455 Webley load questions

Reloading
1

Hi Guys, I’ve been shooting & reloading for 45 years but we all need to learn new things & share the things we enjoy. So this one has me stumped a bit.

Why is it the only 455 Webley cases are the MKII cases & not the original longer ones ?

I see wazze2222 is using a hollow based projectile in his loads, can we find any of these in Aust ?

Like a lot of us, back in the day I got rid of my webley revolvers & all my loading gear & have only just got back into the 455, but only finding the MKII cases is driving me nuts. Is there a reason there is only the shorter cases being made ?

Thanks Guy. Have a good one.

JD

2

The shorter cases were the ones designed for use with smokeless powder, which is what most of the Webley revolvers use. Bertram Brass makes the longer Mk I cases, I believe, but he doesn’t have a website for some odd reason.

The only projectiles I’ve found for sale in Australia that work OK are .452 LRN projectiles intended for .45ACP pistols; no-one makes the “proper” hollow-based projectiles here unfortunately.

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3

Thanks Martini,

After reading your reply I started to remember what you’re saying, thanks Mate.

Looks like I’ll be reloading these MKII cases then, I was just hoping to find some MKI cases to try them.

I have found some HRBC 455 projectiles but they are RNFP, so I’m doing what most are, I’d say, & using the 45acp RN projectiles as I have a few,

Thanks again for your reply Mate,

JD

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4

Happy to help! Make sure you measure the front of the chambers too - you might find they’re closer to .451 than .455. The cartridge was originally made with a soft hollow based projectile that would expand up to to .455 in the barrel after leaving the chamber.

Firing hard-cast .455 projectiles may give you some issues in Webleys; I believe the S&W New Century and Colt New Service revolvers in .455 have .455 chamber throats so don’t have the issue.

5

Ah good point thanks Mate, I used to have a S&W 455 & from memory that what I had those projectiles for, but for my Webley I’ll be using the .452 RN.

Thanks again

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