Here are the before pics, it just came in. It needs a new barrel as the original has been tubed to .22lr. I will pull the original barrel and send it off to be copied then thread and chamber it. The action will be fully polish out and re-cut and re-color hardened, the wood refinished and my client will be a happy guy. Once a caliber conversion has been done it is rare to find such a complete British falling block to restore. This is a rare action size as well, I have seen plenty of both large actions and the small round block actions but this is the first mid-sized Webley 1902 I have seen. Should be a really fun project.

Steve, interesting, are the original caliber markings still on the barrel? The whole 400/350-400/360 thing is a kettle of fish that only the Brits could comprehend.

I got to thinking about the large action/medium action thing and dug out my 1902 and Winfrey's volume on the Webleys. Turns out that my 450/400 is on the large action which would normally be found on the 500s and 577s through 600. But if someone wanted a heavy rifle in a smaller caliber they would oblige. Winfrey allows that the action most commonly seen is the medium size. A medium in the 400/350 or 400/360 would be a very nice combination. I had a 400/360 WR on an 1874 Transitional WR action. It was a great shooter with the 286 grain Norma bullets.

It does still have the proof marks. Interesting that Winfer finds the medium action most common, this is a first for me and I have seen a pile of the big actions and the small ones too. Must just be the way it worked out. My client owns several Rigby rifles, one of which is large action 1902 that was re-barreled in the past.

Beautiful project Steve, keep us posted !

The Rigby version of the 400/350, with it's 310 grain bullet was very well thought of and was preferred by John Taylor to the 350 Rigby Mag. with it's 225 gr bullets. He wrote about his use of a single shot in that caliber, in "glowing" terms.
Mike

Bodger job on the rimfire conversion, looks like I will be making a new bushing and firing pin.



I had not seen the inverted Noch's form before, it is a nice feature I will retain on the new barrel that stop the fore end from wanting to rotate.

I have no idea if it is possible, was there thought to try to get the current liner out, and try to retain the original barrel with a new liner? Just wondering, no big deal, I was guessing it might tear up tooling.

Usually when a barrel is lined the old rifling is removed, it looked that way on this barrel. The original barrel is now on the way to Krieger to be replicated.

Sweet, Steve. Please post photos as the rifle progresses. Thanks!