The "Peacemaker" of the British Empire. From the 2nd Boer War to Indiana Jones.
In the 1880's, at around the same time the American West was
steadily replacing its remaining percussion weapons with the
now-standard Colt Single-Action revolvers, Winchester repeating rifles
and any other weapons that utilized the self-contained ammunition, the
British Empire was outfitting its services with similar weapons.
The Royal Small Arms Factory (RSAF) as well as privately owned arms
producers such as Webley & Scott were producing some legends
of their own.
Near the turn of the century, many of these legends made their
appearance on the firearms scene. The Short Magazine Lee-Enfield
bolt-action rifle became the standard for decades to come, and was a
mainstay success, lasting well into the 1950s. Accompanying this
legendary British rifle was an equally successful firearm, the powerful Webley revolver.
Moving forward from previous RSAF and private designs, Birmingham, UK arms
producer Webley & Scott introduced an upgrade to satisfy the
British military demand for reliable sidearms, the Webley Mk IV
revolver.
There are many models of the Webley, nearly all
of them successful. Owing to the proliferation of the Mk IV, and
its historical place in the British military for so many decades, I'm
going to focus on this particular model for this posting. The Mk
IV was a break-top revolver, originally chambered in .455 caliber,
utilizing a 200 grain bullet. This came to be known as the Webley
Mk IV .455/200, but is also well known as the "Boer War
Revolver". The Boer War lasted from 1899 to 1902.
Production of the Mk IV began in 1899, and was used by British
troops in the 2nd Boer War against Dutch and Zulu combatants in
South African Transvaal and Africaans regions. Using
case-hardened steel, and stronger parts, the Mk IV replaced its
predecessor, the Mk III. With a hinge on the revolver's strong
frame, the barrel and the cylinder can be opened, and swung downward,
away from the hammer, exposing the ends of the cartridge casings and extracting them at the same time, making for fast and easy reloading.
The Mk
IV is a double-action revolver, meaning that you can run it through
the entire cycle, including firing, with a single trigger pull without
needing to manually cock the hammer. This, in addition to the
revolver's compact size, durability, and reliability, even in
muddy or sandy environments, made it a success that carried it clear up
into the 1960's
In 1913, the Mk V was introduced just in time to see
action in World War One, then known as the "Great War." However,
there were so many Mk IV revolvers in circulation that more of them
were used in the war than the Mk V, because of supply issues caused by
the sudden demands of the war.
After 1921, the Webley revolvers were produced by the Royal Small Arms
Factory in the London suburb of Enfield. RSAF was a British
government-owned arms producer. The privately owned Webley &
Scott company continued to produce arms until 1979. After that,
they were known for air guns and other sporting products. Today,
products are still made under the Webley name.
Webley revolvers, in all their different models and calibers, continued
to be used in World War Two, and remained in the service of the British
Military until 1963-1964. I could not finish this article without
mentioning that the Webley revolver was also a favorite with the
fictional character, Indiana Jones, and can be seen in the popular
adventure movies. You just can't keep a good classic down.
Who would want to? It goes without saying that the legendary
Webley revolvers earned their respected place in history alongside
their legendary rifle cousin, the Lee-Enfield SMLE. Like the
famous bolt-action rifle, the Webley revolver is now a highly prized
and beloved piece of firearms history, and sought by collectors.
Firearm Type: Break-Top Double-Action Revolver
Nation Of Manufacture: UK, India
Military Service Dates : 1899-1963
Variations: RIC, Mk I, Mk II, Mk III, Mk IV, Mk V, Mk VI, others
Ammunition: .455 Webley, .38 Caliber
Wars: 2nd Boer War, WWI, WW2, British Commonwealth Police forces
Recent Prices at Auction for Originals: US
$400-$2,800
Interested in an authentic replica non-firing
Webley Mk IV Revolver?
Our Webley non-firing replicas keep selling out and we are having a hard time keeping them in stock. Probably the only way to get one is to do a backorder purchase, and wait for the shipment, since they sell out before we get them. Thank You, 4G Company
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