Enfield No.2 Mk.1 Range Report

[Mordoc]

This is a range report for an Enfield No.2 Mk.1 top break revolver I found at the Knoxville show yesterday. This is an unaltered Enfield. It can be fired both single and double action. It marked for the RAF and made in 1937. It is chambered for the .380/200 round. I fired it with Winchester 146gr. RNL 38S&W ammunition. I like this revolver! It is light, has good balance and points well. It also has good visible sights. The top break ejected the empties with authority. The trigger pull is heavy but not prohibitively so. I would estimate the single action pull at about 8 pds and clean and the double action at around 15. The double action pull seemed shorter than a modern Smith or Colt. The group shown below was shot at 15 yds double action, slow deliberate double action. The rounds did impact about 6" low. The primers were deeply hit. A gunsmith I showed them to thought they were near penetration. If in a little heavier caliber I would not feel at all underarmed with this revolver. Now I feel like a spot of tea for some reason.

 

[jar]

Mordoc

Great report. Glad you had a chance to shoot it and hope there are many more. Here is a report from a recent outing with a couple other 38S&Ws.

So I had a chance to shoot some of the old 38S&Ws again, and the more I shoot these old relics, the more I like them. They certainly have different personalities and yet they also have a certain warmth that seems to be missing from some of the newest offerings out there.

The two guns that snuck into the range bag this time were the Colt Police Positive


and the Smith DA, 4th change.


They are very similar in size but worlds apart in personality.


They both simply dissappear in a pocket and feel great in hand. The trigger pull on the Smith has several distinct stops as it goes through the cycle, you can feel every single lever as they engage or disengage. The Colt feels far more modern. The trigger is as nice as on any revolver I own.

Ammo for both guns was Remington 146 gr lead. Both worked flawlessly and accuracy was acceptable. The slightly larger grip on the Colt made it far more pleasant to shoot and so it was the more accurate of the two. Actually, I would feel comfortable with either as a HD gun if nothing else was available. And the Smith flinging brass definitely garners a few stares at the range.

 

[Jim K]

"If in a little heavier caliber I would not feel at all underarmed with this revolver. "

Hmmm. I would not feel underarmed with that revolver, or at least with that cartridge. The .38 S&W was the preferred cartridge for police use for decades before the .38 Special became almost universal. Even then, many police carried revolvers in .38 S&W.

Of course, in the last 20 years, people have become much tougher, and grown skins so thick that only a .454 Casull can even begin to penetrate, with a pistol chambered in .50 BMG being preferred.

Jim

 

[Tamara]

Obsolescent wheelies are swell!

Apparently .32 S&W Long was once good enough to be a "Regulation Police."

(Hey, Mordoc, you oughtta come say "hi!" out at Randy's Guns sometime! Was that pic shot at Guncraft? Was the 'smith in question Bob Howard?)

 

[Mordoc]

Hi Tamara,

Yes it was at Guncraft. The smith was Robert. Here is the best picture I could get of the primers. I wouldn't feel too bad armed with this thing even in 38 S&W. My real concern is the availability of ammo. My local shop had none and I didn't find much at the gunshow. I'll try and get by Randy's sometime soon. Now I want a Webley Mk. VI. By the way, speed loaders designed for K-frame Smith's work with this thing although the round is awfully short.

 

[P95Carry]

Mordoc......

My real concern is the availability of ammo.

I used to have two of these .... well, the one with hammer and the one with spur removed for D/A only .. anyways, before I got some caes I cut down 38 spl cases ... check for dimensions in the books and it is well possible... tho I did have a lathe to do it on. For bullets I used 125 grn cast RN's that I use for 9mm ... sized 357 .. they worked quite well.

MkVI eh .... yeah, great piece of history. I got Fiocchi brass for mine (.455 Webley) and load em using a 45 acp 230 grn cast bullet ... tho that needs sized IIRC a tad larger than .452. They do work anyways.

 

[jsalcedo]

Sheesh now you guys have got me wanting some.

My local shop offered me a mid war Webley MKIV in 38-200 for $175

It is in original condition although the thing was covered in ugly tool marks.

The action was very very smooth.

I'm going to look at it again.