Curious about Webley 455 revolvers

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cjwils

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Lately, I am struggling with an urge to buy a Webley 455 revolver, even though I have never fired one. I got to touch one about 30 years ago. For those of you who have fired one, what can you tell me about the joy of shooting one? Can you compare the action, trigger pull, accuracy, etc to say a Colt New Service or S&W of the same era? What about reliability and durability?
 
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I can tell you one thing that I have heard from other Webley collectors: Stay away from Webleys that have had their cylinders shaved to accept .45 ACP ammunition in moon clips.

The operating pressure of .45 ACP is much higher than .455 Webley.
 
I have shot the Webley in 455.. The ammo out there for Flocchi is good in it..

There is alot of different Webleys out there. So most of my shooting is from the Mk VI but there are other models out there dating back to the 1870s.

Its a heavy revolver with a stout pull. Lighter in recoil then a 45 acp.. Its a lighter round.

You may be able to shoot 455 ammo out of a shaved Webley. Sometimes even if the cylinder is shaved the firing pin can still reach the primer. Some shaved cylinders are shaved to much and you have to get a spacer to make them work.

Also some folks reload 45 acp to lower pressures and shoot with a star.. But the 45 round is a little smaller than 455.
 
FWIW, I've done some measuring and believe the .455 is closer to .450". I have read that other owners have come to the same conclusion. I drove a soft slug through a chamber of my MK VI. It measured exactly .450". I drove a slug through through the bore, but had no way to accurately measure the diameter due to the 7 groove rifling. I can say that the largest dimension on the slug driven through the bore was .450".
 
I have owned both a Webley Mark IV .455 and a New Service .455 converted to .45 Colt.

This Webley has the typical 1890s banana grip which is quite comfortable.
The DA pull was smooth and moderate and the revolver was easy to shoot accurately.
The Webley stirrup lock is the strongest break open-design of all.
The Mark II .455 ammo is hard to come buy from Fiochi, and expensive.
Mark I and Mark II cases can be made from .45 Colt cases by shortening them and reducing the rim thickness.
In good condition, all marks of the .455 revolvers are very reliable and durable.
The earlier Marks were not proofed for smokeless powder and care must be taken to use light reloads.
The last of the .455 series Mark VI has the more conventional DA revolver grip.

The Colt New Service is both strong and modern in design compared to late 20th century Colt and S&W revolvers, apart from the sights.
The grip and DA pull is a bit awkward because of the grip frame shape, long DA pull, and the reach needed for DA.
The DA pull is smooth but a bit heavy.
In .45 Colt and .45 ACP ammunition is still readily available obviously.
A Colt Python mainspring will substitute for a broken New Service mainspring.
It's a stronger and better revolver than the Webley.

Both are very enjoyable to shoot.
 
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