S & W .455 HE?

[ezypikns]

I ran across some S & W .455 HE's at a gun show. I've learned that they were made for British and Canadian troops in WWI. Can you still shoot them safely? Can you still get ammo or cases to reload? Seems to be a pretty stout caliber. I wonder what recoil is like. Any ideas, comments, or info would be appreciated.

 

[Majic]

Don't let the extra 5 fool you, it's about like shooting a .45acp or factory .45 Colt. Have the revolver checked out and make sure it hasn't been rechambered. Many have been rechambered over the years.

 

[Connecticut Yankee]

455 Ammo, Cases; Rebore to 45 Long Colt?

1. Fiocchi after a long hiatus has started importing the 455 Webley Mk II load again. Your best bet is to buy coupla hundred rounds of that and reload as needed. I bought the 455 empty brass from Midway two years ago and tried reloading it but it was dimensionally "off" a bit, I can't remember exactly how (primer pocket needed reaming? rim tad too thick?), but I did put it on my Don't Buy Again list. Reloading is easy just remember the 455 is a lower pressure round than the ACP.

2. The other thing you can do is have a gunsmith rebore (reamers) the cylinder to 45 Long Colt. This requires more skill than I suspect the average Joe has but it was fairly common in the post-war era, you'd get these firearms either converted to LC and so marked by the Brits or the Canadians or an importer would do it. Compare a LC ctg to a 455 ctg and see how similar they are. N.B. I don't have access to my library right now so this is from memory, any other poster please correct as needed. The 45 LC is .454 while the .455 is .454 to .455 true diameter, so it is a much better 'Match' than the ACP. The ACP only runs 451 so if you simply shave off the rear cylinder plate to allow for the thicker rim of the ACP you will eventually wear out the bore from excess gas escaping around the undersized 451 bullet. Not to say it isn't done and it works well but reaming to LC is better for accuracy.

3. I say again, remember that the 455 was designed as a lower pressure load than the ACP. Don't try to replicate Cor Bon ballistics in an old warhorse!

Good luck.

 

[Gunsnrovers]

I have a WWI Colt sent to Canada in .455Eley. After the war, the Colt was converted to .45Colt by reaming the cylinder. The marjority of Colts and S&W's sent to England and Canada we converted to .45Colt when they were returned to the US.

An uncoverted HE in good condition is worth a fair chunk of change. I would NOT have it done. You can pick up a convered HE in the $400 range. One still in .455 can easiliy sell for 3 times that. Just a thought. There are enough around that they are not hens teeth.

 

[Old Fuff]

First, check to see if it has been converted to use another cartridge, the .45 Colt being the most common. If it hasn't been, don't change it. They were imported during the 1950's and so many were converted that its now hard to find one that wasn't. Consequently the unconverted guns are starting to be interesting to collectors and are drawing collector prices.

There are two kinds. The early ones were based on S&W's famous "tripple-lock" and no finer revolver was ever made. These are particularly valuable. The second eliminated the third lock. You can tell the difference because the first kind have an oversized lug on the bottom of the barrel similar to that on an earlier model 27/.357 Magnum, while the second kind looks like an oversized Military & Police (model 10) .38 Special.

.455 ammunition is somewhat difficult to find, and usually expensive when you do. However it is out there, and yes you can handload it. However they use bullets sized to .454 to .456 rather then the more common .452 that are used in .45 Colt revolvers today.

 

[Lone Star]

Bore dimensions run some .457", so the .45ACP is a poor conversion choice on several grounds.

Can you believe that I bought one of these when I was young for $31.58, state tax included?! Alas, it later had to be sold when a GI Education Bill check was late.

Lone Star