455 Webley

[flgolfer29]

A friend of mine recently inherited this 455 Webley(?), and he asked me to post it on the forum to find out any details/history of the revolver. Stamped on yoke & crane is 2060, and bottom of butt and end of cylinder 57580. I assume there was a lanyard ring on it in the early days.

I photographed the proof marks in an attempt to help ascertain any data. The lockup is very good and the bore is clean with no pitting. Light single action trigger pull. The grips are in good shape as well.

I feel he will most likely sell it if there is any value in this old gun. Thank you in advance for any information anyone may render.

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[Muley Gil]

A new rear sight has been added and it appears the chambers have been lengthened to accept .45 Colt cartridges. It also has post WW II Magna grips.

I'd guess the value at around $700 for a good shooter.

 

[Mikebiker]

Here is a link to a thread about the one I just bought. It had the conversion done and it was explained to me very well.

A British 455 Question

 

[flgolfer29]

Here is a link to a thread about the one I just bought. It had the conversion done and it was explained to me very well.

A British 455 Question

Thanks for sharing the link, good info there.

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[flgolfer29]

A new rear sight has been added and it appears the chambers have been lengthened to accept .45 Colt cartridges. It also has post WW II Magna grips.



I'd guess the value at around $700 for a good shooter.

Thanks for pointing out the changes on this example!

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[6string]

Very interesting 455 target conversion.
The big V notch in the rear sight is unusual.
As mentioned, the chambers have been lengthened, likely for 45 Colt. But, the rear face of the cylinder appears unaltered. Usually, they are either shaved about 0.020", which removes the markings, or each chamber is counterbored to accept the extra rim thickness. Hard to tell if the latter is the case here.
The other option, and the least desirable, is to file the recoil shield and firing pin bushing area.
I suspect your friend's revolver has also been refinished, although this looks nicely done if that's the case.

But, it has nice character, for sure!

 

[Jack Flash]

The stocks are not original to the gun but have some real value by themselves. So this is one case where "parting them out" is no crime.

 

[lamarw]

Below is a picture of my unmolested .455 II Hand Ejector 2ND Model.

 

[Absalom]

I don’t have the patience to read all the links, but in case no one has mentioned it, the gun was in Canadian service.

The crossed-swords DCP on the back of the cylinder is the “Dominion of Canada Proof”. There also seems to be a partially stamped arrow-inside-C Canadian Forces property mark on the left frame.

Before Canada, it appears to have been accepted at RSAF Enfield; it gets blurry upon magnification, but the Enfield acceptance stack on the left back frame including the II for 2nd Model is barely discernible.

 

[flgolfer29]

I don’t have the patience to read all the links, but in case no one has mentioned it, the gun was in Canadian service.



The crossed-swords DCP on the back of the cylinder is the “Dominion of Canada Proof”. There also seems to be a partially stamped arrow-inside-C Canadian Forces property mark on the left frame.



Before Canada, it appears to have been accepted at RSAF Enfield; it gets blurry upon magnification, but the Enfield acceptance stack on the left back frame including the II for 2nd Model is barely discernible.

Thank you for the added details!

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[Hondo44]

Your friend has a British Service Revolver, “.455 Mark II Hand Ejector-2nd Model” built under the British contract by S&W. Likely shipped around May 1916.

They were chambered for the .455 Mark I cartridge which of course also worked for the shorter .455 Mark II, the intended cartridge for use in WWI.

 

[flgolfer29]

I appreciate all the responses on this revolver, greatly. It will help in listing it for sale locally over the next day or so. I prefer newer firearms so I've taken myself out of the potential buyers pool.

Joe

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[Baltimoreed11754]

I’ve never seen one with the recoil shield messed with. I’ve got .455s with shaved and rebated cylinders though. Terrible way to wreck a Smith. Dumb thing is he could have bumped the 45colt chamber cutting tool half the thickness of a 45colt rim’s thickness and been done and had a gun that would safely fire .455 and .45colt.

 

[flgolfer29]

It was mentioned that the cylinders may had been lengthened to accept another cartridge, but upon closer review I can't see any evidence of it. Although, I'm attempting to locate a few 45 colt cartridges to do a test fit just to be certain.

The rear sight was pointed out as having been added, a closer look reveals it was a very well done v-notch (great sight picture).

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[Mikebiker]

I’ve never seen one with the recoil shield messed with. I’ve got .455s with shaved and rebated cylinders though. Terrible way to wreck a Smith. Dumb thing is he could have bumped the 45colt chamber cutting tool half the thickness of a 45colt rim’s thickness and been done and had a gun that would safely fire .455 and .45colt.

Look at he gun in my link a few post up. There is a good picture of the filed frame. It is not the worst thing ever. It is was the simplest way to do it for someone without access to a machine shop or a reamer. These guns were hard to get ammo for then and impossible now unless you go through specialty sellers.

 

[StrawHat]

Here is a 455 New Century from 1914 with the recoil shield filed down to accept the 45 long Colt rim.

Kevin

 

[Mikebiker]

Here is mine,

 

[StrawHat]

…Here is mine,…

Nice looking work, better than the fellow who shaved the recoil shield on mine.

But…

Can yours do this?

Kevin

 

[Baltimoreed11754]

Thats a bored through cylinder fer sure. I did have to square up my recoil shield on a Ruger Vaquero when I fit a 45acp cylinder as there was a runout that only became evident with the tighter fitting 45acp cylinder. Had no issues with the original 45colt cylinder. Either one works now. And I can shoot either small primer acp or large primer C45S/LC brass.