Enfield No2 Mk1**

[Phosphorus32]

My items from the John Sukey auction arrived today. Here's a No2 Mk1** revolver, from 1944. It's a DAO break action revolver without a hammer spur. The positive ejection is quite cool when you crack open the hinged frame and the bullets or cases pop out under spring pressure.

It's chambered in 38 S&W but was known in military service as the 38-200, since the British developed a 200gr RN lead bullet for use in the pistol. PPU 38 S&W cartridges with 145gr bullets are shown. Those 200gr bullets would have been big slow bumblebees...slow but they'd still sting!

Pardon the flash photography but days have become short and I was anxious to post a few pics.

Cheers mates!

[Phosphorus32]

Behind the scenes, GM pointed out that the British soon developed an FMJ round due to concerns about violating The Hague Convention with regard to the use of “expanding” bullets.

[Greasemonkey]

I like it... You know it's coming, the usual question.  So, can I have it..

The 38 S&W is a bit of an oddity round.. it's not like the 38 spl...with a diameter of .357, it's a .361 diameter bullet. Its also one round that had a heck of a service life being first made in 1877 and used in the S&W Model 2, and used by Britain well into the 1960s.

[Phosphorus32]

I like it... You know it's coming, the usual question.  So, can I have it..

yup, and you know what’s coming. I’d mail it out west but wouldn’t want it to get lost in Montana 

The 38 S&W is a bit of an oddity round.. it's not like the 38 spl...with a diameter of .357, it's a .361 diameter bullet. Its also one round that had a heck of a service life being first made in 1877 and used in the S&W Model 2, and used by Britain well into the 1960s.

.361, that is an oddity. I’d blame it on British eccentricity but with S&W in the name I guess that’s out

[Greasemonkey]

The bullet diameter is kind of a carry over from the black powder era, basically it's roughly a 36 caliber black powder ball measurement, then throw in heeled bullets and other designs from those days. This is a good explanation of the whole mess.  http://blog.westernpowders.com/2017/04/caliber-confusion/

[carls sks]

neat, learn something too. thanks for sharing. 

[Phosphorus32]

The bullet diameter is kind of a carry over from the black powder era, basically it's roughly a 36 caliber black powder ball measurement, then throw in heeled bullets and other designs from those days. This is a good explanation of the whole mess.  http://blog.westernpowders.com/2017/04/caliber-confusion/

Interesting. If there is one thing consistent in bullet, caliber, cartridge dimensions in the gun world...it is inconsistency 

[Phosphorus32]

neat, learn something too. thanks for sharing. 

Thank-you Carl! 

[Phosphorus32]

These were made at RSAF Enfield and Albion Motors in Scotland. Mine is of the far more common Enfield manufacture. Lay a block letter E F and D on top of one another and you get the D with a line in the middle as shown in the first picture.