Webley questions

petster774

petster774

Regular
Rating - 100%
17   0   0
Location
Edmonton
Hey experts. I just picked up a Webley Mk IV in 38 S&W. It's a commercial pistol I think, though it has "war finish" stamped on the left side of the frame. It's in mint condition, appears to be unfired! I don't know anything else about it but would like to. Another thing, I know its aka is the Wobley, and is that why the trigger guard is very wobley??
Any help appreciated.
p
 
I am not a Webley expert but they were made for many years. I think that the first ones were made in 455 just after the turn of the century for the WW1.
At one time they were also called Enfields. The British Government put the contract out to several different makers.

About the one that you have. What I remember reading was that mechanically they are very good. However the finish was not up to pre war standards so Webley marked them as War Finish to let people know why the external quality was down.

Enjoy the gun. They are supposed to be one of the better designs. Very strong, fairly accurate & will last forever.
 
They call it wobbly because the cylinder does not lock up tight when cocked in single action until the trigger is pulled . I've had may people who don't no comment on this when they see one of mine . they will even try to show me by cocking it and showing me how the cylinder doesn't lock up tight . until I show them how it tightens up when the triger is pulled.
 
petster774 said:
Thanks DEZ. what a wierd gun!!
Click to expand...

Pestster there not weird there made like that on purpose so when your guns covered in mud and your in a trench with a German ready to Pig stick you in the guts the gun will still function!

I have a S&W SA that locks up tight as a drum each cylinder rotation BUT any dirt gets in that tight fitting Cylinder stop notch well your Screwed as it will move outa alinement and the gun could go Click instead of Bang.

Aparently thats the Loudest sound a guy will ever hear in a fire fight ;)
 
I always wondered about that myself...Why a lot of those english and belgian guns were made that way... not a fan of it myself, but then im not planning to be crawling around in any trenches soon :D
 
pig stick

dingus said:
Pestster there not weird there made like that on purpose so when your guns covered in mud and your in a trench with a German ready to Pig stick you in the guts the gun will still function!

I have a S&W SA that locks up tight as a drum each cylinder rotation BUT any dirt gets in that tight fitting Cylinder stop notch well your Screwed as it will move outa alinement and the gun could go Click instead of Bang.

Aparently thats the Loudest sound a guy will ever hear in a fire fight ;)
Click to expand...

I thought we were the only ones with pig sticker bayonnets??
Anyways thanks for the info Dingus! Should all the screws be really tight, or what??
 
but then im not planning to be crawling around in any trenches soon
Click to expand...

no one ever does

We had pig stickers, the Gerries had sawbacks
Click to expand...

There were late issues of sawback bayonents and if the literature is to be believed they were often ground off.

YOUR TRIGGER GUARD: maybe it is not the right gaurd or the screws are not correct. Look at some net pics. either replace parts or use bushings or shims to get it tight.

Thanks Dingus for pointing out that the 'wobbly' was made to go to war with not to impress gun snob friends. I have yet to find another revolver or semi that screams 'reliable' the way a webley does. The more I play with them the more I discover that even the accuracy of these revovlers can be impressive if fed and shot properly.
 
The loose tg on a MkIV .38" Webley seems to be common to the design. Place a liberal amount of Loc Tite on the screws. Did I say liberal?
 
K shot it finally. I only shot a 50 Rem 146grs, and this thing is incredibly accurate. I can fit a cylinder into a toonie sized hole at 20 yds, most of the time. But, POI is about six inches lower than POA. Any ideas why? I'm thinking its the ammo, I know this thing wasn't meant to shoot 146 gr bullets. Other than that, I think this is the most anemic loading ever created. The bullet seems to struggle just leaving the barrel, with an apologetic cough as finally leaves it. Great gun, ####ty caliber for a war fighting weapon
 
petster774 said:
I think this is the most anemic loading ever created. The bullet seems to struggle just leaving the barrel, with an apologetic cough as finally leaves it. Great gun, s**tty caliber for a war fighting weapon
Click to expand...

Yep. The Brit High Command got it into their heads that the .455 was TOO MUCH for ordinary soldiers.:runaway: Me (and I am very recoil shy), I love it.

Remember the scene in one of the first Bond films where M takes away Bond's .25 Beretta and issues him a 7.65 PPK? "Stop an elephant," he says. :rolleyes:
 
petster774 said:
K shot it finally. I only shot a 50 Rem 146grs, and this thing is incredibly accurate. I can fit a cylinder into a toonie sized hole at 20 yds, most of the time. But, POI is about six inches lower than POA. Any ideas why? I'm thinking its the ammo, I know this thing wasn't meant to shoot 146 gr bullets. Other than that, I think this is the most anemic loading ever created. The bullet seems to struggle just leaving the barrel, with an apologetic cough as finally leaves it. Great gun, s**tty caliber for a war fighting weapon
Click to expand...

The normal bullet was 200 grains. A heavier bullet would have stayed in the barrel longer and been effected by recoil longer placing the shot higher.

The previous handgun this one replace was a the same design but bigger, shooting the 455 Webley. This load (200g) was considered to be about as effective in practical use. I believe it was thought that a hit with a mediocre round was better than a miss with a more powerful one.
 
Note: recoil does not happen untill the bullet has left the barrel and the waste gases escape.

However as Rudy said, a heavier bullet would stay in the barrel longer, allowing the gasses to build up a higher pressure, and increasing the muzzle velocity, so there would be different trajectory patterns between heavier and lighter bullets. Also the 146 grain ammo may not have the same amount of powder that the original ammo had. I think you're correct in assuming its the ammo.

One other thing to consider (you expert guys can confirm this?) armourers would have several front sight blades of different heights for calibrating it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom