Enfield No. 2

Lore & Background

After the First World War, the British Government sought a smaller, lighter .38 calibre sidearm firing a long, heavy 200 grain soft lead bullet, preferring it to the large .455 Webley revolvers. The .455 had proven effective but its recoil complicated marksmanship training. The authorities wanted a double-action revolver with less weight and recoil that could be quickly mastered by minimally trained soldiers, with a good probability of hitting an enemy at extremely close ranges. The .38/200 bullet, being minimally stabilised, tended to 'keyhole' or tumble when striking an object, theoretically increasing wounding and stopping ability at short ranges.

The British firm Webley & Scott tendered their Webley Mk IV in .38/200 calibre. Rather than adopting it, the authorities took the design to the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield, which produced a very similar revolver with slightly different internals. The Enfield design was accepted as the 'Revolver, No 2 Mk I' in 1931. Webley sued the government for £2,250, claiming costs of research and design; Enfield contested that the revolver was designed by Captain Boys with assistance from Webley & Scott. The claim was denied, but the Royal Commission on Awards to Inventors awarded Webley & Scott £1,250.

RSAF Enfield could not manufacture enough No. 2 revolvers to meet wartime demands, so the Webley Mk IV was issued as a substitute standard. The Enfield No. 2 is very fast to reload due to its automatic ejector, which simultaneously removes all six cases from the cylinder.

Reader's Guide

The Enfield No. 2 was designed to replace the .455 Webley revolvers with a lighter, more controllable weapon for close-quarters combat. British combat experience during World War II seemed to confirm that, for the average soldier, the Enfield No. 2 Mk I could be used far more effectively than the bulkier .455 Webley. However, the double-action-only Mk I* revolvers were not popular with troops, many of whom exchanged them for Smith & Wesson, Colt, or Webley revolvers when possible.

Despite being declared obsolete at the end of World War II, the Enfield and Webley revolvers were not completely phased out in favour of the Browning Hi-Power until April 1969. The .38/200 ammunition used a 200-grain unjacketed lead bullet, but just before the war, British authorities became concerned that this might violate the Hague Convention on deforming bullets. A new loading with a 178-grain full metal jacket bullet was introduced as the .380 Mk IIz, though both types were used interchangeably in combat. The Enfield No. 2 remains notable as a key British service revolver of the mid-20th century, reflecting the shift from large-calibre revolvers to lighter, faster-handling sidearms.

Did You Know?

• The Enfield No. 2 was designed by Captain Boys, after whom the Boys anti-tank rifle was named, with assistance from Webley & Scott.
• The .38 S&W cartridge used in British service was often called '.380', but is unrelated to the modern .380 ACP pistol cartridge.
• The Mk I* variant had a spurless hammer and was double-action only, intended to simplify training and production.
• The Howard Auto Cultivator Company in Australia produced only about 350 Enfield No. 2 revolvers, and very few are known to exist today.