A "shooter grade" Webley?

Hawkeye · Jul 12, 2018

Hey all:

This is totally pie-in-the sky, but where would one look if one wanted to find a "shooter" Webley (don't care what version, MK I - MK VI and honestly don't really know the difference) in .455? And what would you expect to pay?

I know that there are .45ACP and .45Auto Rim conversions out there, but I also understand that you have to use specially loaded (low pressure) .45 if you want to do it safely. I think that an original in .455 sounds cooler, but I also understand that the ammo is fairly rare - Fiocchi seems to make it, but not regularly.

What's the lowdown on these?

K31 · Jul 12, 2018

I would try to find a Mark VI in .455 for a "shooters grade". Unfortunately, after some Indiana Jones movie, all of them became trendy and the prices went stupid.

Mdeng · Jul 13, 2018

Check the inventory at A1 Uniform Sales. They had a few in the case from my collection.

Melnic · Jul 13, 2018

I have a Webley with War Finish in 38 S&W
it was what was affordable.
The tanker versions with the cut hammer are sometimes less expensive.

Bountied · Jul 13, 2018

I sold my Webley Pryce MKIV for $700 to collector in CA. He low balled me and I had no other interested parties so I sold it. I also had 2 boxes of Canadian Dominion .455. Sold those separately. Everyone seems to be interested in them now. Maybe I should have held on to it. I never shot it but I think it would have been ok. The bullets were LRN not sure on the grains. Pretty cool gun but I tend to get rid of things that just sit around. I had no intention of shooting it. With the money I got for the MKIV I bought a CZ455 and a scope, so not a totally bad deal.

Jerry M · Jul 13, 2018

Maryland Arms Collectors Show in March at Timonium Fairgrounds.

Good Luck

mawkie · Jul 14, 2018

With most Webley .455 revolvers sporting milled cylinders the price of original examples has jumped over the last decade. Took me years to find an original MKVI and mine isn't matching. Figure on paying $700-800 for a non-matching original and add $250 for matching.

Jimbob2.0 · Jul 14, 2018

Will be hard to find. They are out there but I have never seen much in the way of "shooter grade" probably most on the market these days fall in lower end collectibles (finish, no unit markings etc.) Figure $900 to $1000. Even the cut ones are starting to get north of $700 (almost turned one down for $150 back years ago and ended up heehawing and snagging it, glad I did).

I have a non matching project gun (uncut) I got for around $400 a couple years ago that only has about 10% finish but I am going to do a minor resto on for a shooter. Needs some work on the internals etc.

Also factor in the cost of shooting the thing. Webley ammo is very hard to find and pricey. Even handloading I probably am looking at $1.50 a round, last times Buffalo Arms had brass I bought them out.

That said its a fun gun to shoot, its like throwing softballs so deeply subsonic you can hear the rounds bounce in the dirt after going through a target like cannon balls. Sort of like black powder.

If you end up with a cut one, just use down powered .45 auto rim, its actually about the same shooting experience and cost.

Oh by the way the Mark V and Mark VI's are the only ones technically rated for cordite and comparable to smokeless powder.

chooks9 · Jul 24, 2018

I have seen Mark VI examples in .455 for what I think are crazy prices (around $1k) and shaved examples for $600-800. I bought/traded for a "War Finish" Mark IV .380 that likes to hang up a bit when cycling but shoots single action very nicely for under $500 when all said an done. I would like to have the whole "hang up" thing fixed, but I don't shoot it enough to justify spending the money (I almost always shoot single action anyway).

A "shooter grade" Webley?

The #1 community for Gun Owners of the Northeast

Member Benefits:

Hawkeye

The Leatherstocking

K31

"Part of that Ultra MAGA Crowd"

Mdeng

Ultimate Member

Melnic

Ultimate Member

Bountied

Ultimate Member

Jerry M

Ultimate Member

mawkie

C&R Whisperer

Jimbob2.0

Ultimate Member

chooks9

Bear with Arms

Users who are viewing this thread

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Latest threads

Forum statistics

Share this page