British Tanker No2 Mk1** disassembly help

[bigchunk1]

While i'm at it since this is my first post I would like to say, "Hello milsurp forums!" I am much like you, I prefer wood and steel to polymer and plastic. I prefer a firearm with a story to one that shoots lasers. Looking forward to posting/reading.

Well let me just tell you all my newbie errors in one go. I got this Enfield No2 Mk1 double action only british tanker's revolver for $500 at a local gun shop. I think I paid a little much for it, but I really wanted it and it was a total impulse buy. Anyways I shot 50 rounds through it with no issue and decided to fully disassemble it in order to clean/lubricate all the parts. I eventually found myself outside of my league. It is a fairly complex disassembly especially when you get down to the hammer spring. Anyways while I was trying to reassemble it, the hammer smacked the receiver a few times and now the firing pin won't protrude through all the way (the firing pin remains undamaged as far as I can tell). I think it's stuck on something. My guess is some metal bits in the receiver got chipped or something I don't know. I have some pictures to show what I mean.

Information

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[jmoore]

Hard to tell from the photos. Probably need the sideplate off again to see if there's internal drama. Only thing that looks odd at this point is the firing pin rivet, but if it's not protruding to one side or another, then it's just lighting.

Note that the firing pin won't protrude unless the trigger is pulled all the way to the rear and held there for inspection. Otherwise it's supposed to be retracted!




Normal hammer positions shown. (Trigger forward)

[bigchunk1]

oh nice! That means I assembled the thing perfectly. Well that's good to know, thanks so much.

Now I just need to figure out how to assemble the cylinder with the barrel and attach the combo to the trigger handle.

I'm close though.

[bigchunk1]

Got it assembled. It's 100% ready for the range again. Thanks for your help. I definitely appreciate what I have more now that I took it apart and understand how it works.

[Colonel Enfield]

It's a nice looking pistol! In case you were interested, it was manufactured by Albion Motors in Scotland in 1943 - the last year of production by Albion, before it was shifted to the Coventry Tool & Gauge Co sometime in early-mid that same year.

[Peter Laidler]

I suggest that you strip it again and start by inserting the hammer ONLY. See whether it rotates fully backwards and forwards on its axis. If it does, then reassemble properly this time. IF it doesn't then find the cause of the obstruction, clean up the obstruction or burr and THEN assemble properly. Done zillions of them!

[bigchunk1]

That is pretty interesting to me. Usually pistols of this type have "Enfield" stamped in the place where this one has "Albion". A motor-works company of all things. I guess they contracted work to civilian plants during the war to increase production. The year to contract out production (1943) makes a whole lot of sense to me since it is during the land invasion of Italy and in preparation for D-day, where overall production demands were at a high point.

[jmoore]

Got it assembled. It's 100% ready for the range again. Thanks for your help. I definitely appreciate what I have more now that I took it apart and understand how it works.

Always happy to get a range report. Mine all shoot low, even using 200gr bullets, but compensating hasn't been a problem. You can use speed loaders for the S&W K frame, if you wish.

[Peter Laidler]

On the down side, Albion were better at making busses and trucks than they were at producing postols and their output was far below that expected of them. So they reverted to doing what they did best.......... Making trucks and busses!

Mind you, being based in Glasgow, with a large gangland following, the pistols that 'remained' there didn't go to waste. Hundreds turned up in gangland feuds for 40 years after the war!

[Colonel Enfield]

That is pretty interesting to me. Usually pistols of this type have "Enfield" stamped in the place where this one has "Albion". A motor-works company of all things. I guess they contracted work to civilian plants during the war to increase production. The year to contract out production (1943) makes a whole lot of sense to me since it is during the land invasion of Italy and in preparation for D-day, where overall production demands were at a high point.

They started contracting the guns out from about 1940/1941, I think - pretty much as soon as it was obvious the fertiliser was well and truly hitting the venilator and that Britain was going to need approximately all the handguns it could possibly get.

Interestingly, they made Enfield No 2 revolvers in Australia as well - the Howard Auto Cultivator company (who, as the name suggests, made farm machinery) made about 350 of the revolvers during the war.

Contracting the manufacture of guns out to non-weapons industry manufacturers was common in WWII and countless UK civilian companies made everything from springs and screws to barrels and buttplates under contract.