Webley Alecto in .177

The Webley Alecto, aka Zoraki HP-01, is a multi-pump pneumatic air pistol. It is available in .177 and .22. There are also two varieties: the standard and the ultra. The ultra has a longer barrel and as a result, a higher muzzle velocity. This review/commentary is for a regular (non-Ultra) Webley Alecto in .177.

Desert Hummingbird

Some may recognize the overall shape of the Alecto resembling that of a Desert Eagle. As silly as it may sound, this makes sense! The Alecto needs a large frame to house the high volume pump, and a long frame for leverage to compress air. Yes, Webley or Zoraki could have made it blend and just functional. But a little more plastic to make the airgun look like a Desert Eagle is, well, for giggles.

Hummingbird Power!

With one pump and shooting .177 RWS Supermag (9.3 grains), the pistol produces about 2.1 FPE at muzzle. Two pumps produce about 4.3 FPE, and three pumps produce about 6 FPE. As with most airguns, a .22 caliber is usually more efficient compared to a .177, so these numbers can be slightly higher for the .22 versions. Furthermore, the Ultra has a longer barrel, which should also add to muzzle velocity.

It should be noted that some people may have difficulties with the third pump.

From a safety perspective, 2.1 FPE (after one pump) can take an eye out, so it is not to be sneered at! That being said, 2.1 FPE is also below the muzzle energy of most 10 meter match guns, it is relatively weak. The 4 FPE after two pumps is about the same level of most 10-meter match pistols. With three pumps, 6 FPE is enough for close range small game hunting.

Accessorize

Depending on production batches, an Alecto/HP-01 may come with a threaded barrel. I am lucky that mine comes with a threaded barrel. The thread is male M8x1mm, and there are a few sources of thread adapter to 1/2 UNF.

One of the most sought after accessory is the shoulder stock. The shoulder stock arrives in many pieces of high quality polymer. Whoever designed this add-on shoulder stock deserves recognition because once assembled, it is quite solid from tightening one bolt. The shoulder stock is length adjustable with an adjustable height cheek rest. It even comes with a tiny "hook" for better shouldering. I only wish the shoulder stock is a little more easy to put together/take off.

One can use the iron sight even with the pistol configured as a very short carbine. However, a red dot sight can extract the inherent accuracy of the gun better than the iron sight. I suggest using a smaller and shorter red dot sight so it does not interfere with the cocking. This is particularly important for those who want to pump 3x all the time!