Welrod Mark II Pistol

The Welrod pistol is a bolt action, single shot weapon which has a permanent silencer attached to the barrel. The construction of the Welrod is little more than a steel tube containing the barrel, silencer baffles, a manually operated turn bolt and a very short grip which also acts as a removable magazine. The sights are very rudimentary and the trigger is blocked by a grip safety. For the gun to work efficiently, only standard, subsonic velocity ammunition is used.. The frame is stamped with a star and a square plus the serial number. The detachable black plastic pistol grip is the magazine and can hold five cartridges.

The Welrod pistol was designed within a few months of the beginning of the Second World War for the British War Office. It is a bolt action, single shot weapon which has a permanent silencer attached to the barrel. The designer of the Welrod pistol was code named 'Major Dolphin' (his actual identity is unknown). The weapon was also made in America. It is estimated that the entire production run came to less than 2,800 guns. The firearm was designed to be employed by special forces such as the Special Air Service (SAS), the Special Operations Executive (SOE), the Commandos and the American Office for Strategic Services (OSS).

After the war, the Welrod was used in places like Korea, Vietnam and the Falklands. The main role for the weapon was for the dispatching of sentries and also for the assassination of key military and political personnel. Its construction limited its utility and therefore was of little other use. Its effective range was approximately twelve metres. For the gun to work efficiently, only standard, subsonic velocity ammunition was used. The weapon is now obsolete, having been replaced by contemporary silenced weapons.