455 webley case

[walter o]

would it be advisable to turn the front of the rim of an 45 A.R.to use in a triple lock . 455? The little extra length of the case should give room when using published powder charges for the MK II and reducing the chance of compressing the powder when seating the bullets. On my gun the chambers will accept 45ACP just past flush with the back of the cyl ,so i thought the 45 AR might be the way to go,Do not want to damage the gun in any way as it is all original and i have been told that Focchi brass is week

[6string]

Yes, this is a very good approach. I used to do this with 45 Colt cases in a 2nd model HE in 455, turning the front bearing edge of the rim, then trimming to about .010" less than the chamber length before it tapers to the cylinder throat.
You will get the lowest pressures possible for whatever powder/bullet combination, and better accuracy to boot!

Using the 45 AR case saves one laborious step from my old approach, so that's a plus for you!

Best Wishes!
Jim

Please post a follow up!!

PS: yes Fiocchi 455 cases are ****. Too short, so lousy accuracy. Too thin, so they split often. And, for the ones I had, used small primers. (Not my preference.)

[DCC]

FYI - Starline now make 455 MkII - Just bought 100 and have now primed, loaded and test fired a batch - AOK...IMHO HB bullets are essential for accuracy in a 455...and New shiny brass looks good too...
Take care of those old 455s - mine are all 100 years old...
Dave

[6string]

Yes, Starline does make 455 MKII brass. But, as such, it is cut to the shortest chamber lengths to be encountered for all 455s.
The S&W 455s were cut for a longer case, known often as the 455 Eley or 455 Colt.

If you use the Starline brass you WILL need to use a hollow base bullet to get decent accuracy. But, that's because the case mouth is way too far back from the cylinder throats.

I used my S&W 455 2nd model HE as my centerfire Bullseye pistol for a few years. For best accuracy, you're better off with a case that comes as close to the cylinder throat as is practical, then using solid base cast bullets, of a soft alloy, sized to match your throats. Hopefully, the latter will match or be .001" over groove diameter of the barrel.
And, one last thing, if your slugs end up needing to be .454" or larger, it's a good idea to use a sizing die that is NOT made for ACP/AR. You'll end up swaging your nicely sized slugs down a couple thousandths, mostly near the base. Better off with a looser die like a 45 Colt.

Best Regards,
Jim

[ddixie884]

Reeds in Tulsa sells MkI cases made from .45Schofield cases. Grumpa on the Cast Boolit forum makes them. The rim is larger than a .45Colt and doesn't have the big bevel on the rear of the rim, like .45AR......

[DCC]

Re:- Jim says - The S&W 455s were cut for a longer case, known often as the 455 Eley or 455 Colt.
This is what I like about this Forum...y'all learn something everyday...
My Colt New Service is marked 455 Eley...but don't have any brass marked as such...but I do know that some of the modified 45 Colt brass I have does not fit my S&W HE - the rims are too thick - but does fit my 455 Fosbery:-)
So far the new Starline 455 MkII brass I have tested/works well in both my 455 Triplelocks* and my 455 Fosbery...have not tested it in the 455 HE or 455 NS yet...will report back at some later date.
* Tests of the 455 Starline brass in my Triplelocks have confirmed that the earlier T/L - S/Nos approx. 2000 apart - is more accurate using my hand swaged HB bullets.
It would be an interesting exercise to fire all five 455s in a Ransome Rest...
ATB DCC