What I really want is a Webley MKIV .38/200 as shown here. It seems to me that this is a classic British Revolver. It has additional features in that it is made of fairly modern materials and chambers a cartridge (the .38 Smith and Wesson) that is relatively easily acquired and for which reloading components are relatively (compared to the .455 cartridge) available. Unfortunately, these seem to be pretty rare. I haven't seen one in a long, long time. However, I discovered that Century had them last year. Where was I? Why didn't I know this? Dang! Of course, I don't want the darn cross-bolt safety that was apparently added for importation (one has to ask why such a thing has to be on a basic DA revolver when US made DA revolvers have gone in and out of the country sans such safeties during the same period). It is an awful addendum to a perfectly fine, and safe, mechanism.
It seems to me that it might be far easier to get the poor cousin to this gun, the Enfield No. 2 MKI revolver. After all, that is pretty much just a
rip-off copy of the Webley design. Well, that was the idea. But no, it doesn't seem to be easier or cheaper.
I think I'll keep my eyes open for a Colt Police Positive in .38 S&W if I find I can't live without a revolver so chambered.
Serial numbers and dates of manufacture for the Enfield No. 2.
1929-1931 1-A Prefix
1932 A-B
1933 B-C
1934 C-D
1935 D-E
1936 E
1937 E-F
1938 F
1939 F-H
1940 H,I,J,K,L
1941 L,M,N,O,P
1942 Q,R,S,T,U,V
1943 V,W,X,Y,Z,ZA,ZB
1944 ZB,ZC,ZD,ZE,ZF,ZG,ZH
1945 ZH,ZI,ZJ
I've run across a couple of Enfields for less than two bills at the last few Indy 1500s. Alas, they were the DAO Mk.I* version...
ReplyDeleteI'll probably get one anyway, just because it's a military surplus handgun and actually marginally less useless than my Nagant...