Infantry Museum - Fort Benning, GA

918collector · Post by **918collector** » March 21st, 2010, 5:37 pm

Went to the Infantry Museum in Fort Benning, Georgia. This is near Columbus, on the western side of Georgia, near the Alabama line, and thus near my home. If anyone is nearby or has business down here, it's well worth a look. There is no entrance fee and even the items in the gift shop are fairly inexpensive. They spent a lot of money on this place and have a lot to see. Took quite a few pics of various firearms, mostly handguns, and they are pretty much what you would expect to find except on oddball pistol said to have belonged to the Nationalist Chinese. Pretty much everything's under glass which makes good photos problematic, but the displays are good.

: IMG_1666.JPG (253.21 KiB) Viewed 11457 times

Can add some more but the website tells me the file is too big.
Omigosh! The picture looks huge. Apologies, but it you want detail, you got it.

mirother · Post by **mirother** » March 22nd, 2010, 7:30 am

918 collector
It looks like a Nagant revolver variation from the firing pin and general shape, but maybe some other folks have a more precise identification.

918collector · Post by **918collector** » March 22nd, 2010, 8:47 am

Actually, this one is a Webley Mk VI. I just posted it as a test since I've never posted pics before. The Chinese pistol is an auto.

I would like some info on how to post photos, though. I guess I can reduce the pixel count but I don't know if that would shrink the size of the pics or not.

mirother · Post by **mirother** » March 22nd, 2010, 9:14 am

Yes, you are right. My mistake!

Post by **dfunk** » March 22nd, 2010, 9:49 am

Nice Webley.
You already know how to post the photo. You need to reduce it's size before you attach it.
This site is free and can walk you through the process: http://www.picresize.com/
Best of all, there's nothing to download and install.

Here's your same photo after I used the site and set it to reduce to 800px wide with the height field empty:

: rsz_1img_1666.jpg (97.56 KiB) Viewed 11447 times

Post by **papabear** » March 22nd, 2010, 11:46 am

918collector,

You brought back several memories for me by your post about you being at Fort Benning, my dad was stationed there in '52, we lived in Columbus and I went to the third grade there. He was there for the War College that back then you had to take to obtain the rank of Major and of course this was during the Korean War. We left Fort Benning and moved to Temple, TX. when he was next stationed at Fort Hood. Yelp, I was a army brat, traveled all over during my grade school days. I really liked Columbus, we rented from a guy that owned a large sugar cane and peanut farm and he was always bringing me sugar cane and boiled salted peanuts in the shell, he would eat shell and all and I still do that today when I can find em.

This is me with mom and dad in front of the HQ building, I was 8 years old, and the pic was taken by a South Korean Col. that dad knew, he was later killed in the war.

Enjoyed also the pic of the MKVI Webley from the museum , here are pics of my MKIV Webley SPF w/safety in 38/200 [38S&W]

918collector · Post by **918collector** » March 22nd, 2010, 6:33 pm

Fort Benning seems to be one of those military towns that is aware of its (the base) importance to the area. The place is huge and getting bigger since BRAC is moving some stuff here, notably from Fort Knox. Armor training, I think. Anyway, it must be a pretty good place to live judging by all the retired military guys over there. They time the gunshows in Columbus to coincide with when a new class of recruits completes basic.

My dad's a Korea vet also although he went to Ft. Belvoir, Virginia since he was in the Corps of Engineers. I wasn't born til '59 so of course I don't remember any of it. He gave me his old KMAG patches which I promptly lost.

That is a very nice Mk IV. It seems to have the hammer safety I've seen on a few. I think that was a retrofit. Do you know where that one came from? Always wanted to add a Mk IV to my collection but can never seem to find a decent one when the money comes to hand.

Will get on those other photos as soon as I can. Thanks for the info, dfunk.

Post by **papabear** » March 22nd, 2010, 8:03 pm

918collector,

My MK IV came from Webley & Scott in England and were one of the standard service revolvers in WWI & WWII and were still being made up to the early '60's. . Some of the MK 4's were used by the Hong Kong & Singapore police, as they were part of the British Commonwealth back in the '30's they were retrofitted for the Singapore Police Force [SPF] with safety catches or safeties. These were gradually retired in the 1970s.

The British Government took the Webley & Scott design to the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield Lock, which came up with a revolver that was externally very similar looking to the .38/200 calibre Webley Mk IV , but it different enough that no parts from the Webley could be used in the Enfield and vice-versa. The Enfield-designed pistol was quickly accepted under the designation Enfield No. 2 Mk I, and was adopted in the early 30's.

So the one you posted from the museum appears to be a Enfield Mk VI

918collector · Post by **918collector** » March 22nd, 2010, 10:46 pm

Yes, it's definitely a MK VI. I have one. This one's even cleaner than mine and I thought mine was in pretty good shape. I notice they all have that screw in the left side of the frame with the oversized screw slot.

OK, I went to that site and reduced the pictures 75%. Let's see how well this works.

918collector · Post by **918collector** » March 22nd, 2010, 10:50 pm

Now I know the max is 3. Here's some more

918collector · Post by **918collector** » March 22nd, 2010, 10:54 pm

More.

918collector · Post by **918collector** » March 22nd, 2010, 10:57 pm

Last time, I promise. The cabinet glass kinda messed these up but still pretty unique weapons.

Post by **papabear** » March 23rd, 2010, 9:04 am

I can see why you were so impressed, that is a must see if ever in the Fort Benning area and thanks for sharing them with us. If you are ever in the Florida panhandle area ie., Fort Walton Beach area, just north of there is Eglin AF Base, they also have a really neat museum of planes and WWII guns also, IMHO a trip there would well worth it.