Can you tell me about this Webley?

[Ganderite]

Google yielded almost nothing.

On side plate I see:
Webley's No.5
360CF

And a trademark winged bullet WS

On top strap appears to be dealer and city:
EBRALL BROS SHREWSBURY

It s a 3" barelled double action solid frame. The cylinder does not swing out or come off. To eject the shells a plunger us used to pop them back out through the loading gate, just like a single action revolver.

38 S&W ammo chambers perfectly.

Any idea of when this was made? I assume it is black powder gun. I can't find a nitro roof mark.

It is a nicly made and finished gun. I assume it is commercial, not military.

Value?

 

[MTF]

I don't know the value, but these come up from time to time in the "antiques" section of the Equipment Exchange. Yours looks nice. Just about any Webley in decent condition would be a good buy. It looks like one of the revolvers called, a "bulldog". Very common among many makers in the nineteenth century and early twentieth. Came in many different calibers. Usually a short-barrelled, chunky, double action revolver, often in heavy caliber. A .360 revolver would chamber .38 S&W cartridges. I don't have any direct experience with these guns, but any gun that old I'd have checked by a competent gunsmith to make sure it can take modern loads.

 

[Ganderite]

Thanks. It does look kinda "Bulldogish". Lockwork is good. Will use the usual mild load of 2.o gr of 7625 under a 148 HBWC. I have some 100gr lead bullets for the Makorov. maybe they will fit.

 

[whatguns?]

What you have is a No. 5 Army Express. It was the final model made in this series. First made about 1886 for the home defense market and chambered in 360 Rook Rifle, it will also chamber the 38 S&W or 380 Webley. Production ended in 1914, is yours an antique?
I think I've seen them for sale in the EE for about $700.
Blair

 

[josquin]

Google yielded almost nothing....

However, it does bring up the a number of hits on the maker's/distributor's name. According to fish-uk.com (2007) they were still in business, although just for fishing & tackle:

Ebrall Brothers Smithfield Rd Shrewsbury Shropshire
Tel: 01743 343048.

A link from shotgunworldcom from 2004 says:

1 (re a question about a shotgun with the Ebrall name on it)
Ebrall Bros of Shrewsbury closed down 3 years ago but by this time only sold bicycles and fishing gear. Whether they made the gun or just put their name on a bought in gun I don't know and attempts to find any records are stalled at the moment.

2 (Next comment)
Name Samuel Ebrall
Other Names Ebrall Brothers
Address 1 4 Wyle Cop
Address 2 6 High Street
Address 3 Smithfield Road
City/Town Shrewsbury
County Shropshire
Country United Kingdom
Trade Gunmaker
Dates 1843-1891

Notes
In 1843 Samuel Ebrall purchased the business of William Horton of 4 Wyle Cop, Shrewsbury.

In 1845 he moved to 6 High Street, and in 1853 to Smithfield Road.
He was an exhibitor at the Great Exhibition in 1851, and he won a first class prize medal at the 1862 exhibition and was appointed gunmaker to Queen Victoria.

In about 1888 Samuel retired or died and the firm was taken over by his sons, the name became Ebrall Brothers.

The firm traded until at least 1891, a firm of the same name trades to date. (Apparently this data is over three years old) Samuel was the father of Richard Holland Ebrall of Hereford.

-------------
So it appears that the firm changed hands but kept on trading until about 2001.

That's a nice old Webley. When I fist saw it I thought, "That's the sort of revolver Sherlock Holmes might have carried." ('Always carry a firearm east of Aldgate, Watson.')

Stuart

 

[Ganderite]

Thanks. I was pretty sure the Ebrall - Shrewsbury was the dealer. I have seen British dealers do that before.

I know it is a wbley No. 5, becasue it says so, and the WS flying bullet logo tells me it is quite old. I was intrigued to see that it is a solid frame. All my other Webleys are break actions.

If I sell it, I will make sure to note it was the personal handgun of Sherlock Holmes.

No.5 Army Express. Was this model ever a military gun? It seems solid enough to be. The best info on the web is that it would be the "Bulldog" model, which included both 45 and 38 calibers.

I have a Charter Arms 44 Bulldog, and I can say there is a resemblance to the original. This is a nice solid gun, although in an unimpressive caliber.

And no, not registered as an antique.

Thanks for the ID. I have found nothing on it in the books.

I shot it last night. It went BANG. I first shot it with some real old factory lead bullet, black powder I had. It made a quite substantial kick in the hand. Then the light WC load, which actually hit the target.

 

[josquin]

If I sell it, I will make sure to note it was the personal handgun of Sherlock Holmes.

Arrrrghhhhhhh... I've been misquoted!

Stuart

 

[MTF]

There is a book by George Layman titled, "The British Bulldog Revolver", which probably has more information about that kind of handgun than anyone else would want to know. I don't know where you can get it in Canada, but it was published by Andrew Mowbray Publishers of Woonsocket, Rhode Island, and may be available directly from them.

 

[josquin]

There is a book by George Layman titled, "The British Bulldog Revolver"...

Amazon.com (US) and Abebooks.com list it. About $35.00

Stuart