Revolver.
It differed from its earlier brother in having a 6in barrel, a squared grip, and a removable front sight. It was chambered for the .455 british service round. A .455 caliber bullet weighing 265gr and having a speed of 700 feet per second.
The Mk6 revolver gained respect for its good accuracy at combat ranges, excellent reliability even in the mud of Flanders , and great stopping power against even the most determined foes.
By the end of WW1 Webley had made over 300,000 mk6 revolvers.
Many of these fine revolvers served for the next 30 years all over the world seeing service from Siberia to Kenya from Ireland to Hong Kong. Many can still be found to this day in many remote areas doing service in the hands of bandits, farmers, and revolutionaries in these wild regions.
In 1921 the British government broke their long standing partnership with Webley & Scott when they decided to send all further orders of Mk6 revolvers through the National Arsenal of Enfield.
The last order placed to Webley and Scott for Mark 6 revolvers was in the 1930s by Ireland to arm its newly organized Guardians of Peace, a police organization that was taking over for the Royal Irish Constabulary (R.I.C.) which had itself purchased many revolvers in the last century to the point of haveing a model named after it. These revolvers were reported to differ from the original Mk6 in having a non-detachable front sight and a 4inch barrel.
Enfield changed the name to No.1 Mark6 pistol revolver .455, and production continued till 1929 with an overall production of just 9,000 revolvers. It was replaced from primary service be an inferior 38 caliber revolver the No.2 Mark1.
However it was still used by many soldiers during World War 2 when supplies of the 38 revolver ran low.
After the war the Mk6 was declared obsolete and retired completely to be replace entirely by the No.2 Mk1 38 revolver and the Browning High Power 9mm automatic pistol. This was the end of the Mk6 revolver in british service and the end of the large bore military revolver.
But the Mk6 was far from dead! When Mother England sold off her war surplus in the 1970s and 80s many Mk6s found their way to the USA where most were converted to American calibers like the 45acp and 45long colt.
Here they have been used by farmers, hunters, ranchers, survivalist, collectors, and police officers as a private purchase sidearm. Not unlike the uses England put it to. Even in this day many webleys Mk6s still see daily service.
