Pistol Smith & Wesson .455 with 6+1⁄2 inch barrel Mark II - POV Firing
The Triple Lock, officially the Smith & Wesson .44 Hand Ejector 1st Model New Century, is a double-action revolver. It was and is considered by many, including handgun enthusiast and expert Elmer Keith, to be the finest revolver ever made. It was only manufactured between 1908 and 1915, for a total of 15,376 revolvers, a stock that sold out completely by 1917. It was replaced by a .44 Hand Ejector 2nd Model, most visibly different in lacking the ejector shroud and third locking lug. To cover manufacturing shortages of the Webley Mk VI, early in the war the Ministry of Munitions contracted Colt and Smith & Wesson to manufacture revolvers chambered in .455 Webley. Smith & Wesson were given an initial contract to manufacture 5,000 triple lock pistols, known as the Pistol Smith & Wesson .455 with 6+1⁄2 inch barrel Mark I, it was introduced into British service as a "substitute standard" sidearm on 5 July 1915 alongside the Colt New Service. Subsequent orders, lacking the third locking lug and ejector shroud, totaled 69,755 and were known as the Mark II.