Kokopelli is a...

[M1917]

Great Guy to do business with!

I was in the market for a Webley Mk VI. I can't afford a Webley Green right now. Kokopelli has a WG, and offered to sell his Mk VI to me. He asked a fair price and I paid it. Once I got it in my hands, I cleaned it, and found out the barrel was bulged. There was also a hairline crack in the barrel...not good. A bulged barrel can be shot with light loads, but a cracked barrel is a hazard. Firing it could turn a WWI relic into a hand grenade.

I located a replacement barrel for a reasonable price, and asked Kokopelli if he'd be williing to refund that amount. He was, and I have the replacement barrel in hand. I'll be taking it to the gunsmith for fitting when the weather clears.

Thanks again!
R/S
Fritz
aka "M1917"

[binkmeisterRick]

It's always good to hear about good business!

[M1917]

The Mk VI is at the gunsmith's shop now. I can't wait to get it back and shoot it!

[M1917]

Well, The Webley is back, with the new barrel fitted and the cylinder timed. as soon as the snow melts off the range, I'll give you a shooting report!

[M1917]

At approximately 1510, 02Mar10, I arrived at the Privately Owned Weapons (POW) range aboard Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. It was overcast and bitter cold; about 29 degrees at best guess. Did I mention it was COLD? I set a silhouette target in the stand at about 25 yards, with a bull’s-eye on center mass. I started out with five shots of hand loaded .45 auto rim, offhand in the weaver stance. All rounds hit low, just below the paper. I took a knee and loaded six rounds of hand loaded .45 ACP, using the bench as support. All six rounds were on the paper, albeit a bit low. The .45 ACP rounds were a bit hotter, but still loaded to the low end of the specs. I used 225 grain round nose flat point bullets which seemed to expand to meet the rifling. I fired the remaining round single action in the supported position. Fortunately, the Webley’s trigger guard is big enough to accommodate gloved hands! One I settled down I got fist-sized groups at center mass. The last ten shots were placed in the head of the silhouette. As I was packing up to leave, our British Liaison Officer, Major Jones, arrived on the range. I pasted the target and allowed him to shoot the remaining 25 .45 AR rounds. He took to the revolver like a duck to water. He’d never fired one, but his grandfather carried one in the Great War. He was scoring excellent head shots at 25 yards in no time! I could imagine Gonville Bromhead and Ross Merriot Chard holding off the Zulu hoardes…

There were no failures of any kind. Double action pull is a bit stiff, but far smoother than my Colt. This example was manufactured in 1916, and saw service afield. None of these revolvers are target-accurate, but as long as you did your part, they hit the target. I would not want to be on the receiving end of this Webley.

Yours very respectfully,
Your Most Obedient Servant,
F. H. “Fritz” King
GySgt/USMC (Ret)

P.S. Thanks Kokopelli!

[sithspawn]

From what I've read over the years Webley's weren't the greatest for long distance marksmanship. They were built primarily for close combat situations. The old war horse definitely had the stopping power to knock you on your backside.

[Solent MKIII]

;0

[M1917]

Here are the pics Kokopelli sent me.

[M1917]

And another...

[Solent MKIII]

[Kokopelli]

Ahhh!!! Fort Lost in the Woods! i did my basic/ait combat arms training as a 12 bravo combat engineer there in the summer of 1988. You think its cold there in the winter- its also hot there in the summer!!

[M1917]

I did boot camp at Parris Island, SC in October of 1987. You wounldn't think anyplace would be hot as #### in October, but Parris Island was. And the sand fleas were murder!

My most recent acquisition was a Springfield Armory Government Model, slightly modified for a lefty.
Thanks again Kokopelli!
R/S
Fritz