If you have ever seen a movie where the actor has a revolver, opens it by a hinge and has the spent casings all pop out of it before reloading, chances are good that this is one of the various types of Webley revolver. I know I saw one in the most recent Sherlock Holmes movie and at the time, was pretty ignorant of what type of gun it was. Now I know.

Often touted as the last of the service revolvers, the Webley design dates back to near the end of the 19th century, when the British military was looking for a standardized hand gun to issue to their armed forces. At the time, the need was not huge, because the standing army and navy were not large. However, experience in the Boer War showed a need for a hard hitting hand gun for close quarter fighting and  requested a number of guns for evaluation. The gun chosen was the .455 calibre Webley.

Like all weapons, the Webley went through a number of modifications and improvements. So much so that the last to be manufactured had few if any parts interchangeable with the first production gun. Also many earlier guns were upgraded to the equivalent of later versions. With the coming of WWI, there was a huge demand for these revolvers and a huge number were produced. So popular and well made were the Webleys that they were still in demand when WWII came about. Many older guns were rebuilt and issued and while new subassemblies were produced, Webley had moved on to producing flare guns and .380 calibre revolvers.

The end of the war did not mean the end of the Webly as they continued to be used by the armed services well into the 1950s. Even today, the guns are not difficult to find and have been used by some military services as well as by criminals and terrorists.

Author Robert Maze tells us the sometimes convoluted story of the Webley Service Revolver from its inception to today's use. This includes all of the different variations and improvements made to the gun over its life time and has additional information on its use by the Irish Constabulary and the Shanghai Municipal Police. It all makes for another superb book and if you are interested in weapons, then this book is very much a must have. Highly recommended.

September 2012

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