Webley-Fosbery Revolver The unique Webley-Fosbery revolver, where the upper half above the trigger and butt returns to the rear when firing. This frightening combination of pistol and bayonet was rarely used as it was never officially taken over by the British Army.Ī more useful device, however, was a reloader, which allowed six cartridges to be inserted immediately into the open cylinder. This attribute was further enhanced when the ‘Pritchard-Greener revolver bayonet’ was introduced, which was a spike-type bayonet or trench knife pulled across the muzzle with a metal handle and pressed against the revolver frame. Even a jammed or empty Webley could still be used as an effective club. Under these circumstances, the Webley had another great advantage because it was very frugal and had no problem with the dirt and mud in which it was often used.

The powerful cartridge caused an equally powerful recoil and it was recommended to use it only at a reasonable combat distance of a few yards (meters).įor the trench war this was ideal and no problem and the Webley became the preferred weapon for trench raids and close combat. It was also very large and something like a handful of carrier bag that could be fired. The Mark VI was a very well crafted and solid revolver.

455in World War I revolver, but many of the previous Mark series continued to be used. ebley 0.455in revolvers: Mark V from 1913 (above), below Mark I from 1887. The whole mechanism didn’t change much, though when the main model appeared during World War I, the butt shape changed and some changes were made to the aiming devices. The handle had a distinctive shape known as the ‘bird’s head’ and a key ring was considered indispensable for wearing.Ī 4 inch (102 mm) long barrel was used, but later Mark versions also used 6 inch (152 mm) long barrels.Īfter the Mark I, numerous other Mark and sub-versions came with detail improvements or changes to the barrel length. The Mk I had an upward opening frame, with an automatic ejection system that ejected the used cartridges when the frame was opened. This Webley & Scott Mk I was the forerunner of a series of largely similar models, many of which are still in use somewhere.

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