Major Fosbery's Automatic Revolver: History and Mechanics

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George Fosbery, V.C., was a decorated British officer with substantial combat experience in India when he decided to design a better sidearm in 1895. True semiautomatic handguns were in their very early stages of development at that time, and Fosbery thought that one could have a more durable, more powerful, and simpler weapon by using a revolver as a foundation. He began experimenting with a Colt SAA, but soon moved to using Webley revolvers when he found the Colt internals insufficiently durable for his conversion.
What Fosbery did was to make relocate the barrel and cylinder into an upper assembly which could move independently of the grip and trigger of the gun. Upon firing, the energy of recoil would push the upper assembly rearwards, recocking the hammer and indexing the cylinder to the next chamber. This gave the shooter the rapid fire of a double action revolver with the excellent trigger pull of a single action revolver.
The gun was introduced at the Bisley shooting matches, where it proved quite popular as a target gun. By the time production began in the early years of the 20th century, however, semiauto handguns had improved significantly, and the opportunity for the Webley-Fosbery to be a big seller had already passed. Still, British officers were required to provide sidearms chambered for the .455 service cartridge, and more than a few opted to purchase Webley-Fosberys.
Thanks to Mike Carrick of Arms Heritage magazine for providing this Webley-Fosbery for this video! See his regular column here: armsheritagemagazine.com
If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! / inrangetvshow

[@BenWeigt]

That same zig zag mechanism is still used today in many click pens to convert the linear click action into a rotation that operates the extended / retracted cam.

[@scott_hunts]

Ben Weigt it’s also used in 3D printed revolvers

[@donjones4719]

I love it. Exactly the kind of design you'd expect from the Brits, and also a functional and well functioning one. Rather steampunk.

[@andersonrobotics5608]

Some nerf guns too

[@bartholemewmasterson6462]

I know this is a pipe dream but I want someone to remake these

[@BoZoiD57]

Reginald Choquette I would pay if someone offered to remake this for me with a left-hand safety.

[@AussieFanXCIV]

Hear, hear. Seems like a fantastic gun to shoot; the crisp trigger of a single action, the speed of a semiautomatic, and the reliability of a revolver. What's not to love?

[@44WarmocK77]

I'd take one as well, but with one change: put the barrel at the bottom to reduce leverage on the hand, then it won't snap up that much when you fire your 44 Magnums.

[@thegoldencaulk2742]

Just one problem with that... Someone did make a Webley repro, and it's $10,000. And that's a cheaper gun to reproduce than the Web-Fos. You'd be paying out the nose for one, because otherwise the maker couldn't afford to make any.

[@AussieFanXCIV]

44WarmocK77 It just wouldn't feel right shooting while wearing your pith helmet, and it would lack the aesthetic elegance of the victorian imperial period. It'd probably end up looking like some prop from an '80s action or sci-fi flick

[@mazkact]

The grooves in the cylinder would be easily machined today on a CNC mill with an indexing c-axis table. I would love to see the method used to mill the cylinder back then.

[@1nfamyX]

Same

[@robertgaudet7407]

They would have carefully made a custom jig to guide a manual machine tool… then any idiot can crank out hundreds. The jig maker has to be very very good though. In this video at some point you can see a much simpler jig fitted to a manual lathe in the 40s to allow a lathe operator to cut the outer profile of the shell with high repeatability… kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZnrKeaqPoL9sZ9U

[@skipmaloney178]

Came across one of these in the military museum in Koblenz in 2010. The staff was amazed that I not only knew what it was, but was also familiar with development history. Some of that knowledge that we think we will never need.

[@thegoldencaulk2742]

The Webley-Fosbery is probably THE quintessential stop-gap gun. It perfectly fills the void between the proven yet obsolescent revolver and the revolutionary but not quite yet perfected semi-auto. It falls out of favor for the same reasons any stop-gap measure does: because it's a stop-gap, only meant to be a bridge. In the world of technology development, you only use bridges once.

[@JohnDoe-uc5iu]

How does this even make sense? Auto cannons to revolvers is a terrible comparison. And what does they're still used nowadays even mean? Are you trying to say that they're practical, because using you logic Martini-Henrys are still used... People still use lever guns...

[@EwanMarshall]

+John Doe he is pointing out it is a semiautomatic or automatic revolver action on a much larger scale. It is not the same as saying a Martin-Henry is still used, but it is perfectly valid to say that lever action is still used. A gun is a gun, the difference is only scale.

[@baron8107]

Revolvers will always fill a number of niches in the civilian world.

[@andrewramsey6730]

Don't we still make revolvers? I missed your point.

[@michiganlifepreppers540]

I carry a wheel gun. Why? Because I know every time I pull the trigger it goes bang. I have auto pistols too but...there’s nothing quite like a revolver. They’re not obsolete by any stretch of the imagination. Are there platforms out there that work? Absolutely. However a wheel gun is an animal all to itself. I know if I have to shoot someone with my .357 then I’ll only have to shoot them once.

[@TheCivilizdKaoz]

I'm a descendant of the Cameron Clan (on my mother's side). cool note the Cameron Highlanders were the last military unit to wear the kilt into combat in WW1 due to a "delay" in the orders to switch to the regular British uniform. earned the nick name "the ladies of Death" by the German troops that fought them.

[@51WCDodge]

They were issued special 'Stockings' to deal with gas attacks, no kidding.

[@Wolvenworks]

51WCDodge i reckon even the scots are not fond of getting the wrong kinda breeze down there.

[@johnmacpherson9629]

Nope. LADIES FROM HELL

[@killersalmon4359]

Are you sure about that? I thought Canadian highland units wore kilts as battle dress until 1940, or so...

[@alanhynd7886]

Thought it the Cameron Highlanders during the early part of WWII after they disregarded an order to switch.

[@jacobpettes335]

When ian says he's going to take the gun to the range i get so excited. Always good to see these old technologies in action.

[@whitfan27]

Looks like it inspired the cylinder mag on the Pancor Jackhammer.

[@potatoradio]

Andrew W yep it did. ☺ See his vid on it. But you can't use the pistol cylinder as a mine like the Jackhammer unfortunately.

[@dominickdelcarlo2262]

Ian, just curious if you can confirm or deny a selling point of the revolver...I read that most ww1 pilots were issued a colt 1911, but preferred the Fosbery because it didn't eject shells. Odd, but very important for a ww1 pilot. Since planes didn't move that fast 100 years ago, the pilots would actually shot at their enemy with their sidearm. With the hot shells ejecting, considering the flammable glue used to coat and tighten the cloth surface of biplanes of the time, there was a real risk for fire. Since it didn't eject shells, the pilot didn't have to worry about setting himself on fire while trying to shot at a enemy pilot.

[@51WCDodge]

The RNAS were the major user of the Webley Self Loader,

[@skepticalbadger]

x x Pilots weren't issued any sidearm, as they were officers. They had to obtain their own.

[@adriaandeleeuw8339]

There was a clip on cage for the side of 1911s issued to pilots, not all Pilots were officers! Pilots were often Sergeants, at least in the Royal Flying Corps!

[@christopherdean1326]

@@skepticalbadger The grandfather of a friend of mine was an officer in the RFC during WW1. He bought himself a Fosbery and was quite happy with it. One day, out on patrol, he came under fire from the allied lines. Having emptied his pistol at them to no effect, he got so pissed at them, he threw the Fosbery at them! On landing, he realised he would have to buy a new pistol, and bought a Mark VI instead.

[@georgesheffield1580]

The revolvers can be operated single handed , the autos require 2 hands to initially operate ,drawing the slide back .

[@keithanderson8824]

Sean Connery uses one on screen multiple times in the movie Zardoz. I remember noticing that he had to rack the action because the blanks he was shooting didn't have enough energy to cycle normally.

[@MegaRazorback]

wow, that's a hefty price tag for the time...my grandad told me that 115 shillings was about a years pay for him when he was doing boiler welding in the early 1920's

[@abeherbert6603]

Definitely an officer's gun in that case. Like owning a flash sports car, except it fits in your hand and fires bullets.

[@MegaRazorback]

yeah, the most expensive thing my grandad said he ever bought was a suit for his wedding...damn thing cost him 45 shillings and he only used it once plus he also said the place he got it from only did suits to order, they didn't do rental suits as they felt it was not worth it.

[@51WCDodge]

Mega I think you mean about £115 . 20 Shillings = £1 So it would the Webley have been £1 15/- Though that would have been around a month's wages for your Grandad.

[@51WCDodge]

A British Private at around 1900 would have been paid about 1/- One Shilling per day, less stoppages.

[@SynchronizorVideos]

According to a historical currency conversion calculator I use (futureboy.us/fsp/dollar.fsp ), 105 - 120 shillings in 1901 is equivalent to 680.47 - 777.79 modern USD in terms of buying power. Doesn't sound too unreasonable, given this gun's niche and the folks it was sold to.

[@haroldellis9721]

Un-fun Fact: The original Connecticut "Assault Weapons" bill included automatic revolvers.

[@joshfritz5345]

Yep... Sounds like my home state. Idiots making laws about things they don't understand.

[@samholdsworth3957]

@@joshfritz5345 they must be liberals

[@manitoba-op4jx]

@@samholdsworth3957 we have so many libs here it's insane. on the bright side there's free paper biden harris and BLM (bitchy little marxists, lol) signs for me and the boys to steal at night and throw on the fire for fun

[@notabagel]

@@manitoba-op4jx there's plenty of pro gun blm and pro gun marxists out there, don't put dumbass gun laws on us.

[@Hopeofmen]

Definitely not fun. Glad I moved!

[@themastermason1]

This is making me wish for a Forgotten Weapons/Scholagladitoria collaboration. Also I'm imagining Matt Easton running a two-gun match with his 1916 SMLE but with a saber instead of a pistol.

[@tamlandipper29]

Mate, that would be genius. Could you have a some sabre targets like posts and... Hold on.

[@MrSven3000]

what a cool thing. and what a treasure this channel is !

[@Vlderp]

I was watching Princess Principal the other day and noticed that unusual behavior of the revolver witch main heroine is carrying. After a little research I discovered that automatic revolvers is a thing. And they are quite fascinating. So then this video came out and it is a pleasant coincidence.

[@thesturm8686]

I was looking fir this very comment, thank you my good sir.

[@tammysilverwolf1085]

The cylinder carvings remind me of the Pancor Jackhammer. Really neat piece of history (both are, really). Great video as always, Ian!

[@ogilkes1]

A small piece of Webley Fosberry emphemra. During the First World War, Chruchill became Minister of Munitions (after having reigned as First Lord of the Admiralty and then having commanded a battalion on the Western front). He paid a visit to Vimy Ridge, where he encountered Edward Spears, a senior liason officer. Spears recorded that Churchill, who loved gadgets, had a 'complicated automatic revolver' which when he demonstrated it slam fired (if revolver can be said to do that), and in a panic Churchill held it out at arms length on its lanyard, dancing around, while the bullets thudded into the earth. Much to Churchill's disgust Spears and attendant troops found this hilariously funny. Now, Churchill is known to have carried a C96 in earlier wars, and of course the British sometimes referred to any handgun as a 'revolver', but I suspect hat when fighting Germany Churchill would not have been seen dead with anything other than a British made gun, and hence I suspect a Webley Fosberry, or something else?.

[@51WCDodge]

Churchill carried the C96 in South Africa. He was involve din a cavalary charge, and wrote afterwards he had hurt his wrist so used the pistol rather than a sabre, which he claimed saved his life. The 1972 Film The Young Churchill made great play that they had found the actual pistol and it was used in the film. A lot is made of the charge and Churchill losing the pistol on a train, a long lingering shot of it going off on it's wagon into the distance.

[@kevinoliver3083]

During his WW1 service Winston Churchill used a Colt M1911.

[@ringowunderlich2241]

Heavy sidearms are not only comfortable to shoot in the matter of recoil, they also make a good club, if you run out of ammo ;) This automatic revolver has two advantages over automatic pistols. No ammunition or magazine related feeding problems and no safety issues, with a bolt not locking into battery. "The semiauto pistols were not that great at this point" And that from the same person who praised the Borchardt C93 and the Schwarzlose 1898 =P

[@51WCDodge]

New propelants, new manufacturing techniques with metal cartridge cases, so you have the clash of known technology and the up and coming, and the hybrids. The Webley was built like a brick outhouse because the .455 Man Stopper, originally a black powder cartridge is a complete ...fright.. to shoot. After learning on those, why does anyone complain about Magnum, recoil?

[@eVVigilance]

The Stoned Videogame Nerd .45-70 is tame. 11mm Mauser takes 77gr of powder the .577-450 85gr, and my Gras has shot nearly 90. There's a whack. And that .577-450 was with a .470 dia 565gr bullet.

[@MajorArtillary]

He's probably talking about modern .45-70 in a modern lever gun. Buffalo Bore cranks the .45-70 up to 3500 ft/lbf of energy, compared to the .577/450 at 1900.

[@51WCDodge]

From practical experience the Webley in .455 man stopper in black powder bites hard when you shoot it. Brtitish Army practice at the time was classic single hand target stance. With a rifle you have two hands and can lean into it.

[@hailexiao2770]

@@51WCDodge .455 Webley in any form has less momentum than the standard loading of .45 Colt, so recoil isn't inherently bad. It's just that Webley grips before the Mark VI were mediocre for handling recoil.

[@ellomdian]

At 1903 cost, ~650£ Today, or ~$845. That's a pricey sidearm.

[@bleachedtiedye]

Not as bad as a chiappa rhino or desert eagle or some of the other pricey side arms those are usually 1100-1500 U.S Dollars

[@richardjohnson5588]

And it would be their equivalent at the time, a "self-loader" in a comparatively big bore pistol caliber. It's more the military adoption that's weird about it.

[@hailexiao2770]

@@bleachedtiedye Given that the average person was much poorer back then, it is probably worse relative to income than a Rhino or Desert Eagle.

[@oldbatwit5102]

@@hailexiao2770 British officers were most often from fairly well off families and were expected to provide or pay for quite a bit of their kit. This pistol would not have been a great or unexpected expense to them.

[@calebnation6155]

Not really… my duty sized P09 was like $650, plus the cost of holster and stuff I’m easily around $850, so…

[@coolmanjack1995]

Man this is truly one of the most unique guns I've ever seen, A blowback gun with a revolver drum is just the strangest idea I cant believe no one told him about magazines

[@glaceonthesnowfoxpokemon8289]

The Webley fosbery is my favorite British Revolver.

[@WeaselJuice]

What a curious handgun! It's cool as hell! More unusual guns please!

[@ahandgrenade3640]

This is why i love this channel. Without it i wouldn't know about all these interesting pieces of firearm history.

[@duaneanderson9492]

your shows are fascinating . thank you . your presentation style is inviting , well done.

[@antt5112]

Funny, Dad and I were just discussing this pistol yesterday. Nice vid, I will be sure to show him.

[@jeremy67A]

Love this concept! We need to bring it back!

[@grandpamark6860]

Thanks for the very comprehensive look at the Webley Fosbury 455. I have one in the 700 range and it appears to be identical to the one you held. I concur with all you said regarding the problems with the action. The mechanism is quite delicate and prone to wear and thus safety issues. The 1901 has a small lever on the left side which releases the cylinder without using tools, handy for cleaning! Acquiring ammo seems to cause 455 shooters sleep loss. Decent 455 Webley MK1 cases can be made from 45 Colt cases shortened and the rim thinned enough to fit YOUR revolver.

[@RobertF-cs7fx]

Great Video!!! Very interesting. Thank you for your expertise.

[@matthayward7889]

Shame major Fosbery didn't push the idea a bit further and design a full semi-auto pistol! Always love it when Ian goes off at a tangent starts digressing about something cool. Looking forward to the shooting video, and the 'other weird stuff Fosbery designed' video!

[@seanjoseph8637]

Awe man, can't wait to see it shoot!

[@gionncaomhinmorpheagh4791]

The prices Ian gives may sound ludicrous now, but just to give folks an idea of how values have changed, the following story. When I first travelled to the UK from Ireland to join the British Army, I had to hang around for about seven months until all the paperwork and stuff had been dealt with. During that time (and this is the middle of 1963, don't forget), I took a job as a full-time carpenter's assistant. I earned the average wage for such a position at the time - which was eight shillings per week. So those guns at the time were indeed very expensive indeed. Anyway, an absolutely marvellous video, as always, Ian. Thanks a lot for posting it. It's simply amazing how you manage to cram so much useful and interesting information into such a comparatively short time. MsG

[@fonkyman]

break actions look so good... i love a barrel with nothing underneath it just looks good

[@QuasarRedshift]

Maltese Falcon reference - bonus points !!

[@moemann1039]

simplistic beauty i love this

[@watcherzero5256]

I had a cap gun as a kid which used the same mechanisms as this gun.

[@someguy53299]

I’ve always wanted one of these

[@mobilegoat1]

Wow the first time I ever heard of a semi-automatic revolver , keep up the good work ol buddy .

[@OneEyePI]

Fascinating

[@Renma2010]

Wish they still produced these. Love it's design and mechanics

[@judgeroygreen7046]

In the Maltese Falcon Sam Spade says it's "Webley Forsby, .45 Automatic, Eight Shot, They don't make them anymore." So he not only mispronounces the name, he either got the number of shots wrong or the caliber. Though it's show briefly it's difficult to tell if it's the Six Shot .455, or the Eight Shot .38.

[@Murphy-if9uh]

One other small point about the use of this gun in "Zardoz" is that Connery had to manually cock it as the blanks used weren't powerful enough to cycle the action. Kind of negates the whole point of using an automatic revolver, but it still looked cool. And I still really, really, REALLY wish I had one of these.

[@Gam3Junkie7]

It may have been quickly outmoded by superior semi-auto pistols like the 1911, but as a hybrid stopgap weapon the Webley-Fosbery is a beautiful gun, especially as a revolver that manages to be more than 'just' a revolver.

[@UnrelatedNonsense]

There are currently TWO of these for sale on gun broker as of March 11 2019. Both of them cost about as much as a car.

[@matthewpalmer7184]

Might as well pipe up for those interested- Captain Norman Fraser served in the 2nd Cameron Highlanders and was KIA on the Western front on February 23rd, 1915. :(

[@oldbatwit5102]

He died going to the aid of a wounded comrade, a Lt. Nicholson. When he was hit he said 'Don't mind about me. Look after Nicholson' .

[@paurepiccheeseman]

@@oldbatwit5102 War is hell.

[@alanwood3776]

I cry! i had one of these!

[@chainsaw2046]

What'd you do with it??

[@alanwood3776]

Had to hand it in with the UK hand gun ban 1995-97. lot of collectors and sport shooters had to give up hand guns. due to shooting in 1995.

[@chainsaw2046]

Alan Wood wow, that sucks. Should a shipped it to me XD

[@Soldierboy54b]

The Religion of Leftism: Guns for me but not for thee. Fences for me but open borders for thee. Private schools for me but government schools for thee. Private jets for me but crime-ridden subways for thee. Gated communities for me but slums for thee. Butlers & maids for me but islamoterrorists for thee. And, by the way, you should be ashamed of yourself....But no amount of laughably brazen hypocrisy will ever shame me.

[@daisyruin]

These pistols are amazing, I'm enamored by the automatic revolver action and wish that a reproduction would be made so that those less fortunate than Ian would be able to shoot one too. Namely me. Have not seen one of these come up on gunbroker or else stateside, sure they're out of my price range if they do. Have you had one come through RIA or J.Julia? I'd be interested to know what the hammer brings for them.

[@barbarossarotbart]

This weapon was mentioned in the Investigator Handbook for the Call of Cthulhu RPG. According to this book both calibers were produced until 1939, cost $30-40 (which is more than a Colt Peacemaker and less than a Colt M1911) and jams four times more often than any other Handgun avaiable in the 1920s. (Only the Desert Eagle is much more prone to malfunction.)

[@1917shooter]

Very cool!

[@davidcampos1463]

I have a lot more respect for this revolver from your presentation.

[@maximumbob350]

Excellent video; great to get a look at one of these up close. I realise that it's probably not too straightforward to get hold of them in the States, but I'd love to see more English revolvers on your channel; it's an area that doesn't generally seem to get much coverage.

[@Salieri47]

Very cool mechanism.

[@snarf1851]

This is probably my favorite pistol.

[@oftenwrong.]

the coolest gun you have ever reviewed

[@bbainter7880]

Without this video, I would have thought that this pistol was dreamt up by some modern Steampunk enthusiast. Very neat concept. Thanks for this video Gun Jesus.....keep up the good work!

[@yereverluvinuncleber]

Fine video.

[@51WCDodge]

The Army & Navy C-Operative was based in Victoria , a posh part of London, till 2005. It was a one stop mail order or visit and purchase for the Military , and became de rigeur for the upper classes. They sold everything for your outdoor , campain needs, including furniture. Now part of the House of Fraser Group. I used to get a lot of Barbour and Burberry kit from them.

[@nickg5276]

This is badass

[@VegasCyclingFreak]

Very interesting one this one!

[@blank557]

This is the gun mentioned in the movie, the Maltese Falcon. Humphrey Bogart's partner was murdered specifically by this gun.

[@pg396]

Exit Only Good Memory! What a fantastic movie... 👍

[@taggartlawfirm]

I think he mentioned Luger

[@lsdzheeusi]

The Indiana Jones pistol! Disappointed when I got a chance to fire one for the first time and found that it didn't make the C A N N O N sound from the movie. Who knew ... movies ain't real? 😳

[@rogerwennstrom6677]

Indiana Jones used Webleys, but didnt have the automatic though, as far as I know?

[@sandmanhh67]

Indiana Jones carries either a Webley MkVI or a Webley WG Army depending on which movie you mean. Large frame Webleys all look pretty much alike, with the big differences being barrel length, foresight style and grip type. The WG he uses in one film can be spotted because it has the older (non 'WG Target'model) birdbeak grips.

[@Jesses001]

In the earlier movies, he had a S&W 2nd model. He had a Webley in The Last Crusade. Yes, it was a standard Webley and not the automatic.

[@charlesinglin]

Sam Spade's partner, Miles Archer, was killed by a Webley-Fosbery in "The Maltese Falcon."

[@LtHutch18]

Indy carried an M1917 S&W HE No.2 in Raiders with a custom 4in barrel. In LC he carried, depending on the scene, a Webley "Green" model or a standard Webley MkVI. His revolver that is lost in the Shanghai street chase is a Colt Official Police in .38 Spl.

[@AussieFanXCIV]

Are there any surviving photographs or heck even patent illustrations for Fosberry's prototype 1873 Colt auto revolver? Because I can't wrap my head around what that would've looked like.

[@jessesands4099]

Great Historical information on Major Fosbery's Automatic Revolver!😀🔫🇬🇧

[@aestheticdemon3802]

With regard to the "Army & Navy CSL" marking on the barrel, and the explanation of that, the "Army & Navy" was still a department store in central London well into the 90's, having started as a place for military gentlemen, and would be explorers etc.l, to outfit them selves.

[@williamfinstad9139]

Ian, love your videos and thanks for sharing the knowledge. Have you the source to get your hands on a "paradox" choke to educate us about? That would be great! Thanks again!

[@dorjedriftwood2731]

This gun is amazing!

[@dbx1233]

The cylinder looks like the tread pattern found on truck tires. I like the look.

[@ThePhantomStarfish]

Hey Ian, would you ever do a match with a martini henry? You talked about how obsolete the bolt action carcano was at your last match but I'd like to see just how bad a single-shot is. BTW I just think the martini henry is a historically interesting and nice looking rifle.

[@Stout936]

ThePhantomStarfish he did a match with a Martini Henry type shotgun if you want to watch something now :)

[@repletereplete8002]

The gun is good... Sean Connery in a red nappy? Maybe not so much!

[@AussieFanXCIV]

I'd been repressing my memories of Zardoz, so thanks a lot; now that image is going to haunt my nightmares for months.

[@repletereplete8002]

He is no longer one with us. Cast him out! Cast him out!!!

[@calvinstrikesagain]

Ralph Replete Rick and Morty's homage to it is a wickedly smart episode. Raising Gazorpazorp

[@repletereplete8002]

60 for the resonator and my grandson wants the sex robot.

[@calvinstrikesagain]

Ralph Replete There were... threats... of poison gas.

[@BLECHHAUS]

I admire this construction.

[@destructoblog]

This is the coolest thing ever.

[@MorningGI0ry]

Gun Jesus has been freed from his French frog captors by the British. As a thank you gun Jesus has agreed to look at a British pistol.

[@therugburnz]

Hehehe hehehe hehehe. Couldn't resist I'd did it in French in my head.

[@dougharris7404]

And after the resurrection gun Jesus descended from the clouds with an automatic revolver

[@Vulf_Faolan]

Well well well, if it isn't the sequel to the video that brought me to Forgotten Weapons in the first place...

[@kevinoliver3083]

One reason that sales of Webley-Fosberry revolvers were poor was that they were quickly handicapped in target shooting competitions. It was decided that the recoil absorbing qualities of the action gave the user an unfair advantage.

[@troy9477]

I have always liked Webleys and would love to have an unaltered one. But i have found these fascinating since i first heard of them 25-odd years ago. Definitely sone creative thinking by Major Fosbery. I'll take mine in a 5 shot 577 Adams- the hyped up locals in some of the colonies took a lot of killing. I am sure you know this, but the "Paradox" rifling system that you mention was widely used on the "bore" rifles of the day to stabilize their very large round ball projectiles and later conical slugs. I have always heard it in the context of Holland & Holland; i don't know if other manufacturers also used it. Just a historical bit for everyone. I have heard it said that it is not unlike modern gain-twist rifling also. Great video as always. Thank you

[@brucemcmicking9614]

I really wish you would update these posts with the eventual sale price on these guns at auction.

[@matusfekete6503]

Thanks Ian, very nice video. Some time ago I heard about such auto-revolvers and I was interested how they work. Are you planning to do video about Norwegian Landstad revolver, that one looks interesting too.

[@ForgottenWeapons]

If I ever have access to it (there's only one surviving example), certainly.

[@anthonya9878]

does Ian ever age?

[@Mr_Bones.]

Anthony Alcantar Rumor has it Ian bathes in gun grease every night and on every full moon sacrifices a StreetSweeper shotgun to the Gun Gods to grant him eternal life.

[@harripursiainen5420]

Streetsweeper? That would bring Gun Gods iternal curs above Ians neck.

[@tamlandipper29]

Provided he is handled using gloves, boiled out regularly and oiled... No.

[@jeffreytam7684]

Tamlan Dipper Ideally you should only use non corrosive ammunition as well

[@Obelisk57]

Jesus does not age.

[@chrisloUSA]

Ian you have no idea what I would do to get an Auto-Revolver, I think the concept is awesome and I am upset no one makes one anymore (Not counting rare, handmade, expensive models). I think a market exist considering all the revolver shooters in the US, price it at $1500 and you'd have a lot of buyers, including me.

[@Panzerkampfpony]

ZARDOZ SPEAKS TO YOU!

[@NoosaHeads]

I have one. They are really delightful to shoot and are very accurate (3" groups easily obtained at 50 yards). The recoil is more like a push, rather than a violent kick. They never, ever, misfire, irrespective of the ammunition used.

[@SgtKOnyx]

We shall need some information of this exploding bullet. Would the basic idea be that the time from impact to sound heard could be converted to distance?

[@superkjell]

Very, very cool gun.

[@peregrinante]

Excellent video; this comment could be interesting to you; time ago visiting a friend he shows me some Pistols of their collection, one of them was this .455 automatic Webley-Fosbery, it calls my attention right away; it was in perfect shape inside of their black leather case, the pistol had it a perfect dark blue finish and the mecanism working properly, of course we not fired it; the interesting subject was to find both grips with the old Army Mexican Eagle engraved and also on top of the gun cannon the legend "Ejercito Mexicano" as so in the flip of it´s leather case; I think it might belongs to a lot prepared to sold this gun to the Army as some vendors used to do it by that time, like Maussers, Colts or Parabellums. After seen your video I realize the importance and history of that gun. Thank you.

[@oldmangimp2468]

The best feature of the Webley-Fosbery was use by Drachinifel during his 2022 American tour (courtesy of C & R)!

[@santasdeath1]

What a tease with the shooting footage ;)

[@bigDbigDbigD]

coolest gun ever!

[@Omnihil777]

When does Hollywood notices the Ian at last? As weapons advisor or just a movie with super accurate gun history in it.

[@Ensign_Cthulhu]

This, along with the EM-2, is one of my favourite things. At least this one is legal to own where I am!!!

[@diamondflaw]

Wait, I know I'm late to the game commenting on this... but my first reaction seeing it move was that this is the first revolver that I've seen that can give you slide bite.

[@engineer_cat]

End screen includes a link to the shooting video, which is currently unlisted. I guess it's scheduled to go public tomorrow? But having the link in the end screen defeats that.

[@TheArkTheArkTheArk]

Been getting uncomfortably well acquainted with this gun in my time at the town on the Gorkhon.

[@P-Mouse]

In ”Thor Bridge“ Watson’s revolver is mentioned having a safety…

[@Franky46Boy]

Genious!

[@StrohmaniasFlyingCircus]

Zardoz!

[@MisterBones2910]

I hope that wasn't a real one they buggered and put in the wall. Sadly it probably was.

[@TrinidadJamesWoods]

I haven't seen Zardoz in years. Was a Webley Fosbery used in it?

[@winternow2242]

@@TrinidadJamesWoods Looks that way. In his "intro" scene, Connery's character racks the gun, then fires into the screen.

[@limeybonesjones7395]

gotta love the o'l service revolver

[@ThePurelightning]

Hi Ian. Long time fan here .. :) I was wondering what gun whos operating mechanism surprised / Impressed you the most?Thank you for hours of great and informative videos!

[@kamatong]

this is friggen sweet.

[@polaritypictures]

I would like to see the S&W Single shot break open pistol, haven't seen many of those.

[@Phos9]

That cylinder is basically how retractable pens work.

[@christopherconard2831]

If I may make a video request. If you could get your hands on a "Deer Gun" Vietnam era version of the Liberator, I'd love to see your views on it.