Webley Mark IV .380 Restoration Project

[peregrinvs]

Hi,

Pics attached of a currently incomplete and faulty Webley MkIV I am hoping to restore as far as UK law will allow. (It is of course deactivated) So far, there are two problems to overcome…

The first is obviously missing parts. I have found a UK dealer with a pair of grips which are now on order. I do however also require the following parts - using the names in the 1947 parts ID list posted on this forum:

Cam lever fixing screw
Cylinder stop axis pin
Cylinder stop
Cylinder stop spring
Plunger
Plunger pin
Plunger spring

Or to summarise, I need a cam lever fixing screw plus a complete cylinder stop assembly plus the pin that holds it in the frame. I am aware of three overseas suppliers that stock Webley MkIV parts: Apex Gun Parts, Numrich and Marstar. Apex have 6 of the 7 parts required, but Murphy’s Law will get you every time and dispiritingly they have “***WE DO NOT ACCEPT INTERNATIONAL ORDERS***” emblazoned on their website. Ho-hum. Between them Numrich and Marstar have 5 of the 7 parts required, but this obviously involves rather more hassle and expense. E.g. Numrich charge an additional $25 for processing international orders. Ho-hum again.

So a couple of questions; Is anyone aware of any other sources of Webley MkIV parts that will ship to the UK? Alternatively; are there any US legal ways of getting the parts from Apex to the UK via an intermediary? (Such as a US dealer who will export ‘non sensitive’ gun parts) Or is anyone reading who happens to have any of these parts for sale?

The second problem is that the action is currently faulty and I have yet to strip it down to see if I can diagnose the problem. The symptoms are that on single action the hammer will go back most of the way but won’t cock. On double action the hammer will go back so far, but not ‘trip’. (Plus the cylinder needs to be helped to rotate at the same time) I was wondering if anyone familiar with Webley actions could give me some pointers as to what the problem is likely to be and how it might be fixed? Also; are there any gunsmiths in the UK with the expertise to mend it should it be beyond my skills?

For those that appreciate such details, it’s a ‘WAR FINISH’ marked WWII example with matching serial numbers. The number is 105*** which I believe dates it to 1943. I bought it because it was about 1/3 of the market rate and did so in the knowledge that it may not be possible to properly restore it, but I am willing to give it my best shot.

Any help very gratefully accepted.

Thanks,

Mark
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[Brit plumber]

Fine fettling the Webley will be fun, I think Peter L could give you tips but Its not easy to explain over the web. The parts you have inside are probably not original to that gun so will all need adjusting or maybe replacing if they have been adjusted for another gun. You could try Helston gunsmiths in the UK, they sell Webley kits but may also have spares too.

[Peter Laidler]

You are about to learn all about fine fitting! Shame you didn't ask me while you were at Warminster, we were knee deep in parts! Like I commented in the Skennerton Revolver book.......... The mere notion that parts were interchangeable was ludicrous. Some good Armourers were good at them, others, like me, were useless and couldn't get rid of them quick enough. Or you'd concentrate on what you knew and let the others do the revolvers.....

[peregrinvs]

'Fine fitting' eh? That sounds a little scary. I have some experience of disassembling, cleaning, reassembling and swapping gun parts, but nothing very technical.

Give it to me straight chaps: is it fixable without throwing vast quantities of money and technical expertise at it, or should I just get some grips so it looks right and call it a holster filler? Such is the rate of deact price inflation in the UK these days that I'm not worried about selling it at a loss in the future.

[Peter Laidler]

Once you get the parts, then it's EASILY fixable but just do it carefully and slowly. I'd do it in a couple of hours but that's a) because I'm crap and b) from experience, I know that like a No4 bolt assembly, everything that moves on a revolver is interrelated with something else. So you always have to take into account what's coming next (with the cylinder stop for example.....) Repro grips are ten a penny and all of the screws should be easily/readily available from stock sizes.

[peregrinvs]

all of the screws should be easily/readily available from stock sizes.

That sounds hopeful. How do I find out what exact sizes they are? (Ditto the springs and pins) It occurred to me that I could commission an outfit like Evans Custom Screw and Machine to make some parts if I could supply them with the exact specs.

[Peter Laidler]

I suspect that they are all BA sizes but I wouldn't bet on it. But on the basis that it ain't shootin' nothin' again, I'd open/thread then to the closest BA size anyway. Screw problem fixed! Surely Fultons would know where to get Webley revolver internal parts - no? What about Numrich?

[peregrinvs]

Update: I have 'cut to the chase' and bought another incomplete Webley which has the internal parts I need. My plan is to cannibalise it, then sell it on for spares/repairs/restoration. It's a postwar police snub-nose model with safety catch like this:

http://www.gunauction.com/search/dis...temnum=8571907

Although the one I have has - oddly - had the lanyard ring post extended by about an inch. I have also ordered some replacement MkIV grips from Marstar.

None the less, many thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread with a special commendation to jmoore who was kind enough to measure a screw for me.

Cheers,
Mark

[peregrinvs]

Pics attached of the parts donor: a postwar pocket MkIV with cross-bolt safety.

I'm idly curious about the extended lanyard ring post. The only thing I can think of is that someone decided to fit it with a pair of standard size MkIV grips. Does anyone have any other ideas?

Cheers,
Mark

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