Description
Matching numbers & one of of only 7,477 made!
Offered for sale for the first time in Australia, this rare low production service revolver is in very good condition as can be seen in the photos.
After WW1, it was decided by the British Government that a smaller & lighter .38 calibre sidearm firing a heavy 200 grain soft lead bullet would be preferable to the large Webley service revolvers using the .455 round. The authorities began a search for a double-action revolver with less weight & recoil that could be quickly mastered by a minimally trained soldier, with a good probability of hitting an enemy with the first shot at extremely close ranges. At the time, the .38 calibre Smith & Wesson cartridge with 200-grain lead bullet, known as the .38/200, was also a popular cartridge in civilian & police use (in the USA, the .38/200 or 380/200 was known as the .38 Super Police load). Consequently, the British firm of Webley & Scott tendered their Webley Mk IV revolver 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 to the Webley Mk IV .38, but internally slightly different. The Enfield-designed pistol was quickly accepted under the designation Revolver, No 2 Mk I & was adopted in 1931. This was followed in 1938 by the Mk I* (spurless hammer, double-action only) & finally the Mk I** (simplified for wartime production) in 1942.
During the war, as much as the small arms production was farmed out to decentralise production & render it less susceptible to German bombing. Along with Enfield, there were a number of smaller manufacturers who assembled these for wartime use & the Albion Motor Car Company in Glasgow was the first of these contractors in the North.
Other estimates put total production a little higher but wartime records show a total of only 21,422 were produced (as noted on page 77 of Ian Skennerton’s book, ‘The Enfield No. 2 Revolver’). It is likely that the higher figure is because Albion manufactured almost all of the parts required for the revolver so Albion parts used by other manufacturers may have been counted.
This makes the Albion example of the No. 2 MkI a very desirable collectors piece.
Albion wartime production records show a total of only 7,477 No. 2 MkI revolvers were made in 1943 which was the final year of Albion production & the year this example was made.
After the Australian made Howard Automatic Combine (HAC) revolvers, the Albion is the second rarest Enfield No. 2 Mk I. The extremely low number made combined with the attrition rate (both in combat & post war) this makes this a very rare revolver indeed & these are keenly sought after by serious collectors.
This is offered to the market in Australia for the first time on consignment from a private collection.
This may well be the only one available on the collector market in Australia so don’t hesitate if you want to complete your Enfield No. 2 MkI collection.
The action is sound, it locks up tightly & the bore is excellent so definitely a shooter.
Whilst we check these out for serviceability, the warranty has expired & these are sold on an as is basis.
As with all used guns, we recommend you have this checked by a suitably qualified person prior to shooting.
Do your own research & make your decision based on what you see, so please view the photos carefully as they form the main description & override all written information so ask for more if desired.
