Webley mark 1 pistol, box and bits.......

[edbear2]

Well.....you didn't think I could escape without buying something.Have been borrowing a Webley pistol to get back up to speed with 'shortys' lately, but I still really prefer rifles (find them easier to cock for one thing with my elbows)........any way, saw this and thought it looked like a pretty unmolested one compared to many I have seen......I have very little knowledge of these, I know its pre - war, but that's about it really, also know there would be more in the box originally, but the gun was the thing I wanted......the last number of the serial (47783) has been stamped upside down on both the frame AND the front bit?????.....I'ts a keeper, but an age and opinion on value would be appreciated from all you pistol guys out there please..(if only to tell me I paid too much)

(the box lid is missing 3 sides....has the end panel with calibre (.177) and model on only)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/3122848...7622071408005/

Oh, by the way......I posted in "non air rifles" about how men of a certain age did not get into long trousers until "big school".......this is me and mum in 1963........notice the early attempt at gun modification )

http://www.flickr.com/photos/3122848...77632/sizes/l/

[hwvixen]

Nice buy Eddie,

Wait till CRX comes along for (definative) price guide...but i'd have given £125 for it....if that helps...?

PS.Your old mother was quite a "looker"....can see where your handsome features come from.... you "cowboy",ATB,Chris.

[edbear2]

Nice buy Eddie,



PS.Your old mother was quite a "looker"....can see where your handsome features come from.... you "cowboy",ATB,Chris.

OY!...........She could out shoot my dad (at alton barracks)..with a pistol..(Webley .38) in her day, and taught me how to gas-weld!.....(used to work for the A.I.D. in the war).......Sadly departed now.

But cowboy, I WILL have to agree!...that's why I got a daisy 40 shot Winchester looky - likey BB gun for crimbo when I was 11 or 12 years old......I was mad on westerns!......I was king in any airgun battle with that thing.....especially when up against the kids from the next street, who's firepower was made up of gats and a couple of Diana tinplates firing darts....we used to have shootouts in the adjoining woods, with no consideration of shooting only at legs etc.....a hit anywhere and a squeal of pain was the order of the day!!!!!gawd knows how we all kept our eyes

[hwvixen]

EXCELLENT.....my old mom was a "Land Army" girl & trained welder too...This generation (& our's) don't know how lucky we are & what gratitude we owe our parents/grand parents for the "easy" life we know have...

I had a good chunter to my old Uncle last weekend & he didn't see his (new) wife for three & half years...till the war ended...God bless them all...& lets hope we never have to do it all again...sorry to go off the subject..but i've gone all nostalgic.. hope to see you (again) at the Rivi "do" in Nov.ATB,Chris.

[Josie & John]

Hi Eddie,

You have a clean and honest example of one of the last "Straight" grip Mark 1s to have been made before Webley streamlined the design with the switch to a "slant" grip in December 1935. Therefore yours probably dates from late 1934 or early 1935. She should strip from both ends and the "bits" you have make for an interesting and complete set. Shame about the box sides. Even so, I would estimate value at £180. These pistols shoot really well and you should get an immense amount of pleasure from the pistol.

Have fun in the States.

John

[edbear2]

Thanks to all for the information........I paid a little over the hundred mark for it, mainly due to it's unmessed with appearance, and more to the point, from thinking back as hard as I could about related threads on here.I wasn't really as sure of what I was doing, compared to my more normal purchases, but had a gut feeling that it was a fair to cheapish price.........so the moral is I suppose.......Read every thread on here, you never know when you need to refer back

On that note, was my feeling that £140 for that really nice Mercury was pretty much on the money I wonder?.......(I would have had it in a shot a couple of years ago, before I sold all of my 60's -70's stuff as it had the appearance that you normally only see in ones that have lived in boxes)

[CRX]

Hi Eddie

That is a very nice looking pistol that you have there.
In my opinion the criteria that I use when valuing Webley pistols is how well they have been maintained, and having looked at the screws and pins on yours there is no sign of anyone abusing yours in any way.
Bearing in mind that when we see these older guns, the original owners have often sadly departed and they are consequently handed them down to younger family members or sold at house clearances, where little respect is paid to them until they end up in one or the other of our collections, to be cossetted again until it is our time to depart!
On early Mk 1's the two areas that often let them down are the rear chamber screw, and the the barrel catch area, where the sear adjustment has been set too lightly and the barrel slams shut either when cocking, or gets shot with it open "Just for fun!"
Assuming that these areas are undamaged I would personally value the pistol in its apparent very good condition at £200 - £225.
With some light damage to the catch (because accidents do happen) I would say £180 - £200 dependent upon severity.
The boxes were particularly fragile and are rare to find with the label in excellent order as yours is, so overall I would say that you have a remarkable bargain there.

Atb. Robin.

[edbear2]

Hi Robin.....well that is a nice result......the barrel catch and rear of the barrel tube are totally unmarked, with the catch leading edge being as new,having only a very slight area where the blue has worn......who ever owned this obviously pulled back the catch every time on closing the barrel, or it has not been shot much! ........again, many thanks to all!!

[Prewar]

Eddie, it looks like a good one