Help please on Enfield .455 pistol info....

S

Shorthair

New member
Here's one for the Webley fans.
Father-in-law brought back from WW2 an Enfield in .455, Webley MkVI pattern weapon. He and his unit used .45 ACP in the revolver, which they headspaced by crimping the rim on the case enough to keep the round from falling through the chamber. It wasn't an issued weapon, it happened to pass through a couple of more unfortunate hands before he "inherited" it. A previous owner had ditched the factory grips and replaced them with aircraft plexiglass, which he used as a means of displaying his girl's picture.
I'm curious as to why I can find no info on this version of the weapon. I have found that Webley made .455 MKVIs through 1926-27, when production of British sidearms moved to Enfield. Enfield then began producing a scaled down MKVI in .38, but I can't find any evidence they made any .455's.
The rollmark on the side of the weapon has the Enfield Eagle logo, and the year 1926. Is it possible that this is some type of early Enfield prototype that happened to find its way to the battlefield on the continent?
Any info would be greatly appreciated.
 

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A note in "Small Arms of the World" - " some No 1-MK VI have been rechambered for the 45acp" they use the same 3 round clips of the 1917.The revolver was made in both W&S and Enfield.
 
The markings are genuine. There were even Wilkinson Sword models of MKVI 455s. The scary part is, I conservatively value that 455 at $8--.00-$1,000.00. Uncut 455s are rare. Personalized grips are funky but, period correct. E-mail me and I will give you some info.
 
Not many out there

I have a 1925 that was converted to 45acp. Information is very scanty on these but basically the Enfield Lock armory took over production of the MK6 Webley in 1921, it was then named in proper English Military chatter the No.1 Mark 6. Production lasted from 1921-1928 reportedly and only about 9,000 were made, webley made 300,000 Mk6s.
These Enfield guns were only issued to the british army, but Webley continued to make Mk6 revolvers for police and colonial orders, many with 4in barrels such as those issued to the South African rifles and the Irish police force after the peace treaty that freed the south.
Most of the Enfield models are in near perfect condition as they rarely saw much combat because they were withdrawn by WW2 and issued to rear eshilon units and replaced with 38s, though I sure quite a few were kept and used by soldiers that wanted a 45.

Ive hear of people mutilating 45acp rims to get them to function in 455 revolvers before. I have never heard of any problems from it, especially if standard loads were used.
 
I have a Webley in .455 that is in pristine condition. I bought the holster, belt, and lanyard from IMI. I shoot it using either Fiocci ammo or handloads. I got the brass and bullets from The Old Western Scrounger. Although the Fiocci cases are boxer primed and reloadable. OWS also has the RCBS bullet mould that is correct for this revolver as well as already cast bullets. I use a Lee Loader to produce my handloads.
 
I too, am a big fan of Webley's. My current stable is a 1926 Mark VI , converted to acp ,but pristine. I shoot auto rim ACP in it and it is very accurate.
My favorite Webley is a 1915 MK V , still .455 in which I used to shoot surplus ammo in until that went away. I got a good deal on 400 rounds of Fiocchi, I still have 300 rounds- and a set of dies and a 270grain truncated cone bullet mold !
I must confess the MK VI is the more accurate gun, BUT the MKV is way more fun with the 4" barrel and birds head grip!
I sold about 10 years ago a Webley - Prise target model, it was 1905 or so and I got a goodly sum for it!
 
Ahhh - the .455 ...... I still have my old MkVI - stripped and reblued (only cold) and it is quite something - even the sound when fired. :)

I use Fiocchi brass and load with 230 grain cast RN - works well enough for the odd occasions I shoot it. Slight sear problem with S/A but D/A is fine.


web_mkvi_s.jpg
 
Wilkinson Sword didn't MAKE Webleys, but retailed them to officers who also bought their swords there. They had some models made to their specs, and they weren't sold elsewhere. Finish was a high gloss blue, much nicer than the usual flat military blue. I believe the actions were also hand-honed for smoothness.

The Model 1905 and 1911 Wilkinson-Webleys looked about like MK. VI guns before the MK VI was introduced in 1915.

Winston Churchill had a Wilkinson-Webley Model 1892 as his first service handgun and used it along the NW Frontier of India. It was still in his family before the awful Handgun Act of 1997. I have no idea where his guns went after that. I hope they are in some museum.

Wilkinson still makes swords and commando knives as well as period reproduction 19th Century Bowie style hunting knives. www.wilkinsonsword.com

Lone Star
 
At one point, the British government thought Webley's was overcharging for the Mk VI and cancelled the contract, telling Enfield to "carry on". So that revolver was made at Enfield Lock RSAF, not Webley. (Remember that "Colt" Model 1911's were made by Springfield Armory?)

Many Mk VI's were converted after the war by U.S. importers to use .45 ACP in half-moon clips. The rear of the cylinder was turned down to allow space for the clips, but the chambers have no shoulders and the .45 ACP will fall through without the clip. These guns cannot be converted back to .455 without replacing the cyinder (very hard to get).

Not all were converted, though. If the gap between the rear of the cylinder and the frame is about 1/10 inch, yours has been. If it is around 1/16 inch, it is OK and unaltered.

As to firing .45 ACP by crimping the rims, that was done, both to shoot .45 ACP in the (unaltered) Webley .455 revolver and to fire 9mm in the .380 Enfield and Webley revolvers. In the British service especially, revolver ammo always came in the next supply convoy, so field expedients of that sort were common. Do not try to fire .45 ACP in an altered .455 Webley without clips; it could be dangerous.

Jim
 
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