British .455 Webley Revolver

No nation other than the United States had a greater or longer-lived affair with the revolver than did the British.

- Terry Wieland

America had Colt, England had Webley, and both were famous around the world. In fact, the Webley was known as “The Peacemaker of the Empire.” Great Britain went to war in 1914 with the Webley Mk V top-break revolver, caliber .455 Colt, as its standard-issue sidearm – one of the few great powers to cling to the revolver instead of switching to a modern semiautomatic such as the Luger. The British stuck with the Webley for a number of reasons. One was cost, but more important was its effectiveness.

Because the bulk of the British defense budget went to the Royal Navy, the British army was chronically short of money. Once it had a gun it liked, it was more prone to improve on an existing design than move to an entirely new one. Also, the army was always more attuned to colonial policing, brush fire wars and small-unit actions than to large-scale maneuvering of vast armies on continental battlefields. A British officer might find himself on his own, facing several enemies wielding swords and inspired by religious fervor. It was important that a shot or two from the officer’s handgun would stop him – or them – immediately. The Webley satisfied both requirements: It was economical, and it delivered a devastating blow.