First Revolver: An Old Webley

Lots of Webley and British revolver fans on this forum. Please post pics and us know how it shoots!

Very nice! A classic "War Finish" MK IV. I have one with a similar finish quality, but less duty time. Not doubt your's could seen the last year of the WWII and spent time in Korea.

Excellent, but I do have some bad news for you. You have just stepped out onto the slippery slope of revolvers and they have proven to be the most addictive firearms I have dealt with.

LOL Need has nothing to do with it. I had a couple old 38 specials then thought I need a 44 mag to hunt with and that will be all I need. Then I found out I needed a couple double actions in various big bore calibers and then I found out I needed various big bore in single action and none are complete without a 44 special and .......,

rs525 said:

. After that, I don't need any other revolvers, not even Colts, Rugers, or a Charter Arms Bulldog.

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Yeah right. Of course you were kidding

Nice wartime Webley!

You may find the available ammunition in .38S&W will shoot low to your sights. These were regulated to hit POA with 174-200gr bullets at 600-650fps. There’s not much available right now in factory ammunition for .38 webleys and Enfields so despite the component crunch you may want to consider getting into the reloading game to truly get the full experience from your new revolver.

As for your broken grips, there are at least a few places online selling new manufactured replacement grips so you can take your originals off to preserve and still have a set to shoot with and not worry about.

Nice handgun and nice choice for a first revolver. Please post a range review after you shoot it!

Check Numrich/Gun Parts for the grips and any of the other parts you might want to replace. They have a lot of the old stuff and have been a good source for me for original parts for some of the older guns.

If you reload, Matts Bullets has the correct 200 grain bullets to load the 38/200 the guns were meant to shoot. I have an Enfield and a couple of Brit M&P's in the caliber and they work well.

It's not going to shoot to point of aim with modern, commercially available .38 S&W ammunition. It was designed for the heavier .38/200 British military round. You can handload, or buy from a custom loader like Matt's Bullets (when this loading becomes available). Commercially available .38 S&W has way too light a bullet.

This is a problem not only for the Webley, but also for the Enfield revolvers, and the S&W's supplied to the British.

Please do not file down the front sight in order to compensate. Unlike on the Enfield revolvers, the front sight on the Webley is integral with the barrel. Filing it lessens its collectability.

I understand the limited funds and the recoil concern, as I was reticent to go to 44 magnum level myself. That and ammo price was the reason I started reloading. If you do not and do not plan to reload that would be a major limiting factor. I never planned on casting bullets and reloaded so I could shoot mild level with the 44. Now I cast and reload to various levels and limit myself to 1 gun every year or two.

rs525 said:

No, I'm not kidding. For my limited funds, the four .38/.357 S&W are all I need.

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That's exactly what I said. Then I spent 1k$ this summer on gun stuff.

I understand the sentiment “it’s all I need”. I have said that more than a few times. Enjoy the revolvers and the hobby. That is a nice start, great revolvers that will last a lifetime in that caliber. I really, really want an older Bulldog, I have no need for it, but that has never stopped me!

Edit: If you have a love for Webley Revolvers DO NOT watch the series Peaky Blinders on Netflix. You have been warned!

I have no experience with the company, but Steinel Ammunition offers a duplicate of the original .38/200 British military load. It's currently on backorder but it's an option if don't handload and want to shoot it with period-correct ammo.

https://www.steinelammo.com/product/38-200-military-load/

Suuuurreeee! You don’t need any further revolvers. That is until you get a hankering for a Webley MK VI in 455.

Seriously though, there are a number of videos out there showing step by step instructions on how to take apart your Webley and get rid of the grit and smooth out all the issues your experiencing. I took both my Mk IV and Mk VI apart and they perform great now.

Dave Markowitz said:

I have no experience with the company, but Steinel Ammunition offers a duplicate of the original .38/200 British military load. It's currently on backorder but it's an option if don't handload and want to shoot it with period-correct ammo.

https://www.steinelammo.com/product/38-200-military-load/

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Looks like they are using the same type of bullet as Matts 200 grain Webly MK1. And Im glad I reload, as they cost me about $9-$10 a box of 50 to load. Even if you dont reload now, Id save the brass.

My version of the 38/200 using Matts 200 grain bullet....



The round looks small by itself, but when you pick up a box of 50, its deceiving. Feels like you're picking up a box of 45acp.

They are very pleasant to shoot though, and seem to be accurate, out of both my Enfield and my S&W's.

The downside to 38 S&W is, it can be hard to find, even without an ammo shortage, and its pretty salty when you do find it.

Another thing to pay attention to if you get to like the round, a lot of the WWII guns were "converted" to shoot 38 Special by boring the chambers a bit longer to accept the round. I always ask them to see if a 38 Special will chamber, and if it does, I pass. So far, Ive run into 2 now that had it done. From what Ive heard, shooting 38 Special in them is doable, but the brass tends to be FUBAR after, as the chambers are overly large for the case and they tend to split on firing.

Also, 38 S&W isn't a .357 bullet, its .361, not that its a bad thing here. I have loaded and shot 158 grain LSWC 357's into 38 S&W cases, and they seemed to shoot OK, and they shot closer to POA than the factory 146 grain 38 S&W's Ive shot, but were still a tad low. Not something you're going to see in a factory loading either I dont think.

And so it begins.

rs525 said:

Just got back from the range with 100 rounds through it. Wasn't the best with it, accuracy was all over the place. I definitely had to aim low with it and the trigger sucks for precision aiming. It is however very fun to shoot, recoil is extremely mild and the top break ejection works like a charm, it's so cool.

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Get some snap caps for it and work on holding the sight alignment as you stroke the trigger and do that for a little while in practice each night. Next time you go out, I think you'll notice a good bit of improvement.

This one is my old Enfield, but it does OK. This was 10 yards or so using the 38/200 load....

Interesting first revolver, not surprising it has a rough action, they were making them as fast as they could with often unskilled labor-cf. the Sten. I have an all original No. 2 MkI, same basic design, IIRC they had to pay Webley for patent infringement. I found a HBWC over 2.7 grains of Bullseye made for a good target load, got accuracy equivalent to 38 Special. Sounds like it needs some breaking in. Happy shooting!