WEBLEY VMX AIR RIFLES

[19Sheridan57]

  Several years ago, the Webley VMX , made by Hatsan, was a much sought after rifle by many members of GTA. These were limited & available in .177 . .20 , & .22. The .20 was the cheapest way to get a .20 break barrel . I still own mine & have enjoyed it.

   How many members still have a Webley VMX & in what caliber ?

[Back_Roads]

 Well that sale was not as massive as the P-17, but yes I bought a WVM in .20 then, and still have and enjoy it. It did suffer from a beak in the stock, that a PIF from TommyBoy remadied 

[19Sheridan57]

  My stock forearm broke too, & I bought a wood stock from someone on here.

[SteveP-52]

Sought by some as an inexpensive way to try a .20 cal, hedged on by many just because they were so inexpensive plus built by Hatsan and scoffed at by the higher end crowd because they didn't say Weihrauch/Beeman or have a Rekord trigger, even though they were only $99.99 on the Amazon sell-off and very likely could have been easily sold later if they found they didn't like them.

The last ones in .20 cal from Amazon were all the older version rifles with 2 piece cocking arms which, while not impossible, meant doing a little carving inside the wood Striker stocks to make them fit. The newer ones all had 1 piece cocking arms and dropped right in. I still have all 3 I got from that Amazon sell-off. All have 2011-2012 build dates, never had an issue yet with stocks cracking and whatever Hatsan was doing back then during the barrel making, they did very right because all 3 are silly accurate, not pellet picky and deadly on pests with Predator Polymags.

My 3, one of which now sits in a tweaked Striker stock:

[Kmanca1]

I got mine in .20, when Amazon was doing their close-out sale.   
The plastic stock was a smidge lighter but had that hollow thunk.
I got the wood stock from Hatsan.   Had to do a little dremel work to get the two piece linkage to fit and work right but it turned out fine.
I love it!

[19Sheridan57]

The wood stock fit perfectly in mine. These were sold for $199, & price was dropping . I started looking for a .20, since I had so many pellets that I used inSheridans.  I looked for quite awhile & finally saw one for $ 140, the last one they had. I am very happy with it, even though I saw some for $99, later.

[RBQChicken]

My 3, one of which now sits in a tweaked Striker stock:

NICE job on that striker stock, Steve!  Did you sand the forestock checkering off, or didn't it have any?

[mikeyb]

I got one from Amazon's "bot-price-drop" back in May 2018 for ~$60 (w/tax). Since it is basically a Hatsan Edge 177, with minor differences, I thought it was a good deal.

Shot cycle was initially a bit harsh and twangy so I experimented with lowering the power by installing a Crosman spring with custom guide and spacers. That mod worked quite well. Cocking effort went way down and shot cycle was light and smooth. Accuracy at 30' was one ragged hole. It was a pleasure shooting this rifle de-tuned to <10 fpe.

Shortly after that I purchased a "youth" springer which satisfied my desire for an accurate sub 10 fpe backyard plinker so I ended up putting the factory spring back in. The combination of a good tune & lube, some hollow stock dampening, and several hundred pellet break-in greatly improved the shot cycle. I also found a couple pellets my particular rifle really liked so 10 shot groups at 30' went from the original loose 1" down to less than 1/2".

I'm a fan of Hatsan Edge/Striker rifles. With a little help these entry level springers can provide the best "bang for the buck". My VMX is a valued member of that family of rifles.

[SteveP-52]

My 3, one of which now sits in a tweaked Striker stock:

NICE job on that striker stock, Steve!  Did you sand the forestock checkering off, or didn't it have any?

Lost my mind for a bit back when I was doing that stock and the guy I was selling it to asked for it to be the way you see it so it got sanded off. Part of the deal I made with everyone I sold a rifle to: Decide for whatever reason you don't want it, I'll give you your money back no questions asked, just let me know. I've only had 2 people take me up on it out of 24 rifles and that VMX .20 was one.

Also fine with that one because I never should have sold it and won't make that mistake again...lol

[Lt. Dan]

Sought by some as an inexpensive way to try a .20 cal, hedged on by many just because they were so inexpensive plus built by Hatsan and scoffed at by the higher end crowd because they didn't say Weihrauch/Beeman or have a Rekord trigger, even though they were only $99.99 on the Amazon sell-off and very likely could have been easily sold later if they found they didn't like them.

The last ones in .20 cal from Amazon were all the older version rifles with 2 piece cocking arms which, while not impossible, meant doing a little carving inside the wood Striker stocks to make them fit. The newer ones all had 1 piece cocking arms and dropped right in. I still have all 3 I got from that Amazon sell-off. All have 2011-2012 build dates, never had an issue yet with stocks cracking and whatever Hatsan was doing back then during the barrel making, they did very right because all 3 are silly accurate, not pellet picky and deadly on pests with Predator Polymags.

My 3, one of which now sits in a tweaked Striker stock:

Nice rifles and scopes. Looks like one is a Nikko STIRLING GAMEKING.

Back in 2011-2012   Hmmm?
Back then I was heavy into 9mm powder burners pistols.  Didn't even own an airgun. Was shooting about 250 rounds a week. All my reloads then reloading components started to rise. I had purchased a Bushmaster AR15 and was reloading for it also.

I'm having more fun now, and it's now near as expensive.

[19Sheridan57]

  My VMX in .20 likes the JSB Heavies that came a couple of years ago . Mine shoots these heavier pellest at around 720fps, if I remember correctly. They help reduce some of the TWANG, too.
  If you haven't tried these, you should !

[SteveP-52]

Sought by some as an inexpensive way to try a .20 cal, hedged on by many just because they were so inexpensive plus built by Hatsan and scoffed at by the higher end crowd because they didn't say Weihrauch/Beeman or have a Rekord trigger, even though they were only $99.99 on the Amazon sell-off and very likely could have been easily sold later if they found they didn't like them.

The last ones in .20 cal from Amazon were all the older version rifles with 2 piece cocking arms which, while not impossible, meant doing a little carving inside the wood Striker stocks to make them fit. The newer ones all had 1 piece cocking arms and dropped right in. I still have all 3 I got from that Amazon sell-off. All have 2011-2012 build dates, never had an issue yet with stocks cracking and whatever Hatsan was doing back then during the barrel making, they did very right because all 3 are silly accurate, not pellet picky and deadly on pests with Predator Polymags.

My 3, one of which now sits in a tweaked Striker stock:

Nice rifles and scopes. Looks like one is a Nikko STIRLING GAMEKING.

Back in 2011-2012   Hmmm?

It is and holding up very well. I have another one sitting NIB. The one on the top rifle is a BSA Tactical Mildot 3-12x44 30mm side focus. Got a pair on a one time deal from Midway for $65 each. The other one is on my .25 AirTact. Bottom one had a Hawke but that rifle is now wrapped up and safely stored in it's original box.

  My VMX in .20 likes the JSB Heavies that came a couple of years ago . Mine shoots these heavier pellest at around 720fps, if I remember correctly. They help reduce some of the TWANG, too.
  If you haven't tried these, you should !

No twang in 2 of mine. Top one got tuned and the stock stuffed before it got put in the Striker stock. Middle one got converted to a Hatsan Vortex gas ram among other things done to it. Bottom one got left completely stock and now safely stored for the future.
Only tried the new heavy JSB's in the top 2 but both shot them very well and in the 650 range which I expect should go up some once the new Vortek seals I used tuning/building both wear in. Never did try them in the stock rifle.

[mac]

Nice refinish job on the Striker VMX Steve. I prefer the shape of the stock on my wood Striker 1000 over my mod95. I wish I had knew more about .20 cal when those were on sale, I would have bought one.

[AGEnthused2]

I watched the amazon deals, but never ordered one, it would have been nice to have at least bought one.
I did buy a retay 135, my priorities were in the wrong place.

[SteveP-52]

Thanks, mac. The synthetic ones on the VMX's are a close match stylewise to the Strikers and easy enough to fill to deaden the echo.

It's extremely rare but now and then one will pop up for sale. Last one I saw was right here when gendoc sold his 2nd one. Before that would also have been gendoc, but he got that 1st one from a scammer on the AA classifieds whose name can't be typed here on GTA that butchered the rifle before he ever got it. Took me 2 days, but I got it rebuilt for him after he asked here for help with it.

I watched the amazon deals, but never ordered one, it would have been nice to have at least bought one.
I did buy a retay 135, my priorities were in the wrong place.

Have one of those too. I may tinker someday, but no way I'd trash what I hope is a decent reputation I made for myself buying/selling guns by selling THAT one to anyone.

[19Sheridan57]

  I am well aware of the person who was selling those banged up rifles !! I tried to talk a person out of dealing with him, too.
  I have a large pasture behind my house & some cows are about ready to give birth. I am also hearing coyotes which will be coming over once that starts. I killed one last year with the VMX & will keep it ready for any sign of problems.

[19Sheridan57]

   I have not seen one in .20 cal. for sale in quite awhile. I did see a.177 not long ago. I am not really a TWANGER person, but I do have a few that I enjoy shooting.
  I would like to see another lower priced .20 break barrel come on the market, but I am not holding my breath .

[mikeyb]

This thread reminded me to break out my VMX for some seasonal exercise.

Started shooting it with some of the 10000+ boxed Crosman Dome Heavies (10.5 grain) I got from that last 2 for 1 sale with free shipping on the Crosman website. They WILL ship me pellets & parts, just not any rifles or pistols.

My VMX was still shooting dimes or better at 30' with open sights. Need to add this pellet to the "good list" for the VMX. Shot cycle had NO twang, but seemed a bit sharper than I remembered. Probably because I've been experimenting with tuning my AT44PA for the last couple weeks.

I opened up the VMX and removed the loose plastic spring guide and the loose fitting top-hat. Fabricated and installed a custom "longer & snug" steel spring guide with NO top-hat. Reassembled and shot some more 10.5 grain heavies. Chronograph says average velocity stayed the same. I "think" it shoots a little less sharp, but cannot rule out the placebo effect. Accuracy is still dimes or better at 30'.

Now I remember WHY I wanted to keep this rifle. It is easy to maneuver, shoulders well, and target acquisition is quick and effortless with the factory open sights. While a good artillery hold works best for mine, it seems much less hold sensitive than many of my other springers. IMO this is an excellent hunting rifle. Really want to take it outside after the 60mph wind gusts pass.

I also think I understand why this rifle in 20 caliber would be a keeper.

[jason miller]

Just out of curiosity, how do these compare to the 95? Similar power plant, or are there differences? I got a 95 in .22 cal on a clearance sale, and kinda like it- even though it might be TOO powerful and is a little harsh. Makes me wonder what else I’m missing out on from Hatsan.

[19Sheridan57]

  I am not sure which #95 you have. Is it spring, gas , QE ?? You really need to compare a standard spring 95 to a standard VMX.
I have a friend who does have a 95QE in .22 , that I have shot. His rifle is a sweet shooter, quieter than most, & accurate. My VMA had a wood stock, so it feels & looks a lot like the 95QE. My VMX does not need an artillery hold , so that is nice. Power-wise they are close , but my VMX shoots at higher FPS.
   Every now & then I see a VMX in .177 or .22, but like mentioned, the .20's are harder to find.