Webley Longspur

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Webley Longspur revolver
Webley percussion revolver (right side).jpg
A Webley Longspur cap and ball revolver, later model.
Type revolver
Place of origin United Kingdom
Service history
In service1853–1867
Used by British Empire & Colonies
Wars Crimean War
Indian Rebellion of 1857
American Civil War
Production history
Designer Webley & Son
Designed1853
Manufacturer Webley & Son
Produced1853–1865
No. builtapprox. 2,000
Specifications
Mass4.2 lb (1.9 kg), unloaded

Calibre .455 (11.6 mm)
Action Single or double action
Rate of fire 5 rounds/minute
Effective firing range50 yd (46 m)
Feed system5-round cylinder
SightsFixed front blade and rear notch

Webley Longspur is an early British percussion revolver, patented in 1853. The first revolver of the later famous British factory Webley&Son, it was an open frame, 5-shot, single action revolver. It was a solid and popular weapon at the time, although it faced heavy competition from already established, popular Colt's and Adams revolvers. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

Background

The first commercially available percussion revolvers were developed by Samuel Colt in 1834, and the serial production began in 1836, in his first factory in Paterson, New Jersey. In order to secure his invention and investment, he took legal patents for all the firearms with a revolving cylinder in the US, UK and France in 1836, which gave Colt a monopoly on the revolvers production until 1857 in the US, and until 1851 in Europe. Although sales were modest at first and his first company went bankrupt in 1843, Colt's percussion revolvers gained popularity during Mexican-American War (1847–1848) and California gold rush (1849), which led to the mass demand for both large holster revolvers for cavalry and small pocket revolvers for self-defense. [4]

In 1851, Colt has successfully presented his revolvers at the Great Exhibition in London, and established his revolvers at the British market, even opening his own factory in London in 1853. However, as soon as the Colt's British patent had expired in 1851, British inventor Robert Adams patented his own, improved revolver design, self-cocking Adams revolver with double action trigger and solid frame, which provided faster rate of fire and more durability than Colt's single action, open frame revolvers. Adams' revolvers became so popular in the UK that by 1857 Colt was forced to close his factory in London. [5]

At the time several other British gunsmiths had started production of their own percussion revolvers, competing with Colt and Adams on the British market. Among them were brothers James and Philip Webley, whose workshop in Birmingham was producing percussion rifles and pistols since 1835. Their first Webley Longspur cap-lock revolver was patented in 1853. [6] [7]

Characteristics

The same revolver from the left. In this model, the cylinder arbor was screwed into the front part of the frame, which was additionally attached to the rear part by a longitudinal screw under the cylinder (you can see it sticking out on the front lower corner of the frame). The loading lever of the Kerr type is mounted on the front frame and secured to side of the barrel. Webley percussion revolver (left side).jpg
The same revolver from the left. In this model, the cylinder arbor was screwed into the front part of the frame, which was additionally attached to the rear part by a longitudinal screw under the cylinder (you can see it sticking out on the front lower corner of the frame). The loading lever of the Kerr type is mounted on the front frame and secured to side of the barrel.

Open frame

A 1857 Webley revolver, with a closed frame amd a Colt-type rammer. Webley 1857 Cap & Ball.jpg
A 1857 Webley revolver, with a closed frame amd a Colt-type rammer.
The same revolver, disasembled. Webley 1857 dismounted.jpg
The same revolver, disasembled.

Unlike the Adams revolvers, which had dominated the British market since 1851, James Webley's revolvers mostly did not have the solid, one-piece frame and barrel construction, but instead had a two-piece body with an open frame, similar to the Colt's revolvers at the time. In the early Webley revolvers, the front part of the frame and the barrel formed a separate part, attached to the rear part of the frame via the cylinder arbor, which was an integral part of the breech. In the earliest models, the cylinder arbor was attached to the revolver barrel by a transverse flat vedge (which passed through a hole in the front part under the barrel and on the arbor), similarly to the Colt's revolvers. [8] [9] [10] In later models, the front part was screwed on the cylinder arbor (the thread on the arbor screwed into a corresponding longitudinal hole drilled in the front part of the frame, under the barrel). In addition, the lower part of the front frame was connected to the rear frame under the cylinder by a longitudinal thumbscrew, which could be screwed in or unscrewed manually, without any tools. [11] [12] [13] Some later Weblies, however, had a closed frame strapped together at the top, giving them greater strength and durability than the Colt's of the time. [14]

Single action

Webley revolvers were made with both single-action and double-action systems, although the early models were predominamtly single-action. [15] [16]

Loading lever

The earliest models of Webley revolver had a ramrod that was screwed perpendicularly into the handle of the gun. This was not a very practical option, so later models had an attached ramrod, with the two main types:

Production

Although sturdy and reliable revolvers for their time, Webley Longspur faced heavy competition on the British market from the already established, popular brands of Colt Navy and Adams revolvers. In all, only about 2,000 of this early Webley revolvers were produced.

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References

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Literature

External sources