Quote Originally Posted by Diabolical View Post
Thanks for the comments. Yes, the grips are secured each side with a screw. There are no machining marks visible on the grip frame, and the front end of the trigger guard is 'keyed' into the original frame very precisely. The rounding off of the edges of the grip frame all around match exactly that of what remains of the original frame, which as a model engineer myself would not have been an easy operation. It is a fact that there is no provenance with this pistol hence why I posted on here for any views and information. One point that has not been covered thus far though, why are there no patent markings on it? What is the likelihood of a Mk1 with that serial number having etched markings on it that have long worn off...
If the pistol had been earmarked by Webley's for "chopping about", why would they go to the trouble of putting patent markings on it, surely the frame and bits would have gone straight up to the design shop in a fairly unfinished format. That might also explain why the safety catch block is missing ( or it was removed as being surplus to requirements ( or maybe by this time in the designing process, webley had already made the decision to lose the safety catch?) The thing that bothers me, is why the barrel catch has been redesigned in such a crude way. If Webley was testing the feasibility of a new grip shape, they would have just used a standard barrel catch wouldn't they, since there would have been thousands on hand at the factory ?
Either way, an unusual pistol to have in your collection.