British Bull Dog revolver

Lore & Background

The British Bull Dog revolver originated from a design that existed since 1868 for the Webley Royal Irish Constabulary model revolver. It was manufactured as late as 1917. The Bull Dog featured a 2.5-inch barrel and was chambered for .442 Webley or .450 Adams cartridges, with a five-round cylinder. Webley later produced smaller scaled .320 Revolver and .380 calibre versions, but did not mark them with the British Bull Dog name. Numerous copies and variants were made in Belfast, Belgium, Germany, Spain, France and the United States during the late 19th century. A version made by Webley but finished by Belfast-based gunmaker Joseph Braddell, known as the Ulster Bull Dog, used a longer grip frame than the standard, making the revolver easier to control and shoot. American copies were manufactured by Forehand & Wadsworth, Iver Johnson and Harrington & Richardson. Belgian and American versions (aka Frontier Bulldogs) were chambered for the .44 S&W American or .442 Webley cartridges. The .44 Bull Dog was a popular American cartridge that was a shorter and less powerful cartridge that could also be fired from .442 Webley caliber revolvers.

Reader's Guide

The British Bull Dog revolver holds significance as a widely copied design that saw use across continents. US Army general George Armstrong Custer was said to have carried a pair at the Battle of the Little Bighorn. British Bull Dog revolvers were issued to employees of the Southern Pacific Railroad Company until 1895. Despite this, it was still less popular among civilians during the conquest of the American West than more famous revolvers made by Colt's Manufacturing Company or Smith & Wesson. The revolver is notably associated with the assassination of United States President James A. Garfield by Charles J. Guiteau on 2 July 1881, using a .442 Webley British Bulldog. Guiteau reportedly wanted ivory grips but did not spend the extra dollar; the store owner dropped the price for him. He paid $10 for the revolver, a box of cartridges, and a penknife. After Guiteau's trial, the revolver was placed in the Smithsonian Institution but disappeared sometime later. Spanish prime minister Antonio Cánovas del Castillo was also assassinated using a British Bull Dog revolver by Italian anarchist Michele Angiolillo. In 1973, Charter Arms introduced their Bulldog revolver, named in honour of the original but not sharing its design. Many British Bull Dogs have survived to the present day in good condition, having seen little actual use.

Did You Know?

• Charles J. Guiteau used a .442 Webley British Bulldog revolver to assassinate President James A. Garfield on 2 July 1881.
• The revolver used by Guiteau was placed in the Smithsonian Institution after his trial but later disappeared.