1902 Webley Fosbery 38 Automatic

Of all the attractions that appeal to the upper echelon of Firearms collectors, two of the most intense are rarity and condition. Of the three Webley Fosbery models which achieved serial production, the 1902 38 ^(2L) is the most difficult to acquire. Not a lot of them were produced and of those held in stock at the factory, most were converted to the 1903, small grip models in caliber .455. ^(L1).

Serial Number 1264 was produced as one of a batch of 13 made in 15 September 1903^{. (1L)} It is an 8 shot and could be loaded with a special clip.⁽¹⁾ or with individual cartridges. (Note a and b).

The 1902 Fosbery 38 Automatic, herein available, shows no holster wear and only small marks engendered by handling. It presents as a “New Old Stock of a very rare Fosbery.

A panoply of 21 images are available here. They are purposely, unedited.

Literature Citations

(1L) Bruce, Gordon. Webley & Scott Automatic Pistols. Zurich: Verlag Stocker Schmid, 1992.

(2L) Dowell, William Chipchase. The Webley Story: A History of Webley Pistols and Revolvers, and the Development of the Pistol Cartridge. Leeds: Skyrac Press, 1962.

Internet Citations

1) Shaved Cylinder Webley

2) Webley–Fosbery Automatic Revolver - Wikipedia

Notes

a) Internet citation No. 1 contains details about the 8-round clip for the Fosbery 1902.

b) The original 38 acp round was crimped at the case mouth. This was later converted to a press fit. These have a sharp shoulder and do not readily install. If the individual round is passed through a crimping die they work perfectly.