Yesterday's Weapons Forums

I just purchased a Webley W.G. Target model. 7 1/2" barrel Cal. 455 ---Serial #21808 Original cased!!!!!!!! I have never seen one before. Can anyone date it for me and tell me more about it please? Thanks for help in the past.

This a beautiful revolver that just came out of a millionaires home in NH. Everything else there was Tiffany this and that!!!!!!! It is a very early model and in wonderful out side condition but the bore is only fair because of improper storage or shooting? If anyone can date it I would appreciate it very much. Also to the Webley fans out there,I may offer it for sale because it does not fit in my collection. Thanks again Banjomike

I'm no Webley expert but have found the following comments from my references:

The Webley WG was designed by a Webley employee called Michael Kaufman. It introduced a number of improvements which later became standard on other Webley revolvers, and it was widely sold to British officers and travelers going to the wilder parts of the Empire. WG is generally said to stand for "Webley Government," but some say it stands for "Webley-Green," after the inventor of the stirrup lock. The WG does not include a safety. The Service model is the most common one, produced for the military. The Target model is a long-barreled version produced for competition; it had a long 7.5-inch barrel, a match trigger, and a sideplate that allowed access to the mechanism.

As best I can determine the Webley WG was not adopted by the British Army and therefore is not a "MK" anything. It is a commercial revolver with its own specs over a series of variations, "Army" model designation on that one notwithstanding. Probably intended for private purchase by officers who could carry anything that shot the service cartridges.
The military Mk I through Mk VI are just plain Webleys or Webley & Scotts. I have not seen a W.G. model later than 1896. The W.G. Target is a jewel of a revolver, nicer fit and finish than any other Webley I have seen but it's commercial.

The Webley-Green was made in a variety of models some of which had Pryse features. The early ones had the odd cylinder flutes that are always associated with the W.G., but the 1896 model had conventional flutes. W.G. models, unlike most later Webley revolvers, had side plates. Cylinder removal differed among models, with the early guns having the Pryse system, but the 1896 had the same type of disassembly as the later Webleys.

Calibers were .450, .455 and .476. All were really the same, with the .450 having a shorter case, and the .476 differing only in having what we would call a "heel type" bullet with a diameter equal to that of the outside of the case. The barrel inside diameter was the same, and was 1-13 right hand twist with Metford rifling.

They were reportedly very accurate, and did well at Bisley.

Much of this info came from The Webley Story, by W.C. Powell.

thanks neil , thats what i did not have at my fingertips , that is one very fine target pistol and definetly the predicessor of the mkVI , you will note that it has the hump of a mkI sevice revolver , this is a great catch

I would be besides myself with that find

Thats a very nice looking set!

_________________
Mark

Resident of the Northern Republic of Free California

"People should not be afraid of their Government, the Government should be afraid of the people." - V

"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote" - Ben Franklin

on these particular revolvers ive generaly turned to joel black at gunboards , there are others there with great knowledge , but ive found joel to be very helpfull