Infantry Weapons

Webley Mk IV revolver

Also known as
  • Webley Mark IV revolver
  • Webley Mk IV .38
  • Webley .38/200 Service Revolver
  • Webley Mk IV .455
  • Boer War Model

The Webley Mk IV name covers two closely related British top-break revolver lines: the 1899 .455 pattern associated with the South African War and the later .38/200 revolver that Webley & Scott built for service and police users. The .38/200 model was bought in large numbers by Britain's Ministry of Supply from 1940 and remained visible in Myanmar police stocks when an example was captured from police in Monywa in 2021.

Webley Mk IV revolver, Service revolver, Infantry Weapons
Image source: Webley Mk IV museum image file

Role in Conflicts

2021 Myanmar Civil War
Side
State Administration Council and allied forces
Role in conflict
Police sidearm

A Webley Mk IV revolver was shown as a Myanmar police sidearm and described as captured by anti-government forces in Monywa in 2021.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
United Kingdom
Type
Service revolver
Service note
1899 .455 Mk IV service pattern; early-1920s .38/200 design with wartime and postwar police use
Designer
Webley & Scott
Designed
1899
Produced
.455 Mk IV: 1899-1913; .38/200 Mk IV: 1929-1968 reported
Number built
.38/200 Mk IV: about 500,000 reported; around 126,000 bought by Britain's Ministry of Supply from 1940

Specifications

Pattern
Top-break revolver
Action
Single-action/double-action
Feed system
6-round cylinder
Caliber
.38/200 (.38 S&W) for the later Mk IV; .455 Webley for the 1899 Mk IV pattern
Barrel length
127 mm for the .38/200 service revolver; 4 in on the .455 standard military model
Weight
1.1 kg empty for the .38/200 service revolver
Muzzle velocity
190 m/s reported for the .38/200 service revolver
Variants

The Mk IV label is unusually easy to misread because Webley used it for an 1899 .455 service revolver and later for a smaller .38/200 service revolver.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
1899 .455 service pattern.455 service-revolver pattern

Introduced in 1899 and widely known as the Boer War Model after British officers bought examples for service in the South African conflict.

Sources: National Army Museum Webley Mk IV .455 revolver, NRA Museum Webley Mk IV revolver

Later .38/200 service pattern.38/200 service and police revolver

Developed in the early 1920s for a lighter British service pistol requirement, then produced commercially and bought in quantity during the Second World War pistol shortage.

Sources: IWM Webley .38 Mk4 war finish, WeaponSystems Webley Mk IV

Timeline

Webley Mk IV revolver Key Events

  1. Mk IV enters service

    Webley introduced the Mk IV revolver family in 1899, making the design part of the late Victorian British service-revolver line.

    Sources: NRA Museum Webley Mk IV revolver, National Army Museum Webley Mk IV .455 revolver

  2. .38 Mk IV wartime purchase begins

    Britain's Ministry of Supply began buying Webley Mk IV .38 revolvers from 1940 as wartime expansion created a pistol shortage.

    Sources: IWM Webley .38 Mk4 war finish

  3. British revolvers enter Burmese sidearm stocks

    Postwar British revolvers, including .38/200 Webley Mk IV examples, formed part of Burma's early sidearm inventory after independence.

    Sources: Myanmar Webley in postwar police capture

  4. Captured from Myanmar police

    A Webley Mk IV revolver appears in a 2021 Myanmar photo captioned as being captured by anti-government forces from police in Monywa.

    Sources: Myanmar Webley in postwar police capture

Media

Webley Mk IV revolver Videos

Webley Mk IV revolver Images

Webley Mk IV revolver, Service revolver, Infantry Weapons - view 1
Source: Webley Mk IV revolver image file
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Sources

NRA Museum Webley Mk IV revolverPublisher: National Rifle Association Museum | Note: Supports the Mk IV's British manufacture by Webley & Scott, 1899 introduction, and the standard 4-inch military model in .455 Webley form. | Accessed: 2026-06-29National Army Museum Webley Mk IV .455 revolverPublisher: National Army Museum | Note: Supports the 1899 .455 Mk IV designation, the Boer War Model nickname, and South African conflict purchasing context. | Accessed: 2026-06-29IWM Webley .38 Mk4 war finishPublisher: Imperial War Museums | Note: Supports .38 Mk IV development for a lighter War Office pistol requirement, Enfield No. 2 selection, 1940-onward Ministry of Supply purchases, and wartime finish markings. | Accessed: 2026-06-29WeaponSystems Webley Mk IVPublisher: WeaponSystems.net | Note: Supports .38/200 Mk IV production span, reported production total, top-break pattern, feed system, barrel length, weight, muzzle velocity, and designation context. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Royal Armouries Webley Mk IV objectPublisher: Royal Armouries | Note: Supports the Mk IV standard military model's six-chamber cylinder, 4-inch barrel, and 2.18 lb weight. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Myanmar Webley in postwar police capturePublisher: WWII After WWII | Note: Supports the 2021 Myanmar Civil War direct-use claim: the Webley Mk IV revolver was shown with Myanmar police gear and described as captured by anti-government forces in Monywa in 2021. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Webley Mk IV revolver image filePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Public-domain image page for a Webley Mk IV revolver photograph retained in the gallery. | Accessed: 2026-06-29Webley Mk IV museum image filePublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: CC BY-SA image page for the Webley Mk IV .38 revolver photograph used as the primary image and in the gallery. | Accessed: 2026-06-29