In my modest and eclectic collection of single-shot target pistols, I have two made by Webley & Scott. Recently I posted a thread on my W&S .22 target pistol originally owned by Maj. Gen. Julian S. Hatcher, which garnered a fair number of "likes." This thread is about the second pistol -- a very rare Webley & Scott Mark III target pistol chambered in .38 Special. Apparently as few as 40 were ever made in that chambering, and I suspect that many of those may have been destroyed after enactment of sweeping handgun-confiscation legislation in Britain in 1997.
The Webley single-shot target pistol was introduced in 1909 for competition shooters. With various design improvements, production continued at least into the early 1960s. In 1979 the company stopped manufacturing most firearms (it continues to manufacture shotguns, air rifles, and air pistols). Over the decades, nearly all of these pistols were chambered in .22LR. However, at some point it became possible to special order the pistol in .32 S&W or .38 S&W. Briefly, during the early 1960s, W&S also listed the pistol in .38 Special, but very few were made.
The pistol has an adjustable rear sight. There is an adjustment screw in the bottom of the trigger. The barrel length is 9 and 7/8 inch. A review of the Mark III Webley single shots by P.G. Whatley, published in 1962, said, "The .32 S&W Long showed remarkable grouping powers, as did the .38 Special."
After I acquired the gun at a live auction in 2016, I contacted Richard Milner in the UK, who has an archive of original Webley & Scott factory records, and who for modest fees provides something like factory letters and copies of invoices. On April 14, 2016, Mr. Milner told me in an email, "According to the W&S records the factory made 50 single shots in centre fire calibres, numbers run from 4100 to 4149 with an 'L' prefix to the serial number on the examples I’ve seen. The first 10 of this group were in .32 calibre and the remainder in .38 special. I’ve fired one and they are perfectly safe to fire (normal cartridges not PP+), quite accurate if I remember correctly."
My pistol's serial number is 4133-- no "L," but in the designated number range.
I obtained from Mr. Milner a letter and a copy of the original invoice, both shown here, documenting that the pistol was sold by W&S on March 20, 1963, and shipped to Mr. Shelley Braverman, Four Mile Point Road, West Banks, Athens, New York (a clerk's error rendered the street as "Fourmil Point Road"). (Shelley Braverman was a dealer of firearms, gun parts, etc., who issued catalogs and advertised in gun magazines from the 1940s into the 1960s.) Milner also provided an image of the original invoice, which states: "Single Shot S&W Special Cal. .38 Target Pistol R.H. Walnut Grip. no. 4133"
In 2016 I also corresponded with Joel Black, who had written books and articles on Webley & Scott firearms. He said that the .38 Special was the rarest variant of the W&S single shot, and that he had seen only three in his many years of collecting. Mr. Black said the .38 Special was offered during the final years before the company stopped making handguns, as it cast about for ways to broaden market appeal.
If only 40 examples of this particular variant were manufactured, it is likely that far fewer now exist. Legislation enacted by Parliament in 1997 essentially banned private handgun possession in the U.K., resulting in the mass confiscation and destruction of many thousands of handguns.
I obtained via an eBay auction two ORIGINAL Webley & Scott sales brochures, in excellent condition. They are not dated but appear to be from the early 1960s. One is a 4-page two-color brochure devoted entirely to the "Mk 3 Target Pistol," deemed "The Finest Weapon of its price in the world," of which three pages are devoted to the single shot. While it highlights the .22, it mentions availability in ".32 S&W Long, .38 S&W and .38 S&W Special."
A second brochure is a 12-page, two-color brochure about various Webley handguns, which includes one page on "The Webley Single Shot .22 R.F. Target Pistol." It likewise talks mostly about the .22, championships won and so forth, but mentions, "This Pistol is also made in .32 and .38 calibre."
The Webley single-shot target pistol was introduced in 1909 for competition shooters. With various design improvements, production continued at least into the early 1960s. In 1979 the company stopped manufacturing most firearms (it continues to manufacture shotguns, air rifles, and air pistols). Over the decades, nearly all of these pistols were chambered in .22LR. However, at some point it became possible to special order the pistol in .32 S&W or .38 S&W. Briefly, during the early 1960s, W&S also listed the pistol in .38 Special, but very few were made.
The pistol has an adjustable rear sight. There is an adjustment screw in the bottom of the trigger. The barrel length is 9 and 7/8 inch. A review of the Mark III Webley single shots by P.G. Whatley, published in 1962, said, "The .32 S&W Long showed remarkable grouping powers, as did the .38 Special."
After I acquired the gun at a live auction in 2016, I contacted Richard Milner in the UK, who has an archive of original Webley & Scott factory records, and who for modest fees provides something like factory letters and copies of invoices. On April 14, 2016, Mr. Milner told me in an email, "According to the W&S records the factory made 50 single shots in centre fire calibres, numbers run from 4100 to 4149 with an 'L' prefix to the serial number on the examples I’ve seen. The first 10 of this group were in .32 calibre and the remainder in .38 special. I’ve fired one and they are perfectly safe to fire (normal cartridges not PP+), quite accurate if I remember correctly."
My pistol's serial number is 4133-- no "L," but in the designated number range.
I obtained from Mr. Milner a letter and a copy of the original invoice, both shown here, documenting that the pistol was sold by W&S on March 20, 1963, and shipped to Mr. Shelley Braverman, Four Mile Point Road, West Banks, Athens, New York (a clerk's error rendered the street as "Fourmil Point Road"). (Shelley Braverman was a dealer of firearms, gun parts, etc., who issued catalogs and advertised in gun magazines from the 1940s into the 1960s.) Milner also provided an image of the original invoice, which states: "Single Shot S&W Special Cal. .38 Target Pistol R.H. Walnut Grip. no. 4133"
In 2016 I also corresponded with Joel Black, who had written books and articles on Webley & Scott firearms. He said that the .38 Special was the rarest variant of the W&S single shot, and that he had seen only three in his many years of collecting. Mr. Black said the .38 Special was offered during the final years before the company stopped making handguns, as it cast about for ways to broaden market appeal.
If only 40 examples of this particular variant were manufactured, it is likely that far fewer now exist. Legislation enacted by Parliament in 1997 essentially banned private handgun possession in the U.K., resulting in the mass confiscation and destruction of many thousands of handguns.
I obtained via an eBay auction two ORIGINAL Webley & Scott sales brochures, in excellent condition. They are not dated but appear to be from the early 1960s. One is a 4-page two-color brochure devoted entirely to the "Mk 3 Target Pistol," deemed "The Finest Weapon of its price in the world," of which three pages are devoted to the single shot. While it highlights the .22, it mentions availability in ".32 S&W Long, .38 S&W and .38 S&W Special."
A second brochure is a 12-page, two-color brochure about various Webley handguns, which includes one page on "The Webley Single Shot .22 R.F. Target Pistol." It likewise talks mostly about the .22, championships won and so forth, but mentions, "This Pistol is also made in .32 and .38 calibre."
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