Webley MKI .455

It looks like this?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Webley_MkI_P0.jpg


Mk Is are not at all common.

I THINK the Mk I was made between 1887 and 1892. A serial number in the 200,000 range sounds way too high, as I believe there were fewer than 15,000 Mk Is made before manufacture transitioned to the Mk II.

Warning.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU FIRE A MK I WITH SMOKELESS POWDER AMMUNITION!

When cordite was introduced in British service .455 in the late 1890s all revolvers from Mk I through M IV had to be withdrawn for service because they simply would not stand up to the smokeless loads.

NEVER shoot anything but black powder through an early Webley.
 
Yeah, I'm pretty sure all of the Marks were sequentially serial numbered, and that they didn't get above 200,000 until the Mk VI.
 
Actually, when you look you find a lot of articles about the jumping serial numbers on early Webleys. Like they started with 20,000, followed by a 50,000, going back to four digits etc. But I didn't find any mentioning of early versions with serial numbers over 100k.
 
I have a MkI, serial number 80x, so they likely started with 1. That makes a 200000 range seem odd. FWIW, mine still has the holster guide and recoil shield made as part of the frame.

Jim
 
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