r/canadaguns • u/567432Gains • May 27 '26
Feets / Collection / My build Finally joined the handgun community
It’s an antique, but an extremely well maintained one. The Webley WG Army & Navy model.
Estimated date of production: 1892
6” barrel
Squared grip
Church steeple cylinder
Appears to be completely matching parts
Going to get it looked over by a gunsmith before I take it out, but I’m looking forward to taking it out for the first time.
I won a Martini Henry Mark IV at auction not long ago so I’m able to say I have the matching rifle and pistol for that time period together.
Next goal is a Swiss revolver (the M1882) to match my K31 rifle.
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u/Royal-Aviator07 May 27 '26
How do you get the ammo for it if your able to fire? I have my own antiques but idk how to get the ammo
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u/black_covfefe_please May 27 '26
Google the caliber. There is usually some type of brass you can buy and modify that will be compatible. It is definitely a labour of love. Not a quick easy process.
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u/567432Gains May 27 '26 edited May 27 '26
You can get old stock still, or buy reproductions that are sometimes made. It was recommended to me though that I should load my own and make it light loads. Keeps the integrity of the pistol in check as it’s a 130 year old piece.
Guy I bought it off of I believe recommended a 3 parts powder 2 parts filler mixture. I’ll have to double check with him on what the exact load was before I get into that though.
You could also reach out to a custom loader and have them make you some.
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u/567432Gains May 27 '26
What kind of antiques do you have? Shoot me a PM and I’ll see if I can help you identify what ammo you will need and maybe be able to point out some sources on where to get it from.
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u/Royal-Aviator07 May 27 '26
Ive got a 32 RF iver johnson bulldog and a 32 RF H&R model 1 ½ and a 44 russian Schofield NO.3
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u/Weary_OLeary May 27 '26
There are at least a few places in BC that will sell you 44 russian black powder rounds although they aren't cheap. Rusty's specifically seemed to have a large variety of antique ammo and would definitely be worth checking out
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u/567432Gains May 27 '26
44 Russian aint that hard to find, the 32RF is not either.
I would reach out to the following link and ask them. If they have stuff in stock. They are my favourite shop and local to me (as in literally half a km from my house) and the people that run it are awesome.
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u/HappyCan7250 May 30 '26
Hey! That's cool man! We must not live too far apart. That's a great shop, and they often have some pretty cool stuff in there. I'm just about an hour north of there.
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u/Vintage_Pieces_10 May 27 '26
44 Russian can be reloaded fairly easily. .32RF is a little more challenging, but there are some reloadable cartridges out there
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u/One_Salary_9068 May 27 '26
Very nice, whats the ammo ?
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u/567432Gains May 27 '26
455 webley, also 476 Enfield
Be careful though because a bunch of different makes of 455 Webley ammo exists and if your shooting surplus stuff you can’t use some of the later years makes. It needs to be a soft point lead bullet, no FMJ as it would damage the barrel.
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u/Opening_Pizza May 27 '26
FOC has some .455 Webley 262 gr, 50rnds for $90. It's lead round nose.
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u/567432Gains May 27 '26
I might occasionally run a bit of that, but I’m thinking I want to get into hand loading and use a 3 parts powder 1-1.5 parts filler ratio. Just to prevent stress on the old frame.
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u/Vintage_Pieces_10 May 27 '26
A bit of a digression but how do you like the k31? I’ve been thinking of buying one myself
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u/Dizzy-Wedding5769 May 27 '26
Been wanting one they are nice. What year?
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u/567432Gains May 27 '26
Based on the data, it appears to be a late 1892 production.
Data I entered in for search parameters
church steeple cylinder
square butt grip
serial number 6101
“455/476” stamped on the side (indicates tested for both black powder and early cordite loads
6” barrel
“Army & Navy” stamped on top barrel
“CSL” stamped beside “Army & Navy” on the barrel
Entering this data into google AI brought me to the answer of late 1892 production.
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u/Ncase1967 May 27 '26
I believe that your Webley WG 1892 has been reblued. It is still very nice and a less common model.
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u/567432Gains May 27 '26
I do suspect it may have been, but it’s fine by me as it’s honestly in amazing condition to begin with metal wise and it’s matching numbers even on the cylinder.
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u/Darkleaf71717 May 27 '26
I hope the frontline soldier in ukraine appreciates your sacrifice.
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u/567432Gains May 29 '26
The irony is that the Russians are reportedly running 1891 mosin nagants, so technically speaking this is newer then that as it’s 1892
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u/22GageEnthusiast May 27 '26
"I see you have an eye for things. Gun's not just about shootin'. It's about reloadin'. You'll know what I'm talkin' about."
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u/soylentgreen2015 May 27 '26
What am I missing here? I'm a handgun owner as well. My understanding was the changes meant we couldn't buy/sell/transfer handguns anymore. This might be an antique, but it sounds like it's not inactivated.
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u/567432Gains May 27 '26
Antiques don’t have to be inactive to be antiques. You don’t need a license to get an antique even if it’s fully functioning.
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u/SoldiersofChristBR May 28 '26
What quantifies an "antique". Seems like a loop hole to try and mass produce some antique appearing guns to sell
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u/567432Gains May 28 '26
In order to qualify as an antique, it has to have been manufactured in 1897 or prior, not chambered in a caliber commonly available, not chambered in a banned caliber, and then there are some other rules that you can look up that I cannot quite remember off the top of my head.
Also, the word you are looking for is “qualifies”, not quantifies.
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u/567432Gains May 28 '26
Also, to make it very clear, just because it was designed before 1898 does not make it an antique. Each individual firearm needs to be manufactured BEFORE 1898.
An example of this would be that only some Webley MKIII and Webley WG revolvers are antique status because only some of them were manufactured before 1898.
It’s because of this rule serial numbers matter. Often people get them certified by the RCMP as antique and will do research into the manufacturers records to find out when the frame (the part of the firearm with a serial number on it) was manufactured so they can get it certified.
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u/567432Gains May 27 '26
Although one of the stipulations in order for it to be classified as an antique is that the ammo cannot be readily made available or purchasable. As in it can’t be a modern ammunition something that’s no longer produced.
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u/Agent_1812 https://youtu.be/mrAwb9ptu9U May 27 '26
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u/outline8668 May 27 '26
Very nice. I have an antique WG as well which I shoot regularly although it is in nowhere near as nice condition as yours. FYI mine will accept unmodified 45 Schofield brass which I found is cheaper and easier to come by than 455 brass.
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u/567432Gains May 27 '26
NOTED! Thank you! Any chance you can pm me your load data and any ballistic information you have collected?
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u/outline8668 May 27 '26
So far I have been shooting 45 Schofield loads. That is to say a full load of 3f black powder and 250 grain 45 cal projectiles. My experience has been the gun shoots well but every reload I need to spray some ballistol down the barrel otherwise the fliers get out of hand after a few reloads. I'm assuming the bp fouling combined with the undersized projectiles is the issue. Recently I picked up a 457 cal hollow base mold which I have not yet taken the opportunity to try. I will likely also reduce the BP charge to webley levels and add some filler.
I haven't tried any smokeless in it although it sure would be nice to cut down on the cleaning!
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u/cattabliss bc May 29 '26
there is load data for this cartridge in the lyman ideal handbook #39, listed as .455 colt
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u/KennethPatchen May 27 '26
I don't understand how you got this with the ban...please explain!
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u/567432Gains May 27 '26
It should also be noted that antiques are extremely expensive right now so unless you are realllllly wanting a pistol it’s not exactly easy to get still given the price tag of them. I’m not going to say exactly what I paid, but it is more than I thought I would ever pay for a firearm. As far as I am concerned, this is an investment over a firearm, and it will rarely be used.
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u/[deleted] May 27 '26
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