Loading for a 44 webley

[younggunz67]

Just bought a Iver Johnson Ajax army in 44 webley, I'm in the process of restoration and modification( refinish, fixing the sear and adding an ejector rod) anyways when I'm done I'm going to load up some rounds and test it out. Does anybody have load data for pyrodex and also for bullseye with a 210 grain mold. I'm trimming 44 mag brass and thinning the rims. Also any primer suggestions or tips and tricks for loading 44 webley would be great.

I'm looking for dies too if anyone has any

[Kosh75287]

My first thought would be to find a copy of "Cartridges of the World" and see if any reloading data is to be found there. I'm guessing it was a black-powder round, so you might ask a BP manufacturer for their thoughts.

[Kaiser Mike]

I've just found (actually hanging on a nail in an old garage) a Forehand and Wadsworth British Bulldog in this same caliber. After I get a trigger spring from wolf, I'll be looking for the same info.

[onelight]

:popcorn::popcorn: we need ....... PICTURES :razz:

[Outpost75]

The 44 Webley is a black powder cartridge. After 1905 some companies loaded smokeless powder, but that ignores the fact none of the 44 revolvers then on the market were ever designed to accomodate smokeless powder. No one made guns in this caliber after 1910 and certainly not after WWI. Therefore the only safe load for those weapons is one using FFF black powder with a full case.

Most 44 Webley revolvers have cylinder throats that pin out in the .433" range. A .433" Speer swaged round ball seated flush, with a case full of black and Crisco smeared over the ball is easy to load and fun to shoot. Use .44 Russian dies cut short at the bottom with Starline 44 Russian brass cut down to .8". Probably you will find the rims too thick. Thin the rims from the mouth end, not the primer side. Alternately use the heeled 44 Henry Flat 200 grain bullet mold sold by Old West Bullet Moulds. Load a case full of Goex 3Fg BP (1/8" compression) for about 500 fps from a 2.5" bbl. If you search old threads you will find references to people shooting smokeless in these. I do not recommend it, but if you must, do not exceed 80% of a full case with Trail Boss ONLY!

[Kaiser Mike]

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[Kaiser Mike]

I have read that most were 44's but there were some 450's as well. Either way, why is the muzzle bore so much smaller than anything else? I could understand maybe a 44 with a 42 maybe or 45 with 43.

[17nut]

The 44 Webley is a black powder cartridge. After 1905 some companies loaded smokeless powder, but that ignores the fact none of the 44 revolvers then on the market were ever designed to accomodate smokeless powder. No one made guns in this caliber after 1910 and certainly not after WWI. Therefore the only safe load for those weapons is one using FFF black powder with a full case.

Most 44 Webley revolvers have cylinder throats that pin out in the .433" range. A .433" Speer swaged round ball seated flush, with a case full of black and Crisco smeared over the ball is easy to load and fun to shoot. Use .44 Russian dies cut short at the bottom with Starline 44 Russian brass cut down to .8". Probably you will find the rims too thick. Thin the rims from the mouth end, not the primer side. Alternately use the heeled 44 Henry Flat 200 grain bullet mold sold by Old West Bullet Moulds. Load a case full of Goex 3Fg BP (1/8" compression) for about 500 fps from a 2.5" bbl. If you search old threads you will find references to people shooting smokeless in these. I do not recommend it, but if you must, do not exceed 80% of a full case with Trail Boss ONLY!

So the revolvers are so cunny that they can differentiate between 9000psi from black powder and 9000psi coming from smokeless?

And the fact that the Brittish loaded for the 455 Webley with cordite and smokeless for the best bart of 40+ years was a fluke?
Despite that the cartridge was backwards compatible (to the 450 Enfield) and substituded the MK1 cartridge loaded with the holy black.

244472
244473

Nah, some TrailBoss/Tinstar will do fine with prudent loading!

[17nut]

@ younggunz67
Shoot me a pm with some case and bullet data and i will give you some prudent loading data with smokeless.

It's not Rocket Surgery!