Dave DeLaurant
Member
India is a fascinating place in many ways, including manufactured goods. For example, the mid-1950s British Morris Oxford III was cloned and produced in India as the Hindustan Ambassador from 1957 to 2014 -- they were particularly popular for use there as taxicabs.
Probably less well-known has been the continued production of the Webley Mk IV revolver. Indian Ordnance Factory has produced a .32 S&W Long version for the small domestic market, generally referred to as the IOF .32 Revolver, since the mid-1990s. It's based on the Singapore Police model , which incorporates a safety in the frame behind the hammer. Retail is 84700 Rupees, or a little over $1K US.
https://ddpdoo.gov.in/product/products/product-details/0-32-revolver-mk---iii
My guess would be that IOF had made other versions of the Mk IV for military and police use prior to this, but don't quote me.
Then, sometime in 2021, Webley & Scott India began their own early series production of the Mk IV in .32 S&W Long, in direct competition with IOF.
https://webleyscott.in/collections/revolvers/products/mkiv-32-overhand-pocket-revolver
I don't have much reliable information about what is going on with this revolver, but Jonathan Ferguson at Royal Armouries was able to provide some of the backstory:
As to the new Webleys I was aware of them but hadn’t been following the story so thanks for that. As to Webley India, no link to IOF that I’m aware of – it’s the current UK owner of the brand (Fuller Group) having products teaming up with an Uttar Pradesh-based firm called Sial to build a new Webley factory
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/70-years-after-independence-england-s-webley-and-scott-to-make-guns-in-india-for-civilians/story-GQ1GNWkGP1hc2wuvx5ZQaJ.html
They were having to go to IOF to get them proofed and clearly weren’t happy about that - https://nenow.in/popular-stories/we...ans-in-india-second-hand-trade-to-be-hit.html
So I am pretty sure that this arrangement is in direct competition to IOF – the choice of .32 is a coincidence dictated by Indian firearms legislation and the choice of type is due to colonial legacy, effectively. That’s my take until I can compare the two together – I hope Webley’s version is nicer than what I’ve seen of IOF’s!
In any case I’m glad that the brand is still British-owned (albeit the continuity with the original company is long gone) and is making revolvers again, albeit not within the Commonwealth.
So, FWIW, a couple of variations on the classic Webley Mk IV are still being produced in real factories.
That is in addition to onesie-twosie production in the shops of Darra Adam Khel in Pakistan, of course.
https://silahreport.com/2017/12/20/made-in-darra-webley-and-scott-32-sw-long/
Cool, huh?
Probably less well-known has been the continued production of the Webley Mk IV revolver. Indian Ordnance Factory has produced a .32 S&W Long version for the small domestic market, generally referred to as the IOF .32 Revolver, since the mid-1990s. It's based on the Singapore Police model , which incorporates a safety in the frame behind the hammer. Retail is 84700 Rupees, or a little over $1K US.
https://ddpdoo.gov.in/product/products/product-details/0-32-revolver-mk---iii
My guess would be that IOF had made other versions of the Mk IV for military and police use prior to this, but don't quote me.
Then, sometime in 2021, Webley & Scott India began their own early series production of the Mk IV in .32 S&W Long, in direct competition with IOF.
https://webleyscott.in/collections/revolvers/products/mkiv-32-overhand-pocket-revolver
I don't have much reliable information about what is going on with this revolver, but Jonathan Ferguson at Royal Armouries was able to provide some of the backstory:
As to the new Webleys I was aware of them but hadn’t been following the story so thanks for that. As to Webley India, no link to IOF that I’m aware of – it’s the current UK owner of the brand (Fuller Group) having products teaming up with an Uttar Pradesh-based firm called Sial to build a new Webley factory
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/70-years-after-independence-england-s-webley-and-scott-to-make-guns-in-india-for-civilians/story-GQ1GNWkGP1hc2wuvx5ZQaJ.html
They were having to go to IOF to get them proofed and clearly weren’t happy about that - https://nenow.in/popular-stories/we...ans-in-india-second-hand-trade-to-be-hit.html
So I am pretty sure that this arrangement is in direct competition to IOF – the choice of .32 is a coincidence dictated by Indian firearms legislation and the choice of type is due to colonial legacy, effectively. That’s my take until I can compare the two together – I hope Webley’s version is nicer than what I’ve seen of IOF’s!
In any case I’m glad that the brand is still British-owned (albeit the continuity with the original company is long gone) and is making revolvers again, albeit not within the Commonwealth.
So, FWIW, a couple of variations on the classic Webley Mk IV are still being produced in real factories.
That is in addition to onesie-twosie production in the shops of Darra Adam Khel in Pakistan, of course.
https://silahreport.com/2017/12/20/made-in-darra-webley-and-scott-32-sw-long/
Cool, huh?