r/canadaguns • u/Vintage_Pieces_10 • Dec 15 '25
Rainy Day Webley (antique)
Webley MK1 (still legal to purchase) with light smokeless reloads. There are still a few fun guns to be had while things get better for us shooters my friends. We got this ✌️
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Dec 15 '25
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u/BowFella Dec 15 '25
Cap and ball is way more cost effective though. Sure most antique cartridges are cheap to load and you can shoot more rounds at the range, but you don't need a reloading press, dies, case trimmer, tumbler etc to load a percussion revolver.
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u/notanm1abrams Dec 15 '25
What’s the cost like?
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Dec 15 '25
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u/notanm1abrams Dec 15 '25
Honestly not bad for a “handgun” these days. I’m from the states, and man the only thing America does better is gun laws 😂
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Dec 15 '25
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u/notanm1abrams Dec 15 '25
Heck no lol. I do know in the states you can legally convert colts to shoot cartridges. Can you do that here?
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Dec 15 '25
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u/notanm1abrams Dec 15 '25
Oh dang. If I could find one that could be converted to .45 ACP that may be worth the buy. Who knows when the freeze gets lifted
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Dec 15 '25
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u/notanm1abrams Dec 15 '25
I’m blanking on the actual model, but I’d love to have the Colt they use in supernatural
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u/Vintage_Pieces_10 Dec 16 '25
Mine is indeed converted to .45 acp. That said, you do have to reload for it as factory .45acp has too much pressure for said firearm
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u/Elbro_16 Dec 15 '25
Nice, I have a mas 1873 in 455 and it’s lots of fun
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u/Vintage_Pieces_10 Dec 15 '25
Do you do light smokeless like myself or go black powder?
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u/Elbro_16 Dec 15 '25
Smokeless all the way. I also do some light 45 acp
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u/Vintage_Pieces_10 Dec 15 '25
May I ask what’s your recipe? I’m fine tuning my loads and while Winchester 231 powder keeps it low pressure, it’s dirty as all hell
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u/Ok_Art7727 Dec 15 '25
anyone hear know of a reputable gun smith for these antiques? willing to ship i am located in ontario.
wanting to purchase for a while know but i would want to have looked over/ touched up before attempting to shoot. any feedback is appreciated thank you.
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u/Vintage_Pieces_10 Dec 15 '25
I may not be a licensed gunsmith but I’ve worked on many many guns in many many ways and I know some of the things to look out for. If you wish you can shoot me a DM with the firearm you want to purchase and I can give any pictures a look over, or if you have a specific firearm in mind (like a Webley) I can tell you what to look out for
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u/lettelsnek Dec 15 '25
if you’re willing to go through the effort, i’ve heard good things about Rusty Wood in BC
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u/GOJUpower Dec 15 '25
Canadian shooting videos vs USA videos looks like someone is shooting pellet gun vs 50 cal
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u/BowFella Dec 15 '25
But hey! We can still own a pistol grip "sawed off" double barrel without it being a felony (for now...)
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u/BowFella Dec 15 '25
Just careful with those smokeless powder charges. Even with such a small amount of powder the pressure spike is much more aggressive than black powder. Scheutzen is still pretty readily available and is cleaner than pyrodex. I would rather just be extremely annoyed while cleaning it and extend the longevity of the gun.
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u/Vintage_Pieces_10 Dec 15 '25
I’ve tested the pressure vs Gordon’s reloading tool and it seems to be safe, also had it run through quick loads by a friend and same thing. It’s also stamped nitro proof and while the steel is the same as any other Webley MK1, it gives me a little more confidence haha
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u/BowFella Dec 15 '25
That's reassuring, clearly you've done your research and looks like you know more than me lol. Carry on.
Does Nitro proof mean the gun has a milled receiver instead of cast?
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u/Vintage_Pieces_10 Dec 15 '25
Nitro proof as far as I know meant the British tested it at some point, either for re-entry into service with the navy or for export, with smokeless powder. The pistols that showed no signs of wear were stamped NP and released back into the wild. As far as cast vs milled, I’m willing to say it’s milled as I’m not sure casting was a big practice at the time
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u/Throwawaymaybeokay Dec 15 '25
.455 ? Or was this one converted to 45 ACP ?
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u/Vintage_Pieces_10 Dec 15 '25
I actually have two cylinders, one in .455 one in 45. This one is the .45 cylinder though
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u/outline8668 Dec 15 '25
Nice to see another one getting used. I have a Webley WG in 455 which my gun accepts unmodified 45 schofield brass. It's a lot of fun with the big plume of black powder smoke.
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u/Dizzy-Wedding5769 Dec 15 '25
Did you load those yourself? The first seemed to have much more kick than the rest.
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u/Vintage_Pieces_10 Dec 15 '25
I did load these myself. The loads sit around 3.4-3.6g of win 231. 0.2 grains can sometimes make a difference.
I’m finding win 231 to be very case fill dependant too. As in it performs a little erratically in such a low dose (which is a must to keep this gun within safe limits) and might not always burn up all the powder, or it all pops at once (like the first shot). You can even hear the first shot has more pop.
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u/Dizzy-Wedding5769 Dec 15 '25
Webleys can be powder position sensitive especially in .45 acp with a light load. I used wolf 230 grain lead rn that used to be available on marstar. It was pretty hot but safe for a webley. Around 770 fps with 230 gr.
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u/Vintage_Pieces_10 Dec 15 '25
I use Rusty Wood’s house cast lrn 230g projectiles, and they’re spectacular. May I ask what powder you used?
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u/Dizzy-Wedding5769 Dec 15 '25
Jet hunter 265 gr with 4g to 5 grain trailboss. 4.5gr unique with 230 grain lead round nose to the handbook OAL
Please confirm these loads In a loading manual with pressure listed.
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u/Vintage_Pieces_10 Dec 15 '25
That sounds about right from the loads I remember off the top of my head (not home at my reloading books but those two powders in similar charges came up as some of the best). Thank you!
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u/Sad-Kitchen5576 Dec 15 '25
Nice, was on the fence for so long but ended up getting rpal and modern iron. Is that a Rossi ML?
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u/Vintage_Pieces_10 Dec 15 '25
I wish I could’ve grabbed some modern iron before the handgun freeze. Heritage mare’s legs actually! One in .44 magnum and one in .357!
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u/Sad-Kitchen5576 Dec 15 '25
You still grabbed something so good job. Plus you could use it in more places than I could use mine. Had both 357 and 44 MLs, 44 is where its at
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u/Vintage_Pieces_10 Dec 15 '25
Just shot my .44 one today for the first time with some reloads. It was killer, I loved it
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u/moonpie_888 Dec 15 '25
I'd Definitely be interested in finding one of these!! Since it's the only legal handgun left being antiques
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u/Vintage_Pieces_10 Dec 15 '25
There’s a few legal handguns like MAS revolvers, s&w top breaks, Webley’s, and reichsrevolvers, but the .45 auto Webley’s are the most convenient as far as getting ahold of reloading components, which is a must to make safe smokeless ammo
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u/moonpie_888 Dec 15 '25
Should I just be looking on gp qnd cgn?
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u/Vintage_Pieces_10 Dec 15 '25
Gunpost is good, for something that expensive and rare I’d make sure the seller is rock solid, and the gun genuinely doesn’t have any issues. I got lucky and one of the ads in the Canadian gun newspaper happened to be a guy who lived here just a town over so I went direct and bought.
Gun shows are good too but there might be some high ballers trying to scalp
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u/Remarkable-Novel-416 Dec 16 '25
How do you even find one of these to buy I’ve tried looking for a place but I couldn’t does it have to be a real antique or can it just be a replica webly mk1 or whatever
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u/Vintage_Pieces_10 Dec 16 '25 edited Dec 16 '25
It cannot be a replica as it would be restricted and would be subject to the freeze. I found this one luckily through a mutual contact (it was in a the canadian gun paper for about a year before someone told me that guy was actually in town. Couldn’t believe my luck and ended up buying it).
You can find them on gunpost pretty frequently from reputable sellers, though the prices are rising
For about the half the price, French MAS revolvers are often converted to .45acp as well
Edit: as I speak, there’s a gentleman on gun post called “Menno” who has the cheapest antique handguns I’ve ever seen, including a Webley and a MAS rechambered pistol
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u/Fredninja22 Dec 15 '25
That’s gotta be insanely expensive though, right?