Does this mean my Tempest is finally broken in?

[Kruff]

I bought a new 22 cal Webley Tempest in April. I haven’t kept track of how many times I have shot it but would guess about 1000 times at the least. With 12.6 gr pellets it averaged 395 fps.

It always had a slight spring twang when fired until recently. Now it has no twang at all.
I ran some 12.6 gr pellets over my chrony and it’s now getting a high of 370 fps so it lost about 25 fps since it was new.
The velocity spread is low, averaging about 5 fps.

The breech seal is nice and tight so that’s not the issue. I do clean the barrel
and oil the action and pivot areas periodically.

Does this mean it’s finally broken in or does it have a problem?

 

[Chevota]

They can have higher velocity when new since the spring is stronger and possible a little dieseling. After time the spring will settle and you lose a bit.
You could shim the spring a bit but may settle further, but usually it's a a few steps fwd and one back so you still gain.
A higher quality spring may be an option is you can find one the right size and strength.
As for the noise the spring may have canted so it's pressed harder against the piston skirt which would dampen it. You can always open it up for a look-c.
The main seal usually has a chunk missing from the sharp slots in the compression tube, so smoothing those and a new seal may bring back some power.
Verify the breech seal is sealing and not cracked, and the that the opening is not constricted or crooked. And always keep the inside of the cocking slot and the linkage greased, and the pivot points oiled. Use real oil, not WD40 etc. Never use silicone grease/oil on it.

 

[Kruff]

Thanks Chevota. I was hoping you would be along with your usual valuable info.

Except for the velocity loss the gun shoots great and is very quiet without the twang. Now that you mentioned it the gun does seem a bit easier to cock than when it was new.

Never had one of these apart, looks like I have a project for the coming cold winter days.

Thanks again bud.

 

[Chevota]

Glad to be wanted And I'm always happy to help...
They come apart fairly easy, mostly small pins so you'll need a tool to drive them out. Getting the spring out is easy, but for the piston you need to remove the sear/catch which means the trigger guard and trigger too. Just pay attention to how the sear is positioned but there are diagrams online so I'd get one, or I can send you one. I like to sharpen the sears and smooth all surfaces for an easier and smoother pull, but I also shorten the sears. Just know that shortening them too much will allow it to fire with the safety on.
Those friction points I mentioned are very important to keep lubed, and imo worth buying special lube to ensure their survival. I use tungsten disulfide powder directly on the dried and sanded parts, then a mix of that and bearing grease over that and for continous maintenance. If you ever feel any friction when cocking you should stop and lube. Those litte parts cost more than the special lube so totally worth it, plus that stuff is outstanding for the rest of the parts, other guns and a zillion other uses. It's ~$10/oz which should last most people for life. A good source is bulletcoatings.com.
A trigger shoe is a very cool add for older guns with thinner triggers, if you can find one. Wood grips are super cool too but again good luck finding any. I've seen only two types of wood, a picture online of a nice but simple set, and the Beeman "Combat" grips that I have which are outstanding if you're lucky enough to find any.
If you get it apart I would love some pix of the transfer port, specifically the one in the compression chamber.
I also have one half apart if you need to see anything or have questions

 

[Kruff]

Thanks for all the great info. I did a brief search for parts and many are unavailable, one of them being the piston spring. If I can't get that I see no sense in tearing it apart. At least not yet.

I probably need the piston seal also since I've been noticing white dust on the flat surface under the barrel near the breech.

The only part suppliers I could find are in the UK and I don't feel comfortable giving my CC info to an overseas company. Had I known parts were going to be difficult to get I would have bought something else.

I paid $220 for this pistol and for that kind of money I expected something that would hold up longer. I am disappointed.

Live and learn.......

 

[Chevota]

Don't be disappointed, there's nothing wrong with it. Maybe I came across as those things being problems but it's just normal stuff. The wear points on the linkage is really only an issue because parts are hard to get. So like a car the lube and wear is a fact of life. Most springer guns have a wear issue somewhere, but most are easier to fix. Like a generic rifle may seize up but some sanding and lube will get it working again. Most likely the same with tempest but a little harder since the parts are small and you may not find them if needed.
If anything the Tempest is an exceptional pistol and your power level is more than most people get.

 

[Kruff]

I suppose you are right and I shouldn't complain. Looking at it percentage wise it's only about a 7% loss and for what I use this gun for it makes little difference. It still puts holes in cans which is all I use it for.

Maybe I'm a more positive frame of mind today..... because there is also an upside to this. It is now extremely quiet since most of the noise was coming from the spring.

Thanks for the tungsten disulfide powder tip, I'll have to get some of that.