Original British Victorian Enfield MkII .476 Service Revolver Issued to Australian Military Jails – Dated 1883 Original Items

Original Item. Only One Available. These are only ever encountered in a very great while and were introduced as the Enfield Mark 1 Revolver in 1880. This version was quickly superseded by the Mark 2 Revolver in 1882. The beauty of this extraordinary revolver is that when you “open” the the action the cylinder just slides forward upon its axis ejecting all the empty cartridge cases in the cylinder. Due to loaded cartridges being slightly longer, they do not fall out when this operation was performed. The revolver would then be closed again, and the right side loading gate opened to allow live cartridges to be loaded. Unfortunately this proved to be tedious, as each empty chamber needed to be loaded one at a time. There were also issues with the spent cartridges getting stuck, and overall the revolver was large and cumbersome. It was never popular, and the introduction of the Webley MkI made it obsolete.

Company owner Christian Cranmer had one of these as a kid in England and his father told him it had been issued to the Canadian Mounties. Unfortunately he traded it away, probably for a flintlock, without realizing how hard these were to come by.

Our example is marked and dated on the left side of the frame:

CROWN
V.R.
ENFIELD
1883.
II.

It also has matching serial number 9624 on the frame, barrel, and rear of the cylinder. There are proof marks on other parts of the revolver, and it has the opposed broad arrows meaning it was sold out of service. This was quite common with these, as they were not popular at all, and definitely had design issues with the extraction and loading. The revolver was officially chambered for .476 Enfield, but this was readily interchangeable with the earlier Adams cartridges, as well as the later .455 Webley cartridges.

This particular Revolver is especially rare and sought after, as it was used use in Military Jails in NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA. While today it is a modern country, during Queen Victoria’s time of the 1880’s it was still considered a PENAL COLONY. The grip back strap is marked GAOLS No 4, while the right grip scale is marked GAOLS, and the left with N.S.W / No.4. “GAOL” is the old English way for today’s spelling of “JAIL” even used today sometimes in England.

The cylinder is of a church steeple design and most attractive. Condition of the revolver is quite nice, with much of the original finish present, with the expected wear of age. The lanyard ring is still present, and the grip is solid without any chips or major dents. The revolver action functions correctly, as does the extractor system, though the hand needs adjustment. The bore shows clear lands and grooves, with a bright finish, and little sign of wear.

This model however received many complaints and was replaced in 1887 by the equally rare WEBLEY MARK ONE Revolver. For more information see THE WEBLEY SERVICE REVOLVER by Robert Maze, published 2012, pages 14, 15 and 16.

A truly well-manufactured revolver in very nice condition ready to display!

Specifications: 

Year of Manufacture: 1883
Caliber:  .476 Enfield / .455 Webley
Ammunition Type: Centerfire Cartridge
Barrel Length: 5 3/4 inches
Overall Length: 11 1/2 inches
Action: External Hammer Double/Single Action
Feed System: 6 Shot Revolver