Automatic revolver
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The automatic revolver is a hybrid of revolver and automatic pistol that uses the energy of firing for cocking the hammer and revolving the cylinder. The first of its kind, the Webley Fosbery automatic revolver, was marketed in 1901. It was the result of a quest for a reliable, accurate, rapid fire handgun. It was quite successful in its time, but became less desirable when reliable, accurate automatic pistols became available. A newer automatic revolver that is still produced today is the Mateba Autorevolver.
Between roughly 1880 and 1895, the term "automatic revolver" was used for top-break revolvers that automatically ejected spent rounds when opened.
[edit] Background
Double action revolvers use a long trigger pull to cock the hammer, thus negating the need to manually cock the hammer between shots. The disadvantage of this is the long, heavy pull that cocks the hammer makes the double action revolver much harder to shoot accurately than a single action revolver (although cocking the hammer of a double action reduces the length and weight of the trigger pull). There is a rare class of revolvers, the automatic revolver, that attempts to overcome this restriction, giving the high speed of a double action with the trigger effort of a single action.
[edit] Models
The Webley-Fosbery Automatic Revolver was the first commercial example, introduced in 1901. It was recoil-operated, and the cylinder and barrel recoiled backwards to cock the hammer and revolve the cylinder. It was distinctive in that cam grooves were milled on the outside of the cylinder to provide a means of advancing to the next chamber--half a turn as the cylinder moved back, and half a turn as it moved forward. .38 caliber versions held 8 shots, .455 caliber versions 6. At the time, the few available automatic pistols were larger, less reliable, and more expensive. The automatic revolver was popular when it first came out, but was quickly superseded by the creation of reliable, inexpensive semi-automatic pistols. Still, the GIGN para-military commandos often use S&W .357 revolvers to avoid the possibility of any mis-fire, as revolvers are slightly more reliable than semi-automatic pistols under extreme environmental conditions.
In 1997, the Mateba company developed a type of recoil-operated automatic revolver, commercially named the Mateba Autorevolver, which uses the recoil energy to auto-rotate a normal revolver cylinder holding 6 or 7 cartridges, depending on the model. The company has made several versions of its "autorevolver", including longer barelled and even rifle-like variations, usually chambered for .357 Magnum ammunition, but also available in larger calibers like .44 Magnum and .454 Casull.
There is also a combat shotgun based on the automatic revolver principle, the Pancor Jackhammer. It uses a type of gas action to move the barrel forward (which unlocks it from the cylinder) and then rotate the cylinder and cock the hammer.
