45 ACP in old Webley Mk VI

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tark

tark

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Picked up a gnarley looking old Webley Mk VI the other day, Little finish remaining but all screwheads are pristine and the gun is tight as the day it left the factory. Excellent bore, no visible wear to the hand or the star on the cylinder. (Or whatever you call that thing.) The gun had been converted to 45 ACP.

The thing shoots EXACTLY to point of aim at fifteen yards!! and puts them into a couple of inches!!! Fantastic.. And then I read something that was disturbing. Apparently the 45 ACP round, low pressure that it is, is STILL an overload for the old Webleys. The barrel is marked 6 TONS by the proof markings. I assume they mean metric tons, so the gun was proofed at 13500 PSI????

If so, that I guess the 45ACP is a serious overload. Is the gun safe to shoot? So input from those wiser that myself would be appreciated. Until then it is light handloads for the old girl.
 
Light handloads with lead bullets are OK. Standard .45acp is, if I recall correctly, slightly in excess of a .455 proof load.

If you do a search on this forum you'll find a few load suggestions, too.
 
Yep!

Fine with low pressure .45 ACP target loads, or light lead bullet hand loads.

A steady diet of Full pressure .45 ACP ball or JHP will shake it loose in no time flat.

Todays .45 ACP is rated at 21,000 PSI.
+P is 23,000 PSI.

rc
 
The British have always used the long ton of 2240 lbs. and I don't know how they figure their load as I have a .303 Brit. and it's 18.5 tons and I know the gun will go higher with standard ammo. I just don't know the formula.
 
It doesn't matter much in the case of re-chambered Webley revolvers.

It is a known fact that .45 ACP ball ammo will shake them loose prematurely.

They won't blow up.
They will just get loose in the joints way before their time.

rc
 
Hand load the 45 ACP for the Webley. Keep them low.
 
Mk VI's have blown up, or at least had the chamber wall blow out, with GI .45 ACP. Older Marks are weaker than the Mk VI, and those also were converted to use .45 ACP with clips.

I strongly recommend that no standard .45 ACP or even .45 Auto Rim be fired in any of those old guns. If you have a converted .455 and can't load .45 ACP/AR down, buy another revolver to shoot.

Jim
 
tark said:
If so, that I guess the 45ACP is a serious overload. Is the gun safe to shoot? So input from those wiser that myself would be appreciated. Until then it is light handloads for the old girl.
Click to expand...

The gun is safe to shoot, just not with standard 45 ACP ammo.

http://britishmilitariaforums.yuku....TERED--SHOOT-45-ACP--45-Auto-Rim#.UO3Wc5G3pJk

You can use either 45 Auto Rim or 45 ACP brass, but you should only use lead bullets, preferably swaged lead, and VERY light loads.

45 ACP generates 455 Webley proof load pressures on every shot.
 
When you reload for a Webley use .454 dia. lead projectiles as they fit the bore much better than the .45 ACP's .452 dia. I load for mine using .454 lead projectiles and up to 3.8 grains of Bullseye in both .45 ACP and .45 Autorim. And since I've managed to get a plate that lets me shoot .455 Webley in it again I'll be doing that as well.

Here's The Lady:

DCP00334.gif
 
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I wished I knew that before I shot more than a thousand ball and .45acp rim factory loads thru my post WW1 produced Mark VI before it was stolen 10 years ago. It too was more accurate than stock S&W 1917s ect. and hit to point of aim at 50 feet. It's replacement was not aS GOOD SO i SOLD IT OFF AT PROFIT. nOW i HAVE THE SHORTER BARRELED BIRD HEADS GRIP mARK v FROM 1915 IN .455 . I think the smaller .45 acp bullets may lower the chamber pressure quite a bit, but now older and wiser I too would not shoot .acp Ball in one anymore.
 
As others have said, hand load .45ACP or .45AR cases to .455 Webley levels. I use 5.0gns of Unique with a 265gn RNHB bullet, which closely duplicates original .455Mk.II levels.
Whether you decide to use ACP or AR brass, do yourself a favor & buy a set of LEE .455 Webley dies (cheap!) along with the appropriate shell holder, they will work the fired brass much less than a set of ACP dies.
 
Iggy, that is a gruesome looking picture!! And thank you one and all for the sobering info. I will never shoot another factory loaded ACP round again. I love black powder cartridge rifles and I will be shooting a lot of black powder loads in the gun. I plan to use 255 grain cast bullets and whatever the case will hold in FFFG. Any smokeless loads will be kept very light. The gun is so damn ugly it is beautiful and I'm not gonna take any chances with it

Thanks again, one and all
 
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