.455 Webley Cases and Loads

[Catch]

Can anybody out there help me with some cast bullet loads for the .455 Webley Scott revolver. I would also like some ideas on cartridge conversions to make some brass. I have tried some 45 Colt brass. After cutting the proper length I am faced with either facing off the rear of the case and drilling the primer hole out a small amount deeper, or facing the front of the rim to thin it to about .050 or less. Any ideas would be appreciated. So far 5 grs Unique and 250 grain cast flat point of 250 grains sized to .454 has worked pretty well. Thanks

[HeavyMetal]

I believe Starline is making 455 Webley case's, however I did not see them listed in the current add in Handloader.

Phone number for Starline 800-280-6660 ( and tell them they got to many 6's in the phone number) Call and ask about the Webley case's!

As far as data is concerned? Try Calling Lee Precision. They supply load data with all thier die sets and they offer 455 Webley MK II Dies! Perhaps you could get them to e mail or fax you a copy?? Lee's number 262-673-3075

Please be aware I did check the second addition loading Manual and found zip for data.

[NoDakJak]

455 Webley! Ahhh! One of my favorite combinations. Considered underpowered by many in this day and age but is actually a fine balance between power and quick repeat shots. You have to remember that the British Army was probably involve in more close combat than all other armies combined during the past 150 years and it served them well untill the damned beancounters took over.
Laast year I made a couple hundred cases out of 45 LC cases. Chucked them in the lathe and used a file on the front of the rim before trimming. I have performed the same function with a drill press and prior to that with a 1/2 inch drill that was clamped to the workbench. You use the revolver as a go/no gauge. Doesn't take long to get the hang of it and work speeds up. I have found some revolvers with tolerances loose enough that you don't have to turn the neck at all an other that require just a touch or two of the file against the rear of the rim. You just won't know until you try. Barrels can run a little large also. I believe that Saeco still makes a 456 diameter mold for this cartridge. Have fun. I have! Neil

[45 2.1]

Hornady made a run of Webley cases that are probably still available from Grafs I think. RCBS makes a wonderfull copy of the Webley/Eley boolit, 45-265-HB out of their special order molds. If making cases from the 45 Colt, check your chamber length as most will except the 455 Eley/Colt cartridge length. Thin the front of the rim and you will be a lot better off.

[Tom Herman]

The .455 Webley is my favorite round! I love those huge old revolvers, and the lumbering pumpkins they dispense...
That being said, my two shootin' guns are a butchered Webley Mark VI that's been coverted to .45 ACP, and a beautiful WWI Canadian marked Smith & Wesson Hand Ejector second model that's in great condition in the original caliber. I have nicknamed the Smith my "Smith & Webley"...
The Mark VI had part of the ratchet and cylinder milled off to allow the shooting of half moon clipped .45 ACP. They left just enough of an edge to catch part of the
.455 rim, so you can shoot either cartridge in the revolver.
Please note that the Mark VI was designed for the .455 Webley which has a maximum operating pressure of 12,700 PSI. The .45 ACP runs more like 18,000 PSI, so even though most Webleys have been modified to fire .45 ACP, it doesn't mean that's a good idea! Every time you pull the trigger on an ACP, you're essentially proof testing the gun!
Do yourself a BIG favor and stick with the upper limit of 4.3 grains of Unique! That is what I use.
Huntington's has/had a huge pile of Hornady .455 Webley brass. I bought 500 in one huge lot, and when/if my Economic Stimulus check gets in, it's going for another 500 pieces of brass.
As far as bullets go, I ran sample loadings with commercial hard cast .255 grain SWC's... The results were the ammo shot well, but the barrel leading for whatever reason was simply unbelieveable! It was fun to shoot, but miserable to clean.
.455 Webleys want to be very soft. They are essentially a smokeless Minie ball! Hard alloys need not apply... I use a mixture of 50/50 pure or scrap lead to wheel weights, with about 2% Tin added to help with flow and mould fill out. This is something like 40:1, and works GREAT! You may want to experiment, and could possibly get away with just pure Lead and some Tin, as we're loafing along probably 700 FPS or under.
I bought the RCBS 45-265-RN-HB mould, a large block of SPG, and a .455" sizing die for my sizer/lubricator from Midway and then languished for almost six weeks waiting for the idiots to send the backordered top punch to the right address.
That was fine, as I had to learn how to cast the hollow base bullet... Because of the physics of the base plug, be prepared to go through a very frustrating learning curve. It's worth it, though!
The secret is to cast a very hot alloy into a very hot mould. Once you get it up to temperature, the fill out problems go away, but you'll still occasionally have issues with voids in the hollow base.
I check the bullets as I go, and if they don't fill out properly, or have base issues, they go into a can and back into the pot when the level gets low.
I estimate I get about 70% that pass once I get the mould hot.
I resize and lube with SPG.
And how does all this work? Unbelievably well! Justifiably, I had all sorts of anticipation going to the range with the two guns: Would they shoot well? Would they lead?
Well, They both shot GREAT, and there was ZERO leading! I could have just swabbed the bore with a patch and called it good!
There was a little puddle out at about 75 yards, and both guns lobbed bullets into it most of the time. This was done single action without resting the guns, so if I used a rest, I'm pretty sure I could have dropped most or all the bullets into the puddle.
I've loaded up about 200 casings so far, will do the rest as I can (I'm making more alloy, and will cast more today!).
BTW: Steer clear of Fiocchi ammo and brass... The Fiocchi lead can be in two flavors: A dead soft lead and another that has some sort of plastic coating. Both lead or gunk up the bore pretty bad.
Also, the Fiocchi brass uses small pistol primers, while Hornady uses large pistol primers.
For better or worse, I have a large amount of Fiocchi brass, and have to segregate it from the Hornady when I reload. It's a pain in the tusch to have to change primer tubes and bars to switch over to the smaller primers for the Fiocchi stuff.
Now that I'm able to reliably produce a winner Webley loading, I feel as happy as someone sipping and enjoying a rare vintage wine.
Have fun with your Webleys as well!

Happy Shootin'! -Tom



Can anybody out there help me with some cast bullet loads for the .455 Webley Scott revolver. I would also like some ideas on cartridge conversions to make some brass. I have tried some 45 Colt brass. After cutting the proper length I am faced with either facing off the rear of the case and drilling the primer hole out a small amount deeper, or facing the front of the rim to thin it to about .050 or less. Any ideas would be appreciated. So far 5 grs Unique and 250 grain cast flat point of 250 grains sized to .454 has worked pretty well. Thanks

[Boz330]

They must have changed their brass I have a number of Fiocci brass from the early 80s that takes the LPP. Unfortunately some bastard broke into my house and took the MKIV that shot it. I'd love a MKVI but they are like hens teeth and expensive. What a great pistol though.

Bob

[Tom Herman]

Hi Boz,

Sorry to hear someone got your Mark IV... I've only seen two Mark VI's for sale, and could only buy one of them. But at least, I got the pick of the litter...
I like the grip structure of the Mark VI.... And the top break feature with its quick ejection is simply the coolest!
Appreciate the rundown on the Fiocchi brass... My ammo is probably 1990's vintage. Not only did it lead, but it shot dirty. It left huge diamond shaped chunks of smokeless powerd unburned. Yuck.
I forgot to mention that I use Winchester WLP primers.
Good Luck, and keep your eyes open: You'll hopefully be rewarded with a Webley at some point!
The "Smith and Webley" was an absolutely incredible find! I got inot the local gun show just after it opened, and quickly made the rounds. It was sitting on the last table. The gun was all original, with 95% blueing and good lockup. When I saw the price, I quickly paid the man and ran out of there as fast as I could!
The bore cleaned up nice, and the gun functions great. Everyone finds a gem once in a while...

Happy Shootin'! -Tom



They must have changed their brass I have a number of Fiocci brass from the early 80s that takes the LPP. Unfortunately some bastard broke into my house and took the MKIV that shot it. I'd love a MKVI but they are like hens teeth and expensive. What a great pistol though.

Bob

[Harry O]

The local gunshop recently got a bunch of .455's in. I suspect that it was from an old soldier or his widow. Two are British break-tops (two different versions), one at about $600 and one at about $800. There is a Colt DA for about $1,100 and a really nice S&W DA Triple-Lock at $2,995 (!). There is also a British break-top in .38S&W (or .380 british) with a bunch or original boxes of ammo. I don't remember the price of that one. If anyone is interested, it is at the Bullet Hole in Omaha, NE. (402) 596-0367

[johniv]

Have had a MKvi Webley for about 30 yr and love it . I treat it just like a 45 AR LITE about any good slug ,453423, 454424 etc and 4.0 to 5.0 gr unique works well for me. bore seems tight for a Webley. Loading in CIL brass, seems to last forever..Great revolver.JohnP.S. also got a single shot .22 lr insert for thi Webley. It's fun but picky about ammo.

[Earl Brasse]

NEI makes a Webley HB bullet copy. The good thing with their molds is that the hollow base "plug" is on a fixed slide so you just have to open & close the mold & don't have to deal with a loose plug. You may want to slug your bore for the best fit if you are not going to use a hollow based slug.

The hollow base bullets are more work, comming from a single cavity mold, but they do solve the sizing problem. I shoot a Colt SAA in .41 LC using 3F blackpowder with the hollow base lyman bullet sized .386 . The gun chambers run @ .413 & the bore is .403. Using pure lead allows for all this bumping & squeezing to go on. All that & it's accurate.

The sun never sets, right? Enjoy your Webley.