Today for Gus’ Gear I have another revolver that was used by Commonwealth countries to fill in for the shortages of Webley revolvers. This Smith & Wesson Second Model Handejector revolver was manufactured after 1915, it is a simplified version of the Smith & Wesson Triplelock revolver and was originally chambered for the standard British .455 Webley cartridge. The cylinder has been rechambered for the .45 Colt Long cartridge when it was sold into the civilian market because .455 cartridges were not easy to obtain. This does reduce the collector value slightly, but the conversion is not dangerous like the Webley conversions for .45 ACP cartridges, as the Smith & Wesson is strong enough to handle the pressures of the .45 Long Colt cartridge.
The left side of the revolver shows two non-standard Canadian Broad Arrow in C markings on the frame and cylinder crane. Just above the left grip is the double Broad Arrow mark of a weapon that has been taken out of service and sold into the civilian market. The serial number on the butt indicates this revolver was in the range of revolvers that were shipped to Canada during the Great War. The holster is an Oliver pattern closed top holster designed for the Webley MK VI revolvers and was also used with Smith & Wesson and Colt revolvers as they had a similar sized frame and barrel length.
The right side of the revolver shows the Smith & Wesson logo on the side plate. The rear view of the holster shows the belt loop with the tab that has a brass hook to engage in the center holes found on the leather belts, this would keep the holster from rotating or moving on the belt.
The cylinder of the revolver swings out to the left to eject spent cartridges and reload. The cylinder is released by pushing the catch forward. The view of the back of the cylinder shows that it has been machined down to accommodate the thicker rim of the .45 Colt Long cartridges. If it had not been shaved, you would be able to see the serial number on the back of the cylinder as well as test proof marks.
The holster has the name of Sergeant Major V. Campbell inscribed under the flap. There are no other markings on the holster.
