Original British Victorian Webley No.5 .360cf Revolver with “Church Steeple” Cylinder by P. Webley & Son – Serial 82759 Original Items

Original Item: Only One available. The “Webley Revolver” is one of the most famous revolver designs to ever come out of Britain, and saw use from the 1880s until the 1970s. Once the Mark 1 was introduced in 1887, replacing the much-maligned Enfield revolver, the design was used throughout the British empire. The double action design survived the introduction of smokeless powder, rimless cartridges, and semi-automatic pistols.

However, Webley had produced pistols since 1853, and had introduced their first double action design in 1867. At that time, their revolvers were designated with “Numbers” instead of the later “Marks” adopted from the British military. Designed in the late 1870s was the No.5 revolver, designed to compete with Colt’s “Single Action Army” design. It was a solid frame design, without the “top break” frame and ejector that made the Mark I so Iconic. It was originally produced in .455 caliber, able to take the Colt .45, Enfield .476, and Webley .455 cartridges without issue. Later, a smaller frame model was made to fire .360 Centerfire, also known as .360 No. 5 Rook.

Our example here marked is marked on left side of the frame with the maker, model, and serial number information:

WEBLEY’S
No. 5
.360CF
“Winged Bullet”
W & S
82759

The rear of the cylinder is marked 759, so it has not been swapped out over the years. The cylinder bears British Birmingham CROWN / CROSSED SCEPTER proof marks on the side, one for each cylinder. It also has the retailer information stamped on top of the frame over the cylinder:

P. WEBLEY & SON

BIRMINGHAM

The revolver features checkered wood grips terminating in a butt cap with an attached lanyard lanyard loop. It is fitted with a rare 4 1/2″ barrel (most were 5″), and a desirable early pattern “Church Steeple” cylinder that instead of having flutes in the cylinder resembled six sticks of dynamite grouped together. The inlets in the cylinder terminate with an angular design similar to a Church steeple. These were very popular in the late Victorian era with officers looking for a smaller form factor revolver.

The revolver now has a polished bright patina overall, but looking at some parts, we can see traces of nickel plating on the grip frame, ejector, and at various other places on the revolver. It looks like long service eroded the plating, which is present now only in traces. The wood checkered grips show light overall wear, but no major chips or damage. The bore still shows rifling, but also shows wear and oxidation consistent with long service. We cycled the revolver and did not notice any issues in double or single action. The loading get opens correctly, and the ejector is still functional, stored inside the cylinder arbor pin when not in use.

A great example of a famous private purchase service revolver. Fully operational and ready to Display.

Specifications: 

Year of Manufacture: circa 1890
Caliber: .360 No 5 Rook
Ammunition Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Overall Length: 9 inches
Barrel Length: 4 1/2 inches
Action: External Hammer Double/Single Action
Feed System: 6 Shot Revolver