trigger guard, and fairly chunky components, gives the Eagle a robust feel, and whilst the metalwork gets a rather lack-lustre matte black finish, there’s no doubting the practicality on offer. Indeed, bear in mind that this model is aimed predominantly at the hunting fraternity, then the no-frills exterior suddenly makes sense.

Lotta bottle
Up front, the sizeable 420cc buddy bottle means there are decent air reserves on board, and whilst this configuration can often be a major source of irritation, where the lead supporting hand must touch cold metal in the aim, there are no such indignities here, as the extended tongue of walnut is enough fore-end to offer proper support.
Keeping with the hunting theme, the Eagle’s muzzle comes fitted with a thread protector that just spins off, allowing you to fit the supplied Webley moderator. It’s an equally attractive fitting, with the same matte finish, and there are a series of rear ports to help diffuse spent air. Internally, it offers one large expansion chamber and wadding to absorb decibels. It could almost be called a reflex design, given that some of its length is lost over the barrel, but this only accounts for around 3/4”. So, for the record, the moderator adds around 6” to the overall length.
 
Standard valve
Look to the underside of the fore-end to find the filler valve, which is concealed under a neat, metal magnetic cap. The manufacturer provides a Foster snap-on-style filling adaptor with the Eagle, but I’m pleased to say this is the standard fitting, so my airline pump and bottle could snap straight on, with no messing around. The Foster connector is about the nearest we have in the industry to a standardised fitting, so it’s always a welcome sight. Well done, Webley! Also, bravo to Webley for clearly stamping the all-important maximum fill pressure information onto the underside of the buddy bottle. The Eagle needs 220bar, so slowly charge to that, bleed the line, and snap off the connector. There’s a clearly marked manometer on the right side of the action that shows yellow, green and red sections. As you would expect, yellow denotes low pressure, green is the usable pressure band, and red is over-charged. The working pressure is therefore from 220bar down to 100bar.

Twin rails
Mounting a scope onto the Eagle couldn’t be simpler, since it comes fitted with twin rails. The dual scope rail cleverly offers us a choice, with dovetail rails on the inside and Picatinny/Weaver mounting on the outer edge. I opted for standard dovetail mounts to connect my Viper Pro Tactical 3-18x50 optic, and with a huge run of rail, getting the position right is also straightforward.
Right, time to fill the magazine. Two plastic cassette-style mags are supplied, with 12 shots in .22 calibre, as per my test rifle, and 14 shots if you opt for .177. Hold the mag with the clear front uppermost, wind the cover clockwise against the spring, and then drop the first pellet skirt first from the rear. Next, turn it back to the front and drop a pellet head first into each chamber, until the cover is closed.

Familiarisation
As is best practice, before we even load a pellet, it makes sense with a PCP to familiarise ourselves with the feel of the action. Pulling back the well-shaped biathlon side-lever is initially easy, with the first 70 degrees of arc being effortless. The final 20 degrees of movement is then significant, but no great shakes. Next, try the trigger, and if you think it needs adjusting, this is the time. The instructions refer to one screw dealing with ‘trigger slack’, but I didn’t have to bother, given that the two-stage unit proved very acceptable on test. A short first stage, a little bit of creep, then a reasonable second stage release. The trigger shoe is adjustable around the carrier, which is great. Not so great is the dodgy positioning of a push button safety catch, which is on the blade stem itself. Not clever, but many manufacturers do it!

Range time
The mag snaps in from the right-hand side and utilizes a small magnet in the process. In use, it was not the easiest or most refined cocking action, but that said, shot cycling and magazine reliability over an extended test period was faultless, which is a huge bonus in this price sector. Where the moderator is concerned, it’s fair to say that the Eagle is flipping noisy without it, so fitting it is a no-brainer. Civilized performance can be enjoyed thereafter.
Given that the Eagle’s action is specified as regulated, it made sense to run a check over the chronograph to gauge efficiency. I chose to monitor the first 12 magazines, and with a total spread of just 20fps over an initial 144 shots, it’s fair to conclude that the reg works well. That’s a great level of consistency for sure, and for the record, it was achieved using the quality Webley Mosquito pellets supplied at the time of the test. From the fill pressure of 220bar, I had shot down to a residual pressure of 125bar, so I reckon this Eagle is good for at least 170/180 shots. Maybe not quite hitting the 250 quoted, but a big usable number, nonetheless. The power output, while using the Mosquitos, was on the money too, averaging out at 11.7ft/lbs on test.
                       
Handling & performance
So, how does the Eagle feel in use? Well, although the stock is specified as ambidextrous, study the photos and you’ll notice it does show a right-hand cheekpiece. In use, the configuration wouldn’t preclude a leftie taking part, and with the pistol grip left as ‘ambi’, I’m not quite sure why the designers dealt with one and not the other. Suffice it to say, the Eagle is perfectly manageable from left or right. It’s aesthetically pleasing, but all importantly, it feels great in the aim, and the thinned-out raked grip is a big part of the equation. I probably prefer well-applied stippling over chequering, and the laser-cut, pin-perfect stippling on the Eagle is subtle and highly effective. It is cut and applied to the pistol grip, but also neatly done around the fore-end. Form and function where it matters, and very comfortable it is too. I have a large frame, but my supporting hand fell naturally to the wooden shelf up front. All very slick and natural, I have to say.
On the range, I tried a few different brands of popular ammunition, and accuracy over 30 yards seemed initially a bit pellet fussy. However, with the Webley Mosquitos printing penny-sized groups over 40 yards, it’s clear this striking PCP can do the business. Just conduct pellet trials as always, and the best suitor should emerge.

Verdict
I was looking forward to getting hold of this model, and I have to say, I haven’t been disappointed. Granted it’s not the most sophisticated, but for a little over £500, the Eagle is nicely made, well-appointed, well-executed, and well up to hunting forays. There’s even a threaded mounting point set under the fore-end for either a sling stud or tripod. The choice is yours. Either way, it’s a whole lot of airgun for the asking price.