Original British Victorian Webley No.5 .360cf Revolver with "Church Steeple" Cylinder by P. Webley & Son - Serial 82759
Item Description
Original Item: Only One available. The "Webley Revolver" is one of the most famous revolver designs to ever come out of Britain, and saw use from the 1880s until the 1970s. Once the Mark 1 was introduced in 1887, replacing the much-maligned Enfield revolver, the design was used throughout the British empire. The double action design survived the introduction of smokeless powder, rimless cartridges, and semi-automatic pistols.
However, Webley had produced pistols since 1853, and had introduced their first double action design in 1867. At that time, their revolvers were designated with "Numbers" instead of the later "Marks" adopted from the British military. Designed in the late 1870s was the No.5 revolver, designed to compete with Colt's "Single Action Army" design. It was a solid frame design, without the "top break" frame and ejector that made the Mark I so Iconic. It was originally produced in .455 caliber, able to take the Colt .45, Enfield .476, and Webley .455 cartridges without issue. Later, a smaller frame model was made to fire .360 Centerfire, also known as .360 No. 5 Rook.
Our example here marked is marked on left side of the frame with the maker, model, and serial number information:
WEBLEY'S
No. 5
.360CF
"Winged Bullet"
W & S
82759
The rear of the cylinder is marked 759, so it has not been swapped out over the years. The cylinder bears British Birmingham CROWN / CROSSED SCEPTER proof marks on the side, one for each cylinder. It also has the retailer information stamped on top of the frame over the cylinder:
P. WEBLEY & SON
BIRMINGHAM
The revolver features checkered wood grips terminating in a butt cap with an attached lanyard lanyard loop. It is fitted with a rare 4 1/2" barrel (most were 5"), and a desirable early pattern "Church Steeple" cylinder that instead of having flutes in the cylinder resembled six sticks of dynamite grouped together. The inlets in the cylinder terminate with an angular design similar to a Church steeple. These were very popular in the late Victorian era with officers looking for a smaller form factor revolver.
The revolver now has a polished bright patina overall, but looking at some parts, we can see traces of nickel plating on the grip frame, ejector, and at various other places on the revolver. It looks like long service eroded the plating, which is present now only in traces. The wood checkered grips show light overall wear, but no major chips or damage. The bore still shows rifling, but also shows wear and oxidation consistent with long service. We cycled the revolver and did not notice any issues in double or single action. The loading get opens correctly, and the ejector is still functional, stored inside the cylinder arbor pin when not in use.
A great example of a famous private purchase service revolver. Fully operational and ready to Display.
Specifications:
Year of Manufacture: circa 1890
Caliber: .360 No 5 Rook
Ammunition Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Overall Length: 9 inches
Barrel Length: 4 1/2 inches
Action: External Hammer Double/Single Action
Feed System: 6 Shot Revolver
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This product is not available for shipping in US state(s)
New Jersey
This product is not available for international shipping.
IMA considers all of our antique guns as non-firing, inoperable and/or inert. Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 921(a)(16) defines antique firearms as all guns made prior to 1899. This law exempts antique firearms from any form of gun control or special engineering because they are not legally considered firearms. No FFL, C&R or any license is required to possess, transport, sell or trade Antique guns. All rifles and muskets sold by IMA that were manufactured prior to 1899 are considered Antiques by the US BATF (United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms). Therefore, all of IMA's Antique guns may be shipped to most US States and most U.S. territories.
These antique guns are not sold in "live" condition, and are not tested for the the ability to feed or load any type of cartridge. They are sold as collector's items or as "wall hangers" not for use, and we make no guarantees regarding functionality aside from what is stated in the description. Any attempt at restoring an antique gun to be operational is strongly discouraged and is done so at the risk of the customer. By purchasing an antique gun from IMA you thereby release IMA, its employees and corporate officers from any and all liability associated with use of our Antique guns.
Pre-1899 Manufacture, no licenses required, allowed to ship to most addresses within the United States.
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