Webley Alecto Ultra

Webley is one of the few companies that had a long history of producing both firearms and airguns. They discontinued the production of firearms in 1979, to focus only on airguns, which currently seem to be produced mainly in Turkey. The Alecto is a recent multi-pump pneumatic model, introduced in 2009, that comes in either .177 or .22 caliber and also provides a choice between the standard model and the Ultra model, which has a 3 inch longer barrel. The Ultra version confers slightly more velocity to pellets, but other than that, there are no significant build/operation differences between the two variants.

Operation

The operation of the Alecto is typical of top lever pneumatic guns like the Beeman P3. There are two metallic locks at the rear of the gun that release the top when they are pulled up. You then extend the top to about 120 degrees (not almost 180, as with the Beeman). You can pump the Alecto up to 3 times and you need to load a pellet into the breech before the last pump. If you only want to pump once, you should load the pellet and close the top, otherwise, just close the top and repeat the process while making sure that you remember to load a pellet before the last pump. Loading a pellet is much easier than on the Beeman because there is more space around the breech. Pumping is amazing - this is the smoothest pumping action that I have seen so far. One pump is really easy, two pumps still feel easy, and only at the third pump I felt that I approached the effort required for pumping the P3 once. Considering that the Webley puts out more power than the Beeman, this is remarkable.

There are two aspects that make the Alecto much nicer to pump:

1. it is a large gun, so you can get more torque on the top lever operation
2. the force required to close the lever peaks at around 45 degrees, very much unlike the behavior of the P3 pump, which peaks at around 10 degrees

The engineering of this pump is remarkable and just by itself justifies the price of the gun, but there is more on offer here!

I have seen several users complaining about the effort needed to do the third pump. I found it to be acceptable, especially when considering that you don't need to pump the Alecto thrice and that the effort when choosing to do so is comparable to pumping the Beeman P3 once, when you don't even have a choice. That being said, I usually pump this gun only once as it provides enough power for target shooting. This is actually the main reason why I picked the Ultra version - to have good enough power on a single pump.

The pumping of the gun automatically engages the safety - a blade that covers the front of the trigger and also blocks its operation. Once the guns is pumped and loaded, this blade can be pushed out of the way and the gun becomes ready to fire. The trigger is very light at default settings, so be careful with it.

Package and build

The Webley Alecto comes in the nicest package I have seen so far (which perhaps is not surprising, given that this is also the most expensive airgun that I reviewed so far). For one thing, the Alecto comes in a nice solid case that is a far cry from the flimsy Umarex cases. This case is above the quality of Plano cases - it feels very sturdy and rigid, and locks tight. There is just a small opening under the handle, in an area where you can add a padlock, but otherwise, the case closes very tight. The inside has a cutout for seating the gun, a bore brush, an oil bottle, and a pellet tin case - the brush, oil bottle, and a Torx key are included. There is also a manual and a test page showing the results of factory testing, which include a photocopy of a target showing 4 shots and other test data - this is quite nice and adds to the professional feeling of the package.

The Alecto is a big gun - its size was actually one of the things that made me delay the decision of purchasing it, but I shouldn't have worried: while the gun is large, it also handles beautifully. The core mechanisms are all metal, with the exterior being built from high quality plastic. If the gun would have been all metal, it would have been a chore to hold it, but the plastic allows it to be very light for its size, without sacrificing robustness. The grip is molded, so you need to make sure that you pick the right version for you - this is the first gun I review that does not have an ambidextrous grip. Build quality is top notch here - I can find no fault.

Adjustable settings

This is an area where the Alecto excels and can make much more expensive guns feel like amateur offerings. All essential features are configurable:

The front sight can be pushed in and rotated to expose a second shorter blade, to be used for 25m target shooting (assuming that the default longer one was calibrated for 10m target shooting). This is a very nice feature and I know of no other airgun currently being produced that offers it.

The rear sight can be adjusted for elevation and windage via two standard flat screws.

All aspects of the trigger functionality can be adjusted using the included Torx key. You can cant the trigger left or right, so a finger can pull it more comfortably. You can move the trigger forward or backward; you can change the length of its pull; you can adjust the strength of the trigger spring. You cannot ask for more customization than what is being offered here. I tweaked all these settings and in particular I strengthened the trigger spring, so that it would oppose a bit more resistance - I prefer this because it gives me a chance to tighten and stabilize my grip before firing.

Finally, the grip can be adjusted as well - there is a frame on one side of the grip (right side for the right handed grip, left side otherwise) that can be adjusted so it fits your hand - you can tilt this frame and you can raise it or lower it, so it provides a comfortable rest for the base of your hand.

All these configuration settings make another great reason to like the Alecto - they really allow you to tweak an already comfortable airgun into one that fits your hand like a glove.

Performance

The Alecto is a winner in this area too. Pumping it is very easy, so you do not feel exhausted by the process; holding it and operating it is comfortable because of its light build, contoured grip, and all the customizations you can make; the iron sights are very crisp; the trigger operation is smooth - the result is that the Alecto can be fired very accurately. This is one of the top airguns that I used so far and will be the yardstick by which I judge others. I could shoot this all day and everytime I use it I am impressed by the quality of its engineering.

I almost forgot - with one pump, the Alecto Ultra is also very silent - I suspect that the longer barrel also helps with this, as it allows the compressed air to dissipate its energy more before it gets out.

Conclusion

The Webley Alecto is an exceptional airgun, worth every penny. Its top-notch engineering, excellent build, and superb performance make it an easy recommendation if you are looking for a target shooting pistol.