Webley 38 3.5 tons

Does it look anything like this one?

www.courter.org/guns/handguns/webleymkiv.html

Webley made revolvers in .38/200 which is the British version of .38 S&W Super Police.
They were substitute standard in WWII (along with a lot of Smith & Wessons) The Enfield No 2 was standard but Webley got a contract to supplement them, even though they had not won the selection.

3.5 tons is the British format for chamber pressure in Long Tons per square inch (they often show a little square with an inch " mark.)

Scrub the marks? If not sold surplus with the appropriate broad arrow markings, "bringback" is a nice word for stolen government property and grinding off the markings was quite common in such cases. You can read about mutilated 1911s every day on the gunboards.

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Well, in the first place, it isn't a Webley.
It is the official standard Enfield No 2 Mk 1**
The first star after the Mk 1 means the hammer spur has been deleted to avoid snagging a tank crewman on his way out of a burning armoured vehicle, standardized in 1938. The second star indicates some simplification done starting in 1942.

See discussion at
http://world.guns.ru/handguns/double-action-revolvers/brit/enfield-no-2-mk-1-e.html

Known as the Enfield No 2 Mark 1. There is no legitimate reason for any of the markings to be defaced or removed. It wasn't done by the British army or government. It was done after the fact, for what reason, only Lamont Cranston knows for sure, anyone else would have to venture a guess.

I have an Enfield No. 2 Mk. 1. It's like yours except that it has a spur on the hammer.

Here's rundown of the markings on it:

Right side of the frame behind the trigger:
ENFIELD
No 2 - [crown] - Mk 1
1930

Right side of barrel, in front of cylinder:
.767" 3.5 TONS
[proofmark]
NP
.38"

Top of barrel, reading from the front:
CAL. .38. 30 [sideways] [proofmark] [broad arrow] [proofmark]

On bottom of barrel and bottom of frame, near the hinge:
[3-digit serial number]

On side of cylinder, at the rear:
[same 3-digit serial number]
[also, there's a small proofmark stamped between each chamber]

On rear of cylinder:
[2 proofmarks, 1 broad arrow, and 1 Enfield monogram]

There are broad arrows and/or Enfield monograms stamped on most of the small parts.

If that 3.5 tons seems low, read this

http://www.doublegunshop.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=297079

And remember that the 3.5 tons is the standard working pressure of the cartridge, not the proof pressure, which would be 14,500 psi.

Jim

It may come with that holster, but it was not issued with it. That is an ordinary sporting good store $6 holster of the period when there were so many surplus guns for sale in the 1960s.

Valuewise, for that gun, I would say $300 - $350, tops. Remember, it's double-action only, which makes shooting it difficult. You're not going to get accuracy out of it, especially because the currently available .38 S&W ammunition is not what it was designed for. (156 gr. vs. 200 gr. bullet.)

I might add that some of the markings may appear to have been "scrubbed" because they were covered up by the typical British black paint ("Suncorite") that was applied during overhauls.

The second asterisk in the designation meant a manufacturing simplication, namely the deletion of the hammer safety. This made the revolver liable to fire if dropped. That feature was reinstated in postwar overhauls, but if it wasn't on your particular gun, it would be unsafe to carry.

Ammo loaded to the original mil-spec can be had. But its not cheap:
http://www.ows-ammo.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=58_21&products_id=286

Leaving the chamber under the hammer empty is the safe solution for guns without positive hammer blocks or firing pin safetys.