| abstract | - The Webley-Fosbery Self-Cocking Automatic Revolver was a semi-automatic revolver-style handgun designed by Lt.Col. George Vincent Fosbery and produced by the Webley & Scott company from 1901 to 1924. The weapon, recognisable by the zig-zag grooves on the cylinder, was chambered in both the British standard .455 Webley cartridge (with a 6-shot capacity) as well as .38 ACP (with an 8-shot capacity). It used the muzzle energy of firing a bullet to both cock the hammer and rotate the cylinder, unlike regular revolvers where this is either done manually or via pulling the trigger, which can disrupt shooting and reduce accuracy. Although this flaw was eliminated in the Fosbery system, the revolver—intended originally for use by cavalry—was officially rejected due to its weight, unwieldy length, expense to produce, and complexity. Some privately purchased examples saw service in the Boer War and subsequent World War I, but was found to be generally unsuitable for battle conditions due to frequent jamming and unusual two-handed recocking technique. Around 5,000 of these weapons were produced in total.
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