Webley-Greene .476/.455

[PJ Hardtack]

Just made a gun swap that got me a Webley-Pryse .476/.455 in VG+ condition. Ought to get along well with my .450 Tranter Army and an Exc. Colt New Service .455 about to also enter the stable. Also have an Exc. MK VI in .455 I refer to as my "Lawrence of Arabia" pistol.

My buds think I'm nuts investing in these 'clunkers', but they are to the British Empire what the Colt SAA and 1911 are to the US.
I enjoy the history of my guns as much as I do shooting them.

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Look into THE WEBLEY STORY for the history of these firearms.  It might be pricey (about $200!!) but a nearby library might have a copy.  The one I read was in the Prince George library so an inter-library loan might find a copy?

There was a Webley-Pryse revolver.  Pryse held a patent on some part of the mechanism.  Look into back copies of HANDLOADER for an article on one of them retailed by Wilkinson Sword

[Captain John Jarrett]

So is it a Webley Government/Greene or a Webley-Pryse? Your heading says one and your post another.

 Either way definetly not junkers!!! First rate firearms of all types & the Webley bug has bitten me big time.
 But cut your fellows some slack, the largest portion of Americans know nothing about Webley or their history
and being they are of British origin they don't care to.

 If you don't already have the new Webley Solid Frame Revolvers MP, RIC, & No.5 Models book by Joel Black I can't stress enough how much you will appreciate reading it. Also recommend Joel's earlier Webley book on the British Bulldog & Pugs. Each will run about $75 from places like Amazon.

 Do you have any pics. of your new family members?

John.

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[PJ Hardtack]

My gun is a Webley-Pryse. In "The Revolver - 1865-1888" by AWF Taylerson, he discusses the Pryse patent as it applies to Webley revolver actions, not the frame lock.
The 'pinch' frame lock was not covered under the patent and widely copied by the British and Continental gun trade.

A pal had a pristine cased nickle plated 'Webley-Pryse' with the Holland & Holland name on it and on the case lid label. It even had 50 originals rds in the case block. He foolishly fired off 6 of them one day in a fit of willful stupidity. C'est dommage ... ;>(  It could have been mine but for the lack of $1500, a small fortune at the time.

The RICs (their Custer connection notwithstanding) have never much appealed to me or some of the bird's head Webleys. An ex-wife once had a collection of 24 Brit revolvers, all .450/.455s. Alas, when we parted the guns were sold off, many of them going to a collector in NZ.

Capt. John - the buddies I'm talking about are Canucks, not Americans. Many are not as historically aware as you might want to think, knowing more about US history and guns than their own, thanks to the movies.

Once I learn how, I'll be delighted to show off the whole fam damily of .455s I'm blessed to own.  I'll be singing "We're Soldiers of the Queen, m'boys ...","We're marching to Praetoria ...", and "Rule Britannia, Britannia rules the waves ...."

[PJ Hardtack]

Sir Charles

I found a back copy of November 2008 'Handloader' with an article on the .476 Enfield MK III cartridge. When was the article you mentioned published?

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

I wrote a letter to the editor that was unpublished.  I can't find that either.

I was googling and found this site.  Wilkinson Sword was one of the major retailers of Victorian era arms;

http://www.armsresearch.co.uk/Wilkinson%20Firearms/Wilkinson%20Firearms.html

[Captain John Jarrett]

The gent who runs that site is Richard Milner and for a small fee he can look up your revolver in the Webley records that he has available and may be able to provide information of when it was sold and to whom. If he can not find anything on your particular revolver he does not charge you.