geronimojoe85
Master
- Nov 16, 2009
- 3,716
- 48
So, with this post I’m going to try something different. We’re going to start this off with a little history lesson on this gun. Now you can easily look up the history of Webley revolvers on any number of websites, Wikipedia for one. You can easily get the meat and potatoes of the gun’s design and use, but this gun has an interesting history, not really the Webley MK I but this particular example:
I remember as a kid, firing this gun at an old fence post at my Dad’s girlfriend’s farm. In the afternoon sun I could see the 230 grain pumpkin balls traveling to the target at about 900FPS, if I concentrated on looking for them. Then watching the slugs impact and eat away at the old post, later after several turns with my father watching the post topple over. I was probably 14 when we took this particular range trip and I remember feeling like I was really getting good with a handgun.
Now the more astute readers will be tearing their hair out at the fact that, yes we were firing standard pressure GI ball 45 ACP out of a gun whose service loads were WAY lower pressure. It’s even been said that GI ball 45 ACP was the same pressure as the .455 Webley proof loads. I wish I could say that we didn’t know at the time, but we fired several hundred standard pressure GI ball without any sticky/split/bulged cases, or any other signs of overpressure. Now ask me if I’d do it again and I will say that with my experience reloading there is no need to ever fire standard pressure 45 ACP in this gun.
For those readers that aren’t quite sure what I’m talking about, way back in the day these guns were imported to the US. Problem with that was the original chambering of .455 Webley was even back then, long obsolete. But clever importers found that by simply milling the back of the cylinder it could be made to take .45 ACP in moon clips or .45 auto rim, which was en vogue at the time. Now was this a safe thing to do? I wouldn’t call it unsafe per se but it does push the gun to the absolute limit and definitely with modern loads absolutely into dicey territory. So for the perspective buyer of a Webley like this, it’s best practice to roll your own. In fact there’s a great video on this practice on YouTube from author, Mike Beliveau.
Handloading for the Webley Mk VI Revolver - Part 1 455 Webley.mov - YouTube
Handloading for the Webley Mk VI Revolver - Part 2 - 45 ACP-AR.mov - YouTube
Now for a little more history on this particular gun, let’s take a trip back to 1968. You have made your way back to the world from Vietnam and taken a job with your local law enforcement agency. They have tasked you among others to investigate an organization that has threatened violence at a particular political conference. Knowing that you were swimming with sharks it was only sensible to arm yourself. What would be the LAST gun a cop in 1968 would carry? Enter the Webley, no police officer would be caught dead or alive with this in his holster, yet it still offered a suitable caliber that with full moon clips could be reloaded quickly. A formidable weapon given what was available. My father continued to carry this Webley on countless undercover assignments with various departments and agencies from the 1968 DNC until he moved to administrative work in the 90’s. If he couldn’t carry his duty gun this was his “go-to” piece. I’m not sure if he had ever fired it in the line of duty, frankly that is of little to no importance to me. I cherish the memories that I have with him shooting this, and the stories that I’ve heard ad nauseam of his various undercover assignments in his lengthy career as a peace officer.
This gun has remained one of the ugliest guns that I have used. Much like other British arms it was more function than form. It seems to me that instead of maintaining an innovative arms industry the English have viewed it as an afterthought, hence the lend lease act during WW2. Almost as though they said, “Right oh, it seems those blokes are making quite a racket in (insert colony here) perhaps we should think of making better arms.” Reference the .577/450 Martini-Henry which was obsolete as soon as it hit the troops.
The Webley has a clunky appearance, but fits the hand reasonably well; the bore axis is way high even for a revolver, but it does point naturally for me. This example has a v notch rear and blade front sight that while antiquated provide a clean combat sight picture. The cylinder, in spite of having run ammunition that was much higher pressure still locks up as tight as most modern Colt and S&W revolvers. Accuracy is not bad; it’s no tack driver for sure. The trigger is lacking, when pulled slowly it is nice and smooth although a bit heavy in DA, in SA it’s crisp but heavy still. There is something to be said for the concept of opening the cylinder and ejecting the cartridges in one swift motion. Sure the top break design is SO 1890’s it’s not nearly as strong as a solid frame gun, but it does speed up reloading significantly even against today’s swing out cylinder guns especially with moon clips. Then again maybe I just have a soft spot for the gun, if the top break design was any better than the solid frame guns of today we’d be seeing them in holsters. I guess when it’s all said and done, when the smoke clears, guns like this will be remembered as antiques and not viable self defense guns, but knowing what I know about these guns, I certainly wouldn’t feel undressed with this one tucked in my belt and a few moon clips in a crown royal bag.
Here's a link to my blog for this and other posts:
http://bigjoeski.blogspot.com/2014/01/webley-mki-45acp-conversion-little.html?m=1
I remember as a kid, firing this gun at an old fence post at my Dad’s girlfriend’s farm. In the afternoon sun I could see the 230 grain pumpkin balls traveling to the target at about 900FPS, if I concentrated on looking for them. Then watching the slugs impact and eat away at the old post, later after several turns with my father watching the post topple over. I was probably 14 when we took this particular range trip and I remember feeling like I was really getting good with a handgun.
Now the more astute readers will be tearing their hair out at the fact that, yes we were firing standard pressure GI ball 45 ACP out of a gun whose service loads were WAY lower pressure. It’s even been said that GI ball 45 ACP was the same pressure as the .455 Webley proof loads. I wish I could say that we didn’t know at the time, but we fired several hundred standard pressure GI ball without any sticky/split/bulged cases, or any other signs of overpressure. Now ask me if I’d do it again and I will say that with my experience reloading there is no need to ever fire standard pressure 45 ACP in this gun.
For those readers that aren’t quite sure what I’m talking about, way back in the day these guns were imported to the US. Problem with that was the original chambering of .455 Webley was even back then, long obsolete. But clever importers found that by simply milling the back of the cylinder it could be made to take .45 ACP in moon clips or .45 auto rim, which was en vogue at the time. Now was this a safe thing to do? I wouldn’t call it unsafe per se but it does push the gun to the absolute limit and definitely with modern loads absolutely into dicey territory. So for the perspective buyer of a Webley like this, it’s best practice to roll your own. In fact there’s a great video on this practice on YouTube from author, Mike Beliveau.
Handloading for the Webley Mk VI Revolver - Part 1 455 Webley.mov - YouTube
Handloading for the Webley Mk VI Revolver - Part 2 - 45 ACP-AR.mov - YouTube
Now for a little more history on this particular gun, let’s take a trip back to 1968. You have made your way back to the world from Vietnam and taken a job with your local law enforcement agency. They have tasked you among others to investigate an organization that has threatened violence at a particular political conference. Knowing that you were swimming with sharks it was only sensible to arm yourself. What would be the LAST gun a cop in 1968 would carry? Enter the Webley, no police officer would be caught dead or alive with this in his holster, yet it still offered a suitable caliber that with full moon clips could be reloaded quickly. A formidable weapon given what was available. My father continued to carry this Webley on countless undercover assignments with various departments and agencies from the 1968 DNC until he moved to administrative work in the 90’s. If he couldn’t carry his duty gun this was his “go-to” piece. I’m not sure if he had ever fired it in the line of duty, frankly that is of little to no importance to me. I cherish the memories that I have with him shooting this, and the stories that I’ve heard ad nauseam of his various undercover assignments in his lengthy career as a peace officer.
This gun has remained one of the ugliest guns that I have used. Much like other British arms it was more function than form. It seems to me that instead of maintaining an innovative arms industry the English have viewed it as an afterthought, hence the lend lease act during WW2. Almost as though they said, “Right oh, it seems those blokes are making quite a racket in (insert colony here) perhaps we should think of making better arms.” Reference the .577/450 Martini-Henry which was obsolete as soon as it hit the troops.
The Webley has a clunky appearance, but fits the hand reasonably well; the bore axis is way high even for a revolver, but it does point naturally for me. This example has a v notch rear and blade front sight that while antiquated provide a clean combat sight picture. The cylinder, in spite of having run ammunition that was much higher pressure still locks up as tight as most modern Colt and S&W revolvers. Accuracy is not bad; it’s no tack driver for sure. The trigger is lacking, when pulled slowly it is nice and smooth although a bit heavy in DA, in SA it’s crisp but heavy still. There is something to be said for the concept of opening the cylinder and ejecting the cartridges in one swift motion. Sure the top break design is SO 1890’s it’s not nearly as strong as a solid frame gun, but it does speed up reloading significantly even against today’s swing out cylinder guns especially with moon clips. Then again maybe I just have a soft spot for the gun, if the top break design was any better than the solid frame guns of today we’d be seeing them in holsters. I guess when it’s all said and done, when the smoke clears, guns like this will be remembered as antiques and not viable self defense guns, but knowing what I know about these guns, I certainly wouldn’t feel undressed with this one tucked in my belt and a few moon clips in a crown royal bag.
Here's a link to my blog for this and other posts:
http://bigjoeski.blogspot.com/2014/01/webley-mki-45acp-conversion-little.html?m=1
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