Webley Mk I

About the Webley Mk I

The Webley Mk I was the first of the famous Webley top-break service revolvers, officially adopted by the British armed forces on 8 November 1887. Firing the large .455 Webley cartridge from a six-shot cylinder, it introduced the hinged top-break frame with automatic stirrup-latch extraction that ejected all spent cases simultaneously when the revolver was opened. Fitted with a 4-inch barrel and distinctive 'bird's beak' grip, it established the pattern for the entire Webley service revolver lineage that would serve through both World Wars.

The Webley's top-break action let a trained soldier dump all six spent cases and reload far faster than the swing-out or loading-gate revolvers of the day - a speed advantage that kept the basic design in British service for some 75 years.

Webley Mk I specifications

Produced from 1887 to 1894, when it was superseded by the Mk II. Among the most powerful top-break revolvers ever fielded thanks to the heavy, low-velocity .455 Webley round.