Enfield Revolver No. 2 Mk I
- Category
- Pistol
- Barrel
- 127 mm
- Weight, empty
- 766 g
- Introduced
- 1932
About
What it is, and why it matters
The Enfield Revolver No. 2 Mk I is a top-break, six-shot, double-action service revolver chambered for the .38/200 (.38 S&W) cartridge. Adopted by the British Army in 1932 to replace the older Webley Mk VI in .455, it was designed at the Royal Small Arms Factory at Enfield Lock as a lighter, smaller-caliber alternative more easily handled by less-trained conscript soldiers. It served as a standard British and Commonwealth sidearm throughout WWII and into the early Cold War.
Britain's switch from the hard-hitting .455 Webley to the .38/200 was based on a 1920s study claiming that a 200-grain .38 lead bullet had nearly the same incapacitating effect as the heavier round but was easier to shoot accurately under stress - a conclusion that proved deeply unpopular with soldiers, who often considered the Enfield No. 2 underpowered for the brutal close combat of WWII.
The Mk I* (introduced 1938) removed the hammer spur to make the revolver double-action-only, ostensibly for tank crews who feared snagging - though some historians argue the change was driven by a fatal accident with the original design. The Mk I** was a further-simplified wartime production variant with a number of safety features removed; many were later upgraded to Mk I* standard.
Specification
Everything measured
IdentityWhat it is, who built it and when.
- Manufacturer
- Royal Small Arms Factory Enfield
- Category
- Pistol
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Status
- Out of production
- Produced
- 1932 to 1957
DimensionsAs issued, without a magazine or an optic.
- Barrel
- 127 mm
- Overall length
- 260 mm
- Weight, empty
- 766 g
ActionHow it cycles, what trips it, and what feeds it.
- Action
- Recoil operated
- Firing mechanism
- Double action single action
- Trigger
- Double action
- Capacity
- 6
- Magazine
- Internal
MaterialsEach swatch is the material itself, not a colour chosen to stand for it.
- Frame
- Steel
- Barrel
- Steel
- Stock
- Wood
- Finish
- Blued
BallisticsFrom the service cartridge, not a handload.
- Muzzle velocity
- 189 m/s
- Muzzle energy
- 232 J
- Effective range
- 14 m
- Maximum range
- 50 m
- Rate of fire
- 25 rpm
Trajectory
What the round does downrange
Solved from the muzzle figures and the bullet. The dashed rule is the effective range on the record, and the crosses are the steps the solver returned.
No load solved for this record yetThe flight path is computed from a cartridge and a bullet. This record has no ammunition filed against its chambering, so there is nothing to solve.
Features
What it has
What the record lists as fitted, drawn from the catalogue.
Top break action
Automatic extraction
Fixed sights
Lanyard ring
Standing
How it compares
Each figure against the firearms of the same type and cartridge that record it, or of the same type where that cartridge has too few. Positions are read to the nearest tenth.
| Measurement | This firearm | Median | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empty weightAmong 1,909 pistols | 766 g | 794 g | Near the median |
| Overall lengthAmong 1,911 pistols | 260 mm | 196 mm | Longer than about 80% |
| Barrel lengthAmong 1,941 pistols | 127 mm | 102 mm | Longer than about 70% |
| Magazine capacityAmong 1,962 pistols | 6 | 8 | Holds fewer rounds than about 70% |
Answers
Questions about the Enfield Revolver No. 2 Mk I
How much does the Enfield Revolver No. 2 Mk I weigh?
The Enfield Revolver No. 2 Mk I weighs 766 g (1.69 lb) empty.
What caliber is the Enfield Revolver No. 2 Mk I?
The Enfield Revolver No. 2 Mk I is chambered in .38 S&W.
How many rounds does the Enfield Revolver No. 2 Mk I hold?
The Enfield Revolver No. 2 Mk I holds 6 rounds, fed from an internal magazine.
How long is the Enfield Revolver No. 2 Mk I?
The Enfield Revolver No. 2 Mk I is 260 mm (10.24 in) long overall, with a 127 mm (5.00 in) barrel.
Who makes the Enfield Revolver No. 2 Mk I?
The Enfield Revolver No. 2 Mk I is made by Royal Small Arms Factory Enfield (United Kingdom). It was designed by Captain Boys / Royal Small Arms Factory Enfield team (modified from Webley & Scott design).
When was the Enfield Revolver No. 2 Mk I introduced?
The Enfield Revolver No. 2 Mk I was introduced in 1932 and discontinued in 1957.
How does the Enfield Revolver No. 2 Mk I operate?
The Enfield Revolver No. 2 Mk I uses a recoil operated action, and its firing mechanism is double action single action.
Compatibility
Which parts fit this firearm
Studio
Every part that mounts on this, resolved
Not a list the maker typed out: the answer comes from the mounts this firearm exposes and the interface each part needs, so it stays right when either one changes.
- Every part that mounts on any firearm in the catalogue
- Interface standards, platforms and fit overrides
- The same answers through the API and the MCP server
Requires a signed-in GunSpec account on the Studio plan. The answer is computed per part, so it is not part of the public record.
Provenance
What the record holds
Every figure above was taken from one of these pages. The confidence reflects how much of the record came from a page a claim can be checked against.
In service
- British Armed Forces
- 1932
- Australian Defence Force
- Australia
- Canadian Armed Forces
- Canada
- Royal Hong Kong Police
- Hong Kong
Provenance
Confidence in this record
86%
Stockists
Where to buy
Offers link straight to the shop. GunSpec never takes the order.
No shop has listed this firearm yet
Stock and prices come from the shops themselves. If you sell this firearm, you can list it and it appears here.
List a firearmMCP
Ask an assistant about it
The same record, reached the way a person asks for it rather than the way a program does.
Ask GunSpec
Works with
Point an MCP client at GunSpec and it answers from the catalogue rather than from memory. A free key covers the read tools.
API
The call that returns this record
The same fields, in the same units, from the same endpoint the page reads.
curl --request GET \ --url 'https://api.gunspec.io/v1/firearms/enfield-no-2' \ --header 'X-API-Key: your_key'{ "id": "enfield-no-2", "name": "Enfield Revolver No. 2 Mk I", "manufacturer": { "id": "rsaf-enfield", "name": "Royal Small Arms Factory Enfield", "countryCode": "GB", "foundedYear": 1816, "website": "https://rsaf.org.uk", "logoUrl": null, "description": null, "status": "defunct", "defunctYear": 1988, "stateOwned": null, "makesFirearms": true, "parentId": null, "predecessorId": null, "createdAt": "2026-02-11 23:44:38", "updatedAt": "2026-09-15 07:19:19", "version": "91738e2fe555104c6f461ec3d819e49599e5f73bc7cbe528c6ecb83a591672ee" }, "category": { "id": "pistol", "name": "Pistol", "description": "Handguns designed to be fired with one or two hands" }, "country_of_origin": "GB", "year_introduced": 1932, "barrel_length_mm": 127, "weight_empty_g": 766, "action_type": "recoil_operated"}