Rod,

I don't know what was common at that time. This rifle was proofed in 1937, and obviously for the Mk VII round. That round was the standard service cartridge at the time. My guess would be that the proof house subjected all .303's to the Mk VII proofing standards as a matter of course.

Once the rifle passed proof, W&S was at liberty to regulate it for whatever .303 load it wished. Obviously they chose the traditional sporting round with its 215 grain bullet as evidenced by the barrel inscription and the charge tag. That round generates significantly less pressure than the Mk VII round - 17 tons as compared to 18.5 tons for the Mk VII.

Perhaps 400Nitroexpress will chime in with comments to your question. He is a scholar of such matters and an expert on Webley. I can tell you he has expressed some interesting observations about this particular rifle.

Thanks to all for the kind comments on this very interesting rifle.

Curl