.455 Revolver Family ...

[GrantR]

Further to the recent posting about my newly acquired Webley New Model R.I.C. ("Royal Irish Constabulary") revolver, I decided to get most of my growing ".455 Family" together for a few group photos .... The "black sheep" of the clan (an O.P. revolver of the same type as the one in the photos which got disgraced with nickel plating at some time following its military service) was not invited to the photo shoot ....

Click on thumbnail ...

Left side:
- Webley New Model R.I.C. revolver
- Enfield MkII revolver (nominally .476 caliber - but they are effectively .455's ...)
- Webley "W.G. Target" Model (.450/.455)
- Webley Mark V service revolver
Right side:
- S&W 2nd Model Hand Ejector (WWI Canadian Contract)
- Colt New Service Revolver
- "Revolver, O.P., No. 1, Mark I" (A Spanish copy of the S&W .44 Double Action, accepted by Britain for WWI service)
- Webley Mark VI service revolver

This next shot is of the same revolvers, reversed ....

 

[Bob]

Grant, your Spanish copy, is that a Garata Antiqua. I use to have one and glad to see another....Bob

 

[GrantR]

Bo

No, this one was made by Orbea Hermanos y Compania. The "black sheep" Spanish revolver I mentioned (the one which got tarted up with nickle plate at some point) is of the same configuration (i.e. O.P. No. 1) but was manufactured by Trocaola Aranzabal y Compania. I understand that Garate Anitua y Compania was the other main manufacturer in the "syndicate" of Eibar gunmakers who supplied the British contract pistols, though I believe that they may have been the firm making the slightly different O.P. No. 2 ....

FWIW, and because I happen to have these images hosted online anyway, here are images of the two British War Department "Sealed Pattern" Spanish-made revolvers ... note that the main difference seems to be in the somewhat different gripframe/grip configuration. As I understand it, both of these "clones" of the S&W .44 D.A. revolver had been made in Spain for quite a long time - at least since the 1880's - and the War Department presumably approved both versions in order to get enough supplementary revolvers from that source. (I understand that a very high proportion of the Spanish revolvers failed to pass inspection in the U.K. - though a revolver bearing the Broad Arrow and inspection stamps was accepted, of course.)

(Would I be correct in surmising that your Garate is the No. 2 type?)

"Pistol, O.P., No. 1 Mark I" -

"Pistol, O.P., No. 2 Mark I" -

And ... what the heck ... here's my TAC "black sheep" O.P. No. 1 - the others in the .455 Family will undoubtedly be most upset that she gets such a prominent photo display after all ...