Mars Automatic Pistol 1677830 216723735 2008-06-02T22:40:11Z Eruhildo 2472204 /* Notes */ Fixed date <!-- Unsourced image removed: [[Image:Mars45in.jpg|right|thumb|250px|.45 in Mars pistol]] --> The '''Mars Automatic Pistol''' was a [[semi-automatic pistol]] developed in [[1900]] by the [[England|Englishman]] Hugh Gabbet-Fairfax. It was manufactured by [[Webley and Scott|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 [[cartridge (firearms)|cartridge]]s 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 Revolver|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. ==Specification == * Partial specification *muzzle velocity: 8.5mm cartridge, 1750 ft/s (533 m/s) *Calibres **8.5 mm Mars **9 mm Mars **.45 Mars Short Case **.45 Mars Long Case ==Notes== #Only around 80 pistols were made between 1897 and 1905. (Standard Catalog of Firearms) #An example of the Mars can be seen at the [[Royal Armouries]] Museum in [[Leeds]] #A near-perfect Gabbet-Fairfax Mars sold at auction in 2002 for $35,250. #On December 16, 1996, the Mars was cited as an example of a heritage arm during a debate in the [[House of Lords]] on [[gun control]] following [[Dunblane]]. [[Category:Semi-automatic pistols]] [[pl:Pistolet Webley Mars]]