Mars pistol: The first pistol with the magazine located under the chamber.
I recently wrote about the new Boberg XR9 pistol which features the magazine beneath the chamber. Dr. StrangeGun discovered that the Gabbett-Fairfax Mars pistol was the first pistol to feature this configuration.
High tech and ugly (Photo from Horst Held)
From wikipedia:
The Mars Automatic Pistol was a semi-automatic pistol developed in 1900 by the Englishman Hugh Gabbet-Fairfax. It was manufactured by Webley & Scott and distributed by the Mars Automatic Pistol Syndicate. The Mars Automatic Pistol is famous for being available in a variety of 8.5 mm, 9 mm and .45 calibres. These were all bottle shaped cartridges with a heavy powder loading, making the .45 version the most powerful handgun in the world for a time. It used a unique long recoil rotating bolt action which ejected spent cartridges straight to the rear.
The Mars Automatic Pistol was rejected by the British War Office as a possible replacement for the Webley & Scott Revolver, then in service with the British Army, because of the unacceptable large recoil, muzzle-flash, and mechanical complexity. It has since become a collectors item because of its rarity and as an example of the earliest developments in semi-automatic pistols.
I dug up the pistols’ patent. The patent drawings show how the rear ward feeding works.
Although the pistol was not practical back in 1900 it was an ingenious design.
So what you’re saying is it kicks like a mule, blinds you with the muzzle flash, and dumps brass down your collar, using your face as a backboard. Sounds like the perfect thing for H&K to make for the civilian market (H&K: Because you suck, and we hate you…).
love old and rare stuff like this. thanks for this but would love to see a youtube video of someone shooting one the these. however apparently the recoil horrible. i have also read somewhere that the shell casing ejects in the users face at high speed
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Firearms by Ian V. Hogg is a nice general reference and has a short section on the Mars. I found mine at 1/2 Price books for $9.95, which was a good price.
yeah I have that book and always wanted to know more about the mars.
very nice research but hand loaders probably could achieve at least similar ballistics in a 45lc.
it looks like a nightmare to clean and maintain, esp with magnum loadings and unjacketed ammunition.
was reading a few articals on mars
pistol looking for a picture for
my p.c.
i found no comments on the fact the
this in operation both the barrel and
receiver moved , receiver back
barrel forward, so they could
use long shells.
see page 411,412 boothroyd
hand gun.
james o cox
No problem, it’s quite a nice book. ^^
Dusty, thanks for the info
Quite an interesting firearm, there’s an entry on it in “Gun: a visual history”.
It says:
Perhaps inspired by the Mauser’s success, Hugh Gabbett-Fairfax wanted to produce a super-powerful pistol; the result was the Mars. Described by users as “a nightmare,” it was complex, awkward, and unwieldy, with a vicious recoil.
As a side note to the ammunition it mentions that “The designer insisted on a heavy propellant load for the Mars bullet.” it seems like it was the Desert Eagle of it’s day.
I can remember reading a old war office report on the Webley-Mars. The lines that stuck in my mind, in respect of it’s recoil, were that: “No man on firing this weapon, would willingly fire it again.”