Shortest of revolver ammunition.

Subject: Shortest of revolver ammunition. Fri Sep 25, 2009 7:33 am

There seems to have been plenty of rifle ammunition during the Zulu war, but a shortest of revolver ammunition, Its there any reason for this.. I would have thought as officers were issued with revolvers they would have made sure they had enough ammunition.
I have read a few accounts of where officers where looking for ammunition for their weapons.
Rorkes Drift was a supply depot and it seems that there was hardly any revolver ammunition available.

Smith-Dorrien

Memories of Forty-Eight Years Service

Quote :: I went up to see Captain " Gonny " Bromhead, in command of the company of the 24th, and I told him a big fight was expected, and that I wanted revolver ammunition. He gave me eleven rounds

Posts : 2593 Join date : 2009-04-24

I not sure that officers were issued with revolvers. If they had them, I think they would have purchased them self’s, and the ammunition. But I could be wrong.

Early models such as the Webley-Green army model 1879 and the Webley-Pryse model were first made during the 1870s. The best-known are the range of military revolvers, which were in service use across two World Wars and numerous colonial conflicts, but Webley & Scott also produced a number of short-barrel solid-frame revolvers, including the Webley RIC (Royal Irish Constabulary) the revolver was designed to be carried in a coat pocket for self-defence.

Posts : 527 Join date : 2009-02-28

British officers in 1879 were allowed to use any sort of sidearm he wished, as long as it fired .455 ammunition. Officers mainly owned privately purchased Webley top-break revolvers, which in 1879 had not yet officially adopted for service.

Posts : 3385 Join date : 2009-03-03 Location : Devon

I have to agree with Saul David 1879 on this one, i have read that officers could have and use whatever they wanted as long as it used .455 ammunition.

Posts : 36 Join date : 2009-09-29

At this time the only weapon a officer was required to own was a sword, but of course it would have been
crazy not to purchase a revolver l

Posts : 2593 Join date : 2009-04-24

Henry Evelyn Wood, V.C. I believed carried a Webley 'Bulldog.

» Official ammunition handbook 1877, including smooth bore and rifled gun projectiles, small arms ammunition and rockets. Details of all artillery ammunition of the period.
» Chards Revolver
» Melvill's Revolver