Webley pistols with cut down barrels

[ggggr]

A lot of older Webley pistols seem to come with their barrels cut down.

What are your views on this?
Were they done because the end of the barrel was damaged?
Was it to make them look more modern?
OR (my view) They were cut so they would fit in a pocket easier without the barrel poking a hole in it?

If you have another idea, please post up.

[isobar]

i'd only considered the first two options but like your thinking about the third possibility,i think the pre war pistols look better with the longer sticky out barrel.the barrels all look better without the knerlling in my opinion.

[archer24]

Got a pre war a while ago, pretty sure it is a cut down as it shows saw or file marks,
Not whether to put on a straight or slant grip……

[rapidresponse1]

my mate had one that had been cut down

[lodmoor]

Are we talking straight grip here?
I personally have never seen one with a cut down barrel, when they went from straight to sloping grip (pre-war) they shortened the barrel, though I have a Senior circa 1939 with an overhang barrel. I assume from what is being said that we are talking of straight grip MK1s with their barrels cut down(?), my assumption would be Guy's third choice, to make them easier to pocket. Never seen a straight grip with a short or shortened barrel.

[greenwayjames]

Could be that the "shortened" barrels occur where the original got bent because the trigger hadnt engaged correctly and a later shorter replacement was fitted

[Abasmajor]

i'd only considered the first two options but like your thinking about the third possibility,i think the pre war pistols look better with the longer sticky out barrel.the barrels all look better without the knerlling in my opinion.

I would agree with the above and also prefer the pre-war Senior grips without the Webley logo moulded into them.

Brian

[archer24]

Me to, these are for my latest project.....

[johnbaz]

I've this Mk1 with a short barrel, I presumed the short barrel came from a later post war mk1





The barrel is reduced in dia at the breech end, Not sure if they all were but I don't recall it being so on a straight grip mk1 that I traded some years ago




This is the one I traded, I'm not sure but it may also have been turned at the breech..



After the terrible reblue I gave it and ready to rebuild!!




John

[isobar]

a later slant grip barrel replacement is another possibility John though i'm leaning toward cutting them back to make them "more modern"my mk1 has the turned down barrel at the breech also.

[archer24]

Finally finished mine, shoots really well, it has a mk2 Premier piston which works well...
Serial no 44900, only 6 away from the above one. ��

[isobar]

Finally finished mine, shoots really well, it has a mk2 Premier piston which works well...
Serial no 44900, only 6 away from the above one. ��

good to know about the interchangable piston,i wouldn't have thought that would be the case.