I'm bored. Let's say you won a raffle and had the choice between a Colt New Service in .44 Special or .455 Webley, which one you choosing and why?
Interesting topic.
I assume, since you have created this hypothetical situation, that you are considering the eventual purchase of a Colt New Service revolver in .44 (S & W) Special or .455 Webley? I cannot speak of the desirability or performance of the Colt New Service revolver, but I can discuss the desirability of .44 Special vs .455 Webley.
Let’s start with a discussion of the rounds themselves. You will note I cleverly described the .44 Special by its proper name in mt first reference to it in this post. .44 Special was developed in 1907 by Smith & Wesson for its brand new offering, the Smith & Wesson New Century revolver, which is colloquially referred to as the Triple Lock revolver. The .455 Webley is a British round dating from the late 19th Century and was chambered in the Triple Lock revolver for use by British Target shooters at Bisley and then later for military Triple Lock production 1914 and after by the British Government.
I suppose first the preference for .44 Special vs .455 Webley might depend on where you are located. If in the United States, .44 Special rounds and brass are far more common than .455 Webley. If you are in the UK, or a current or former British Commonwealth, the reverse is true. This statement is made irrespective of the implications of the Second Amendment (in the States) vs the lack thereof in other countries. In the UK, and current or former British Commonwealth countries, most existing handguns (if they weren’t already destroyed) are most likely little more than paperweights these days.
Then it comes down to the superiority of the round. .44 Special wins this race all around. A more powerful round and probably generally more accurate as well, especially when you note there are more bullets one can use in the .44 Special vs .455 Webley, as well as more loading date available for the .44 Special out there.
I cannot speak of the merits of the New Service vs the Nee Century revolver, as I have several Triple Lock revolvers and no New Service revolvers. However, I can state that a .44 Special Triple Lock revolver is approximately three times as common as one in .455 Webley. And, the .44 Special revolver is more d durable than one in .455 Webley because a .44 Special these days brings about 50% more than one in .455 Webley. The only exception to this might be the uncommon Target Model variation in .455 Webley. A few years ago, I tried to purchase one of these at auction that contained British proofs and was manufactured about 1909 and was blown away. With the British proofmarks, one knows it was created for export. It may have been this revolver or other similar ones that were used at Bisley, leading to British familiarity with it and a contract for (non Target Model) production of this revolver for the Great War effort beginning in 1914. In fact, British involvement is what led to the eventual demise of this model, as the .44 (and .455 Webley) Hand Ejector Second Model revolver was created to replace the .44 Hand Ejector First Model (aka New Century aka Triple Lock) revolver due to the claim that mud buildup in the shroud precluded the revolver from functioning properly. A valid and likely claim from use in the trenches. However, with only 15,376 manufactured for civilian production and approximately another 5200 for the British contract, these were not terrific sellers during the decade available for civilian purchase and expensive to produce. At $21 a revolver ($22.50 for a Target Model), they were expensive and it was all but impossible for Smith & Wesson to raise the price on a revolver that didn’t sell particularly well and yet remained at $21 throughout its production. By eliminating the shroud—and that expensive third lock—Smith & Wesson was able to decrease the cost of production and also lower the price to $19. It might not sound like much today, but a drop in price from $21 to $19 was almost a 10% decrease in price.
Then there’s the purchase today of a .44 Special revolver vs .455 Webley today and are you actually getting what you think you are? If you purchase a .44 Special, except for a very few very uncommon situations, you are getting what you expect. Purchase a .455 Webley today, and there’s a good chance the cylinder has been bored out and the recoil shield or cylinder has been shaved to accommodate the thicker rim of the .45 Colt or .45 ACP round. You really don’t want to fire .45 ACP in a Triple Lock revolver as the pressures are too great. Of course, an absent serial number on a cylinder is a clue that the cylinder has been shaved, but the easiest way to determine if a revolver has been converted to .45 Colt is to place a .45 Colt in a chamber, and if it sticks a third of the way out, the revolver remains in its original.455 Webley chambering. If it goes all the way in, the cylinder chambers have been bored out. I already stated that, with a few unique exceptions, that a .44 Special is worth about 50% more than a comparable .455 Webley Triple Lock revolver. A .455 Webley bored out to .45 Colt is a third less than an unmolested.455 Webley. And so, if you are on a budget and ammunition availability is a concern, and you want a Triple Lock revolver, a .455 Webley conversion should be what you are looking for. .45 Colt is far more readily available than .44 Special and .455 Webley combined!
And now, some obligatory photographs:
1. .44 Special Triple Lock, 7 1/2” barrel, blued
2. .44 Special, Triple Lock, 4”, nickel
3. .44 Special, Triple Lock, 5”, blued & factory engraved
4. .455 Webley, 6 1/2” barrel, blued
5. .455 Webley Hand Ejector Second Model, 6 1/2”, blued
