P. Webley & Son Royal Navy Mark II 45 ACP Altered 4″ SA/DA Revolver Antique

SOLD FOR: $2,050.00

LSB#: LSB250915CX001

Make: Philip Webley & Son 

Model: Royal Navy Webley Mark II

Serial#: 49528

Year of Manufacture: Ca. 1894-1897, Antique

Caliber: The gun was originally chambered for .455 caliber “Manstopper” cartridges, the rear of the cylinder has been shaved so that .45 ACP rounds could be used with a half moon clips or .45 Auto Rim cartridges can be used without clips. Please be aware, factory loaded .45 ACP rounds have a pressure that is too high for an Antique Webley and a qualified gunsmith should inspect the gun to determine what sort of load is safe to use with the gun. 

Action Type: Single/Double-Action Top-Break Service Revolver

Barrel Length: 4″, Octagonal

Sights/ Optics: The front sight is a rounded blade integral to the front of the barrel rib. The rear sight is a V-notch integral to the barrel latch. 

Stock Configuration & Condition/ Grip: The grip panels are two-piece checkered hard rubber. The left panel has a loss at the bottom edge across the indexing pin hole. The grips otherwise show even light handling wear with some nicks and a few scratches. The checkering is well defined. Overall, the grips are in Very Good-plus condition as Antique.

Type of Finish: Blue 

Finish Originality: Likely Arsenal Refurbished prior to being sold out of service. Serialized parts match.

Bore Condition: The bore is mostly bright with sharp rifling. There is some scattered minor erosion in the bore. In this writer’s opinion, the bore rates 7-8/10.

Overall Condition: The revolver retains about 87% of its current metal finish. The rear face of the cylinder appears to have had some finish applied, but is mostly in the white. The finish is thinning at most edges. There are scattered light nicks, scuffs and small scratches. There is scattered light erosion under the finish. There is some light wear on the trigger and trigger guard. The action shows operational wear. The screw heads range from tool marked with strong slots to disfigured with usable slots. The markings are generally clear, the cylinder serial marking is incomplete due to shaving, the Naval rack number on the backstrap has been struck-out. Overall, the gun is in Very Good-plus condition as refurbished Antique. 

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. The barrel locks with no play to the receiver. We have not fired this revolver. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance requirements.  

Box Paperwork and Accessories: None.

Our Assessment: The line of .455 Caliber service revolvers that Webley is most famous for began with the Mark I which was adopted for service in 1890. It was an impressive revolver for its time and was superseded in 1894 by an upgraded variant designated the Mark II. The Mark II was very similar to its predecessor, but it featured a strengthened hammer and trigger assemblies and the grip contour was made more smooth. The basic grip profile of the Mark II would be retained by Webley until the introduction of the Mark VI during WWI. Older Webley Revolvers were not discarded when they were superseded, the British kept the superbly designed Webley Mark II Revolvers in service through WWI.

This particular specimen is a Royal Navy Webley Mark II. The gun was made in the late 19th century and retains the Royal Cypher of Queen Victoria (reigned ca. 1837-1901). In addition to the standard British military acceptance markings, there is a large, hand-cut broad-arrow on the topstrap, typical of revolvers sent to the Royal Navy during WWI to make up for the lack of Webley Self-Loading pistols delivered during the war. There are also British commercial proofs from when the revolver was sold out of service. While there is an “ENGLAND” export marking, there is no import marking. The rear of the cylinder has been shaved down to facilitate the use of .45 ACP rounds with half-moon clips (please see the caliber section for more details, the gun is not designed to sustain the pressure of a modern .45 ACP round). Despite the aforementioned, the gun is still aesthetically pleasing and retains solid mechanics. This should make a wonderful addition to a historical firearms collection. Please see our photos and good luck!

Please forgive any typos, I was educated in California. -Bud