The Wonderly Webley .455

Am Shooting Journal ^ | 12/18/20 | J Dickson

[w1n1]

The only recoil-cancelling pistol made, this first successful British automatic may be largely forgotten today given the rise of the M1911, but it sported notable features for its time.
Recoil and muzzle bounce are a fact of life for pistol shooters firing powerful calibers. The time taken to recover from that muzzle bounce is the biggest limiting factor on accurate rapidfire. Only one pistol has successfully engaged this problem and eliminated it: the Webley & Scott .455 automatic pistol. It accomplishes this miracle with its unique locking system. More on that later, but rapidfire is furthered by perhaps the best trigger pull ever put into a military pistol. Sights are big and easily acquired under combat conditions.

Quality, fit and finish are up to the best of the pre-World War I commercial standards. Another unique feature of this gun is the use of a powerful V leaf spring for the recoil spring, which offers significant advantages over a coil spring. The leaf spring can stay compressed or flexed indefinitely without losing strength, like a coil spring will. A properly made and polished leaf spring is also much less likely to break than a coil spring. Webley & Scott also made Best Quality double guns and no one makes a better leaf spring than the gun trade in the British Isles. Best Quality doubles have typically shot five to 15 million rounds and been as good as new. You won’t do that with coil springs without frequent replacements.

Leaf springs in American-produced guns typically have not been as well designed or made as these, so coil springs got the better reputation on this side of the pond.
Some folks said that the fact that the grip covers the recoil spring is a drawback because if the hard rubber pinch the fire out of your hand. I can find no record of this ever happening, though, and had it been a problem, the simple addition of a steel backing plate to the grip would have solved this.

There is a grip safety but no manual safety, as the English were aware of the problem of people being killed because they did not remember to take the safety off under the stress of a life-or-death situation. With the grip safety, or “back safe” as Webley called it, the gun was as safe to carry as a Webley revolver; unlike the revolver, however, it could be safely carried cocked.

The gun looks awkward, with its nearly 90-degree grip angle, but it was designed for British officers who all had boxing as part of their training. Punch the gun at the target and the sights seem to align themselves. The grip is small enough around for average-size hands but long enough for giant hands. It is a very easy pistol to hit with. Read the rest of 455 Webley.

[ClearCase_guy]

In “The Maltese Falcon”, Mary Astor played the part of Brigid O’Shaughnessy, but used the psneudnym of “Miss Wonderly” when first meeting Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart). She uses a Webley–Fosbery Automatic Revolver to kill Spade’s partner early in the film. Not the same as the .455, but interesting.

[W.]

I have a cartridge for that pistol in my collection! Also, two Gyrojets! Pricey, now!

[IronJack]

The only firearms uglier than those the Brits make are the hideous creations of the French. With one or two notable exceptions, the same applies to cars.

[KC Burke]

Since it is a morning handgun thread, I will chortle about the new Kimber revolver I have on order as my Christmas present. It’s the K6S DASA 4” Combat model with the custom Phoenix holster.

Chortle, chortle, chortle.

[MHGinTN]

“... perhaps the best trigger pull ever put into a military pistol.” The author has possibly not handled a CZ 82.

[laplata]

Another ugly British pistol.

[Yo-Yo]

Also, two Gyrojets! Pricey,

Lifesize Potato, is that you?

https://youtu.be/e23o0NIHtFw

[W.]

Nope, not me! Heh...

[grobdriver]

That’s an ugly damn weapon!

[freepersup]

A real beauty to boot!

I treated myself to a just built Stoner 👻 in 7.62 x 39.