[Mad Reloader]

Hi all.

Don't know HOW I missed this thread, well July was a real busy month at work and i had trouble just watching my own Moderating areas...

Exact value is really really going to depend on finish and bore condition, but a $600 + figure for an UNCUT cylinder sounds typical. Ground cylinder jobs are now in the mid $400's in AZ, and unground versions have been super scarce since the mid/late 1970's. I have seen exactly 3 at gun shows since....1979! (and the Mad One averages 4 gun shows/year minimum!)

(IME, I think 98%+ of them out there are ground to take the 1/2 moon or full moon clips. So the few uncut ones are commanding a premium price)

The one your relative currently owns--which is where the moon clips come in as a topic--may not be the more typical "Mark 6" but a "Mark 5" or earlier.

When that frame size Webley hinge-frame was introduced in 1882, they came with "birds-head" type grips. Wilkinson Sword company contracted for a batch with a more square grip frame (with wooden grip panels) around the Boer War or so, there was a 7 1/2" target model produced as well in that same epoch.

PLEASE check the markings to see exactly which "Mark" the revolver is. (Approximate) Dates of introduction are as follows with each model:
Mark 1: 1882. 4" bbl
Mark 2: (mid-late 1880s) 4" bbl
Mark 3: (early 1890's) 4" bbl
Mark 4: 1899. 4" bbl(referred to in some circles as the Boer War Model)
Mark 5: 1913 (produced for only about a year, scarcest of the group. 4" and 6" barrel versions)
Mark 6: 1915, square grip frame, usually with 6" bbl

Reason I mention this is that the first four marks were proofed for BLACK POWDER loadings only. 3's and 4's can handle lighter smokeless loads as the proof standard was raised in that epoch.

Stick to loads in the ground one appropos for .45 Auto Rim ONLY! AVOID GI BALL! NO PLUS P AMMO PERIOD!!! And if made prior to the mid-1890's, load with Triple Seven or use Cowboy Action Shooting standards for pressures. PLEASE!

Check bore diameter as well. Should come out in the 0.455-0.458" range. You'll need to use lead bullets if so. If the bore is tight (0.454" down to 0.451") jacketeds for use in .45 ACP and .45 Colt are available, but load with caution. You'll need enough "oomph" to get a jacketed down the bore, but not so much as to spring the frame. (Too much of a headache for me, I just use leads)

FWIW, I own 2. A Mark 6, 1917 date, ground cylinder, Mark 4 with frame date of December 1900, cylinder ground but extractor only countersunk to accept .45 Auto Rim (George Nonte style. His suggestion, entirely too late for most all collectors, was NOT to grind down the cylinders, but countersink the chambers so that they can accept both .45 Auto Rim AND .455) Since the numbers match on cylinder, bbl and frame, looks like prior owner began to restore it, but did not finish. Considering Mark 4 proofing, keeping .45 ACP away from it is a good thing

Parts are only available for the Mark 5/Mark 6. And precious few at that, lately (Well, they stopped manufacture in 1932!) Some parts can be fitted to the Mark 4, fewer still to earlier marks. The one think you CAN get without months-to-years of searching is grip panels (less escutcheon) for all Marks. This tends to be the only thing that goes south besides the hinge spring (gunsmiths can make these, possibly DGW may have something that can be fitted) or the occasional lost screw (can be found in certain gunsmith screw assortments). DO NOT LOSE THE EXTRACTOR LEVER PIECE! They will slide out of the frame hinge if you remove the barrel pin, and best wishes on finding a replacement quick!

Gave you a LOT of data here, but stuff you and the relative NEED TO know.

(Don't chop or burn or grind ANYTHING on it!) Please!