Is this ammo safe for my webley mk IV 455

[Soundguy]

I have a shaved webley mkiv.

When I got it I picked up a moon clip. Having fired it much, but did cut some 45acp brass down and used the trailboss recipe to load for it. ( 70% to 100% free case fill under bullet, no compressed charges). I always used minimum..so 70% and soft lead. After a while I found some 45AR brass and did the same minus the moon clip.. A ?few? Years ago I found a guy selling cylinder spacer discs.. Kinda like a moon clip..except for the original rimmed455 cartridge..made for shaved revolvers..the disc basically spaces it to pre shaved spec. Had no 455 ammo to try it on..so it's been shelved and forgotten till now. I picked up a box of hornady 455 webley ( #95004. Mk-II 265 LRN ) Older box..but the ammo is clean..says mkII.

Is this ammo safe for my 455? I'm not a webley buff..and while I know some of the revision history on the revolvers..i know none of the ammo revision history..

Says 680fps muzzle velocity.

Just checking if this stuff is safe for my gun.. I see the mkiv could be 1899 and up..

If it is, great..i can shoot..then have 25 real cases to reload.

Thanks

[challenger_i]

Having a shaved cylinder, the 455 case will be too far forward to work correctly, due to the difference in rim thickness. You will be better served with 45 Auto Rim with cast bullets.

[Soundguy]

I'm guessing you didn't read my post..specifically the part where I said I bought a spacer ring..that serves 2 purposes..headspaces the case..and moves the case head rearward towards the recoil shield...like an unsaved cylinder.

What I need to know is that commercial ammo safe in a mk iv

[Dutchman]

You have all the information in order to contact Hornady and ask. My opinion would be worth more than nothing if you paid me a few bucks. Otherwise my guess or opinion is worthless.

My guess is the Hornady ammo you cited would be ok your revolver. But if I was a doctor and just told you your 120 year old heart was going to stop sometime soon would you pay the bill when I sent it? ha ha

I have The Webley Story by Dowd and it has all the marks and stuff. The British didn't give much respect to their guns. They spray them with paint ferchristsakes. They're gov't put no worth in them so they took them all away figuring the serfs and slaves just just throw rocks and spears like in olden times. Thus the life of a subject instead of a citizen.

My first handgun was a Mk1 Webley and I could be wrong but it was dated 1880? Long ago. But I shot it with WW2 jacketed .455 military ammo from the local surplus store. I have a love/hate thing about the Webley.... Wobbly.

[challenger_i]

I'm guessing you didn't read my post..specifically the part where I said I bought a spacer ring..that serves 2 purposes..headspaces the case..and moves the case head rearward towards the recoil shield...like an unsaved cylinder.

What I need to know is that commercial ammo safe in a mk iv

You are correct: I missed where you had found the spacer.

[Bigslug]

Assuming you can headspace it properly, I'd not be concerned - especially since the gun has almost certainly experienced some . . . ah. . .unsanctioned proof testing with .45ACP. The MKII load was basically just a cordite duplicate of the black powder MKI in a shorter case, and the Brits knew going in it would end up in older guns. These are not hot loads.

But considering the modified nature of the gun, stocking up on Auto Rim brass is probably the better way to fly it.

[Hick]

If your Webley has been proof tested, as the British did in many cases when releasing them to the civilian market, there may be a stamping on the side of the barrel assembly. For example, my Webley has stamping that says "6 tons". That means tested at a pressure of 6 British Tons per square inch-- which is something just over 13,000 psi. Webley Mk II ammo will be within that. Since its shaved, it's quite possible it has also been "informally' proof tested shooting 45 acp. Just be aware that the pressures of 45 acp are very similar to the max pressure tests for the cylinder. That is, the stress from 45 acp ammo is slightly lower than the typical ultimate strength of the steel in a Webley (so it doesn't go boom after some limited number of rounds), but way higher than the stress where you start getting fatigue cracks (which keep growing until the cylinder wall blows out). This is why some shooters will tell you that it is OK to shoot 45 auto in a shaved Webley-- they just haven't fired enough rounds yet to crack it.

[rintinglen]

Short answer, it's safe. That ammo is loaded to be <13,200 psi. It should be safe in any Webley, at least any Webley proofed for nitro powder.

The Mk IV was the first smokeless-nitro- powder .455, the older MK I, II, and III were black powder only. Unless of course, they were rebuilt during WW I, in which case they got a new cylinder and perhaps a new barrel and were stamped with an * or two.

[Soundguy]

Good deal guys. So it's I see 13.x psi..fantastic.

And yes..i do have 50 pieces of auto rim for it..just wanted to try the real 455 at least once, using the headspace ring.

And yeah..being shaved..im guessing it's been proofed a few times..

Thanks