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We jokingly call this reproduction the “FrankenRod”. Both the Mk II and Mk I Welrod’s share a very similar design, but there’s some noticeable differences. We mostly copied the Mk II but did some mixing and matching.

• Trigger: The Mk II does not has a trigger guard, the Mk I does. We see the open trigger on the Mk II as being the iconic look and went with it.

• Magazine Catch: The Mk II integrates the catch onto the magazine itself. The Mk I has the release mounted inside the trigger guard. Not having a trigger guard forced this one to the Mk II camp.
• Grip Safety: The function is the same, but the geometry of the paddle is different. We stayed closer to the Mk II.
• Toggle Safety: Mk II didn’t have a toggle safety, the Mk I did. In this case we went with the Mk I, seeing the added safety as a net gain at the cost of historical accuracy.
• Suppressor internals: Both models are integrally suppressed, a Welrod hallmark. The Mk II has a series of baffles and wipes all the way down; the Mk I doesn’t have a baffle stack exactly, just a ported tube with a baffle and wipe at either end. We modernized the design a bit with K baffles but otherwise copied the Mk II. This is something else that could change with user feedback, and go to a straight copy of the Mk II. Except for material, we’ll stick with stainless so the unit doesn’t rust solid.

• Sights- The front sight is close to the muzzle on the Mk II, on the Mk I it is about halfway down. We stayed with the Mk I style.
• Bolt Locking Knob: The differences is more subtle , but we followed the Mk II with some modifications for the Out Of Battery safety. The OOB feature is not found on either model, but we saw it as important for a modern commercial firearm.

If you have any questions or see a historical mistake please drop us a line, info@40percentarmory.com.

The original Mark II was made in .32 ACP, and later the Mark I was made in 9x19mm (yes, the Mark II was first). So why did we go with .380 ACP?

First, the .32 and .380 Automatic Colt Pistol are very similar cartridges designed by the great John Moses Browning, along with the .25 ACP and .45 ACP.

.32 ACP was popular in Europe for decades after it’s introduction in 1899, and makes sense for a “silent” pistol with it’s small and relatively slow projectile. But that doesn’t make for the most lethality, so a 9x19mm version was developed.

We split the difference with the .380 ACP. The diameter is the same as 9x19mm at .355, but the case length and chamber pressure are the same as the .32 ACP. Only some heavy loads of 9x19mm are subsonic whereas all .32 and .380 stay below the speed of sound. There is no reason for this recreation to exist if it’s not quiet, and a sonic crack ruins the stealth, so to us the 9×19 didn’t make sense.

Also the .380 ACP is more common and available in the US than .32 ACP, so we went with it for the first runs. If there’s demand for a .32 ACP version that’s certainly an option.