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Snagged a Spanish revolver today at a gun buyback

7K views 27 replies 14 participants last post by  pullnshoot25 
#1 ·
So there was a gun buyback in my neck of the woods today and a few friends and I set up along the road with signs to get people to sell their guns to us instead. One of the guns I managed to snag today is a Spanish Eibar 455 made by Trocaola, Aranzabal y Cia. According to my research, this means that the gun is an Old Pattern No 2 Mk1 made for the Brits during WW1. I think I did well overall considering that I paid $`00 for it but I have found that the cylinder freely rotates with the hammer down. Since i would like a fully-functional revolver, I would like to get it fixed up for some mild plinking. Anyone know what the issue might be?
 
#2 ·
When the trigger is pulled all the way back and the hammer drops the cylinder should be indexed and locked so that it can't move much if at all. This is true for all revolvers. With the hammer down and the trigger all the way forward some revolvers, such as the Webley MK VI, have a part that will pop up and lock the cylinder so that it can't spin. But some other revolvers were not made this way, such as the Japanese Type 26 revolver. With the trigger forward, it's possible to accidently turn a Type 26 cylinder but not a MK VI Webley. I don't think the Spanish revolvers locked the cylinder in the rest position. However, I don't have a Spanish .455 made for British service, so maybe someone who does can inform us if it was made to lock the cylinder in the rest position or not.
 
#4 ·
Design weakness is the culprit, for these were manufactured without the cylinder stop borne by the Smith & Wesson from which they were loosely copied. The Smith had a removable sideplate, and the Spanish dispensed with the extra machinery and handwork that would have been entailed providing sideplates and cylinder stops.
 
#5 ·
Spanish Eibar 455 made by Trocaola Aranzabal. According to my research, this means that the gun is an Old Pattern No 2 Mk1
This is not the case. The essential and unchangeable difference between the No 1 Mk 1 and the No 2 Mk 2 is clearly stated in LoC 17555: "The grip of the No 1 pistol is small with projecting head ----The grip of the No 2 is larger and without projecting head on top". The manufacturer has nothing to do with this. I believe that the oft repeated claim regarding the manufacturers of the No 1 and No 2 stems from the fact that the sealed pattern of the No 2, in what was the Enfield Pattern Room Collection, was made by Trocaola Aranzabal y Cia (TAC). However, my No 1 Mk 1 (with projecting head) was also made by TAC: see the attached picture.

Peter
 

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#6 ·
You might want to examine the firing pin for wear. Spanish guns may have been built that way but for my Webley and my Belgian R.I.C. types the cylinder stop unlocks when the trigger returns and the only thing preventing rotation is the firing pin projecting forward into the empty chamber. The Webley has a half cock to allow rotation, the Belgian that I have does not.
 
#13 ·
It is the hump at the top of the backstrap intended to act as a stop to prevent the grip slipping in the hand on firing.

X-Ring is wrong in calling it a skull crusher. When the MarkII Service Webley was introduced LoC 7816 stated "3. The grip is of a different shape, the head being removed, the previous form having been found to injure the hand on recoil". Of course the Mk VI re-introduced a head, because by then the army had learnt to hold on to their revolvers when firing them !? If you have fired a bird's head butt Mk II, III, IV or V you will know that they do indeed slip progressively down in the hand.

Peter
 
#19 ·
I don't believe Custer's Weblies have ever been located. Very possible any Indian was afraid to be caught with it/them in his possession but I doubt anyone will ever know. I am not sure it's been definitively established he had one at the Battle of the Greasy Grass (Little Big Horn) although it is widely accepted he may have had them.
I recall an American Rifleman article on these but don't have the exact reference handy right now.
 
#22 ·
I would think that in a .45 the 450 Adams would be likely, the 476 is supposed to have come out in 1880 and the 455 in 1887. The 442 Webley is a strong possibility too. I wonder if there is a catalog of recovered brass from the battlefield? Any Webley brass would have been his assuming he got a chance to reload.
 
#24 ·
#25 ·
My gunsmith fixed the revolver up for me. He said it is a real oddball transitional stage smith and Wesson clone. Someone milled the cylinder to accept .45acp so that saves me hunting the ammunition for 455 down. It rotates freely to yhe right but no longer to the left since it got fixed. Looks like I will have to spend some time making some soft loads for it.
 
#27 ·
"Someone milled the cylinder to accept .45acp so that saves me hunting the ammunition for 455 down" My recommendation would be to buy some .45 Auto Rim cases, & load them to .455 Webley specs. Please do not shoot the revolver with .45ACP or .45AR factory or mil-surp ammo, their normal operating pressure is like a .455 proof load.
 
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