Working The Webley “WG” Model Revolvers

The famous British arms maker Webley and Scott, formerly known as P. Webley & Son before it merged with W & C Scott, manufactured a wide range of revolvers starting in the late 19th century and up into the 20th. Webley produced quite a number of solid-framed revolvers, mainly with short barrels—under four inches in length—that included the wellknown Webley RIC (for Royal Irish Constabulary) revolver.

Another ofttalked about Webley solid frame was the popular and much-copied British Bulldog; a tiny, five shot, .450 caliber revolver designed for self-defense. Their early top break models, such as the WG Army Model began to appear in the late 1870s and were officially adopted by the British in 1887. One of the outstanding features the WG offered was its topbreak open barrel with automatic, simultaneous extraction of the fired cartridge casings.

The WG was chambered to accept the .476 Enfield cartridge used by its predecessor, the .476 Enfield Mk II, as well as the newly designed .455 cartridge, hence the .455/.476 caliber designation that appears on their barrels. These were at the head of along line of what would become the most well known of the British military revolvers. They were big, simple, robust, long-lived and dependable, large caliber pistols.

Indeed, Webley-designed, top-break revolvers ended up serving the Commonwealth well through many colonial conflicts and two World Wars before finally being phased out in 1964! As you begin to work on the WG, please take the time to note the lovely simplicity of its action and the truly fine machine work used to produce these component parts. The author has worked on a good many WG revolvers over the years and in my humble opinion this is the most robust and dependable of all the 19th century revolvers.

One other thing about the WG. If you have ever fired blackpowder cartridges in other 19th century revolvers or, perhaps especially, their clones, you will appreciate the way Webley mounted the cylinder on this model. The WG sports an ingenious gas ring system that was used to prevent the filthy blackpowder gases from getting into the cylinder axis and fouling the weapon. That was, and is, a common problem with almost all blackpowder cartridge revolvers.

Almost no matter how dependable the gun was propellant ended up being the gun’s weak point. After an undetermined number of shots the cylinders may seize up due to accumulated powder fouling gaining entrance into the cylinder axis points. When that occurs the shooter is left with little recourse other than to disassemble the cylinder so he can clean and lubricate the axis points before continuing with his shooting. This sort of ugly scene just never happens with a WG simply because it has, quite likely, the

most effective rotational gas block system ever devised for a revolver. I know some folks like to make fun of British firearms design but there is no denying that they sure got this one right. Disassembling The WG Unload. As we would before beginning any work with a firearm, let’s take steps to assure the revolver is unloaded. Hold the gun firmly by its grip, being careful not to touch the trigger (#9) while at the same time keeping the revolver pointed in what you have determined is a safe direction.

Now use your right thumb to push down on the barrel catch (#10). The thumb lever for the barrel catch is located on the left side of the frame, below and to the left of the hammer spur. While still holding the barrel catch down, push down on the front of the barrel using your other hand (#2), continue, allowing the barrel to swing open fully. As the barrel is in the process of opening you Just push down on the barrel catch thumbpiece as shown here, then push the barrel open with your other hand.

Doing this exposes the rear of the cylinder allowing the shooter instant access to the chambers. will note the automatic extraction system will eject any ammunition and/or spent cases that might have been left in the cylinder chambers. For safety’s sake, let’s be careful and remove any live ammunition to a separate location while you are working on the firearm. Removing the cylinder. Leave the barrel in the open position.

Unscrew and remove the cylinder retaining screw (#16), this screw has a fairly large slot because it was designed to be loosened with a coin so any soldier could easily remove it for cleaning. The cylinder assembly (#5) is now free, it may be pulled straight off from the rear of the barrel. Detailed disassembly instructions for the cylinder itself will be described below. Remove the barrel.

Unscrew and remove the barrel pivot screw (#31) from the left side of the hinge making careful note of its position for later assembly. Working from the left side of the hinge, use a small punch, push the barrel pivot pin (#29) out of the hinge from left to right. The barrel (#2) is now free and may be lifted up, out of the frame hinge.

You may now use a small pick to reach up into the barrel hinge area and pull down the extractor cam assembly (#17) being sure you take Take out the cylinder retaining screw, which is designed to be turned with a coin (a US nickel fits nicely) and pull the entire assembly off to the rear. Be careful when reinstalling to make sure the slot in the base pin faces "down" and that the base pin hole lines up with the holes in the barrel.

Dismantle the action. Unscrew and remove the grip (stock) screw (#25) and lift off the stocks (#40, left and right.) Unscrew and remove the two sideplate screws (#1), holding the revolver by the front of the frame over a padded workbench, use a wooden or plastic mallet to strike the left side of the grip frame a few short, sharp blows. This will loosen the sideplate enough to allow it to be lifted up and out of the frame. Never attempt to pry off a sideplate as damage will ensue.

Always use the "shock method" with a wooden or plastic mallet instead. Loosen the mainspring retainer screw (#13a) so that its flat edge is turned to a position that will allow the mainspring (#13) to be removed. While maintaining downward pressure on the "V" of the mainspring, slowly pull the spring out to the side then allow the spring to naturally open. As you remove the spring, make note of its position and where the two legs are meant to bear for correct assembly later.

The mainspring lever (#12) may now be lifted up and out of its seat in the frame. Remove it by working it out to the rear and as usual, making a note of its position as you unhook it from the stirrup (#8) at the back Take out its screw and lift off the catch. The barrel catch spring is held into a dowel hole in the recoil shield by tension. Removing the catch relieves the tension so the spring can be removed. of the trigger for correct reassembly later.

Pull the trigger (#9) to allow the hammer (#6) to rise while holding the trigger to the rear. The hammer can now be lifted up out of the frame off its pivot (#26.) Allow the trigger to move forward. Pay special attention now to the trigger assembly (#7, 9 and 11) and see how these parts engage each other. Hold the hand (#11) to the rear far enough so it can clear the edge of the frame, then carefully lift the trigger assembly (#9) up off its stud (#26) in the frame and out of the gun.

The hand will come out with its spring (#39) which is attached to the hand and acts to tension both the hand and sear. The barrel catch screw (#27) may now be unscrewed and removed, allowing the barrel catch (#10) to be slid toward the rear and off the frame. Note, when reassembling the barrel catch (#10) to the frame, use a pair of needle nose pliers that you have padded with leather to partially compress the barrel catch spring. Hold it out of the way while you install the barrel catch and its screw.

The barrel catch spring (#14) is held into the frame by a small dowel the fits into a hole in the right-rear of the recoil shield on the frame, it may now be lifted out of the frame. If required, the butt swivel (#23) may be removed by first driving out its retaining pin (not shown) and pull-

1 frame 2 barrel 4 extractor 5 cylinder 6 hammer 7 sear 8 stirrup 9 trigger 10 barrel catch 11 hand (pawl) 12 mainspring lever ing the butt swivel down and off of the frame. The cylinder stop (#37) is the only part still mounted in the frame. It may be removed by unscrewing the cylinder stop screw (#36). Once you have lifted out the cylinder stop, its spring (#38) may be lifted up and out of the frame. Disassemble the cylinder.

Insert six fired cartridge cases into the cyl- 13 mainspring 14 barrel catch spring 15 base pin 15a base pin retainer nut 16 cylinder retaining screw 17 extractor cam assembly 18 extractor cam pawl (not shown) 21 extractor spring 22 extractor cam pawl spring (not shown) 23 butt swivel 23a butt swivel pin inder for support. Hold the cylinder in a padded vise, unscrew and remove the extractor screw (#30) from the front of the extractor (#4).

The extractor spring (#21) is pulled out from the front while the extractor (#4) may be pulled out to the rear and removed from the cylinder.

Note, the witness mark (dot) on one leg of the extractor must be aligned with the witness mark on the rear face of the Webley "WG" Model Revolver (Specifications subject to change without notice) 25 stock screw 26 hammer or trigger pivot pin (2) 27 barrel catch screw 28 front sight 29 barrel pivot pin 31 barrel pivot screw 36 cylinder stop spring screw 37 cylinder stop 38 cylinder stop spring 39 sear/hand spring (not shown) 40 grips (stocks) cylinder for correct reassembly.

The base pin retainer nut (#15a) is a LEFT- HAND thread, meaning it unscrews in a clockwise direction viewed from the rear. Using a large blade screwdriver, unscrew and remove the base pin retainer nut (#15a) from the rear of the cylinder. The base pin itself (#15) may now be pushed out from front to rear. Reassemble the revolver in the reverse order. AG