Lt Colonel Gerald Smyth Posted 4 September , 2012 Author Share Posted 4 September , 2012 Re: the .455 Webley Self Loading pistol, I would certainly say my favourite pistol but unfortunarely not the best. I have owned and shot one frequently in days gone by and it is a beautifully made pistol. The angled locking lugs on the barrel extension slide in the receiver cuts like silk, but that is not a benefit when stripping the pistol in the mud at the bottom of a trench. As Khaki says, the revolver was far better suited to the conditions. Regards TonyE Pardon my ignorance but I've never heard of that one before? I know Winston Churchill carried a Colt 45 in the trenches and indeed afterwards, giving his police bodyguard one out of his private collection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoppage Drill Posted 4 September , 2012 Share Posted 4 September , 2012 Versions of it were issued in limited numbers to RHA as a carbine, and to RFC. A smaller 7.65 Browning/.32 ACP Webley of similar scaled down appearance (and considerably different operating system) was widely issued to police forces. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, orf course, but all the Webley autos were plug-ugly, to mee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyE Posted 4 September , 2012 Share Posted 4 September , 2012 The Webley .455 inch Self Loading pistol was adopted by the Royal Navy in 1912 and as Stoppage Drill says some were issued to the RHA wit a detachable butt stock and also to the RFC but the numbers were minimal. We then purchased several thousand Colt Government Model pistols chambered for the .455 Webley round and these stayed in service wioth the RAF through WW2. Pictures show pistol and S.L. round compared to revolver round. Regards Tonye Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunner Bailey Posted 5 September , 2012 Share Posted 5 September , 2012 I've always thought the Webley auto v the Colt 1911 may have been a bit like the Betamax Vs VHS scenario. I understood the Webley may have been more accurate but the Colt could be bought in larger numbers and was also a good pistol. I've never fired a Webley auto but if they were made as well made as the revolvers I'm sure they were decent pistols. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lt Colonel Gerald Smyth Posted 9 September , 2012 Author Share Posted 9 September , 2012 The Webley .455 inch Self Loading pistol was adopted by the Royal Navy in 1912 and as Stoppage Drill says some were issued to the RHA wit a detachable butt stock and also to the RFC but the numbers were minimal. We then purchased several thousand Colt Government Model pistols chambered for the .455 Webley round and these stayed in service wioth the RAF through WW2. Pictures show pistol and S.L. round compared to revolver round. Regards Tonye Looks rather like a cross between the Colt 45 and Luger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikB Posted 9 September , 2012 Share Posted 9 September , 2012 Looks rather like a cross between the Colt 45 and Luger I can see where you're comin' from, but the grip angle doesn't look as if it'd point as naturally as the Luger - in fact it looks as if it's designed to give the recoil maximum leverage against the shooter's wrist. Regards, MikB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyE Posted 9 September , 2012 Share Posted 9 September , 2012 Looks rather like a cross between the Colt 45 and Luger The action is entirely different to both though. Whereas the Colt has a tipping barrel to unlock the ribs of the barrel from the slide, the Webley locks the rear barrel extension to the slide which then recoil together. The barrel has 45 degree inclined lugs which ride in matching grooves in the frame so that as it recoils it is lowered and unlocked from the slide. Despite the angle of the grip it is actually quite a comfortable pistol to fire. Regards TonyE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4thGordons Posted 9 September , 2012 Share Posted 9 September , 2012 I know it is not the case and is an artefact of the shape of the pistol and the way they are photographed, but every picture of the Webley SLPs I have seen makes them looked curved downward at the barel to me. I think it is because the round barrel projects from the square (cross section) body, accentuated by the relatively wide angle lenses typically used to photograph them! Nothing to do with the subject matter on hand but... Right, I think I'll get out in the fresh air for a bit.... Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyE Posted 9 September , 2012 Share Posted 9 September , 2012 There is nothing droopy about my armament, young 4th Gordons! Cheers tonye Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calibre792x57.y Posted 9 September , 2012 Share Posted 9 September , 2012 Tony - I seem to recall the problem with the SL Webleys was the grips used to break up with extensive use and these were difficult to find. Some one did produce a replacement but these broke up even quicker than the originals. I owned and fired both in 0.455 Eley Auto but preferred the Colts. Cheers - SW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4thGordons Posted 9 September , 2012 Share Posted 9 September , 2012 There is nothing droopy about my armament, young 4th Gordons! Cheers tonye Perish the thought! and I did see that you posted in the thread below about the potential dangers of firing antique arms.....citing your own experience no less. Right -- back to sorting out the shed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyE Posted 10 September , 2012 Share Posted 10 September , 2012 Is your shed in any way related to the Tardis, Chris? Have you checked the interior dimensions against the exterior? The material that Webley used to make their grips is Vulcanite IIRC, and seems from new to have suffered from stress failures and chipped easily. It often affected their self loading pistols whatever the calibre and I have seen a number of revolvers with a corner chipped off the grips. I hae not seen any of the replacement grips available in the U.S. Regards TonyE Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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