Webley Self-Loading Pistol

The.455 version was adopted by the Royal Navy in 1912 as the first automatic pistol in British service. The pistol was also adopted by the Royal Horse Artillery and the Royal Flying Corps. Its predecessor was the unsuccessful Mars Automatic Pistol.

• Name — Webley Self-Loading Pistol Mk. 1 • Origin — United Kingdom • Type — Semi-automatic pistol • Is Ranged — yes • Service — 1910–1942 • Used By — United Kingdom • Wars — World War I World War II • Designer — Webley & Scott • Design Date — 1910 • Manufacturer — Webley & Scott • Production Date — 1910–1932 • Weight — 1.13 kg • Length — 216 mm • Part Length — 127 mm • Cartridge —.455 Webley Auto,.32 ACP • Caliber —.455 in (11.55 mm) • Action — Short recoil • Velocity — 236 m/s • Feed — 7-round detachable box magazine

They were issued to pilots of the Royal Naval Air Service. While principally issued as sidearms there was some intent that they be used to shoot other planes.

The pistol's original cordite cartridge left a lot of residue in the barrel causing frequent jamming. This was resolved in 1914 with nitrocellulose instead of cordite in the.455 cartridge. This new cartridge for the Mk.1 was called the Mark Iz. Had Webley invested in more research and development of its pistol and ammunition and new technologies, the result would have been a better firearm produced more quickly. Particularly given the increasing adoption of the semi-automatic pistol by foreign armed forces and the extensive testing and development data available from previous efforts by other manufacturers.

The first models of the Mk. 1 had the safety on left side of the hammer. This was later moved to the left side of the frame, where it could lock the slide. Service versions were also outfitted with a grip safety.