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
