American British Bulldog
Forehand & Wadsworth · Revolver · Discontinued · 1878
Also known as: American Bull Dog, Frontier Bulldog, Bull Dog revolver
Overview
The American British Bulldog is a compact, solid-frame double-action pocket revolver, the American-made interpretation of P. Webley & Son's popular British Bull Dog. Produced from the late 1870s by New England makers such as Forehand & Wadsworth, Iver Johnson, and Harrington & Richardson, it carried five rounds in a fixed cylinder behind a short 64 mm barrel and was chambered for stubby centrefire cartridges including the .442 Webley, .44 S&W American, and the shorter .44 Bull Dog. Cheap, rugged, and easily concealed, these American 'Bulldog' copies flooded the mail-order and hardware-store market as inexpensive self-defence handguns during the late Victorian era.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 450 g (15.9 oz) |
| Overall Length | 165 mm (6.50") |
| Barrel Length | 64 mm (2.52") |
| Action Type | Revolving |
| Firing Mechanism | Hammer Fired |
| Trigger Type | Double Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 5 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Rotary |
| Muzzle Velocity | 210 m/s (689 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 324 J (239 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 14 m (15 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Walnut |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .442 Webley · primary — also known as .442 Revolver Centre Fire, .442 R.I.C., .44 Webley, 10.5x17mmR
- .44 Bull Dog — also known as .44 Bulldog, .44 Webley Short
Features
- Firing modes: Repeating
- Feed systems: Revolving Cylinder
- Safety mechanisms: Half Cock Notch
- Features: Solid Frame, Short Barrel, Concealable, Pocket Revolver, Fixed Sights
Service history
Operators
- Civilian self-defence market · adopted 1878
Production
Production years: 1878-1900
Produced by numerous American makers (Forehand & Wadsworth, Iver Johnson, Harrington & Richardson) alongside Belgian copies; exact totals were never recorded.
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Discontinued: 1900
Notes
Not a single model but a family of American-manufactured British Bull Dog copies. Chamberings varied by maker; the shorter .44 Bull Dog load could also be fired in .442 Webley cylinders. These guns never rivalled Colt or Smith & Wesson in the American West but sold in enormous numbers as budget pocket pistols.
Background
So many American and Belgian workshops copied Webley's British Bull Dog that 'Bulldog' became a generic name for any short-barrelled solid-frame pocket revolver. The pattern earned lasting notoriety when a .442 Bull Dog was used to assassinate U.S. President James A. Garfield in 1881.