I just bought a Webley IV .38 myself. It is a war time gun, evidently.

To cut to the chase, how hard is it to replace the pawl with one from a parts house and have the gun work properly?

I'm somewhat mechanically inclined, but I've never pulled apart and reassembled a revolver.

With my pistol the cylinder does not quite lock up when cocked for single action. We're talking a millimetre or less of rotation to get it the rest of the way. If the hammer is held back and the trigger pulled then it will advance that little extra bit and lock up. Looking at it the tip of the pawl appears to be worn, with a slight step or notch in it.

I'm supposed to be getting an RMA replacement from the dealer, but he has stopped responding to emails, so I am exploring the option of fixing it myself if he leaves me hanging.