I bought a Mk1, I was so excited about what almost perfect cond. it was in. I never stopped to think, rear of cyl. ground for .45ACP? MK1!!!!!!! 1880's!!!!! made for BLACK POWDER!!!!

Yes, I was that stupid. No, I can't get a refund. Now what do I do? See how much 3f or Pyrodex P will fit in a .45ACP case? I don't think shooting .45ACP is a good plan. (although someone must have)

I don't think the target load: 3.5 grs of Bullseye behind a 180 gr bullet would do much harm to your MK 1. I wouldn't shoot military ball or commercial ammo in it, however.

I would load soft lead bullets with full-case charges of 2f or 3f black powder in .45 Auto Rim cases. Those work well in my MkVI Enfield revolver. Make sure the bullets are soft lead, as hard cast are nominally only available in .452; diameter, a bit small for the .455 groove diameter. Factory Remington and Winchester 255 grain bullets are a good choice, as they are soft swaged construction at .456" diameter.

I had MkIII (think it was, rounded grip, but no 'knuckle' at the top) that had been cut for .acp. Got it cheap so I wasn't concerned. I loaded 45acp with American Pioneer (the old CleanShot) BP substitute and some swaged bullets.
The swaged bullets are generally pretty soft compared to cast. They have to be to be able to be manufactured in that manner.

Anyway, with moon clips attached,,it shot fine. Lots of smoke and fun. Actually pretty accurate and became a favorite for a couple of summers at the range.

I wouldn't put any smokeless ammo through it but that's just me.
There's probably been alot of it shot through it already in it's life,, but cylinders and body parts are hard to come by. I've seen a couple that let go and they were the smokless proofed MkVI models.

Of course you never really know what the load was that did the damage but after all, the earlier guns are BP proofed.
All those GI loads and commercial non-target loads generate approximate proof round pressures of the smokless 455.
That's asking alot of a 100+ y/o BP revolver to take.

Be safe,,have fun. That's what it's all about.

Wouldn't shoot that baby till qualified gunsmith checks it out. Especially a Mark 1 that someone likely fired 45 acp out of.

If it is real good condition and matching numbers, it may be worth some coin, even if it has a shaved cylinder.

There are some people out there that cast a .456" Webley style bullet...and loaded in .45AR cases with 3Fg powder would be nearly identical to the original loading.

Here is the RCBS mould, which has a slightly hollow base. However, it is $115.00, and may only pay off if you buy some additional Webley revolvers.

http://www.buffaloarms.com/browse.cfm/4,5323.html

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