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IVE HAD THIS OLD [1918] WEBLEY FOR YRS..USED TO SHOOT .45ACP IN IT..W/1/2 MOON CLIPS...NOW WANT TO RE-LOAD FOR IT . DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS RE LEAD BULLETS EITHER STORE BOUGHT OR CASTED..PLUS WHAT BRASS WOULD YOU ADVISE?[smilie=f:http://reloaders.gunloads.com/imageh...5164e66ed8.jpg
First have it checked out by a competent gunsmith to insure that it is still safe to fire.
Handloader's Manual of Cartridge Conversions says:
.455 Webley MkII
Make from: .45Auto Rimmed. Thin Rim to .045" thick. Trim case to.770".
Bullet diameter: .454"
Loading: Bullet: 250gr lead, 3.5gr BEYE, 710fps Source Barnes
COTW says: 260gr lead, UNQ 5.0, 610fps
262FMJ 700fps Fiocchi Factory Load
265FMJ 600fps Military Load
It also says Size & seat in proper die or use .45ACP dies. (This seems strange if it takes a larger bullet.)
No reason not to use .45ACP or .45AR cases trimmed to the proper length if you have half or full moon clips and they do not impede the cylinder rotation. If the cylinder's chambers are bored straight through with no step (I don't know about Webleys as I've never had one to play with) case length may not be an issue as long as you watch your OAL and use a firm crimp.
I have no advice about loading jacketed bullets as I have no idea how strong they are. I'm not the kind of person that likes to find things out the hard way.
COTW says that many of them have been altered to fire .45ACP with half moon clips or .45 Auto Rimmed. Hmmm. It also says that Fiocchi still loads ammo for it. I would start by determining if it has been altered (from what you said it is a reasonable suspicion) then I'd get a box of factory ammo, pull one and measure the case and bullet dimensions carefully.
Finding a bullet of the correct size might not be easy unless you cast your own. As it is a revolver, it will function with any weight bullet that can be had in the correct diameter, but the best weight is up to the revolver itself. To determine the correct diameter, you probably ought to slug the cylinder throats (all of them) as well as the FC and barrel just to be sure. If the throat diameters and FC are smaller than the barrel's groove diameter, you may have to have them opened up to get decent performance with cast. As I said, I've never had a Webley, but I have loaded for a bunch of .303's and none of them have consistant chambers or barrel dimensions, so each individual one must be considered separately. If there is a similar variation in the Webleys the project may be a little involved, but that's no reason not to do the slugging and measuring to find out.
There are very likely military forums that specialize in them, there are for most mil rifles, pistols, and revolvers. That ought to be a good place to learn more about them. A little time spent Googling might save you a lot of experimenting.
Please let us know what you find out and how the project goes.
i always like a rim on my revolver cases.
i do keep a 45 acp revolver around the house and use full moon clips in it, but when it goes to the range i use the rimmed cases.
many of the old webleys were "converted" to 45 acp but thier accuracy varied from good to maybe.
i treat all of these old guns with gentle loads and measure them like they are a wildcat because they are.
who knows what happened to these things, ww-1 maybe, india maybe, around the usa twice probably, parts replaced or repaired or even a cylinder change who knows?
measure what you have then you can make a better estimate of what cases and bullet diameter that will give the best results.
Well, the usual thing to determine what should work for accuracy in a revolver with cast bullets is to first slug the bore to determine groove diameter. Then slug the cylinder throats. Whatever th groove diameter is, the cylinder throats should be at least .001" larger and bullets sized to match the cylinder throats. I'm not sure what the groove diameter for a .455 Webley would be but if it's .455", then the the throats shouldd be .456 to .457" and the bullets sized to match the throats. Could be a problem if the gun was altered to shoot .45 ACP with half moon or moon clips. Dunno if you could open up the necks of .45 ACP brass enough to accomodate bullets of that size. I've never had a Webley to play with and have only handled one about 8 years ago. It did surprise me as I didn't think I'd like the feel of the gun but it did feel good. Wouldn't mind owning one. I believe Fiocchi (sp) makes ammo for the Webley.
Paul B.