The Webley Typhoon Semi-Recoiless Pistol

The Webley Typhoon is a semi-recoiless spring-piston airgun that is made in Turkey in Webley's new Turkish plant. As you see in the picture, it comes with a manual and a muzzle cover that extends the barrel's length, making it easier to cock. You can shoot it with or without the extender, but I found it much easier to cock when you use the provided accessory.



The front sight is spring-mounted....in other words, the blade of the front sight will recess into the plastic housing. This is helpful when you cock it without the extender in place. It keeps the sight from digging into the hand during the cocking process.





The term "semi-recoiless" is in reference to the fact that the upper portion of the gun slides forward and back during firing. This is an effort to reduce the felt recoil, and it probably does a reasonable job of that. The problem with this system is that it causes the point-of-aim to move during the squeezing of the trigger. In other words, I found it hard to stay on target because I could never count on the upper portion of the gun to hold still while I squeezed the trigger. This translates into less-than-needed accuracy for anything other than shooting cans.



The safety is not automatic, which is nice for plinking. No need to reset the thing every time you cock it. The rear sight is adjustable and if you can figure out how to make the top of the gun hold still during the firing process, would prove very useful.

I chronied the .177 version of this gun that I received (it is also available in .22 caliber), and noted the following velocities from pellets weighing approximately 8 grains.



The Typhoon is an interesting gun.....but the recoiless system isn't hashed out to my liking just yet. If I'm knocking cans around at close range, it is no problem to enjoy. But I would hesitate to use it for pest control or any kind of shooting that requires more refined accuracy. At $139 for the current price, I might add it to my battery as an interesting piece. I can't help but wonder how it would do with a slightly longer compression chamber, a longer barrel, and a small rifle stock put on it!