455 Webley VI reloading help?

Broom96 · May 22, 2017

Hi All,

I'm looking for safe /light loads in a Webely VI .

Hope to shoot 200 grain lead wad cutters, 230 lead ball & 260 grain hollow base bullets.
None of the sources I have located call out directly for the Webley. They all say they were developed for S&W or Colt revolvers.
I will be using Remington 45 Auto Rim cases only.
It appears that Bulleye is the preferred powder for this revolver.
I was hoping to use Trail-Boss but have not seen any info on it..

Thanks for any help with this project,
broom

Nevada Ed · May 22, 2017

When using Trail Boss in pistol loads;

find where the base of the "Lead bullet" comes to rest when seated.
Trail Boss needs 99% of this case volume for a maximum loading..........
and a starting load is this amount of powder times 70% for a starting load.

Hope that you can find some data, though.
With a pistol I would start with a 80% loading to make sure that
lead bullet makes it out the barrel and cycles.

Broom96 · May 22, 2017

Hi Sir,

I am poor at locating info on the net. (OLD GUY!)
I did go to the Trail Boss site & secured the same info you posted!

I have located some old post on this site that seem to answer all my questions on safe loads. The Webley is 100 years old this year& I don't wish to damage it.

Thanks for your help,
Broom 96

bigedp51 · May 22, 2017

Only mad dogs and Englishmen shoot their Webley in the noonday sun.

nicky4968 · May 23, 2017

I understand Hornady has components and loaded ammunition specifically for the Webley.

Nevada Ed · May 23, 2017

Midway has a Remington hollow base lead RN at 450grs
that you might look at. .455" dia.

The factory MkVl .770" case, 265gr .454" did 700fps at 14,000psi after switching from black powder.

Safe loading.

ddixie884 · May 23, 2017

I'm sorry to say Hornady hasn't produced components or loaded ammo for several years.

Broom96 · Jun 7, 2017

Thanks for all the reply's!

Broom96

Ivan the Butcher · Jun 7, 2017

Graf was the last place to have a quantity of 455 Webley ammo. (I don't know if they have any left.) The OP must have a milled for 45ACP, Webley as he wants to use Auto Rim cases. In the late 70's I had one of those, and used a 45Colt mold of around 250-255 grains of pure lead, left unsized and pan lubed. The Webley revolvers weren't designed to handle even the low pressure of 45 ACP ball ammo! so I used a beginning charge of WW231 in the case with a medium roll crimp (I would use a taper crimp today). I never cot better than 6" groups at 30 feet! But I don't know what was considered good accuracy for those revolvers when new with the correct ammo. Mine shot MOW groups (Minute of Watermelon)! And I was happy with that!

2 of the chambers were eroded from corrosive ammo/cleaning of same, that the fired case mouths were bigger than the case head. The extractor would not remove them for anything, I used a 3/8" dowel rod about a foot long to knock them out (I could use a hammer or push against a tree or ground, etc.)

All in all, I enjoyed that revolver!

Ivan

DWalt · Jun 7, 2017

The old Lyman reloading manuals have some .455 Webley loading recipes. These are a few:

225 grain lead: Bullseye - 2.5 to 3.5 grains, 625 to 700 ft/sec MV;
Unique - 5.2 to 6.2 grains, 600 to 750 ft/sec MV

250 grain lead: Bullseye - 2.5 to 3.2 grains, 600 to 675 ft/sec MV;
Unique - 5.0 to 6.0 grains, 700 to 725 ft/sec MV

WR Moore · Jun 17, 2017

I'm still kicking myself for selling my converted Webley. I bought it and had it converted....had a whole $25 in it.

I was able to reliably hit clay pigeons at 50 yards with mine using .45 ball. On the other hand, mine appeared only lightly used when I bought it and was very tight. I'm still looking for another revolver that locks up that tight.

gwpercle · Jun 17, 2017

WR Moore said:
I'm still kicking myself for selling my converted Webley. I bought it and had it converted....had a whole $25 in it.

I was able to reliably hit clay pigeons at 50 yards with mine using .45 ball. On the other hand, mine appeared only lightly used when I bought it and was very tight. I'm still looking for another revolver that locks up that tight.

When/if you find another ...it's going to cost you a lot more than $25.00...get the check book ready.

When I was young my daddy told me never sell a gun you like, chances are you going to regret it....the old man was sure right on that one !
Gary

jeeps · Jun 17, 2017

45 ball to is to hot for prolonged shooting. Load it down to 750fps with a 230 gr. Bullet.

Dave_n · Jun 19, 2017

I have a local bullet seller make me 245 grain lead heads sized to 0.454 and I load them either in Webley Mk II cases (for uncut Webley Mk VI & an S&W Mk II HE) using a medium burning rate powder that gives me 650-675 fps. I do not give out load data, and use a 5% higher load for 0.45 AR loads in four other cut Mk VI's. All run between 650 and 700 fps and give me ~4" groups at 15 feet. Adequate for Trench warfare! Dave_n

Rock185 · Jun 27, 2017

Hello Broom, Just came across your thread here. I have a 1918 MK VI cut for .45 ACP/.45 AR. I've only used Unique because I happened to have it on hand. I use the 230 grain Hornady .452" swaged lead bullets or 230 grain plated .451" bullets seated to 1.230" interchangeably with 5.7 grains of Unique. My gun averages ~700 FPS with this load. Because I initially assumed that barrel throat and bore were .455", I was not confident that my handloads would even stay on the paper at 15 yards. Turns out the old Webley groups my loads with .451" and .452" bullets just fine.

FWIW reference bullet diameter, from reading and doing some informal measuring of my own Webley, I've come to the conclusion that chamber throats and bores on these old revolvers may be nowhere near the .455" most owners think they are. I suspect many, like mine, are much closer to .450". This may account for decent performance with .451"/.452" bullets that conventional wisdom would say are very undersized for this gun. I wonder if many Webley owners using .454/.455" bullets have ever done any measuring to determine what bore and throat dimensions actually are?

glowe · Jun 28, 2017

Here is my experience with Trail Boss in my S&W 455s. I settled on a max load for the casings of 4.5 grains. With the 200 LRN bullet I am using, I can't get any more powder in the case without compressing.

455 S&W HE, 6 1/2" barrel
455 S&W 200 Trail Boss 3.7 461fps
455 S&W 200 Trail Boss 4.0 489fps
455 S&W 200 Trail Boss 4.2 544fps
455 S&W 200 Trail Boss 4.5 650fps

I have since picked up a factory original 455 conical bullet mold and am loading 3.5 grains Clays, under a 290 conical bullet. Velocities average 604fps and accuracy is much better with the factory style bullet.

455 Webley VI reloading help?

Broom96

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Nevada Ed

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Broom96

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Nevada Ed

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ddixie884

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DWalt

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