Scotland Yard CID Service Revolvers?

[Wolfgang_Parker]

Wolfgang,

It was .455 caliber (or a modern .38),

Say what? A .455 caliber was just that, .455 of an inch bore diameter, and .38 caliber is roughly .38 of an inch.

I had one for a while out of Holmesian interest. Recoil wasn't actually bad at all nor did it spew much powder. Finding ammunition was a bit difficult, though, so I swapped it years ago.

Don

Don,

Most people would have no idea what a .455 caliber is. The modern day name is, as you pointed out, a .38 caliber. That's why I added that.

You had problems finding .38 rounds? That's odd.

[Wolfgang_Parker]

A little more detail (& some photos) from good old wikipedia.

I have heard the Royal Irish Constabulary revolver was quite popular (on both sides of the law) during this period.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Webley_Revolver

Thank you, Harry! This is very helpful. Good to have a couple of models for reference.

...bit still thinking of that Tek-9....

[Ally]

No. It's not a name change. It's a totally different gun. The .455 was replaced with a different sized cartridge-- the .38. Don had the .455 which he had difficulty getting ammo for (if I am reading right). Although it's just as difficult to get freaking ammo for the .38 now or any other caliber.

If anyone knows a good source for 380 ammo I am out of cheap target rounds and need to buy some new and the stores are freaking wiped because of panicked sheep swearing Obama gonna outlaw the ammo.

[Wolfgang_Parker]

No. It's not a name change. It's a totally different gun. The .455 was replaced with a different sized cartridge-- the .38. Don had the .455 which he had difficulty getting ammo for (if I am reading right). Although it's just as difficult to get freaking ammo for the .38 now or any other caliber.

If anyone knows a good source for 380 ammo I am out of cheap target rounds and need to buy some new and the stores are freaking wiped because of panicked sheep swearing Obama gonna outlaw the ammo.

Thank you for the clarification. I had understood the .455 and the .38 to be fairly interchangeable as I am unfamiliar with older (and more obscure) pistols.

Funny you mention the ammunition shortage. I was visiting a gun store over the weekend because break-ins in my neighborhood are escalating rapidly. The dealer told me that as soon as Obama took office truck drivers were buying whole shelves of ammunition and trading/selling them on the road. Plus the wars overseas have drained steel, lead, and copper supplies for production. The prices have gone up, and only 9mm and .45 cal rounds are in normal supply.

.380 ammunition in the US has been costly and difficult to find for at least 10 years. I used to have an AMT .380 back-up. It was costly to practice with, and the rounds were not easy to find.

[Wolfgang_Parker]

If anyone knows a good source for 380 ammo I am out of cheap target rounds and need to buy some new and the stores are freaking wiped because of panicked sheep swearing Obama gonna outlaw the ammo.

Sportsmansguide has .380 rounds for roughly $0.64 per round. They even have Webley .455 rounds for about $1.00 per round. Just make sure every shot counts, Tex.

[Ally]

People are stupid. Yeah I am looking at a little .380 I want to get for concealed carry but I want to practice with it first (both my sister in law and a girlfriend of mine carry one so I can try it out), but I can't find the ammo. Annoying.

[Ally]

Sportsmansguide has .380 rounds for roughly $0.64 per round. They even have Webley .455 rounds for about $1.00 per round. Just make sure every shot counts, Tex.

Oohh sweet. Thanks!

[Bob Hinton]

Pistols

The first pistol I was issued with on joining up was the Enfield .38 (which was identical to the Webley only made in Government factories. I believe it was the Mk 2* which didn't have a hammer spur and thus could be only fired double action.

It had the heaviest trigger pull of any pistol I ever fired which made the thing so inaccurate I didn't manage to put a single round on a man sized target at 15 yards. We were told that the best way to use them was to grab them by the barrel and use them as a club.

Shortly afterwards we got the Browning HP which was a very good weapon.

I was in the Navy so consequently we got all the older weapons. The rifle was the Lee Enfield No 4, great rifle but you had to keep it well pulled in to the shoulder, the Lanchester sub machine gun which seemed to be a copy of the German Bergman 1918 and the Enfield. And believe it or not cutlasses were still an official weapon in the Navy's armoury.

I believe the last time cutlasses were used was during the Norwegian campaign when HMS Cossack came alongside the Altmark in Jøssingfjord, February 1940.

The Navy boarded with cutlasses shouting “The Navy’s here” to bolster the spirits of the British prisoners being held on board the Altmark. Not surprisingly being confronted with matelots waving bloody great cutlasses the Germans wrapped their hands in. A great hairy British sailor advancing towards you with his cutlass in his hand is not a pretty sight!

[Wolfgang_Parker]

People are stupid. Yeah I am looking at a little .380 I want to get for concealed carry but I want to practice with it first (both my sister in law and a girlfriend of mine carry one so I can try it out), but I can't find the ammo. Annoying.

The model I had was the AMT .380 Back-up made for concealed carry. Concealed hammer and no safety--which is compensated for its 13 lb. trigger. Outside range 20ft. (approximately). I was able to shoot with repeated accuracy at 40 ft. A lot of police officers carry them. Solid gun, but Sig Sauer makes the uber-sexy P230 as well. Depends on your preference.

[Wolfgang_Parker]

Shortly afterwards we got the Browning HP which was a very good weapon.

The best gun I have ever owned was my Browning HP Mark III. Beautiful design, and performed flawlessly. Wonderful. I am still pining for the one I saw in the case on Sunday.

[Ally]

The model I had was the AMT .380 Back-up made for concealed carry. Concealed hammer and no safety--which is compensated for its 13 lb. trigger. Outside range 20ft. (approximately). I was able to shoot with repeated accuracy at 40 ft. A lot of police officers carry them. Solid gun, but Sig Sauer makes the uber-sexy P230 as well. Depends on your preference.

13 lbs? Yeah trigger weight is an issue with me. Which is why I definitely want to practice before purchase. I have some right side weakness issues on occasion so the heavier trigger pulls are way out of the question for me. Hard to find a gun that has all the requirements, cute, pursesize, easy trigger (but not so easy you shoot yourself in the ass) and of course, matches my shoes.

[Wolfgang_Parker]

13 lbs? Yeah trigger weight is an issue with me. Which is why I definitely want to practice before purchase. I have some right side weakness issues on occasion so the heavier trigger pulls are way out of the question for me. Hard to find a gun that has all the requirements, cute, pursesize, easy trigger (but not so easy you shoot yourself in the ass) and of course, matches my shoes.

Yeah, the trigger gets some getting used to--especially to actually shoot it accurately. Finger strength is definitely needed for the AMT. The good news is, you can make exercising fun.

[Bob Hinton]

Pistol

13 lbs? Yeah trigger weight is an issue with me. Which is why I definitely want to practice before purchase. I have some right side weakness issues on occasion so the heavier trigger pulls are way out of the question for me. Hard to find a gun that has all the requirements, cute, pursesize, easy trigger (but not so easy you shoot yourself in the ass) and of course, matches my shoes.

How about the pistol my wife used to favour. Ruger SP101 2 1/4" barrel. They make it in .38 Spl or .357 Mag. It is so well designed that even the magnum is easy to fire and control.

[Ally]

Hmm...I might have to check that out. My concealed carry now is a .38 snub and when I took it to the range recently I found the kickback too excessive. But it's not a Ruger. Thanks Bob. I'll look around for that and see if I can find one to try out.

[c.d.]

Hi Ally,

Your remark about your gun having to match your shoes cracked me up. It must take considerable restraint on your part not to open fire given the large number of a**holes walking the streets.

c.d.