The Webley–Fosbery Self-Cocking Automatic Revolver is a recoil-operated automatic revolver designed by George Vincent Fosbery and produced by the Webley & Scott company from 1901 to 1924. The revolver is easily recognisable by the zig-zag grooves on the cylinder. The handgun was offered in both .455 and .38 calibres and, somewhat unique for a revolver, features a manual thumb safety.

History

Semi-automatic pistols were just beginning to appear when Fosbery devised a revolver that cocked the hammer and rotated the cylinder by sliding the action, cylinder and barrel assembly back on the frame. The prototype was a modified Colt Single Action Army revolver. However, Colt was uninterested in the automatic design.

Fosbery took his design to P. Webley & Son of Birmingham. P. Webley & Son, which merged with W.C. Scott & Sons and Richard Ellis & Son in 1897 to form the Webley & Scott Revolver and Arms Co., was the primary manufacturer of service pistols for the British Army as well as producing firearms for civilian use. Webley further developed the design and the Webley–Fosbery Automatic Revolver was introduced at the matches at Bisley in July 1900. and in 1902 he used it to place six shots in a bull's-eye at 12 paces in seven seconds. Using a Prideaux speedloader he was able to fire twelve shots into a bull's-eye in approximately 15 seconds.

Wartime usage

Though Webley viewed this weapon as an ideal sidearm for cavalry troops, the Webley–Fosbery was never adopted as an official government sidearm. At over long and weighing some 44 ounces (1,239 grammes) unloaded, the Webley–Fosbery was a heavy and unwieldy sidearm even by the standards of the day. Several models of Webley–Fosbery revolvers were produced, and the type saw limited action in the Boer Wars as well as World War I, where some privately purchased examples were carried by British officers in the .455 service chambering. Reports from the field suggested that the Webley–Fosbery, with its precisely machined recoil surfaces, was more susceptible to jamming in wartime conditions of mud and rain than comparable sidearms of the period. It has been commonly alleged that the Webley–Fosbery required a tight hold in order for the cylinder to properly cycle and cock the weapon.

A Webley–Fosbery figures prominently in the 1941 picture The Maltese Falcon, starring Humphrey Bogart and Mary Astor.

It also features throughout the 1974 film Zardoz, as the main sidearm of the central character Zed, played by Sean Connery.

<gallery>

Webley-Fosbery Patent.jpg|Webley-Fosbery patent 1897

Webley-Fosbery.png|Webley-Fosbery .455

Webley-Fosbery short bbl.jpg|Webley-Fosbery .455, short-barreled variant

455in SAA Ball - Webley 455 Ammunition.jpg|.455 SAA Ball ammunition

</gallery>

See also

  • Mateba Autorevolver, a modern automatic revolver
  • Mauser M78, a revolver from the same era, with a zig-zag grooved cylinder
  • Pancor Jackhammer, a select-fire shotgun based on the action type
  • Zulaica Automatic Revolver, a small-bore (.22LR) automatic revolver from the same era

References

Further reading

  • Instruction Manual
  • Major Fosbery's Automatic Revolver: History and Mechanics
  • Video of a Webley–Fosbery, showing self-cocking action
  • Webley Fosbery Automatic Revolver Caliber .455 (UK)