Shooter AUSTRALIAN AUSTRALIA S N o. 1 C I R C U L A T I O N S H O O T I N G M A G A Z I N E October 2013 $7.95 incl. GST THE MAGAZINE FOR SPORTING SHOOTERS Webley & Scott s 3000 Sporter Sako s Quad Range Montana whitetail A tour of Smith & Wesson WIN An Ozpig and diffuser www.ssaa.org.au Proudly printed in Australia The official publication of the Sporting Shooters Association of Australia More than 150,000 members strong
Webley & Scott s 3000 Sporter by John McDougall John McDougall takes the 3000 Sporter overand-under for a test run at his local gun club. The gun handled well and only needed a slight adjustment of the trigger system. The history of the English arms manufacturer Webley & Scott and its development with shotguns is quite interesting. In 1878, William Middleditch Scott designed and patented the first successful sidelock shotgun, manufactured under royalty arrangements by a number of firms including Holland & Holland. In 1897, the WC Scott & Sons company merged with percussion sporting gunmaker P Webley & Son to become The Webley & Scott Revolver & Arms Company Ltd of Birmingham. In 1910, the company made its Proprietary Hammerless Boxlock, which used the Webley top-extension Screw Grip patented in 1882. This top-extension model was the first to take advantage of improvements in the accurate machining of the metal parts on which the guns could be made. The gun was later named the Model 400 and became available in three grades, with production continuing until 1946. In around 1912, Webley & Scott made a Trap shotgun with a raised ventilated rib, mid-sight, Monte Carlo stock with pistol grip, and beavertail fore-end. Some two years later, the company introduced the Model 100 single-barrel semi-hammerless shotgun, which was based on William Baker s patent No. 6223 of 1910. In 1922 and 1924, improvements were patented by DV Johnstone and JW Fearn. This model stayed in production until around 1975. From 1914 to 1929, the company made single-barrel Trap guns, while in the 1950s, it made boxlock and falling-block guns for Holland & Holland. The WC Scott & Sons company had already been a major supplier of guns to Holland & Holland since the mid- 1800s and from around 1919, the boxlock guns were usually sold with Shot and regulated by Holland & Holland engraved on the barrel or rib. In 1957, Webley & Scott introduced the 701 and 702 models, with the latter being the top-of-the-range model. Both models > 24 Australian Shooter
featured additional engraving and better quality wood. Variations, including 20- and 28-bore models, were made for export to the United States. Webley & Scott produced around 1000 guns per annum in the 1960s and early 1970s, of which more than half were exported to the US. To say that this company has a high tradition of gunmaking would appear to be an understatement. Due to economies of scale and for better affordability, the production of Webley & Scott shotguns has now been relocated to Turkey. The results are that Australian shooters now have access to a fine English traditional over-and-under sidelock gun with color case-hardening, such as the 3000 Sporter model under review, at a fraction of the price of guns available from its English cousins. Being closely related to Holland & Holland is certainly a huge benefit too. The barrels The barrels of the Webley & Scott 3000 Sporter were well made and blued without blemish, as one would expect from a company steeped in so much gunmaking history. The barrel coloring tends to a very light plum tint when they become dry, so a regular coating of finely sprayed gun oil is a good investment. This coloration variation is due to the chrome molybdenum steel alloy utilised and does not reflect poorly on the gun. The barrels were put together using ventilated side ribs. The ventilations were nicely offset from the ventilated top rib, which was tapered, concave and finished with an antiglare file cut. A red fluoro fibre front-sight topped the muzzle end. Five interchangeable choke tubes were installed for greater versatility when hunting. This included full, improved modified, modified, improved cylinder and cylinder chokes. Built on the monobloc principle, the Fullness of the fore-end design plus chequering at 24 lines per inch provided an excellent gripping surface for good gun control and pointing. 3000 Sporter over-and-under sidelock on test was chambered for 12-gauge and 76mm cartridges. The monobloc around the chamber area was immaculately jewelpolished for the purpose of maintaining lubricants and to prevent adverse wear. The strong one-piece extractors were well-timed, with empties being ejected quite forcibly and well clear of the chamber Design of the triggerguard and triggerfoot was very good. The triggerguard was conservative in size, but could still accommodate a shooter wearing thin leather gloves. Detachable sidelocks on a gun such as this Webley & Scott 3000 Sporter are usually reserved for sporting guns costing many times more. for fast reloading. These are features one should come to expect from such an esteemed gunmaker. During discussion with Danny Galea, the principal of Outdoor Sporting Agencies and the distributor of Webley & Scott products in Australia, it was conveyed that the gun is suited for steel shot use, but only with chokes up to half (modified). The receiver This was the gem of the gun, having been completed in a beautiful color case-hardened finish with the name of the manufacturer gilded with an engraved insert parallel to the barrels. The color case-hardening was very appealing, as were the cocking indicators on the side. Made from a seven-pin configuration, rather than a simpler five-pin operating system, the sidelocks were easily removed by releasing/unscrewing the latch found on the left-hand side of the gun. They can also be placed back into position without any necessary tools. However, it is imperative that you first fire the locks off before you attempt to remove them; I found it better to cock them by hand before replacing them. This is done by forcing the blued hammer on the sideplate backwards until it locks in place. > 26 Australian Shooter
Reinstall both sidelocks and the retaining bolt, attach the barrels and cock the ejector system before the gun can be fired, and then away you go for some great shooting. I wouldn t recommend conducting repairs or dismantling the locks yourself - save them for a qualified gunsmith. The trigger and triggerguard were adequate. The latter would permit the use of thin leather gloves should the weather be cold and windy, while the triggerfoot was well shaped and had a knurled finish on its contact surface to provide positive contact. The trigger pulls were quite crisp at around 3½lb on each barrel. The gun was primarily set up for field shooting, but it could easily double for Sporting Clays competition. The safety catch was located on the top tang just below the top lever, and the top lever was firm and positive to operate. Engraving about this section was tastefully completed and was nicely complemented by color case-hardening. The gun didn t appear to have a barrel selector, but with the bottom barrel firing first, this would only be a concern for incoming targets. Although, if shooting incoming ducks over decoys, one could simply change the chokes around so the tighter choked barrel fired first followed by the second, more open choke for closer targets. The stock and fore-end The stock and fore-end were both made from Turkish walnut, which had very nice character, grain and color. The chequering on the fore-end and stock matched extremely well, with around 24 lines per inch applied by hand. The single border surrounds had a few overruns, which are usually covered by double border lines, but it was still pleasing to know that the finish was largely done by hand, for most companies these days use computer numeric controlled laser-guided chequering machinery. The oiled finish was pleasant and durable and offered a waterproof seal to prevent the wood from swelling when wet. Inletting around the sidelocks was done without fault, as were the metal-to-metal fittings about the receiver. A very tastefully completed teardrop was completed on the point of the sidelock recess, which is usually a sign of an above-quality firearm. The Schnabel or tulip fore-end was well covered with chequering and was significantly large enough to provide a firm grip. The fore-end release lever was also color case-hardened and complemented the overall appeal of that process as applied to the review shotgun. I was delighted to find that the 3000 Sporter sidelock was fitted with a rubber recoil pad instead of a wooden chequered buttplate. This might be a deviation from tradition, but I very much appreciated the recoil pad, especially for a shotgun chambered for 3" semi-magnum loads, The rubber recoil pad also facilitates positive mounting and retains the gun to one s shoulder, which is useful when shooting high, overhead targets. > It was pleasing to see a recoil pad fitted, especially as the gun was suited to semi-magnum loads. John with a brace of black duck taken with Eley bismuth loads. An overall view of the Webley & Scott 3000 Sporter over-and-under shotgun, steeped in tradition and offered at a very affordable price. 28 Australian Shooter
In the field I was most impressed by the appearance of the gun and was very enthusiastic to ascertain its shooting performance in the field. As is the norm for my firearms testing, I took the gun out for some Sporting Clays shooting to determine its accuracy and I thoroughly enjoyed the day, shooting some respectable scores using 28g loads. The outing was a practice day held on the Mornington Peninsula and while the targets weren t terribly challenging to shoot, they were a great deal of fun. For $50, I got to shoot targets all day, which really gave the gun a good workout. Patterns were nice and even with a selection of various brands, including Winchester, Ballantine and Remington, along with some brisk 28g reloads that I had prepared for the day. I could not fault the gun, as it mounted well and I shot it well on the day. Several other shooters were quite interested in the gun and also had the opportunity to fire a few shots at targets with excellent results. Cocking indicators on the side of both locks and the seven-pin configuration for the firing mechanisms were obvious on the sideplates. The color case-hardening was outstanding in presentation and reflected the quality of the gun. All inletting of metal surfaces were completed to perfection, as can be seen with the color casehardened fore-end latch. At a price of $6500 cased with a full set of five choke tubes, a wrench and a 12-month warranty, the Webley & Scott 3000 Sporter represents very good to excellent value for a sidelock, especially one so steeped in fine gunmaking history and tradition. For more information, speak to your local gunshop.. Specifications Make: Webley & Scott, Turkey Model: 3000 Sporter Distributor: Outdoor Sporting Agencies Overall Length: 1230mm (48 3/8") Overall Weight: 3.72kg (8lb 3oz) Barrel Length: 760mm (30") Barrel Weight: 1.53kg (3lb 6oz) Action: Sidelock (detachable) with seven-pin operating system, nonselector; mechanically operated trigger system Chamber and Bore: 12-gauge, 76mm (3") semi-magnum cartridges; under barrel: 0.723"; over barrel: 0.723" Chokes: Full: 0.690"; improved modified: 0.700"; modified: 0.705"; improved cylinder: 0.712"; cylinder: 0.718" Stock and fore-end: Turkish walnut, oil-finished and hand-cut chequering around 24 lines per inch RRP: $6500 cased with five choke tubes, wrench and 12-month warranty 30 Australian Shooter