Warner 'Infallible'

[sheepherder]

I recently realized one of my goals in 'accumulating' Turn Of The Century semi-auto handguns...A Warner Infallible!!!

This has variously been described as the ugliest pistol...As the most unsafe pistol...And as the most awkward pistol...

...And it is!!!

The 32 ACP Warner (and Davis-Warner) Infallibles were made from ~1916 to ~1919. This one (serial 1734) dates to 1916. It is an early type (there were three distinct types and numerous
variations among types) with the bolt-disconnect lever rather than the later pin. The lever allowed the bolt to be drawn back without the pressure of the dual recoil springs. This lever (a cross-pin on later models) is the 'unsafest' aspect of the pistol. It was possible to c0ck, chamber, and fire a round with the recoil springs disconnected, leaving only a slender pin to stop the breechblock from its rearward travel. Being as it was a blowback pistol, this made it very dangerous...to the user...

It also had an unusual frame...It was made from cast iron...The barrel is pinned in place. The grips on this early Warner were taken from the Warner-imported 1909 Schwarzlose and do not conform to the Infallible frame until the next type appeared (with straight grip frame and its own grips).

The Infallible is ponderous to hold, and balances somewhere around your wrist...It weighs 24 ounces (!) and has a 3 3/4" barrel. Seven rounds in the magazine.

OAL is 7 3/4" and height is 5". I can only get two fingers around the grip; my little finger hangs out in the breeze...

The pic with the two red circles illustrates how it can be left and fired in the unsafe condition (recoil springs disconnected).

I've always wanted one of these ever since I first saw a pic of one. According to the seller [on GB], a collector of Infallibles sold them his entire collection...29 Infallibles! This was the only one with the early lever disconnect, so this was the one I wanted (despite there being much nicer cross-pin examples).

This will be the centerpiece of my Turn-Of-The-Century handgun collection!!!