[66912]

Hello all, I am thinking about picking up a Webley revolver which has been shaved down to fit the .45 ACP. Am I limited to certain types of ammunition in this gun? I have seen some pictures of one gun after somebody fired some hot reloads through it.....Not pretty! Thanks in advance for your input.

[Oro]

I have a similar gun, a S&W .455 HE from WWI. It was built for .455 Mk II ammo (the "Man Stopper" as it was called!). Mine is now .45LC - others were cut to .45acp.

You should shoot only .45acp with moon clips or .45AR (auto rim - a .45acp with a rim on it). The facing of the cylinder was done to make the headspace correct for clipped .45acp or .45AR. .455 Mk II will no loner load or fire reliably in it.

On the bad side, the "collectibility" is reduced by the conversion, but on the good side, the "shooting fun and affordability" is WAY enhanced. Enjoy.

[Quiet]

When I was eying a Webley Mark VI that was converted to .45ACP, most of the people on the C&R forums said not to shoot +P rated .45ACP ammo in it.

[Checkman]

If you roll your own then I reccomend a reduced load. Perhaps nothing stronger then say a 5.0 grain charge. I own a converted Mk VI and my load approximates the old 455 service load. The Mk VI was not meant to shoot 45 acp rounds. Treat it gently. Having said that it's a great revolver. One of my favorites.

[66912]

So currently, I do not reload .45 ACP. Does this mean that I cannot use factory loaded ammo in this pistol, or should I just stay with the 185 gr. only?

[Blacksmoke]

In my 1917 Colt and S&W I use "Surplus" mil spec ball ammo. ANy factory regular loads should be fine.

[Oro]

This is very much a grey area. Modern heat-treating techniques, according to both a) reliable printed sources I've read and b) solid "old school wisdom" both agree that good heat treating didn't start until the mid 20s, well after most Webley .455 were built, and many early S&W N frames. That doesn't mean I don't' shoot standard pressure rounds in it, but no way would I shoot +p in it.

I reload down to "target" levels for these old guns, but if I didn't reload my choices of ammo would be:

1) "cowboy" loads (which tend to run even slower/lighter than "target" reloads)
2) any standard pressure commercial.

Shoot them, enjoy them, just don't use +p or crazy Buffalo Bore or Grizzly loads in them by any stretch (I use Buffalo Bore, but not in my pre-war guns!).

Now the gun I am using that was .455 Mk. II was/is a S&W "N" frame, which I think is much stronger than a Webley. For that, I'd stay on the light side. The max pressure for a .45acp is around 20,000 psi, and I think the max pressure for a .455 Eley MkII was only like 13,000 psi. (modern scale; psi wasn't available then as a useful measure).

When shooting .45acp in a converted Webley, I'd be cautious and use light reloads or lighter commercial loads. I'd feel much better shooting reloads I knew were downloaded than any commercial loads.

[Jim Watson]

If handloading, I would replicate the .455 in .45 Auto Rim brass with a heavy bullet at rather low velocity.

If buying, good luck slinging a .451" ACP bullet down a .455" barrel after going through a cylinder throat probably larger than that.

[rcmodel]

The only factory load you should use in a converted .445 Webley is going to be
.45 ACP 185 grain Match SWC.
It is a light load that won't shake the Webley's henge & latch loose in short order.

DO NOT shoot FMJ 230 grain, or any other hot JHP SD ammo in it.
DO NOT shoot Cor-Bon .45 Auto-Rim ammo in it.

The load the gun was designed to handle was a black-powder, and later Cordite 265 grain lead bullet load @ 600 FPS. In the U.S. it has been loaded slightly hotter, but not much.

The importer done .45 ACP conversions were done at a time when .455 ammo was almost non-existant in this country.

It was not done because it was a good idea.
It was done to sell surplus guns you couldn't find ammo for.

rcmodel

[66912]

Thanks for the information. I have an thing for top break revolvers. I just want something with more punch than .38 S&W. I think I will move forward with this piece and add it to my common wealth collection. Unfortunately, I have needed a new digital camera for the last two years or so and I keep buying firearms and knives instead. I will get my new camera soon and start posting pics.