Editing Webley Revolver (section)

==In military service==
===Boer War===
The Webley Mk IV, chambered in .455 Webley, was introduced in 1899 and soon became known as the "[[Second Boer War|Boer War]] Model",<ref>{{harvnb|Maze|2002|p=44}}</ref> on account of the large numbers of officers and [[non-commissioned officers]] who purchased it on their way to take part in the conflict. The Webley Mk IV served alongside a large number of other handguns, including the [[Mauser C96|Mauser C96 "Broomhandle"]] (as used by [[Winston Churchill]] during the War), earlier [[Beaumont–Adams revolver|Beaumont–Adams]] cartridge revolvers, and other top-break revolvers manufactured by gunmakers such as [[William Tranter]], and [[Kynoch]].{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}

===First World War===
The standard-issue Webley revolver at the outbreak of the First World War was the Webley Mk V (adopted 9 December 1913<ref name=Dowell87_p115>{{harvnb|Dowell|1987|p=115}}</ref>), but there were considerably more Mk IV revolvers in service in 1914,<ref>{{harvnb|Dowell|1987|p=114}}</ref> as the initial order for 20,000 Mk V revolvers had not been completed when hostilities began.<ref name=Dowell87_p115/> They were issued first to officers, pipers and range takers, and later to airmen, naval crews, boarding parties, [[Trench raiding|trench raiders]], machine-gun teams, and [[tank]] crews. They were then issued to many Allied soldiers as a sidearm. The Mk VI proved to be a very reliable and hardy weapon, well suited to the mud and adverse conditions of trench warfare, and several accessories were developed for the Mk VI, including a [[bayonet]] (made from a converted French Gras bayonet),<ref>{{harvnb|Dowell|1987|p=116}}</ref> [[speedloader]] devices (the "Prideaux Device" and the Watson design),<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.classic-arms.com/webley/Webley%201915.pdf |title=Webley 1890 |access-date=2011-08-19 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110215222125/http://www.classic-arms.com/webley/Webley%201915.pdf |archive-date=2011-02-15 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |first=Nigel |last=Utting |url=http://www.utting.org/writing/nvtu/shooting/prideaux-loader.pdf |title=Magazine Loader for Rapidly Loading Revolvers: A historical review |access-date=2011-08-19 |archive-date=2016-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303215034/http://www.utting.org/writing/nvtu/shooting/prideaux-loader.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Dowell|1987|p=178}}</ref> and a stock allowing for the revolver to be converted into a [[carbine]].<ref>{{harvnb|Maze|2002|p=49}}</ref>

Demand exceeded production, which was already behind as the war began. This forced the British
government to buy substitute weapons chambered in .455 Webley from neutral countries. America provided the [[Smith & Wesson Triple Lock|Smith & Wesson 2nd Model "Hand Ejector"]] and [[Colt New Service|Colt New Service Revolvers]]. Spanish gunsmiths in [[Eibar]] made acceptable copies of popular guns and were chosen to close the gap cheaply by making a .455 variant of their 11mm ''M1884'' or ''"S&W Model 7 ONÁ"'' revolver, a copy of the [[Smith & Wesson Model 3|Smith & Wesson ''.44 Double Action First Model'']]. The ''Pistol, Revolver, Old Pattern, No. 1 Mk. 1'' was by [[Garate, Anitua y Cia.]] and the ''Pistol, Revolver, Old Pattern, No.2 Mk.1'' was by [[Trocaola, Aranzabal y Cia.]] [[Orbea|Orbea Hermanos y Cia.]] made 10,000 pistols. [[Rexach & Urgoite]] was tapped for an initial order of 500 revolvers, but they were rejected due to defects.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}

===Second World War===
[[File:Festungsmuseum Reuenthal Sonderausstellung Zuleger Webley Mk IV 38.jpg|thumb|right|Webley Mk IV in .38]]

The official service pistol for the British military during the [[Second World War]] was the [[Enfield No. 2|Enfield No. 2 Mk I]] .38/200 calibre revolver.<ref name=Smith79_p11>{{harvnb|Smith|1979|p=11}}</ref> Owing to a critical shortage of handguns, a number of other weapons were also adopted (first practically, then officially) to alleviate the shortage. As a result, both the Webley Mk IV in .38/200 and Webley Mk VI in .455 calibre were issued to personnel during the war.<ref>{{harvnb|Stamps|Skennerton|1993|p=87}}</ref>

===Post-war use===
The Webley Mk VI (.455) and Mk IV (.38/200) revolvers were still issued to British and Commonwealth forces after the Second World War; there were now extensive stockpiles of the revolvers in military stores, yet they suffered from ammunition shortages. This lack of ammunition was instrumental in keeping the Enfield and Webley revolvers in use so long: they were not wearing out because they were not being used. An armourer stationed in [[West Germany]] joked by the time they were officially retired in 1963, the ammunition allowance was "two cartridges per man, per year."<ref>{{harvnb|Stamps|Skennerton|1993|p=117}}</ref>

The Webley Mk IV .38 revolver was not completely replaced by the [[Browning Hi-Power]] until 1963, and saw use in the Korean War, the [[Suez Crisis]], [[Malayan Emergency]] and the [[Rhodesian Bush War]]. Many Enfield No. 2 Mk I revolvers were still circulating in British military service as late as 1970.<ref>{{harvnb|Stamps|Skennerton|1993|p=119}}</ref>

===Police use===
The [[Royal Hong Kong Police]] and [[Singapore Police Force]] were issued Webley Mk III & Mk IV (38S&W then.38/200) revolvers from the 1930s. Singaporean police (and some other "officials") Webleys were equipped with safety catches, a rather unusual feature in a revolver. These were gradually retired in the 1970s as they came in for repair, and were replaced with [[Smith & Wesson Model 10]] .38 revolvers. The [[London Metropolitan Police]] were also known to use Webley revolvers, as were most colonial police units until just after the Second World War.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}} The [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]] and [[Shanghai Municipal Police]] received Webley Mk VI revolvers during the interwar period.{{sfn|Maze|2012|page=57}} 

The [[Ordnance Factories Organisation|Ordnance Factory Board of India]] still manufactures .380 Revolver Mk IIz cartridges,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ofbindia.gov.in/products/data/ammunition/sc/10.htm |access-date=2006-08-03 |title=Cartridge SA .380" Ball Revolver|publisher=Indian Ordnance Factories}}</ref> as well as a [[.32 S&W Long|.32 calibre]] revolver (the [[IOF .32 Revolver]]) with {{convert|2|in|mm|adj=on}} barrel which is clearly based on the Webley Mk IV .38 service pistol.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ofbindia.gov.in/products/data/weapons/wsc/3.htm |access-date=2006-08-03 |title=Revolver 32 (7.65 mm x 23) |publisher=Indian Ordnance Factories}}</ref>

===Military service .455 Webley revolver marks and models===
There were six different marks of .455 calibre Webley British Government Model revolvers approved for British military service at various times between 1887 and the end of the First World War:
* '''Mk I''': The first Webley self-extracting revolver adopted for service, officially adopted 8 November 1887, with a {{convert|4|in|mm|adj=on}} barrel and "bird's beak" style grips. '''Mk I*''' was a factory upgrade of Mk I revolvers to match the Mk II.
* '''Mk II''': Similar to the Mk I, with modifications to the hammer and grip shape, as well as a hardened steel shield for the blast-shield. Officially adopted 21 May 1895, with a {{convert|4|in|mm|adj=on}} barrel.<ref>''List of Changes'' § 7816<!-- WHAT does this mean? -->{{full citation needed|date=October 2020}}</ref>
* '''Mk III''': Identical to Mk II, but with modifications to the cylinder cam and related parts. Officially adopted 5 October 1897, most not issued, with exception of a number that were marked with the "broad arrow" acceptance stamp on the top strap. These few went to the Royal Navy.<ref>''List of Changes'' § 9039</ref>
* '''Mk IV''': The "Boer War" Model. Manufactured using much higher quality steel and case hardened parts, with the cylinder axis being a fixed part of the barrel and modifications to various other parts, including a re-designed blast-shield. Officially adopted 21 July 1899, with a {{convert|4|in|mm|adj=on}} barrel.<ref>''List of Changes'' § 9787</ref>
* '''Mk V''': Similar to the Mk IV, but with cylinders {{convert|0.12|in|mm|adj=on}} wider to allow for the use of nitrocellulose propellant-based cartridges. Officially adopted 9 December 1913, with a {{convert|4|in|mm|adj=on}} barrel, although some models produced in 1915 had {{convert|5|in|mm|adj=on}} and {{convert|6|in|mm|adj=on}} barrels.<ref>''List of Changes'' § 16783</ref>
* '''Mk VI''': Similar to the Mk V, but with a squared-off "target" style grip (as opposed to the "bird's-beak" style found on earlier marks and models) and a {{convert|6|in|mm|adj=on}} barrel. Officially adopted 24 May 1915,<ref>''List of Changes'' § 17319</ref> and also manufactured by RSAF Enfield under the designation '''Pistol, Revolver, Webley, No. 1 Mk VI''' 1921–1926.<ref>{{harvnb|Skennerton|1997|p=10}}</ref>