British Militaria Forums

A Confusing WG Revolver

feeds@yuku.com (Kanuck) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 09:13:46 GMT

Just wondering if anyone could help shed some light on a WG revolver I'm looking at. It's stamped "P Webley & Son" on the barrel rib, suggesting it was made in 1897 or earlier. But the serial number is in the 18,000's, suggesting post-1900 production. And the frame and barrel have matched serial numbers. Anybody know how this could be?

ac snider short

feeds@yuku.com (fiddlemister) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 06:22:23 GMT

i have a dumb question to ask. i have a snider from ac that list as an P 1885/ 1864. why the two different dates?

Another Reality Check from Afghanistan

feeds@yuku.com (Spur0701) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 22:27:53 GMT

New guy here, I've got some experience with Mil-surps but not M-Hs or Sniders. I've been in Kabul for a couple of months and will be here till about Mid-March. I've hit some of the Bazaars but there are so many Kyber Pass guns it's hard to weed out the real thing. Here's a M-H Mk II that I'm not completely sure of, I picked it up last Fri but have the option to take it back .....In the last pic you can see this B 32 stamp, an Army guy that I ran into at the bazaar...

Squadron Leader Reg Lewis (Navigator, Special Duties Squadron)

feeds@yuku.com (Tacolneston) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 09:30:42 GMT

From The Daily Telegraph 7 November.

Squadron Leader Reg Lewis, who has died aged 87, was forced to bail out of his aircraft when resupplying the French Resistance, which then helped him to evade capture and escape across the Pyrenees.

Lewis was the navigator of a very experienced crew, flying with No 138 (Special Duties) Squadron from Tempsford in Bedfordshire. The squadron's role was to drop supplies and SOE agents from converted Halifax bombers to...

Roundel fever!

feeds@yuku.com (17Z) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:25:57 GMT

Received a couple Martini Henry rifles the last three weeks, and gained three new stock roundels. Cool!

So I know my old MkII Martini I've owned awhile has some remaining markings under the black patina'd wood. I clean the wood up on the old gun, and bring to life a menagerie of interesting stock markings.....Including reminants of a British broad arrow roundel. topped by an 188? date. Still has the mark and class of arm too. Even unearthed some worn Nepalese markings, not...

WTS: Enfield Collectors Digest - complete set

feeds@yuku.com (JC5555) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:42:41 GMT

I'm selling my complete set of the famous Enfield Collectors Digest, published from 1993 to 2002. For details on the contents, see http://www.the-enfield-collectors-digest.org/.

An excellent resource for any fan of Lee Enfields or related British militaria.

Asking $150 + shipping for the set of 50 issues.

...
SOLD

...

Air Vice-Marshal Peter Farr (Bomber Pilot)

feeds@yuku.com (Tacolneston) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:50:17 GMT

From The Daily Telegraph 6 November.

Air Vice-Marshal Peter Farr, who died on October 21 aged 92, started his career as a pilot flying antiquated biplane troop-carrying aircraft around the Middle East; he then served in bombers in the North African desert campaign and in Burma, and later specialised in anti-submarine warfare.

Farr was a veteran of the Middle East air routes when he joined No 70 Squadron as a flight commander in October 1941. Flying Wellington bombers, the...

Brigadier Dick Webster (Career Soldier)

feeds@yuku.com (Tacolneston) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:43:20 GMT

From The Daily Telegraph 6 November.

On joining the Royal Artillery he became a member of the Hampshire Hunt - though with pay of £180 a year, plus £10 a month from his father, he had to sell his car to keep a good horse (known as a "15 bobber").

After the outbreak of hostilities, Webster was posted with 2nd Searchlight Regiment to Brest, where the men got drunk on Algerian wine. He saw little action until the retreat to the Channel ports, when he...

Martini.....what??

feeds@yuku.com (novarover) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:11:33 GMT

Can anyone help me identify this rifle? I know the action is Martini and the stock looks like enfield but I don't know the cal. for sure, or much more about it. There is a cleaning rod under the stock. The barrel is stamped under the stock with the number 10.3 and I think this is the bore diameter which works out to .405 cal but I have not found any reference to Martinis being made in .405 cal. A local gun shop identified it as 44-40 cal. and even fired two rounds of that ammo through...

Links to the old Yote photo site?

feeds@yuku.com (BillOregon) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:26:43 GMT

Anyone have a link to that site? I have some photos on there that no longer exist anywhere else ...

Why I no longer use Triple 777

feeds@yuku.com (The Double D) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:10:58 GMT

These Bertram cases are for my ZAR, the one I got in South Afrcia and used on my safari. These cases in fact made that trip.

These cases have never fired any other powder than Triple 7.

They were decapped, not sized then washed and walnut shell tumbled and put in astorage box sometime in 2005 before I went down to SA to work. This is how they came out of the box yesterday.

While looking for these to take pictures, I found a box of 45/70 that were shot with...

A Q. for Bill Curtis, RA.

feeds@yuku.com (Pukka Bundook) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:46:08 GMT

Bill,
I was wondering if you could shed any light on something I've pondered over for years?
When still living in Yorkshire, we sometimes found pistol and small musket balls in the woods around the farm, near Scarborough.
(metal detector!) Along with these, we sometimes found small lead "ingots" like miniature gold bars, but only about 1/2" to 3/4" long, if memory serves me.

Do you have any idea what these little lead ingots could have been...

Snider with burned stock

feeds@yuku.com (Carignan Salieres) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:24:50 GMT

I have located a cheap Snider-Enfield rifle. It seems complete and in decent shape other than the forestock being partially burned away at some point.

If I get it should I...

1)Try and find a complete stock to replace with?
2)Fit some wood to replace the burned section?
3)Cut the stock and barrel back a bit and move the brass nose cap and front sight back to make something close to a Artillery or Constabulary carbine?

-Ryan

Snider-Enfield clearing rod

feeds@yuku.com (tanegashimatomurata) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:41:41 GMT

Does anyone know a source for 2-band Snider-Enfield clearing rods, the early pattern with squared end.
Must be original, preferably without markings, and not Nepali.
Ideally located in the UK.
Two are required.

WG and WS serial numbers

feeds@yuku.com (orange) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:32:23 GMT

Were the WG and WS Webley revolvers numbered in the same serial number sequence?

forming brass

feeds@yuku.com (sspc1) — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 06:38:45 GMT

Anyone ever check to see how long it takes to form a case using annealed Magtech brass? Not being in any hurry, I can usually get a case formed and trimmed in just over 7 min. Used to take me about 20 min when I was just starting, using BELL basic .577 brass.

Reassembly Help

feeds@yuku.com (PommyB) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:19:48 GMT

Received my IMA Untouched/Unmarked Martini Henry on Monday. Very pleased with the condition, only real defect is an area of rotted wood around the buttplate tang & edges of the buttplate but I think I'll leave them be.
I have it all cleaned up & am now reassembling the parts. Only problem I'm having is getting the breechblock back in the action. I'm following the instructions I found in the sticky, but can't get the reassembled block to go into place. I removed...

British Territorials (Cadets) Photo

feeds@yuku.com (PommyB) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:03:40 GMT

Thought I'd post this photo here as well is in the Martini forum. This picture has been in family for years, it shows a group of young men in a para-military(?) group, which I believe was called the Territorials. I assume it would be something akin to a Cadet Corps. or ROTC. This photo was taken in Lincolnshire, England just prior to, or in the early years of, WW1. Both of my grandfathers are in the photo: middle row, 3rd from right, is Tom Reeves (b. 1901) my maternal grandad, &...

Gahendra Assembly

feeds@yuku.com (Vulture) — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:42:13 GMT

Can someone point me to the post that shows how the Gahendra internals go back together? I've been looking but can't find the post.