Let's see your.......... Webley Top-breaks (updated)
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Let's see your.......... Webley Top-breaks (updated)
This might be a treat for Gamekeeper, Nath and Perry...
Let's see some pictures of your Webley top-break revolvers!
Mine is something I just picked up recently and had the chance to shoot this afternoon. I've posted pix of my Schofield and various H&R top-breaks here, but this is my first Webley -- and my first English handgun (I also have a very nice BSA Martini Model 13 from England, but maybe that will start a future "Let's see your..." posting).
This Webley Mk IV in 38-200 (aka 38 S&W, sort of like a rimmed 380 with lead bullets) is marked "SPF" for the Singapore Police Force. Mine is very tight and in great shape, but it was "molested" (by some wanker I guess?) as you can see the silver rectangle behind the hammer which is a sliding safety that was added for importation. I put 50 rounds down range today, and I was pretty pleased with how often I was hitting the clay targets at 25 yards. Those I didn't hit were plenty scared, so I was really pleased with the accuracy of this fixed-sighted handgun. The action is a little tight to open, but I think she sat a lot somewhere and didn't get carried or shot too much. That's OK -- I will change all that.
The auto ejection is swift and sure, but I know you can't disengage the auto-ejection, like I can on my Schofield and most of my H&Rs. No problems at the range though, as all shots in the cylinder were fired right off anyway. The trigger pull is a little heavy, but manageable. Still, all in all, I was very pleased with how she shot and handled. It was really neat to see the other guys at the range who were all shooting modern striker-fired pistols wander over and marvel at my "antique". Gee, I didn't think my specimen was that old, but the technology it uses is I guess, and nobody complained about shooting it. I'd picked up and handled various Webley's or Enfield's several times before over the years, but I didn't get "bit" until this last time, but maybe that's because this time I had 3 boxes of 38 S&W ammo down in the cellar... (That's a really good "Get A Gun" trick anyhow, as most of you probably know... Buy the ammo first -- then you NEED to buy something to shoot it in!)
The "wings" as I call them at the front of the cylinder always put me off before, but I've read it was to ease re-holstering and I've warmed up to it being there. It is a solid and robust design, for sure, and I can tell it was built as a fighting weapon, although the cartridge is a little on the weak side... I read that the Brits went to the smaller 38 following the enormous losses of trained men in WWI and they found the new troops -- many not professional soldiers, and/or most being from the cities -- couldn't handle the weight or recoil of the larger Webley round. Training scores went up when they downsized the Webley and ammo. That sounds very similar to how our forces over here went down from the 45 ACP to the 9mm, for very similar reasons.
Anyhow, here's an older info sheet on the Webley Mk IV disassembly: And here's a neat vintage drawing of the Webley Mk IV: So, "Chip, Chip, Cheerio" to all my mates -- now show us your bloody Webley's!
Old No7
Let's see some pictures of your Webley top-break revolvers!
Mine is something I just picked up recently and had the chance to shoot this afternoon. I've posted pix of my Schofield and various H&R top-breaks here, but this is my first Webley -- and my first English handgun (I also have a very nice BSA Martini Model 13 from England, but maybe that will start a future "Let's see your..." posting).
This Webley Mk IV in 38-200 (aka 38 S&W, sort of like a rimmed 380 with lead bullets) is marked "SPF" for the Singapore Police Force. Mine is very tight and in great shape, but it was "molested" (by some wanker I guess?) as you can see the silver rectangle behind the hammer which is a sliding safety that was added for importation. I put 50 rounds down range today, and I was pretty pleased with how often I was hitting the clay targets at 25 yards. Those I didn't hit were plenty scared, so I was really pleased with the accuracy of this fixed-sighted handgun. The action is a little tight to open, but I think she sat a lot somewhere and didn't get carried or shot too much. That's OK -- I will change all that.
The auto ejection is swift and sure, but I know you can't disengage the auto-ejection, like I can on my Schofield and most of my H&Rs. No problems at the range though, as all shots in the cylinder were fired right off anyway. The trigger pull is a little heavy, but manageable. Still, all in all, I was very pleased with how she shot and handled. It was really neat to see the other guys at the range who were all shooting modern striker-fired pistols wander over and marvel at my "antique". Gee, I didn't think my specimen was that old, but the technology it uses is I guess, and nobody complained about shooting it. I'd picked up and handled various Webley's or Enfield's several times before over the years, but I didn't get "bit" until this last time, but maybe that's because this time I had 3 boxes of 38 S&W ammo down in the cellar... (That's a really good "Get A Gun" trick anyhow, as most of you probably know... Buy the ammo first -- then you NEED to buy something to shoot it in!)
The "wings" as I call them at the front of the cylinder always put me off before, but I've read it was to ease re-holstering and I've warmed up to it being there. It is a solid and robust design, for sure, and I can tell it was built as a fighting weapon, although the cartridge is a little on the weak side... I read that the Brits went to the smaller 38 following the enormous losses of trained men in WWI and they found the new troops -- many not professional soldiers, and/or most being from the cities -- couldn't handle the weight or recoil of the larger Webley round. Training scores went up when they downsized the Webley and ammo. That sounds very similar to how our forces over here went down from the 45 ACP to the 9mm, for very similar reasons.
Anyhow, here's an older info sheet on the Webley Mk IV disassembly: And here's a neat vintage drawing of the Webley Mk IV: So, "Chip, Chip, Cheerio" to all my mates -- now show us your bloody Webley's!
Old No7
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Last edited by Old No7 on Mon May 08, 2017 11:13 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Let's see your.......... Webley Top-breaks
Let's not, I think I finally got over this round of madness, more Webley pics might drive me into a gun show frenzy.
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Re: Let's see your.......... Webley Top-breaks
I want, I want, an early Webley MKI (or clone) or Bulldog (not top break) or even a RIC (also not a top break and sadly carried by Custer) to use as a sidearm for an 1880s (late 1880s for the MKI) CAS persona...
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מנא, מנא, תקל, ופרסין Daniel 5:25-28... Got 7.62?
Not Depressed enough yet? Go read National Geographic, July 1976
Gott und Gewehr mit uns!
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Re: Let's see your.......... Webley Top-breaks
Nice one Darryl...
When I was a kid, growing up in Birmingham, the home of Webley & Scott, there was a display cabinet of Webley revolvers in the main railway station.
I always figured on getting one but alas our government put a stop to us Brits owning such dangerous weapons...
Still I would love to see any photos of Webley or Enfield revolvers from over the pond.
When I was a kid, growing up in Birmingham, the home of Webley & Scott, there was a display cabinet of Webley revolvers in the main railway station.
I always figured on getting one but alas our government put a stop to us Brits owning such dangerous weapons...
Still I would love to see any photos of Webley or Enfield revolvers from over the pond.
Whatever you do always give 100%........... unless you are donating blood.
Re: Let's see your.......... Webley Top-breaks
I saw a handmade copy of a Tranter revolver made in 577 cal I believe. The gunsmith that built it just wanted to do it, and built it from scratch. I guess it wouldn't fly for CAS, but was a unique gun. I just googled Tranter, and they made a variety of guns, some fairly fetching looking to my eye.Old Ironsights wrote:I want, I want, an early Webley MKI (or clone) or Bulldog (not top break) or even a RIC (also not a top break and sadly carried by Custer) to use as a sidearm for an 1880s (late 1880s for the MKI) CAS persona...
"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat." -Theodore Roosevelt-
Isnt it amazing how many people post without reading the thread?
Isnt it amazing how many people post without reading the thread?
Re: Let's see your.......... Webley Top-breaks
Does this count?? A .22 cal. Webley and Scott made from 1924 to 1935. And it IS a top break.....sort of.
Irv
Irv
Re: Let's see your.......... Webley Top-breaks
Don't want to rain on the parade but the vintage drawing is an Enfield not a Webley. Webleys did not have the sideplate. The diagram at lower left has the 'Enfield' name on it. Just say'n.
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Re: Let's see your.......... Webley Top-breaks
I can remember when you could buy a Webley from an ad in the American Rifleman for $15 and it would be delivered to your front door. My dad would never let me buy one. He said they were a piece of junk. Being a war vet,he thought the 1911A1 was the only military handgun worth owning.
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Re: Let's see your.......... Webley Top-breaks
On this subject, can anyone direct me to a gunsmith with Webley expertise?
Re: Let's see your.......... Webley Top-breaks
.
Webley ? Top-break ?
How about their Model 3000 ? .
Webley ? Top-break ?
How about their Model 3000 ? .
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Re: Let's see your.......... Webley Top-breaks
Now that is a beauty.
JerryB II Corinthians 3:17, Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
JOSHUA 24:15
JOSHUA 24:15
Re: Let's see your.......... Webley Top-breaks
Always wanted a Mark IV or VI. Odds are low I'll ever own one, but I can wish.
Re: Let's see your.......... Webley Top-breaks
On the subject of Enfield revolvers (well, similar to Enfields), does anyone have a source for a barrel catch spring for an Enfield No2 Mk1 revolver? None of the usual suspect sources have one in stock.
"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat." -Theodore Roosevelt-
Isnt it amazing how many people post without reading the thread?
Isnt it amazing how many people post without reading the thread?
Re: Let's see your.......... Webley Top-breaks
Chuck 100 yd wrote:I can remember when you could buy a Webley from an ad in the American Rifleman for $15 and it would be delivered to your front door. My dad would never let me buy one. He said they were a piece of junk. Being a war vet,he thought the 1911A1 was the only military handgun worth owning.
Sportsman's Lodge used to advertise 1911s in the American Rifleman for $17 IIRC.
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Isiah 55:8&9
It's easier to fool people than it is to convince them they have been fooled.
Re: Let's see your.......... Webley Top-breaks
Updated info today...
I never quite warmed up to the offending hammer-block safety that was added on that "SPF" Webley Mk IV I posted about at the start, so when an older guy at the local range made me a good offer for it, I couldn't refuse... So that one is gone from my collection now.
But I couldn't be without one, so after watching many auction sites for a Webley Mk IV in decent shape -- that did not have a "War Finish" * -- I finally found this one at a decent price at an auction out in Las Vegas. I'm "betting" (pun intended) that it didn't sell too high out that way due to the lack of a high-capacity magazine!
( * Which I didn't want, but "wow", some of those half-finished Webley's sell for big bucks...)
Anyway, it came in today, and the action in both SA and DA is very smooth. The trigger pull is much nicer on this one than the other one that I had. I do need to clean it up some externally, but the bore and chambers are very bright, and overall it's very solid and in great shape for its age -- which I've dated to 1947, post war. Here are some pictures:
OK, so this one does have an import mark... But I can tolerate this more easily than the offending safety on the other one...
I also found these quotes about why the Brits changed from the larger caliber .455 Webley to the somewhat anemic 38 S&W (.380-200):
"World War I forced Britain to rely heavily on conscripted troops who had limited training. They believed that such troops were ill-equipped to handle the .455, so they changed up the cartridge. They went from a .455 caliber lead bullet weighing in at 265 gr. to a modified .38 S&W round. The new round featured a .38 caliber lead bullet totaling 200 gr. (thus the classification of .38/200 or 380/200)."
And check out this comment about the British Army in this quote!
"The British Army switched over from the massive .455 Webley to the smaller 38/200 (.38 S&W) in 1922 as the result of experiences gained in World War One. Midway through the war, what was left of the professional core of the enlisted British Army (when it was “nothing more than a travel agency for gentlemen with an abnormally high sex drive” as Blackadder would say) had been wiped out. Replacements had to be trained quickly and the heavy recoil of the .455 was detrimental to that effort. In the event of another war, the British Army felt that a smaller caliber would make training new officers easier. In tests the British came to the conclusion that a 200 grain slug, fired at a low velocity tended to tumble and fragment when it hit a target. It also minimized over-penetration, and transferred more energy onto the target. Best of all, it had minimal recoil."
Tight groups to all. Cheers!
Old No7
I never quite warmed up to the offending hammer-block safety that was added on that "SPF" Webley Mk IV I posted about at the start, so when an older guy at the local range made me a good offer for it, I couldn't refuse... So that one is gone from my collection now.
But I couldn't be without one, so after watching many auction sites for a Webley Mk IV in decent shape -- that did not have a "War Finish" * -- I finally found this one at a decent price at an auction out in Las Vegas. I'm "betting" (pun intended) that it didn't sell too high out that way due to the lack of a high-capacity magazine!
( * Which I didn't want, but "wow", some of those half-finished Webley's sell for big bucks...)
Anyway, it came in today, and the action in both SA and DA is very smooth. The trigger pull is much nicer on this one than the other one that I had. I do need to clean it up some externally, but the bore and chambers are very bright, and overall it's very solid and in great shape for its age -- which I've dated to 1947, post war. Here are some pictures:
OK, so this one does have an import mark... But I can tolerate this more easily than the offending safety on the other one...
I also found these quotes about why the Brits changed from the larger caliber .455 Webley to the somewhat anemic 38 S&W (.380-200):
"World War I forced Britain to rely heavily on conscripted troops who had limited training. They believed that such troops were ill-equipped to handle the .455, so they changed up the cartridge. They went from a .455 caliber lead bullet weighing in at 265 gr. to a modified .38 S&W round. The new round featured a .38 caliber lead bullet totaling 200 gr. (thus the classification of .38/200 or 380/200)."
And check out this comment about the British Army in this quote!
"The British Army switched over from the massive .455 Webley to the smaller 38/200 (.38 S&W) in 1922 as the result of experiences gained in World War One. Midway through the war, what was left of the professional core of the enlisted British Army (when it was “nothing more than a travel agency for gentlemen with an abnormally high sex drive” as Blackadder would say) had been wiped out. Replacements had to be trained quickly and the heavy recoil of the .455 was detrimental to that effort. In the event of another war, the British Army felt that a smaller caliber would make training new officers easier. In tests the British came to the conclusion that a 200 grain slug, fired at a low velocity tended to tumble and fragment when it hit a target. It also minimized over-penetration, and transferred more energy onto the target. Best of all, it had minimal recoil."
Tight groups to all. Cheers!
Old No7
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Re: Let's see your.......... Webley Top-breaks (updated)
Nice addition to the family!
Patrick Kelley did a video a while back of doing a "from the box to the match" review of a Mk VI Webley 45 cal. Looks like he had a lot of fun.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxQq80s8Z8Q
Almost forgot to mention, the Safariland speed loaders for K frame S&Ws work fine with the 38 cal Webleys and Enfields. I tried a comp 3 loader, it worked fine.
Patrick Kelley did a video a while back of doing a "from the box to the match" review of a Mk VI Webley 45 cal. Looks like he had a lot of fun.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fxQq80s8Z8Q
Almost forgot to mention, the Safariland speed loaders for K frame S&Ws work fine with the 38 cal Webleys and Enfields. I tried a comp 3 loader, it worked fine.
"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat." -Theodore Roosevelt-
Isnt it amazing how many people post without reading the thread?
Isnt it amazing how many people post without reading the thread?
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Re: Let's see your.......... Webley Top-breaks (updated)
No. 7, I have had a couple of those Webleys over the years, and found that handloads with bullets approaching the 200-grain mark and .360 in diameter made that revolver come alive vs. shooting plain old .38 S&W.
Daisyman, my first serious air gun was a Webley Premier that I ordered from the Beemans nearly 40 years ago. Put many thousands of pellets through it.
Daisyman, my first serious air gun was a Webley Premier that I ordered from the Beemans nearly 40 years ago. Put many thousands of pellets through it.