NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Enfield Revolver

Enfield Revolvers were British handguns manufactured at the government-owned Royal Small Arms Factory in Enfield. First model Enfield revolvers were the official sidearm of the NorthWest Mounted Police, and later models were the standard British sidearm in the Second World War. Image File history File links Source:http://www. ... The Colt Single Action Army, one of the most popular revolvers of all time A revolver is a multishot firearm, usually a handgun, in which the rounds are held in a revolving cylinder that rotates to fire them through a single barrel. ... The term double action was originally applied to revolvers. ... Image File history File links Enfield revolver Photograph by Oleg Volk (authorisation: complete correspondence) taken from http://www. ... Image File history File links Enfield revolver Photograph by Oleg Volk (authorisation: complete correspondence) taken from http://www. ... Image File history File links Enfield revolver Photograph by Oleg Volk (authorisation: complete correspondence) taken from http://www. ... Image File history File links Enfield revolver Photograph by Oleg Volk (authorisation: complete correspondence) taken from http://www. ... Image File history File links Enfield revolver Photograph by Oleg Volk (authorisation: complete correspondence) taken from http://www. ... Image File history File links Enfield revolver Photograph by Oleg Volk (authorisation: complete correspondence) taken from http://www. ... Image File history File links Enfield revolver Photograph by Oleg Volk (authorisation: complete correspondence) taken from http://www. ... Image File history File links Enfield revolver Photograph by Oleg Volk (authorisation: complete correspondence) taken from http://www. ... The RSAF at Enfield was closed in 1987 and the majority of the site is now covered by a large housing development. ... ice man is gay braaaaaapBold text Enfield Town is a town in the London Borough of Enfield. ... The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP or Mounties; French, Gendarmerie royale du Canada, GRC) is both the federal police force and the national police of Canada. ... Mushroom cloud from the nuclear explosion over Nagasaki rising 18 km into the air. ...

History

The first models of the revolver, the Mark I and Mark II, were official British military sidearms from 1880 through 1887. However the original cartridge was considered underpowered during the Afghan Wars and loading the gun was complicated. It was superceded by the Webley Mark I revolver. 1880 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1887 is a common year starting on Saturday (click on link for calendar). ... A series of three wars between Britain and the Afghans in the 19th century and early 20th century was formerly called the Afghan Wars but is now referred to as the Anglo-Afghan wars perhaps to distinguish them from the civil strife in the 1980s. ... The Webley Revolver was a standard issue weapon for the British Army since 1887. ...

The Mark II Enfield was adopted by Canada's NorthWest Mounted Police in 1883 and remained in service as their official sidearm until the Colt New Service revolver was adopted in 1905. About 1100 Enfield revolvers were delivered to the NWMP. 1883 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Samuel Colt July 19, 1814 â€“ January 10, 1862, born in Hartford, Connecticut, was the inventor of the Colt revolver, and founder of the Colt Firearms company. ... 1905 (MCMV) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ...

After the First World War, it was decided that a .38 calibre (9.65 mm) pistol firing a 200 grain (13 g) bullet would be as effective as the .455 calibre (11.6 mm) round.

The British firm of Webley & Scott tendered their Webley Mk IV in .38/200 calibre. Rather than adopting it, the British authorities took the design to the Government-run Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield. The Enfield factory came up with a revolver that was very similar Webley Mk IV .38, but internally slightly different designed by Captain Boys (the Assistant Superintendent of Design). Webley sued for some £2250. Their action was contested by Enfield and the Royal Commission on Awards to Inventors awarded W&S half their claimed amount. Webley is the name of a famous handgun manufacturer from Birmingham in the United Kingdom History In the 19th Century Birmingham was the centre of British firearm manufacture. ... Arms of Enfield London Borough Council The London Borough of Enfield is the most northerly London borough. ...

This pistol was designated as the Enfield No. 2 Mark 1 revolver and adopted for use from 1932. 1932 (MCMXXXII) is a leap year starting on a Friday. ...

Variants

Mk 1*

Mk 1**

The vast majority of Enfield No 2 Mk I revolvers were modified to Mk I* during WWII. The Enfield (and Webley revolvers) were not completely phased out in favour of the Browning Hi-Power until 1963. Browning High Power, P-35 Model, as produced by FN Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Browning Hi-Power The Browning High-Power (nicknamed the King of Nines) is a semi-automatic 9mm. ...

The "Official" reason for the change to the Mk I* version was that the Tank Corps had complained the spur on the hammer was catching on things inside tanks, but most historians and collectors nowadays agree that the real reason was that the Mk I* version was cheaper and faster to manufacture.

The No 2 Mk I* is at least as accurate as any automatic pistol of it’s time in combat situations, and because of the relatively light double action trigger pull, it’s very fast to shoot. Enfield is also very fast to reload, as all British top-break revolvers, because of it’s automatic ejector, which removes simultaneously all six cases from the cylinder.

Some unit Armourers are known to have retro-fitted the No 2 Mk I* back to the Mk I variant, but this was never an official policy and appears to have been done on an individual basis.

Other Manufacturers

The vast majority of Enfield No 2. Revolvers were made by RSAF (Royal Small Arms Factory) Enfield, but wartime necessities meant that numbers were produced elsewhere.

Albion Motors- Albion Motors in Scotland made the Enfield No 2 Mk I* from 1941-1943, whereupon the contract for production was passed onto Coventry Gauge & Tool Co. By 1945, over 42,000 Enfield No 2 Mk I* revolvers had been produced by Albion/CG&T.

The quality and workmanship on the Albion and CG&T guns is identical to that of RSAF Enfield, and the revolvers are all sturdy, reliable, and effective.

HAC- The Howard Auto Cultivator Company in NSW, Australia tooled up and began manufacturing the Enfield No 2 Mk I* and I** revolvers in 1941, but the production run was very limited (estimated at around 350 or so revolvers all up), and the revolvers produced were criticised for being non-interchangeable, even with other HAC produced revolvers.

It is thought that most of the HAC revolvers have either been crushed in the various Australian Gun Amnesties and "Buy-Backs", or else are still stored in people's attics and basements in Australia.

See also

Categories: Revolvers | World War II British infantry weapons Small arms captured in Fallujah, Iraq by the US Marine Corps in 2004 The term small arms generally describes any number of smaller infantry weapons, such as firearms that an individual soldier can carry. ... World War II was a truly global conflict with many facets: immense human suffering, fierce indoctrination, and the use of new, extremely devastating weapons such as the atomic bomb. ... The Webley Revolver was a standard issue weapon for the British Army since 1887. ... A 1930s vintage Enfield revolver, single and double action. ... Webley and Scott is an arms manufacturer based in Birmingham, England. ... A rifle is a firearm that uses a spiral groove cut into the barrel to spin a projectile (usually a bullet), thus improving accuracy and range of the projectile. ... MP5KA4 9 x 19 mm with 3-round burst trigger group A submachine gun is a firearm that combines the automatic fire of a machine gun with the ammunition of a pistol, and is usually between the two in weight and size. ... Lee-Enfield No4 Mk1 with bayonet, scabbard attached The Lee-Enfield was the British armys standard bolt action, magazine-fed, repeating rifle from 1895 until 1956. ... The No. ... The Sten (or Sten gun) was a family of British, 9 mm submachine guns used heavily by the British Empire and Commonwealth forces throughout World War II and the Korean War. ... The Lanchester was a submachine gun used by the British during World War II. History In 1940, with the Dunkirk evacuation completed, the Royal Air Force decided to adopt some form of submachine gun for airfield defense. ... The Mark I Austen was a 9 millimeter Australian submachine gun developed during the Second World War by the Lithgow Small Arms Factory. ... Owen Machine Carbine Type sub machine gun Nation Australia Era WW II History Date of design 1939 Production period 1941-1945 Service duration 1941-1960s Operators Australia War service WW2, Korea Variants Number built 50,000 Specifications Type blow-back Calibre 9 mm Barrel length 247 mm (9. ... M2 machine gun surrounded by spent shell casings. ... The Bren, usually called the Bren Gun was a series of machineguns adopted by Britain in the 1930s and used in various roles primarily into the 1980s. ... The Lewis Gun was a pre-WWI era American design of machine gun most widely used by the British and Imperial armies that continued to see service all the way through to WWII. It is visually distinctive because of the wide tubular cooling shroud around the barrel, and the top... The Vickers machine gun or Vickers gun is a name primarily used to refer to the water-cooled . ... PIAT in Canadian War Museum The PIAT, for Projector, Infantry, Anti Tank, was one of the earlier anti-tank weapons based on a HEAT shell. ... Boys Anti-tank Rifle Type Anti tank rifle Nation United Kingdom Era World War II History Date of design 1937 Production period 1937 - ? Service duration 1937 - 194? Operators United Kingdom, Empire/Commonwealth, War service World War II Variants MK I, Mk II Number built ~62,000 Specifications Type Bolt action... This page meets Wikipedias criteria for speedy deletion. ... The Flamethrower, Portable, No 2 (nicknamed Lifebuoy from the shape of the fuel tank), also known as the Ack Pack, was a British design of flamethrower for infantry use in the Second World War. ... A hand grenade is a hand-held bomb, made to be thrown by a soldier. ...

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