Diana’s Nemesis Part 4

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Diana’s Nemesis Part 4

Webley chases the Chaser

By Dennis Adler

It is time to regroup. We have a gun that shoots well but not where it is aimed. Great sights but not regulated to the gun, or so it seems. The Nemesis has only been tested using the tandem rotary pellet magazine. So, before I lunge into the optics test, which I had planned to do anyway, let’s step back and test this gun with the single shot pellet tray.

The Nemesis has a problem, great sights that are allowing shots to go high, way high, about 5- to 6-inches over POA. With no way to adjust them, I thought perhaps part of the problem was the tandem rotary magazine, so I shot a new test with the single shot pellet tray, as shown.

As much as I would like to say that’s the problem, this gun shoots just the same, high and slightly left, even with the single shot pellet tray, as it does with the rotary magazine. Without an adjustable rear sight, the Nemesis (this one anyway) needs a 6-inch POA correction to hit the bullseye. The only solution for this gun is going to be optics.

The tray has a deep channel you can set a pellet into allowing the bolt to easily seat the pellet in the chamber. The hope, (a fool’s errand I admit, but you never know) was that the rotary magazine was part of the problem.

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BSA to the rescue

A hefty British Webley needs a hefty British optic and the BSA 42mm red dot scope is just what the Nemesis needs. You could also use a reflex sight, which is a much smaller optic, but to tune this gun in on finding the center circle, I’m going large. The BSA has reversible mounting rails to fit 5/8th or 3/8th inch dovetailed rails, so it is a good choice as it can fit a wider variety of pistols and rifles.

So, after finding out the gun shoots exactly the same with the pellet tray as it does with the rotary magazine, which is what I actually expected, (again this may be a problem with this one gun, let me know how you are shooting with yours), the scope option was next. Here the bottom of the BSA red dot shows how the rail mounts can be rotated to sit differently on the mounting rail and change the width from 5/8th to 3/8th (11mm) to fit guns with narrower 11mm dovetail mounts, like the Webley Nemesis.

Optics can make a difference with any target pistol, but with the Nemesis and its fixed sights, optics are everything. The BSA helped the Webley group tight at POA, landing seven rounds of Meisterkugeln inside 0.625 inches with two overlapping in the red. The Nemesis can shoot well, but it needs a little help.

The BSA scope is a good fit for the Webley. It is a big 42mm red dot with 11 brightness settings. On a pistol this size the scope doesn’t seem as large as it is.

For test two, I shot with H&N Sport Match Green 5.25 gr. alloy wadcutters and with the BSA scope the Webley launched seven into 0.93 inches with two overlapping high in the 8 ring (me, not the gun), and the remaining five rounds overlapping in the red and 9 rings in one string measuring 0.5 inches. Nemesis redeemed courtesy of BSA.

Put a scope on the Nemesis and you have a totally different pistol. With the red dot dialed in, it took one seven round mag to do it, I was able to nail seven rounds into under an inch with three rounds overlapping. This was with 7.0 gr. Meisterkugeln, which had been the most controllable and accurate of the three wadcutters tested with the open sights. The lighter weight alloy wadcutters were hitting even higher with the fiber optics.
This also proved to be the case with the scope which had to be adjusted down about six clicks elevation to start center punching the 10-meter targets. Best group was five smiling H&N Sport Match Green in an overlapping group and a pair I sent a little high but almost overlapping. BSA to the rescue.

I would like to know how everyone else who has this pistol is doing with it, either shooting off hand or from a bench rest, and also if you are using optics. The Nemesis really hasn’t lived up to my expectations as an open sight target pistol, but since I have optics for other air pistols, it was easy to make it into a very good shooter. As for the Nemesis chasing the Chaser, that’s one race this Webley can’t win on its own.

18 thoughts on “Diana’s Nemesis Part 4”

  1. Trijicon Reflex (USA Clone) the Nemesis shoots as well as my Crosman 2300T and my Diana Chaser, I especially like this gun because it is a Bolt Action Single Shot with a Superb Target Trigger…

    • Now you make me want to run another test with a reflex sight on the Nemesis! Very clean lines compared to the big tube BSA red dot I used in Part 4. I’m not having any issues with the rotary magazine but the gun looks better as a single shot.

      Dennis

  2. Thank you for the thorough work up on the Nemesis.
    It is the first full review to appear, as far as I have found.
    We are strongly considering one;however both of us are iron sights shooters.
    (She being the better shot)
    Is the Nemesis rear sight removable; and replaceable with and adjustable one?
    Or perhaps there is a better open sight solution.
    Looking forward to your input
    Edward (for Mary & Edward)

    • Yes the rear sight is on the dovetailed 11mm rail and held by two small set screws. The front sight is removable as well, so if you could find iron sights that fit the 11mm rail you could change the sights to something that may be adjustable and would give the same accuracy results as an optical sight. Off hand I don’t know about replacement iron sights for the gun, so something I will have to explore.

      Dennis

  3. I think you would need to raise the rear sight or lower the front sight if gun shooting high…
    The Nemesis rear sights are on an 11mm rail locked down with two very tiny set screws, it is not a typical Dove Tail arrangement…

  4. Excuse my comment but I think that raising a rear sight always makes a gun to shoot higher since the front one has to be also elevated in order to be in the picture.

  5. Chuck, Bill is correct; you need to lower the rear sight to bring the point of aim down if the gun is shooting over POA. Replacing the sights on the Nemesis is the only way to accomplish that without adding an optical sight. Iron sights would have to be used that have an 11mm dovetailed mount. It is going to take some looking around.

  6. What about one of the Williams Diopter rearsights and a front globe sight from Daisy or Air Venturi, they have some on the PA website. Maybe that would get the Nemesis there where it should be.

  7. I know this rearsight will work with longer Pistols like the Crosman 13xx series, I don’t know if it would work on the Nemesis, because it looks like the Nemesis is a few inches shorter about sightlenght with peepsights. That would be something to be checked out. Only a few thought’s about open sights shooting this one. It is really sad that the original sights are so bad, hopefully Webbley will address that. That Nemesis is a really attractive gun.

  8. From what I can see any aftermarket rear sight would make things worse since both of the factory ones are pretty low. Maybe a higher front one, if it can be made or exists already, would be the simple solution.

    • That is another alternative. The front sight is removable and has a 3/8th inch dovetail, so a taller sight that would fit the dovetail could be one solution. Of course, as I have said, I don’t know if all the guns have this issue with POA. But I think optics is the best and easiest (and most accurate) option for this gun.

  9. FWIW Category, here are my 3 Bolt Action, Single Shot, Adjustable Trigger, .177 Air Pistols, all 3 Sport the Trijicon (USA Clone RMR’s)…I consider all 3 equal for accuracy and handeling, Nemesis has the Superior Trigger, all 3 are CO2…
    Diana Chaser…
    Crosman 2300T…
    Webley Nemesis…

      • Thank you, Dennis,Chuckles, Jnjhess, & Bill for keeping the open sights for the Nemesis conversation alive.
        We are going to buy one (Pyramid); and hopefully we’ll time the purchase to take advantage of one of their sales.
        The search for adjustable iron sights has begun (rear,front,both); however reading through the conversation it appears that my search criteria may have been incorrect
        If you could please verify the following
        – front: mounted on 3/8″ dovetail that runs parallel to the barrel
        — rear: on 11mm dovetail that runs parallel to the barrel
        – What length are the rails?
        So far, generic open sights for dovetail rails seem to be a rare breed.
        The major sight makers all focus on proprietary sights for Glocks, Rugers etc.
        What we hope to find is a very plain Jane rear sight with U or V notch, & a front sight to match (if needed)
        Fiber optics acceptable but not required
        Thanks again
        Back to sighting in the Chaser pistol
        Edward (for Mary & Edward)

  10. No 10 Meter yet…Shooting 7 Meter BR from a Caldwell Bag…
    I’m so used to shooting 22LR 50yd BR 5 shot groups that I still measure outside diameter’s furthest apart then subtract a bullet diameter to arrive at a center to center value….So I’m shooting C/C .500’s…I’m trying for 1 ragged hole but not there yet…
    Chuck

    • I see no reason why not. I had excellent results with optics on the Webley. Unless you are a dedicated iron sight shooter, optics on these guns are the best means of dialing them in to get the accuracy they are capable of. I think Chuckles really makes the case with his trio of Trijicon equipped pistols.

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