The Automatic Revolver
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| Note the zigzag cylinder |
The Webley–Fosbery Self-Cocking Automatic Revolver is one of the more unusual revolvers every made. The whole idea that a revolver can fire like an automatic pistol seems, on the surface, somewhat silly. After all the ultimate automatic handgun was invented by John Browning in his iconic model 1911. However, this gun predates the 1911 to a time when handguns especially automatics were not that good or numerous.
The gun works by having the entire top of the revolver slide backwards much like an automatic pistol. The action cocks itself and the cylinder has zigzag slots in it to move the next round into battery, making the next shot available. The gun is said to have a very low recoil, probably due to the entire top section moving backwards, and shooters praise its ability to keep the next shot on target.
The gun used the .455 Webley Mk II or .38 ACP calibers. It unloads the cartridges in the same snap open mechanism as regular Webley's and unloads quickly.
Notable movie scenes involving the Webley-Fosbery include the Maltese Falcon with Humphrey Bogart. Sam Spades partner in the movie, Miles Archer, was shot and killed with the pistol. The pistol was also used extensively in the Boer War in South Africa by the British and in World War I. A total of about 5000 were made and production stopped in the early 1920s.
There were perhaps some disadvantages to the Webley-Fosbery. One was that the action needed to be cleaned and was prone to misfires when extremely dirty or dropped in the mud. Another disadvantage was the action had to be slid backwards due to a misfire and this required two hands: a difficult feat if you only had one available and not very convenient. It is also important to note that holding the gun firmly with a straight arm was necessary for the action to re-cock itself. Cushioning the recoil could lead to the action not re-cocking.
While the Webley-Fosbery was not continued after 1939, it still remains a unique revolver. It puzzles me to no end why no one has tried to reproduce it. I can see the disadvantages of the gun, but many modern firearms have been produced with far more issues that this one has. I am a big fan of revolvers for their reliability and safety and would love one of these. The real mystery of the Webley-Fosbery is why history forgot about it
The gun works by having the entire top of the revolver slide backwards much like an automatic pistol. The action cocks itself and the cylinder has zigzag slots in it to move the next round into battery, making the next shot available. The gun is said to have a very low recoil, probably due to the entire top section moving backwards, and shooters praise its ability to keep the next shot on target.
The gun used the .455 Webley Mk II or .38 ACP calibers. It unloads the cartridges in the same snap open mechanism as regular Webley's and unloads quickly.
Notable movie scenes involving the Webley-Fosbery include the Maltese Falcon with Humphrey Bogart. Sam Spades partner in the movie, Miles Archer, was shot and killed with the pistol. The pistol was also used extensively in the Boer War in South Africa by the British and in World War I. A total of about 5000 were made and production stopped in the early 1920s.
There were perhaps some disadvantages to the Webley-Fosbery. One was that the action needed to be cleaned and was prone to misfires when extremely dirty or dropped in the mud. Another disadvantage was the action had to be slid backwards due to a misfire and this required two hands: a difficult feat if you only had one available and not very convenient. It is also important to note that holding the gun firmly with a straight arm was necessary for the action to re-cock itself. Cushioning the recoil could lead to the action not re-cocking.
While the Webley-Fosbery was not continued after 1939, it still remains a unique revolver. It puzzles me to no end why no one has tried to reproduce it. I can see the disadvantages of the gun, but many modern firearms have been produced with far more issues that this one has. I am a big fan of revolvers for their reliability and safety and would love one of these. The real mystery of the Webley-Fosbery is why history forgot about it
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