Enfield No. 2, MK.1 .38 British Service Revolver

rfo1

rfo1

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I plan on listing this one soon and need a bit of help here. This is an Enfield No. 2, Mk. 1 with a 5" barrel, chambered in .38. It was made in 1941. As you see the lanyard ring is missing. Other than that the gun is decent. It cycles fine and dry firing it in both single and double action the trigger is not that bad. My question-- what do you think this old timer is worth in today's market? I'd like to price it fairly. Thanks for your help here.



 
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There were four basic versions of this revolver, the No 2 MK 1, followed by the No 2 MK 1*, that would be the one with the hammer spur removed. Sometimes called the "Tanker Model", the third is the No 2 MK 1 ** in which the hammer return was omitted during manufacturing during war time to make them faster to make and finally the No 2 MK 1 ***, that was a conversion after the war during which the hammer return was installed.

The revolver pictured, is a No 2 MK 1*, that someone added a spur for the hammer.

In the condition pictured, this ones is worth between $ 150 and $ 175.00.

Scott
 
M39a2, aka Scott is right on. .38 caliber is really .38-200 also known infamously as the mostly terrible 38S&W. Why the Brits didn't adopt S&W's 38Special is another story.
There are persons who enjoy this caliber and reload it. Most don't. No commonly available speedloaders, underpowered cartridges using .360 diameter bullets, all add up to a curio relic revolver that sits in your safe.
$150-175.00 is about right...
 
hatman1793 said:
M39a2, aka Scott is right on. .38 caliber is really .38-200 also known infamously as the mostly terrible 38S&W. Why the Brits didn't adopt S&W's 38Special is another story.
There are persons who enjoy this caliber and reload it. Most don't. No commonly available speedloaders, underpowered cartridges using .360 diameter bullets, all add up to a curio relic revolver that sits in your safe.
$150-175.00 is about right...
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I have often wondered about that. Do you know the story?
 
I feel old , as I can remember Century International in Montreal selling tanker versions for $35 each. This was probably later 80's early 90's.
 
Ganderite said:
I have often wondered about that. Do you know the story?
Click to expand...

there were some studies conducted and the conclusion was that heavy bullets have more stopping power, and the 455 they were using was overpowered.

the Brits were shopping for a 200grn 38 Cal bullet, Webley had a pistol, but then the Brit Gov gave the contract to Enfield.
 
The .455 was never "overpowered," pushing a heavy 250-ish grain .455 bullet at less than 700 feet per second. A pre-Boer war design, the .455 Webly & Scott top-break revolver soldiered through the First World War while the savvy Americans adopted a similar caliber in a much better semi-automatic pistol. JMB's 1911! By comparison, the way better DWM Luger 9mm semi-auto totally outclassed the Webly revolver.
Not wishing to be held to a private company, the British gov't stole the W&S design and ordered the government arsenal, aka Enfield, to manufacture a reduced sized top break revolver in a truly terrible cartridge. 38S&W is/was/and will always be truly awful. Underpowered, not ever living up to its claim, 38S&W remains a British failure.
 
Interesting comment, but I recall a passage from book written by a WW II sniper officer, who spoke highly of the effectiveness from first hand experience.
 
m39a2 said:
There were four basic versions of this revolver, the No 2 MK 1, followed by the No 2 MK 1*, that would be the one with the hammer spur removed. Sometimes called the "Tanker Model", the third is the No 2 MK 1 ** in which the hammer return was omitted during manufacturing during war time to make them faster to make and finally the No 2 MK 1 ***, that was a conversion after the war during which the hammer return was installed.

The revolver pictured, is a No 2 MK 1*, that someone added a spur for the hammer.

In the condition pictured, this ones is worth between $ 150 and $ 175.00.

Scott
Click to expand...

Wouldn't the Mk.1* (no spur, 'tanker') also be double action only? If this one operates in both single and double action then the internals are altered as well as the spur?
 
My father (RCAF) had a Smith service revolver in 38S&W. I recall we took it to the dump one day and shot it. We shot a piece of 3/4" plywood. When we were done, the bullets were sticking out of the wood, like darts. Zero penetration.

The ammo was military jacketed bullets.

Every since then I have always thought of the calibre as a joke and the waste of a fine revolver.
 
one positive thing I can say about the revolver and the cartridge is that for punching holes in paper or ringing steel it is very comfortable to shoot and follow-up shots are a breeze. also, despite having a long and heavy trigger pull, I found the sights stayed solidly on target while firing double-action. The shape of the grip really works for me. Some of my shooter buddies and I would race to see who could knock down six plates with six-shooters the fastest, and I was getting the best results for speed and accuracy from the Enfield MkII. Terminal ballistics might suck, but it is pretty good for putting fast accurate shots on target.
 
The terminal effects of any cartridge vary directly with whether or not the bullet hits the target. One reason the War Department sought a replacement for the Mk.VI revolver was that they believed it was too big for many users to handle well so they weren't shooting it accurately. In the hands of most users the smaller revolver in .38S&W was more likely to produce hits on target and a hit with a .38 is deadlier than a miss with a .455.
 
Show me a Smith, Colt or a Webley in .455 and I'm on it like a fat kid on smarties. All of mine shoot to point of aim. Same goes for a Smith or a Enfield in 38/200 .Hit something with either one, and a 200 grain + bullet at 685 FPS does the job.
 
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