Brothers James and Philip Webley would together start what would become the most successful English revolver company to be established in England. James, the elder Webley, was born in 1807 and established himself in the trade by the time that his younger brother Philip (born in 1813) was done with his apprenticeship as a gunmaker. Both Webleys initially worked as gunlock filers and gunlock makers, as well as “percussioners”, and by the mid-1830s were working together in that capacity on Weaman Street in Birmingham. James Webley was also working on producing his own complete firearms to sell under his own name, and by 1835 had a retail outlet at 14 St. Mary’s Row in St. Mary’s Square. In 1838 young Philip “acquired” the gun implement making company of William Davis by marriage to his daughter Caroline. Davis, a noted bullet mold and implement maker has passed away in 1831 and his wife Sarah and his daughter Caroline had continued to run the business until Philip married into the family. From that point, the Webley story centered on the old Davis business location at 84 Weaman Street and would eventually expand to include #81-#91 Weaman Street. 

By 1845, at the age of 32, Philip was in a position to purchase the business from Davis’ widow. By the early 1850s the Webley brothers were producing, both alone and in joint venture, a variety of small arms including single shot percussion pistols, various repeating pistols such as pepperboxes, “transitional” pistols and early single and double action revolver designs, as well as “ships pistols”, muskets and various long arms. Their customer list included the two largest and most important gun buyers of the era in England, the Honorable Board of Ordnance (the British Military) and the Honorable East India Company; whose private army protected the company’s investments around the world and was one of the largest and best-equipped forces in the world at that time. 

In 1853 the genesis of what would be the most lucrative part of the Webley business going forward occurred; James Webley’s design patents were filed for what would become known as the Webley “Long Spur” Revolver. The patent was number 743, granted March 29, 1853, for a new single action revolver design. The revolver was a percussion ignition handgun with a unique grip angle and a long, low, extended hammer spur that made the cocking of the action very fast and easy. The “Long Spur” was a handcrafted elegant piece, which was exceptionally well made within the limitations of a small format manufacturing business of the time. However, the quality that went along with master craftsmen building the guns by hand meant two things; the interchangeability of parts was limited at best and the guns tended to be expensive. As a result, the Webley’s had a hard time competing with their biggest competitor in single action revolvers, Samuel Colt. Colt had established his manufactory in London in 1851 after The Great Exhibition, and the Webley’s could not compete with the Colt products on the basis of price, as the Colt revolvers were manufactured on the basis of interchangeable parts with an assembly line system. This motivated Philip in particular to pursue both theories of modern production and put significant effort and monies into the building of interchangeable parts guns in an assembly line fashion. 

In 1856 James Webley died, and Philip was left to lead the company forward. The following year Colt closed his London manufactory and left Philip Webley in the unique position of being able to fill the void left by the closing of the Colt plant. Webley had himself taken out two revolver patents in 1853 (#305 on February 4th and 2127 on September 14) for “improvements to revolver lock mechanisms” and these patents would form the basis for his famous “Wedge Frame” revolvers that would help establish Webley as a premier maker of English double-action handguns. 

In 1860 Webley’s two sons Thomas and Henry joined the company and it was renamed P. Webley & Son, with locations in Birmingham and London. Over the next few decades, Webley would become the premier English revolver maker, eclipsing his original primary competitors, Robert Adams and William Tranter. Webley introduced a wide variety of successful revolver designs as well as a line of semi-automatic handguns that were introduced after the turn of the century. In 1877 the firm began to absorb several large, old time Birmingham gunmakers with the acquisition of Tipping & Lawden. In 1897 they acquired Richard Ellis & Company and the long-time firm W. & C. Scott. At that time, the firm changed their name to The Webley & Scott Revolver & Arms Company. 

It was with the introduction of their first double action, centerfire metallic cartridge revolver designs in the latter part of the 1860s the Webley firm really came into its own. The Webley firm had previously produced both pinfire and rimfire cartridge revolvers, but it was the centerfire cartridge that brought reliable, reloadable stopping power to their handgun designs. Initially the firm offered “dual ignition” revolvers with both a center fire and a percussion cylinder, allowing the user to switch to percussion if cartridges were not readily available. In 1867 they introduced their Royal Irish Constabulary model (R.I.C.), which would go on to be extremely successful. These solid frame, double action, cartridge revolvers were made available in a variety of caliber and barrel lengths and in addition to being adopted by the Royal Irish Constabulary in 1868 were also adopted by the most of the Australian state governments for their police forces as well. Next Webley introduced their “Bull Dog” Models, a large bore pocket revolver aimed at the civilian market. Other solid frame models included their Army Express revolver.

However, Webley was not content to rest upon his laurels and while his solid frame revolvers experienced great success he worked on the development of hinged frame revolvers that featured simultaneous cartridge extraction. The first model introduced would be in conjunction with the Edmund Woods patent around 1870 and would be known as the Webley-Woods model. As design improvements were incorporated, new lines of Webley “top break” revolvers would be introduced, usually in association with patent improvements of a secondary designer. These would include the Webley-Pryse (based upon Charles Pryse’s patent circa 1876), Thornton & Kaufman patents resulting in the Webley-Kaufman circa 1881, new patents by Henry Webley in 1883, the Webley-Wilkinson circa 1892. The Pryse patent introduced the “rebounding hammer” to Webley revolvers, a safety mechanism whereby the hammer immediately returned to a safe, “half cock” position after being fired. This kept the firing pin from being able to contact the primer of cartridge, even if the revolver was dropped. A similar design was patented by Smith & Wesson about a year later in 1877, and the rebounding hammer remained the primary safety system in double action revolvers until the introduction of frame mounted firing pins with transfer bar safety systems during the 20^th century. 

One of Webley’s most successful late 19^th century designs was known as the Webley “WG” Model and was produced in a Target and Army model. The model made minor improvements upon the action and locking systems of the prior Pryse and Kaufman models, but Webley held all pertinent patents. The first “WG” models were introduced in 1885 and were manufactured in .476 for a black powder cartridge, but subsequent models would be designed for the new British military cartridges. The first model to bear the actual marking “WG” on the gun was introduced in 1889, and according to Webley stood for “Webley-Green”, although some references say it means “Webley Government”. I defer to the Webley-Green designation, as that is the one used in The Webley Story by William Dowell, the definitive work on the guns and the company. In 1892 Target and Army variants of the “WG” were introduced, primarily in .476/.455, capable of utilizing both the older .476” black powder military cartridge and the newly introduced .455 Mk1 cartridge of 1891, also a black powder round. The “WG” revolvers produced circa 1892-1895 had birds head shaped grips. In 1896 the “WG” Target model was introduced, with a 7 ½” barrel, 6-shot fluted cylinder, adjustable sights and checkered wood grips with a square butt, replacing the bird’s head profile. To the causal eye it was not significantly different than any of its immediate predecessors but again included some very minor improvements in action and locking systems. 

Interestingly Webley had experimented with a frame-mounted firing pin on the “WG” models circa 1893, but with the Target model the firm returned to the conventional firing pin on the hammer face. The companion model to the “WG” Target was the “WG” Army Model. The Army model had a 6” barrel, fixed sights and was intended for sale to army officers who had to provide their own uniforms, equipment and firearms. These were the last of the revolvers to be produced under the P. Webley company name, as the acquisition of W. & C. Scott in 1897 resulted it the creation of the Webley & Scott company, and all arms produced after that merger would be so marked. For the collector of Webley arms in the United States, that means that all P. Webley marked guns are of pre-1899 manufacture (produced on or before December 31, 1898) and thus are regarded as antique rather than modern firearms in the eyes of the Federal Government and the BATFE. 

The success of the Webley company continued through the Great War, but the enactment of the UK Firearms Act of 1920 significantly restricted English gun ownership, making it difficult for the average Englishmen to own a firearm. As a result, the firm’s sales of handguns was significantly curtailed due to the new restrictions, with their only major handgun customer becoming the British military, who maintained the Webley & Scott revolvers as their standard sidearm until 1964. As a result of the new business model that they were forced to work with, the firm searched for other markets to explore. 

In 1924 they entered the air gun market and remain a major player in that field today. They also expanded their line of sporting arms, becoming a well-regarded maker of high-end shotguns and double rifles. Webley & Scott has passed through a number of hands since the mid-1900s and remains in business today making high grade sporting arms and air guns.

From a developmental standpoint, Webley “WG” Model 1896 was an important revolver as it bridged the gap between the older black powder .476” Enfield military cartridge, the newer black powder .455 Webley Mk I of 1891 and the newly adopted .455 Webley Mk II of 1897 using cordite instead of black powder as its propellant. Although the designations do not really indicate this, all utilized a .454” bullet with a .476” neck diameter and had a nominal base of .480” with a .535” rim. Even the truly obsolete .450 Adams (or .450 Tranter) was for all practical purposes interchangeable with these newer cartridges. The Mk I had the longest overall length at 21.7mm, the old .476 had a 21.65mm overall length and the new Mk II had a 19.3mm overall length. The Mk II round would be the primary British military handgun cartridge from 1897 to 1898 and from 1900 to 1912. The Mk III was only in use temporarily, as the hollow point bullet design was a violation of the 1899 Hague Convention. The Mk II utilized a 265-grain solid lead round nosed bullet, propelled by 6.5 grains of cordite and traveling at about 650 fps and generating about 250 ft/lbs. of energy, making it comparable to a modern .45 ACP target load. While the stopping power of the older .476 and Mk I cartridges and the new Mk II cartridge were essentially equivalent, it was the differences in the pressure curves between the old black powder cartridges and the new cordite ones that were reflected in the strength of the 1896 “WG” Target and Army Model revolvers.

Offered here is a VERY FINE condition example of a Webley “WG” Model 1889 Army Revolver. The top strap is clearly marked:

“WG” MODEL 1889

The top of the barrel rib is clearly marked by the retailer:

ARMY & NAVY C S L

The Army & Navy Co-operative Society LTD (Army & Navy CSL) was established in 1871 by a group of British military officers from both the army and the navy (the “senior service”) who felt they were paying too much to acquire wine and other luxuries for their officer’s messes. The theory was simple; by combining the purchasing power of a number of officers they could acquire good in large quantiles and purchase them at wholesale. This private purchasing consortium can be thought of as the 19^th century version of modern membership-based wholesale clubs like Sam’s Club and Costco. Initially membership was limited to army and navy officers, non-commissioned officers and their families. However, the club soon expanded to allow British civil servants to join, as well as members of the various elite “Gentleman’s Clubs” and eventually friends of members who made an “introduction” on their friend’s behalf. The firm quickly expanded to a large department store style retailer that specialized in providing everything an English gentleman officer might need for his service, whether in garrison or on campaign. Products included everything from mess gear, personal items like mirrors and shaving gear, to luggage and campaign furniture and even more substantial furniture that might be used in a garrison setting. Some of the designs were so popular and the quality of these Army & Navy CSL contracted items was so good that even retailers like Harrod’s often offered Army & Navy CSL products for sale. In 1873 the firm added firearms to its product line and sold large numbers of sidearms to military officers as well as high end sporting arms like bespoke shotguns and dangerous game rifles.

The right side of the frame is marked with the serial number 1744 and the last three digits of the serial number, 744, are also stamped inside the rear face of the cylinder. The left side of the frame is marked 

WEBLEY

PATENTS

in a two-line arched cartouche and the winged “Webley & Son” bullet logo is stamped to the rear of the patent marking. The gun has no caliber marking but was chambered for the standard British military revolver cartridge of the period, the Enfield MkII .455. As such, it will also accept the earlier Enfield MkI .455 as well as the even earlier MkII .476 from the Enfield revolver period of the 1880s.

The gun has a 6” ribbed octagonal barrel, fixed sights and checkered Vulcanite grips with a the very attractive “bird’s head” grip profile found on these early production “WG” revolvers. The gun is 100% original and correct in every way. The gun retains about 65%+ of its original blued finish overall, much of which has faded, thinned, dulled and worn. The frame retains the largest amount of bright blue, with the barrel showing the largest areas of finish loss and wear, most notably a thumb sized patch of worn blue on the right side of the barrel. The frame retains about 75%+ of its original blue with most of the loss due to thinning and high edge wear. The barrel retains about 50%+ of its original blue, mixed with a grayish patina where the finish has worn away. The cylinder retains about 35%+ bright blue, mostly in the flutes and protected areas. The flutes are the typical “church steeple” shaped flutes found on the early “WG” revolvers, which are somewhat pointed at their ends. The other large areas of loss are the front strap and backstrap of the pistol, which retains only some strong traces of blue, with a lightly oxidized brown patina with hints of plum and some freckled patches of minor surface roughness. The metal is almost completely smooth with only some tiny areas of freckled surface roughness shot through the blue on the revolver and some lightly scattered pinpricking here and there, primarily on the face of the cylinder, muzzle and on the frame around the forcing cone. A pair of tiny Birmingham commercial proof marks are present on the upper angled barrel flats on either side of the frame, just forward of the top strap. The revolver is mechanically FINE condition and functions perfectly in every way. The revolver times and indexes correctly and locks up tightly. The action functions crisply in both single and double action modes, and the barrel catch secures the top-break revolver tightly as it should. The thumb catch releases the barrel as it should and the automatic extractor functions smoothly and correctly when the barrel is lowered. The original sight notch is in place at the top rear of the barrel catch, and the original front sight blade is in place in the base on the top of the barrel near the muzzle. The bore of the revolver rates about FINE as well and remains mostly bright with sharp 7-groove Metford patent rifling its entire length. The bore shows only lightly scattered oxidation and pinpricking along its length and some frosting in the grooves. The original oval lanyard ring is in place in the butt of the revolver and moves smoothly and easily. The two-piece checkered Vulcanite grips are also in FINE condition. This is uncommon on these guns as the grip’s pointed shape, when combined with the fragile nature of Vulcanite as it ages, makes it very difficult to fine these grips without any chips, cracks or breaks. However, these grips are solid and complete with no breaks, cracks or repairs noted. The grips do show some minor wear and flattening to the checkering, as well as some very minor handling marks. The lovely condition of the grips matches the condition of the revolver very well, showing real world carry and use but absolutely no abuse. 

Overall, this is an extremely nice example of a desirable late 19^th century Webley “WG” Model 1889 Army Revolverin FINE condition. These workhorse revolvers were quite popular with British military officers from their introduction through the first quarter of the 20^th Century, with many remaining in use right through the era of the Great War. This is exactly the type of revolver that a British officer might have carried during the Boxer Rebellion in China (1899-1901), the Second Boer War in South Africa (1899-1902) and of course the Great War (World War I 1914-1918). This revolver is more than fine enough to be part of a quality British revolver collection but would also be a wonderful “shooter” for the revolver enthusiast who like to shoot obsolete and military style revolvers. As .455 Webley Mk II ammunition is still available both in antique original loadings and from Fiocchi in modern loadings, it would be fun to try this old revolver out. The tight action and crisp bore suggest that this would be a fun antique revolver for the firing range. The somewhat heavy double action trigger is very smooth, and the single action pull is fairly crisp. The sight picture is very clear and the bird’s head grip frame is very comfortable to hold. Overall, this is a really nice Webley “WG” Army Model with more than enough finish to qualify as “fine”, but not so minty that you would be afraid to take it out and use it some. I’m sure you will enjoy adding this attractive gun to your collection of British or 19^th century cartridge revolvers.