Ok abit of a long story but a good one 
I lucked out after a 6 month USA Customs battle and a few calls to the state department i got this gun back from a US customs seizure because of what the seller wrote and they insisted that even antique firearms must be filed in the AES Automated export system by shippers. (they still think this is the Case) this battle went all the way to me calling the state department 3 or 4 times . I have to Say the USA customs were fair with me and i have 0 hard feelings over the whole situation they just go by the book. I paid a fine and they admited none of it was my fault. it was the only way to get the gun back .
Its and intresting story that some here might learn a thing or to from.
the gun was bought and paid for from a auction in the USA i told the guy to write antique firearm gave him some paperwork to put in with the gun and the declared value like normal.
But then the guy writes antique TOOL on the discription not firearm,,, oh boy here we go! .
i didnt find that out till two months after it was lost that he wrote antique tool.
The gun is a Webley no 4 with a special order press button to stop the cartridges from ejecting if the user decides to not eject all the cartridges or cases. very nice gun id never seen one with a press button tho there is one mentioned in the Dowells webley book .
So i buy it and its a ANCSL sold retailed gun i ask a friend in the USA to check the sales records and holly crap a General bought it in 1882 .
Theres only like 3 guns in records that were bought by british generals in that time period late 1800s.
So when it went missing i really tryed to find it we thought it diassapeared on a cathy pacfic flight to Japan instead of being droped off in Vancouver i called everyone as the guns worth 5 times its insured value.
To make a long story short i get a call from USA customs at about month two! and after a 4 month of doing everything i can i saved the gun they could have melted it down because the seller wrote antique tool .
The seller could have solved the whole thing way sooner but he went silent he was scared to death of what USA customs would do to him his account at the gun auction went dead he just stoped emailing me and wanted 0 to do with the hi ups in USA customs.
They were not even gona do anything much to him. i ended up paying a pretty good fine on his behalf but i got the gun back a few weeks ago saved from the smelter , the USA customs and me had a smooth polite relationship thru the whole process.
Back to the saved guns history,
The general had 3 generations of his family in the british military in India. the Generals father was a lieut col retired in 1861 then the general who bought the gun had a son who was the 3rd one to go into the military he joined in 1882 so its assumed the general bought the gun for his son in 1882 as the times all line up perfect with the sales records i have alot on the family history ranks ect. tho theres a chance the general just bought one for himself at that time as there a fantastic weapon.
anyway the son got the order of the british empire in 1919 he was a lieut col as well when he retired.
Gun has a neat serial number one some may say is unlucky x13 but none of the generals family were killed in the military in them longs years of service. Its a special order gun to only one i have seen with the special press button in front of the trigger gard.
Was a long nightmare getting this gun in the end im not blameing anyone was just bad luck and this is why i get all my guns shiped to Canada from a dealler FFL from now on not joe blow from kithcamoe LOL and this ones not for sale either its a keeper.
Still is the best webley i ever bought and has a mint bore and chambers locks up tight like a new gun and is all original finish 99%. its a 455 one to they always shoot great to, tho i doubt i will shoot this gun. pics dont do it justice either.
I lucked out after a 6 month USA Customs battle and a few calls to the state department i got this gun back from a US customs seizure because of what the seller wrote and they insisted that even antique firearms must be filed in the AES Automated export system by shippers. (they still think this is the Case) this battle went all the way to me calling the state department 3 or 4 times . I have to Say the USA customs were fair with me and i have 0 hard feelings over the whole situation they just go by the book. I paid a fine and they admited none of it was my fault. it was the only way to get the gun back .
Its and intresting story that some here might learn a thing or to from.
the gun was bought and paid for from a auction in the USA i told the guy to write antique firearm gave him some paperwork to put in with the gun and the declared value like normal.
But then the guy writes antique TOOL on the discription not firearm,,, oh boy here we go! .
i didnt find that out till two months after it was lost that he wrote antique tool.
The gun is a Webley no 4 with a special order press button to stop the cartridges from ejecting if the user decides to not eject all the cartridges or cases. very nice gun id never seen one with a press button tho there is one mentioned in the Dowells webley book .
So i buy it and its a ANCSL sold retailed gun i ask a friend in the USA to check the sales records and holly crap a General bought it in 1882 .
Theres only like 3 guns in records that were bought by british generals in that time period late 1800s.
So when it went missing i really tryed to find it we thought it diassapeared on a cathy pacfic flight to Japan instead of being droped off in Vancouver i called everyone as the guns worth 5 times its insured value.
To make a long story short i get a call from USA customs at about month two! and after a 4 month of doing everything i can i saved the gun they could have melted it down because the seller wrote antique tool .
The seller could have solved the whole thing way sooner but he went silent he was scared to death of what USA customs would do to him his account at the gun auction went dead he just stoped emailing me and wanted 0 to do with the hi ups in USA customs.
They were not even gona do anything much to him. i ended up paying a pretty good fine on his behalf but i got the gun back a few weeks ago saved from the smelter , the USA customs and me had a smooth polite relationship thru the whole process.
Back to the saved guns history,
The general had 3 generations of his family in the british military in India. the Generals father was a lieut col retired in 1861 then the general who bought the gun had a son who was the 3rd one to go into the military he joined in 1882 so its assumed the general bought the gun for his son in 1882 as the times all line up perfect with the sales records i have alot on the family history ranks ect. tho theres a chance the general just bought one for himself at that time as there a fantastic weapon.
anyway the son got the order of the british empire in 1919 he was a lieut col as well when he retired.
Gun has a neat serial number one some may say is unlucky x13 but none of the generals family were killed in the military in them longs years of service. Its a special order gun to only one i have seen with the special press button in front of the trigger gard.
Was a long nightmare getting this gun in the end im not blameing anyone was just bad luck and this is why i get all my guns shiped to Canada from a dealler FFL from now on not joe blow from kithcamoe LOL and this ones not for sale either its a keeper.
Still is the best webley i ever bought and has a mint bore and chambers locks up tight like a new gun and is all original finish 99%. its a 455 one to they always shoot great to, tho i doubt i will shoot this gun. pics dont do it justice either.
Last edited:
