mrw311 - AnthologyMain MenuIntroductionThe Gatling Gun and Machine GunsRifles and HandgunsIronclad Battleships and Torpedo TechnologyThe Boer WarsStagnation and Fear of DestructionAnxious, Fictional Accounts of the FutureBibliographyMatthew Werkheiserbaf3c422a98f36dbd4c83c180176ff0854fcbc18
12016-11-27T01:52:32+00:00Webley Mk. VI Firing4plain2016-12-14T00:56:14+00:00This video from Youtube channel, TFB TV, shows the operation and firing of a Webley Mk. VI revolver. The Mk. I was adopted in 1887, and it was the Mk. IV that saw service in the Second Boer War. Although this is a Mk. VI, not fielded till 1915, the mechanism of action is still the same. Chambered in .455 Webley, this top-break revolver has a switch that when engaged "breaks" the revolver on a hinge, separating the barrel from the cylinder and ejecting the spent casings allowing for a quick and easy reload. At this point, the barrel is bent back up towards the cylinder, locking the revolver together again for firing. As a double/single action revolver, the hammer does not need to be pulled back to the cocking position in order to fire, though doing so will result in a shorter, lighter trigger pull. Cartridge revolvers would play a large role in World War 1 as they were often times (the Russian Nagant revolver being an exception) the more reliable sidearms on the battlefield in the wake of auto-loading handguns. Whereas the German C95 Broomhandle automatic pistol was overly complicated and sensitive to mud and sand, the Webley had few moving parts and the heavy .455 round.