Quote:
Originally Posted by 2152hq
Don't rely on the forward edge of a 455 chamber to reliably headspace any round. It was never intended to. It isn't cut to a square edge as in a 45acp or 9mmL.
Chamber specs are very different from it's cartridge specs and reading the latter and expecting the former can lead to trouble.
The Webley conversions in particular can be very nicely done,,or can be almost brutal to look at.
These revolvers were done by the thousands as cheaply and quickly as possible just so they could market them in the USA to sell for $12 out of a magazine ad.
Small individual workshops were the primary source of the conversion work.
Some are way out of spec w/ excessive headspace w/the 45acp/AR.
It pays to do a bit of measuring before shooting these.
Headspace in a revolver is just as important from a safety standpoint as any other firearm
IMHO, avoid commercial 45acp ammo in the conversions.
Webley cylinders of any Mark are like finding a diamond in the desert now. Damaging a cylinder on one pretty much leaves you with a parts gun. Once in a while you can find a cylinder though but you pay dearly.
I have the remains of a couple I've replaced for people over the years, the rest were gone. All from commercial 45acp ammo.
I wouldn't shoot the stuff in a S&W 455 converted either, but that's just old conservative me. I don't think the 455 had the same heat treat as the 1917,,but I could be wrong.
Take it easy on 'em,,their around 100yrs old or more and most have been through a couple of wars,,at least.
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Yeah, makes sense..!
As for me, I have no desire to shoot .45 ACP in my New service .455 Eley, other than to try a couple rounds to see if it works.
In mine, .45 ACP and Moon Clips will not permit the Cylinder to close, and, .45 Colt is too long to fit.
The Cylinder has been shaved a little, and, it is difficult to understand why, or, what purpose it had served.
.45 ACP, especially Hardball, is a loussy choice for these anyway, as the Bullet is then way too small to properly occupy the Cylinder Bore, or to ever engauge the Rifeling well, as well as causing a somewhat spikey pressure once slamming awkwardly in to the Forcing Cone, compared to the relative friendlyness of ( ideally, properly sized/diameter ) Lead, so, fooey on the .45 ACP for these, indeed.
I will guess that the 'Heat Treatment' supposedly done to the Cylinders of the Model 1917 S&W and Colt Revolvers, was not done for the .455 Models, as well as that, both Companys were selling quite a lot of their .455 Revolvers to the UK by 1914, and, of course, the Model of 1917 was still more or less three years away at that time, so...I would not expect the .455s to have had 'Heat Treated' Cylinders.