Webley + Parker-Hale

Airgun Talk

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MDriskill

(@mdriskill)

Joined: 8 years ago

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Topic starter March 16, 2023 12:09:41

Rifle shooting was serious business in the UK back in the day, and Parker-Hale made a wide variety of top-quality milled steel aperture sights for that market. Only two models were intended for airguns though - and both for a single rifle, the Webley Mk 3. P-H also made a huge assortment of eyepieces that fit all their sights.

Parker-Hale typically adapted a basic mechanism to different gun-specific bases, each model designated by a suffix letter. More than a dozen PH 16 variants were made, the Mk 3's being the PH 16M, offered as an option for sporting versions. It's an ideal sport peep; sturdy and compact, with adjustment scales easily visible from behind, and precise enough for target work.

Here's the 16M with the typical 5/16" diameter eyepiece provided, giving a nice hunter's "ghost-ring" sight picture:

Some shooters opted for one of P-H's many other somewhat larger sporting eye disks, though. Another interesting PH 16 feature is that the eyepiece arm flips rearward 90 degrees, so that the gun's breech-mounted open sight could be retained and sighted in at another distance.

And although the Mk 3 sporter's sight line is rather low, the 3/4" diameter model PH 60 (or similar PH 62) eyepieces will usually work. These have 6 different aperture sizes, changed by rotating the finger-click wheel recessed on front of the eyepiece:

The Mk 3 Supertarget had a significantly higher sight line - thanks to the P-H FS 22A front tunnel sight. Its rear sight was the PH 17B - larger and more elaborate than the PH 16, with precise Vernier elevation and windage scales. (The 16M and 17B will interchange; each mounts at the same location with the same screws.)

The PH 60 was also the usual eyepiece supplied with the Mk 3 Supertarget. It accepts a small additional screw-in eyeshade, which can also secure a magnifying lens or colored filter. Its 3/4" diameter was dictated by the rules of some UK competition classes.

No doubt influenced by advanced designs from Gehmann, etc., P-H later offered their "Iris" eyepieces. These have an overlapping-leaf type, infinitely adjustable aperture, controlled by the small lever. There are several variations of these. This one has a brass finger-click wheel bringing up 6 different colored filters, and the big PH 52 eye shade - milled blued steel, with a matt phosphate finish on the rear face (and which also fits the PH 60/62 above).