Happiness is a new Webley!

[Petrol & Powder]

I am fond of the top-break revolver concept. The S&W Schofield system in 45 S&W should have caught on far better than it did. Webley ran with the concept and created a worthwhile series of revolvers.

Top break revolver encompasses a lot of different revolvers, but Webley clearly had the best latch design.

Unfortunately, when I hear the description “top break” my mind goes to the multitude of inexpensive top break guns that are far from the strength of the Webley. This is an unfair bias on my part.

The OP’s Webley is an unquestionably cool gun. When it came to military revolvers, the Brits went all in!

 

[glassparman]

I agree. I have a couple of old H&R 38 S&W top breaks and I tend to go light on the loads because that latch wears out quick.

 

[hornetguy]

Unfortunately, I believe it has been shaved on the back of the cylinder. Now that I check it out, I do not see any cartouches or markings on the back of the cylinder, which is a telltale sign. I guess I am on a quest to find some 45 auto rim brass.

I've got some I don't need.... shoot me a PM and we can discuss it....

 

[glassparman]

Thanks a million to hornetguy for supplying me with a bag of 45 auto rim brass to get started on this project!

 

[fiver]

chuckle now you just gotta figure out the .455, or not, thing.

 

[CZ93X62]

The 455 Eley.......about 20 years ago one of the part-time Burrito Shooters brought a Colt New Service to ply buyers with. For $400 I could have taken it home, and probably should have.......but balked.

Marie and I had been married for 18 months at this time (Feb. 2003). Just a month earlier I had made MAJOR POINTS with SWMBO having brought home a SIG P-228.....which she immediately appropriated and still has. I had the deep sagacity to NOT protest this hijacking--"You brought me an M-11 home, just like I used in the Army! THANK YOU!" The kisses and hugs that followed confirmed the wisdom of my silence. Ya gotta read the signs.

We still had 3 girls at home. There is no entity on this earth that can dispose of disposable income like a teen daughter, except perhaps a Democratic administration; we had three of same on station. This was uppermost in my thinking, closely followed by 'Do I truly NEED another weird caliber to ride herd upon? Good sense was slowly dawning upon me that chasing these trivia items was costly and time-consuming. I knew of one maker--Fiocchi--that imported loaded ammo in this caliber.

Not happening. Today I would buy the thing in a hot second, but I suspect the tariff would be far heavier to do so.

 

[quicksylver]

Super coooolness

 

[glassparman]

Funny story . . . I made my usual stop at my local Gun store as I always do on a Tuesday heading home from work and they gave me a prize.

It turns out the guy who the .455 Webley came from, had a ton of gun stuff all of which was given to the gun shop. They are now going through all his reloading stuff. I'm good friends with the family that owns that store since they bought it from the old "Jack First" gun shop before they moved to Rapid City, SD. Anyway, they gave me an ammo can full of .45 auto rim brass with 100 or so projectiles and a bunch of moon clips in case I wanted to use .45 auto cases. I pulled down one of the rounds and it appears to have 6.5 grains of possibly Unique. The projectiles are cast, graphite coated and hollow base. I did not mic one though.

I'm not going to shoot any of it because I don't believe in shooting another man's reloads. I'll just pull it all down and do my own reloading. (Yes Ric, I'll dispose of the powder straight away! No more shop fires)

Anyway, with the cases I got from hornetguy and all this, I have lots of components now!

I also ordered some cast bullets from Matt's bullets that are almost a perfect match for the 160gr .455 Webley loads.

Mike

 

[Petrol & Powder]

Bonus !

 

[Bret4207]

6.5 Unique with a 250-ish gr bullet would be a normal 45AR load. Just sayin'...

 

[RicinYakima]

6.5 Unique with a 250-ish gr bullet would be a normal 45AR load. Just sayin'...

But a double proof load in a Webley (6,000 Long Tonnes).

 

[fiver]

isn't a long ton 2200#

 

[RicinYakima]

Maximum pressure for .455 is 13,000 psi. 45AR is 21,000 psi.

 

[Bret4207]

If it's been rechambered, which is how I'm reading this, then it's a 45AR now, not a 455. Much larger case. Just pointing out that 6.5 gr Unique might be worth saving the powder even if he doesn't want to shoot them.

 

[glassparman]

If it's been rechambered, which is how I'm reading this, then it's a 45AR now, not a 455. Much larger case. Just pointing out that 6.5 gr Unique might be worth saving the powder even if he doesn't want to shoot them.

Technically not re-chambered as all they do to these guns is shave some meat of the back of the cylinder so that a case with a thicker rim fits. Otherwise it is the same bore in the cylinder, forcing cone and barrel. .452 is too small for this revolver so using the .455 Webley dies and a bigger bullet is the way to go.

As for the powder, I "think" it is Unique. No way to tell for sure and I don't want to ruin my fingers or my gun so best just to start with my own plan.

 

[glassparman]

The bullets I ordered are listed on the site as:

455-260-RN-Webley 260 Grain Round Nose Hollow Base Webley (.455)

I have ordered from Matt's bullets before and get good quality stuff. Of course my goal is to find a mold that is about the same to cast my own as we all love to do.

I also measured the diameter of the cast bullets that were in the ammo I received and they are .452 so too small for the bore. I'll just load them up for some plinking in my 1911.

Mike

 

[fiver]

Matt's a good guy and understands, he doesn't just buy molds from magma throw in some 2/6 and you get what you get.

 

[RBHarter]

The key is HB . As long as the top band is close to centered in the forcing cone the HB will fix the under size .

 

[Rushcreek]

I wonder how many of the shaved cylinder Webleys have blown up using .45 Auto/ Auto Rim factory ammunition?
It seems that the .452” bullet wouldn’t add to the pressure sliding down the .455” barrel.
“It Seems” being key….
But I’ve seen Outpost 75’s pics of the result.
I’m just happy that my friends Dad let me shoot his( with Peters .45AR) when I was a teen. Very Cool.

 

[RicinYakima]

The problem is not the .455" barrel groove dimension , but the .448" cylinder throats! All the bullets were hollow based and made with just a very narrow .450" dimension just in front of the case mouth. They were almost pure lead. Colt .455's were .454" cylinders and S&W's .457". They are not a problem, it is the English made ones that you have to be careful of. Shoot at your own risk with 45 ACP or 45 AR. Just saying.