‘‘WEBLEY-FOSBERY’’ On left side frame stamp: .455 CORDITE A number of further variations were produced of the 1902 Model, involving changes in barrel length and designated Mk I to Mk VI. This revolver was also produced as a ‘Short-Frame’ Model, with a cylinder having similar dimensions to the .38 ACP Model but with only six chambers, for the .455 service cartridge. Webley-Fosbury .38 calibre Model: Manufactured for .38 ACP cartridge, cylinder with eight chambers, various barrel lengths.
Colt Model 1911, the early version selected to be the US service pistol in the 1906 trials. The WebleyFosbery was also entered but was considered too expensive and complex for serious consideration. (Public Domain)
A German Luger, with a 4-inch barrel, chambered for 9x19mm Parabellum cartridge. This was another of Webley’s competitors in the semiautomatic pistol market. (Courtesy of AdamsGuns.com)
The lower frame of the revolver was fixed, while the hexagonal barrel, cylinder and upper frame assembly moved on machined rails under the force of the weapon’s recoil, cocking the hammer and rotating the cylinder, so the action was analogous to a modern semi-automatic pistol. Incidentally, the weapon seems to have only functioned correctly with the higher power smokeless or cordite rounds, hence the stamp on the frames of the early weapons. Variations Pre-1902 revolvers Webley-Fosbury .445 calibre Model: Cylinder with six chambers for the government issue Webley .455
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cartridge, barrel lengths between 4 and 7½ inches. These weapons worked best when using the Mk 1 pistol cartridge, with a load of 6.5 grains of cordite and a 265-grain bullet. However, they would still shoot adequately when using the earlier black-powder rounds, although with some detriment to automatic function. Serial range: 1-600 Left side of top strap stamped: ‘‘WEBLEY-FOSBERY AUTOMATIC’’ Left side of frame stamped: .455 CORDITE ONLY Post-1902 revolvers Webley-Fosbury .445 calibre Model: Serial range: 600-5000 Top-strap stamp:
Military service Although Fosbery’s revolver was very accurate and fast to shoot, the precise machining necessary to produce the revolver made it both expensive and susceptible to stoppages in muddy conditions, so that it proved to be unsuitable for service use. It was also heavy and unwieldy, at eleven inches in length and 2½lbs in weight and that made it unpopular with many British officers, who were responsible for the purchase of their own sidearm during the period before WWI. Some officers did purchase it for use during both the Second Boer War and WWI, but reports appear to have quickly circulated about the weapon’s unreliability in dirty or wet conditions, the fine tolerances of the sliding mechanism proving particularly susceptible to the ingress of dirt or sand. However, it quickly became popular with target shooters, who preferred it to the Colt and Browning semiautomatic pistols because of the Fosbery’s much reduced recoil. Good results were obtained by experienced shooters, with records showing that it was possible to discharge twelve shots through a four-inch target in as little as 20 seconds. Values: • NRA ‘Good’: £2,800-£3,350 • NRA ‘Fine’: £3,300-£ 3,700 • Cased: £4,500-£4,900 ■ BIBLIOGRAPHY
• Taylerson, A.W.F., The Revolver 18891914, Barrie & Jenkins, London 1970. George Prescott is also the author of The English Revolver: A Collector’s guide to the Guns, their History and Values, Schiffer Publishing Ltd, 2014.
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