Enfield Mk I / Mk II

Service Revolver [ 1880 ]

The Enfield Mk series service revolvers saw short-lived use with British Army and Canadian North-West Mounted Police.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 04/13/2016 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

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The Enfield Mk I/Mk II series of service revolvers appeared late in the 19th Century amidst a period of ever-changing firearms technology, becoming the standard sidearm of the British Army if only for a short while. Largely a conventional revolver, design and manufacture of the weapon were headed by the legendary Royal Small Arms Factory (RSAF) of Enfield. Design work began in 1879 while production spanned from 1880 to 1889. Users of the weapon eventually included Canada whose mounted police were issued the type and used them until 1911. The revolver appeared in "Mk I" and "Mk II" production forms.

The Enfield Mk series was chambered for the .476 Revolver Mk II cartridge in which six were fed (individually) into the cylinder chambers by way of a loading gate. The grip handle was curved and integrated into the frame's design in the usual way. The frame was of a "top break" design and hinged along a point ahead and below of the cylinder. The action was double-action though a limited amount of single-action examples were also produced. A lanyard ring was affixed to the bottom of the grip handle and a cylinder lock fit over the cylinder to prevent its rotation while holstered. Sighting was through a front fixed post and rear notch.

One of the key qualities of the Enfield offering was its Owen Jones "self-extraction" system which intended to remove spent shell cartridges for the operator while retaining ready-to-fire cartridges in the cylinder. The system involved the operator unlatching the barrel and forcing the assembly downwards along the hinge. With the barrel tilted forwards, the cylinder was positioned slightly forward to reveal enough of spent cartridge cases that they fell out of their chambers. In practice, the system was not wholly reliable.

Enfield Mk revolvers saw combat service with British forces in the Second Anglo-Afghan War (1878-1880) where, despite the British victory, their overall man-stopping power was deemed relatively weak. Their official replacement came in the form of the Webley Mk I revolvers in .455 caliber.

This Enfield revolver should not be confused with the "Enfield No. 2" revolver seeing widespread use in World War 2 and detailed elsewhere on this site. This particular weapon was chambered for the .380 Revolver Mk I/Mk IIz cartridge and not introduced until 1932.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Service Year

1880

Origin

United Kingdom

Classification

Service Revolver

Royal Small Arms Factory, Enfield - UK

(View other Arms-Related Manufacturers)

Canada; United Kingdom

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Pistol / Sidearm
Compact design for close-quarters work or general self-defense.

Overall Length

292 mm
11.50 in

Barrel Length

146 mm
5.75 in

Sights

Rear Notch; Fixed Front Post

Action

Double-Action; Rotating Cylinder

(Material presented above is for historical and entertainment value and should not be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation - always consult official manufacturer sources for such information)

Caliber(s)*

.476 Revolver Mk II

Rounds / Feed

6-round cylinder

*May not represent an exhuastive list; calibers are model-specific dependent, always consult official manufacturer sources.
**Graphics not to actual size; not all cartridges may be represented visually; graphics intended for general reference only.

Max Eff.Range

82 ft
(25 m | 27 yd)

Rate-of-Fire

18
rds/min

Muzzle Velocity

600 ft/sec
(183 m/sec)

Mk I - Initial production model

Mk II - Subsequent production offering

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