Tranter Army model .450 inch double-action 6-shot centre-fire revolver

Because of a severe pistol shortage resulting from the 2nd Afghan War (1878-1880) and the Zulu War (1879), the War Department purchased 1,000 Tranter revolvers on the open market. These pistols, most of which were destined for the Zulu campaign, were designed to fire .450 in calibre ammunition approved by the Government. They are marked with the broad arrow, 'W D' (War Department), Enfield inspection marks, and the date '3.79'. These pistols were described as 'non-interchangeable' since, being hand-made, their parts could not be exchanged between weapons, as they could in the later machine-made Government revolvers.