Original Item: Only One Available. The early revolver designs made by Philip Webley & Son of Birmingham were very popular and in many ways revolutionary. They are most known for their "tip up" or "top break" models such as the Webley-Pryse revolver, but they also made well-regarded solid frame examples, such as the No.5, the Royal Irish Constabulary, and "British Bulldog" models. Due to this they served as an inspiration to many other designs, including what we have here, a Webley-style "Belgian Bulldog" revolver in 11mm, made by Max Fliegenschmidt of Liège circa 1895.

It features the pull out ejector rod stored inside the arbor pin, which swivels to the right to eject cartridges, and there is a loading gate in the recoil shield on the right side to allow loading. The cylinder is very much Webley-inspired, with deep "church steeple" style flutes. The design is double-action, though it can be used in single action as well. It has a "bird's head" style grip with a lanyard on the bottom, like many military service revolvers of the time. Unlike the usual design however, it features a safety on the left side of the frame above the grip, which locks the action completely.

As with many Belgian revolvers of the time, it is minimally marked, as often the retailer would add their own markings to the barrel, frame, or both. It is marked with a CROWN / MF maker marking on the lower left frame, one of the trademarks registered by Max FLIEGENSCHMIDT on November 19, 1891, though we have sometimes seen this as going back to 1888. He operated at Rue du Vivier, 30 in Liège, Belgium, and was very well regarded. There are multiple examples of his worn easily researchable on the internet, and he looks to have made a good variety of different styles of revolvers. The lower front of the frame, the arbor pin, and the cylinder are marked with 12, which we believe is the serial number.

There are additional markings on the right breech end of the barrel and on the frame next to it. Both are marked with a ★ / B inspector's marking, and there is a CROWN / R on the barrel, used to indicate rifled barrels in a handgun starting in 1894. There is an additional CROWN / L inspector marking on the barrel. There is another ★ / B on the back of the cylinder, along with E / L G / * in a "Crowned" oval, indicating manufacture and inspection in Liège, Belgium starting in 1891. This proof had been introduced for exported arms to comply with new proof laws in Germany.

Overall condition is very good, with the original bluing still very well retained on the frame and barrel, while the hammer, trigger, and ejector look to have originally been case colored, and the finish has faded.The lanyard ring is still present, and the grip is in very good condition, still retaining strong checkering and showing no major wear or damage.

The action works very well in single action, though the hammer pull is definitely a bit strong. It works relatively well in single action, however usually the trigger does not release from the hammer, and gets pulled back forward with it. The loading gate and ejector lever work very well. The bore is in very good condition, showing a mostly bright finish with clear lands and grooves. There is some wear to the lands, and past fouling and oxidation evident, so it definitely did see use, but was well cared for. It is well above what we usually see for a black powder revolver form this era. The revolver breaks down correctly, for cleaning, and we did not notice any difficulties or missing parts.

A very interesting Webley-Style "Belgian Bulldog" revolver by Max Fliegenschmidt, in lovely condition. Ready to research and display!

Specifications:

Year of Manufacture: circa 1895
Caliber: .11mm
Ammunition Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Overall Length: 8 1/2 inches
Barrel Length: 4 1/8 inches
Action: External Hammer Double/Single Action
Feed System: 6 Shot Revolver

IMA considers all of our antique guns as non-firing, inoperable and/or inert. Title 18, U.S. Code, Section 921(a)(16) defines antique firearms as all guns made prior to 1899. This law exempts antique firearms from any form of gun control or special engineering because they are not legally considered firearms. No FFL, C&R or any license is required to possess, transport, sell or trade Antique guns. All rifles and muskets sold by IMA that were manufactured prior to 1899 are considered Antiques by the US BATF (United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms). Therefore, all of IMA's Antique guns may be shipped to most US States and most U.S. territories.

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