Webley-Fosbery Automatic Revolver Model 1903 s/n 28xx (1906)

The first public appearance of the Fosbery semi-automatic revolver took place in 1900 at a competition on the famous British shooting range at Bisley. After a number of improvements, the weapon proved popular with competitors. It boasts increased firing speed and real operational reliability. Although relatively high in the hand, this revolver is comfortable to shoot and highly accurate.

Production ran from 1901 to 1924, generally at a rate of 10 guns per week, for a total of 4237 guns.

From July 1905 to March 1906, the bulk of production (2070) was completed (s/n 2230 to 4299), and only 196 pieces remained from April 1906 to the end of January 1924.

While the "Webley-Fosbery Automatic" revolver (as its name suggests) appealed to many civilian shooters when it was first launched on the market, in military terms, despite the firepower it offered, the fragility of the system and, above all, its intolerance to foreign objects (dust, sand, mud), irrevocably disqualified it. Similarly, from a military point of view, it's debatable whether a "semi-automatic" revolver is really any good compared to the classic double-action revolver, which is less expensive, more rustic and, ultimately, much more reliable. As a result, the Webley-Fosbery was never adopted by any army. It was nevertheless present in some battlefields, British officers having acquired it individually as was common at the time.