Warner Infallible
Davis-Warner Arms Corporation · Pistol · Discontinued · 1917
Also known as: The Infallible, Davis-Warner Infallible
Overview
The Warner Infallible is an American blowback-operated, striker-fired semi-automatic pocket pistol chambered in .32 ACP. Produced from 1917 to 1919, it is distinctive for using a reciprocating breechblock instead of a conventional slide to cycle the action. Marketed as a low-cost defensive pistol, it earned a poor reputation for unreliable feeding and a hazardous design in which an incorrectly reassembled breechblock could blow back toward the shooter's face.
Specifications
| Weight (empty) | 700 g (24.7 oz) |
| Overall Length | 165 mm (6.50") |
| Barrel Length | 81 mm (3.19") |
| Action Type | Blowback |
| Firing Mechanism | Striker Fired |
| Trigger Type | Single Action |
| Magazine Capacity | 7 rounds |
| Magazine Type | Detachable Box |
| Muzzle Velocity | 270 m/s (886 fps) |
| Muzzle Energy | 175 J (129 ft·lbf) |
| Effective Range | 25 m (27 yd) |
| Barrel Rifling | Right Hand |
| Frame Material | Steel |
| Slide Material | Steel |
| Barrel Material | Steel |
| Stock Material | Hard Rubber |
| Finish | Blued |
Calibers
- .32 ACP · primary — also known as .32 Automatic, 7.65x17mm Browning SR, 7.65mm Browning
Features
- Firing modes: Semi Automatic
- Feed systems: Detachable Box Magazine
- Safety mechanisms: Manual Safety, Sear Block
- Features: Breechblock Action, Fixed Iron Sights, Pocket Pistol
Production
Estimated total produced: 7,000 · Production years: 1917-1919
Approximately 7,000 pistols produced before operations ceased in 1919
Origin
Country of origin: United States
Discontinued: 1919
Notes
Developed after the Warner Arms Corporation lost its supply of imported Schwarzlose Model 1908 pistols and began manufacturing a domestic alternative. Examples made by Warner Arms were marked 'The Infallible'; after the 1917 merger forming Davis-Warner Arms Corporation, later pistols were marked simply 'Infallible'.
Background
Despite its confident name, the Infallible was anything but. Plagued by feeding failures and a breechblock that could fly rearward into the user's face if reassembled wrong, it became a textbook example of an overpromising budget pocket pistol from the early 20th century.