Webley & Scott 700 opinions

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Hello, It was once noted as the poor mans English side by side but it was anything but that, A well made classic shotgun made until the late 1970s, If in very good order and with open chokes an ideal shotgun for a side by side day depending on price and fit, They seem to hold there value compared to many foreign guns but a good one can be found for around £500
 
My opinion is that the AYA No4 or the AYA Yeoman Ejector is a better buy. The reason is that the AYA is still cheaper than the Webley 700 and yet has chopper lump barrels and a removable cross pin. True modern welding methods may have made this less imprtant but what still is fact is that No4 spares such as springs are still widely available whereas Webley 700 spares need to be bespoke made. Heart may say buy the British gun. Head says buy the Spanish gun.
 
sean12345 said:
Im just woundering what peoples veiws are on the now aging webley 700.

I am toying with the idea of buying one for an annual sbs day.
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I own a Webley 700 made in the early 1960s. It has not been used much and has nice colour case hardening. In terms of handling it is light and beautifully balanced and has 3/8 choke in the right barrel and full choke in the left. The butt is a bit short for me so I use a slip on leather butt pad which works well. I use it to shoot clays with 21gr Compx as it does kick quite sharply with 28gr loads. But the 21gr loads are surprisingly effective and it has got some long range kills at WKSS. I am an average clay shot at best so miss quite a few targets regardless of which gun I shoot. My best ever effort with my Webley 700 was nine consecutive clays smashed from the long crosser that is launched from the top of the tower at WKSS over the skeet layout and into the woods. If you can find one that is a sleeper at a reasonable price and feels good then I reckon bag it.
 
One of the best side by sides made imo, I have two and I also have a Aya no4l. The Webleys handle a lot better and are slightly lighter. Look out or a 701/702 if you can these were the higher grade models with nicer wood and finish.

Which ever one you buy do check that it’s tight with no movement between the stock and action as they are known to come loose when shot a lot, although good gunsmith should be able to sort it out with little hassle.
 
Nice gun but as others have said the cross pin needs welding instead of replacing. Spares can be made but must be made not bought like modern guns.

Sold by lots of other people relabeled to their brand so loads about.

AyA no4 would be easier to live with now days without as many good gunsmiths about but gun shops trying to be gunsmiths
 
in the early days of my shooting i inherited a webley 700 , i/c and 1/4 choke , it fitted me well and i shot a lot of stuff with it

but this was before i realised you needed a 32'' o/u m/c to actual hit anything

so the 700 was traded for a 308 pss remington at roding armoury , that police remmy 700 never shot well !

anyway , the 700 is a lovely shotgun that handles beautifully , just a little more difficult to maintain spares wise than a more modern spanish type s/s

and frankly these type of shotguns are cheap as chips at the moment !
 
Thank you gents, i think it may have to be a 700. I note the comments about no.4s and the benifits, but they just dont feel the same in the hand.
 
enfieldspares said:
My opinion is that the AYA No4 or the AYA Yeoman Ejector is a better buy. The reason is that the AYA is still cheaper than the Webley 700 and yet has chopper lump barrels and a removable cross pin. True modern welding methods may have made this less imprtant but what still is fact is that No4 spares such as springs are still widely available whereas Webley 700 spares need to be bespoke made. Heart may say buy the British gun. Head says buy the Spanish gun.
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My late shooting mate Geoff bought a Wobbly and Grott 700 brand new. Within a couple.e of months he had traded it for something else. He recond the quality was far worse than the AYA #4.
 
sean12345 said:
Thank you gents, i think it may have to be a 700. I note the comments about no.4s and the benifits, but they just dont feel the same in the hand.
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I would agree, having owned and handled many Webley’s and AYA’s over the decades the Webley’s handle better IMHO.
Down to personal preference but I would rather own the original rather than a Spanish copy.
 
Side by sides, especially the ones with straight hand stocks and double triggers are virtually “free to good home “ at the moment.
I blame the education system, the current generation have obviously never been taught to appreciate the difference between style, which is eternal, and fashion which is ephemeral. Ignorant hooligans the lot of them.
 
I used two side by sides years ago, a Webley 700 I owned and my Headkeeper's Joseph Laing boxlock. My 700 was a terrific gun to use with Impax 1 oz loads. However when usig Les's Laing I never missed. When he passed away I gave it time and then rang his wife to buy it, but she had sold it to the local gunshop for peanuts and they had sold it on.
Still I'm not too bad with my Reilly sidelock.
 
My father bought a Webley and Scott 700 brand new from Greenfields of Canterbury in the 1960's. It was a very good gun. He used it all his life, and it never went wrong. However, they came half and full choke. My father never altered this, but it could not shoot steel now.
 
old 30-06 said:
My father bought a Webley and Scott 700 brand new from Greenfields of Canterbury in the 1960's. It was a very good gun. He used it all his life, and it never went wrong. However, they came half and full choke. My father never altered this, but it could not shoot steel now.
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Who apart from a leftie do-gooder would want to shove horrid steel shot through a classic English side by side?
 
I am not, and never have been, a leftie do-gooder. I was intending to give a "heads up" to anyone thinking of purchasing a 700 to check what it is choked. I do not like non-lead, but enough leftie do-gooders have allowed it to be forced upon us. Most 700's will not be able to fire steel.
 
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