Webley MK III questions....

[woad_yurt]

I saw the Webley MK VI thread and it got me wondering about my MK III. It is marked: "P. Webley & Son, London & Birmingham," "Mark III .38" and the Serial number is 226XX. Can anyone tell me when it was made?

Note: It is one fantastic shooter! It points more naturally than almost anything I've ever used. Sadly, someone made a snubby out of it 100 years ago by chopping a little off the barrel so I added a sight. It's too bad. But, if it had been intact, there's no way I could have afforded the thing. If I remember correctly, it only cost $200, not bad for a cool shooter.

Anyway, thanks for any info!

 

[tekarra]

WOW!
Nice Webley. Too bad someone cut the barrel, but you did a nice job on the sight.

 

[SteveW-II]

> Serial number is 226XX. Can anyone tell me when it was made?

Serial number 22000 was August 1914. I expect yours was made between then and June 1915. No more detailed records seem to exist.

Page 152, Webley Revolvers, Bruse and Reinhart.

Your friendly Webley service..

 

[krs]

It looks pretty neat the way it is, Yurt, I like it mucho!

The curve upward from the bottom of the grip and past the trigger guard is beautiful and there's a nice balanced appearance to the gun as a whole.

It's got a neat little steel cap at the butt? And those grips are likely made of Ebony wood.

If the scratched in letters " W S" had been "W C" then you could swear that it was carried by Winston Churchill as a young Leftenant during the Boer War.

 

[woad_yurt]

How is it 1914? Didn't P. Webley & Son become Webley & Scott in 1897? This one says P. Webley & Son.

 

[buttrap]

My guess is it dates to the late early 90s

 

[SteveW-II]

Book says that Webley made parts in batches and held them until the revolvers were assembled. Barrel with the stamps may have been made a long time before the gun was built. Serial number applied at the time of assembly, which is what dates the gun, not the components.

Where on the gun does it say mark III ? Where is the serial number ? Do all the numbers match ?

 

[woad_yurt]

More info & pics....

All of the numbers match and the "MK III" is on the left side fo the topstrap, above the cylinder. I smudged out the last two of the serial number just to go along with the flow.

 

[SteveW-II]

Any serial numbers on the barrel ?

 

[SteveW-II]

Any serial numbers on the barrel ? Normally found around the hinge.

 

[woad_yurt]

On the barrel part, just in front of the hinge, facing downwards, are the last three digits of the serial number. It's a matching gun. The last three are also on the cylinder, btw.

 

[SteveW-II]

Then it's a mystery, I guess ! I agree that having Phillip Webley's name on the barrel doesn't jive with a 1914/1915 date. However, your cylinder shows proof marks of 'Crown over BP', which is the Birmingham proof house mark from August 1904 onwards. So, It's not an 1890's gun, which it would have to be, to carry a P.Webley mark. I think the simplest case would be that the barrels were made in batches and stored until the gun was assembled. Serial numbers and proof stamps would be applied at that time.