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Old 04-04-2006, 11:09 AM
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Jack Flash Jack Flash is offline
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A little more information:

My understanding is that the .455 Eley, the .455 Revolver Mk I, and the .455 Colt are all basically the same cartridge. The case length is 0.890".

Originally a black powder round, ".455 Revolver Mark I" was the British Army's designation for the cartridge when they adopted it in 1892. Perhaps Eley wanted to put their own name on the round for commercial sales to civilians? Colt of course always hated to put anybody else's name on their barrels.

When smokeless powder was introduced, the British Army went to the shorter, more efficient Mk II version, with a case length of somewhere around 0.770", depending on the reference you are looking at. Colt continued to make the longer round, using smokeless powder of course, up until around WWII or shortly thereafter.

Buffalo Arms has both cases. The .455 Colt is $38/100 and the .455 Webley Mk II is $25/100. When I bought mine a few years ago, they were made from .45 Colt brass cut down to 0.890" and with the rim properly thinned.
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