Webley question

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wm
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Webley question

Post by wm »

Just to make this a bit more entertaining …… Sister shows up at family holiday get together with new boyfriend (new year so we get a new boyfriend) and he starts talking guns, only a lot of what he says kind of leaves me wondering. I think his knowledge is a mile wide and a about an inch deep.

Anyway the question that I have is did Webely ever produce revolvers for the American market in the 1880s and 1890s? Specifically did they produce them in 38-40, 44-40, 41CL & 44 Russian? I can't recall ever seeing or hearing of such.

My Sisters boyfirend says he has two …… 44-40 and 41 LC. He'd like to shoot them more but "ammo is so hard to find". He was speechless when I told him I had 12 rounds of 41 LC on my ammo shelf, plus 15 empty cases, and reloading dies and that 44-40 was no problem. I have several friends with 44-40 handguns who handload. Horse trading into 50 rounds would be easy as making a phone call.

He says next time he is up here he will bring them to make a range trip.

So I am about to eat a little humble pie or am I never going to see or hear about these unicorn guns?

Wm
Pisgah
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Re: Webley question

Post by Pisgah »

I know the Mark V was made for export in .45 Colt and .44-40. .41 Colt, I don't know.
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gamekeeper
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Re: Webley question

Post by gamekeeper »

Revolvers made by Philip Webley of Birmingham, England were for sale in the USA from about 1868, they came in several calibers including .44/40. It is believed by some that Gen. Custer was armed with two Royal Irish Constabulary .42 Webley revolvers at the Little Big Horn.
Custer-1.jpg
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2ndovc
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Re: Webley question

Post by 2ndovc »

I think he may be confusing them with the old Belgian and Spanish top breaks. They made a lot of them in .44-40 and other calibers. There are a few still around that have British proof marks, since they were so short on arms at the outbreak of WWII. They look a bit Weblyish but weren't up to heavy use.

jb 8)
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wm
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Re: Webley question

Post by wm »

Sounds like I may have some crow to eat. But I guess I'm a little smarter and a little wiser for it.

Wm
piller
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Re: Webley question

Post by piller »

It should be interesting to find out. If you are right, do try to be pleasant about it. If you are wrong, it could be a chance to fire a rare firearm. I don't have any more knowledge than can be found on the internet with a google search as far as Webley revolvers are concerned.
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barbarossa
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Re: Webley question

Post by barbarossa »

The webley mark v revolvers were chambered for 44/40 and 45 colt for export to the states
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gamekeeper
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Re: Webley question

Post by gamekeeper »

Spanish.455 revolver bought by the British during WW1. It has British proof marks.
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Mike Armstrong
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Re: Webley question

Post by Mike Armstrong »

The Webley "RIC" and "Army" SOLID FRAME revolvers were made in many calibers, and exported all over the world, plus copies of them. As noted, Custer is said to have died with two of them in .442 Webley. I have never seen a .44-40 or other big "American caliber" top-break Webley in the flesh, but have seen pix. They are very rare. The only "American" calibers commonly found are .32 and .38 S&W, as far as I know.

Most Spanish and Belgian revolvers in .44-40 are copies of the S&W 1883 DA top-break revolver. They, especially the Spanish made ones, are common. Spain adopted this revolver as their official sidearm before the Astra and Campo Giro automatic pistols were available. Many of them were made by Orbea Hermanos, and civilian versions of them are common in Latin America, usually in ".44 Largo" (.44 Long, the Spanish designation for the .44-40 WCF). I had one of those, bought in Mexico back when such things were possible (shows you OLD I am!). It fired standard lead bullet .44-40 ammo just fine and seemed to work as well as a "real" S&W. Naturally it was sold as a personal sidearm of "the Bandit Villa," as my grandfather, who chased but did not catch that rascal, called him. The price was still low--Villa must have had thousands of short guns!

The "official" Spanish Orbea top-breaks that were sold to Army and Navy officers (as far as I know they weren't ISSUED to anyone--officers in all services were permitted to buy and carry revolvers but required to buy and carry swords or sabres--enlisted servicemen were issued rifles or carbines, police officers carbines and sometimes short "police swords") were in a .44 caliber interchangeable with the .44S&W Russian. I can't remember what they called it. Civilian Orbeas and similar S&W copies are often in that caliber, too.

If your almost-relative really has what he thinks he has, he's got some treasures for sure. Let's see!
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gamekeeper
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Re: Webley question

Post by gamekeeper »

Thanks for posting Mike, I find this very interesting info. . . . 8)
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