455 British service , looking for a bullet mold

robbt

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hi , i am looking to buy and then reload .455 British service

load in either a new service or a S&W hand ejector ,

looking for a bullet mold to buy. either a 4 or 2 cavity mold,

please post, many thanks, rj
 
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hi , that is good question unsure if its going to be ,455 or.454. or .452 ?
or ?
colt had odd bores unsure on the S&W , please post, many thanks, robbt
 
You might wait and slug the bore first. The usual guidance is that for lead bullets, the diameter should be around 0.002” greater than the groove diameter.

In a practical sense, you will be wasting your time by using anything other than any cast bullet sold for use in .45 Colt. I wouldn’t bother getting finicky about bullet diameter unless I intended to use the revolver in match competition. I doubt that is your intent. I shoot .452” lead bullets intended for .45 ACP in a Colt New Service revolver in .45 Colt, and it works just fine.

SAAMI does not have dimensional standards for the .455. But the min-max diameter specs for .45 Colt are:

Bullet 0.450” - 0.456”
Barrel groove diameter 0.450” - 0.454”

As near as I can find, the .455 bullet diameter, Mk I, II, and III bullets are all 0.454” - 0.456”.

I have no real doubts that any commercial .45 Colt lead bullets will be more than adequate to do anything you want.

You might want to read this: bullet size .455 Webley - I slugged! [Archive] - Cast Boolits
 
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I load for two different Colt New Service revolvers in 455 Eley.

The throats on both measure .456 so I size my bullets to that diameter.

I also have a S&W 2nd Model HE in 455 with .457 throats but I haven't worked with that one yet.

I have an MP mold that casts the Webley style bullet and RCBS still has two Webley Style molds available even though it is a discontinued mold.

455 Webley (Mk2), HB, 4 cavity mold - MP-molds

Bullet Mould .45-265-RN-HB CS | RCBS

I've had better success with my 455s using the Lyman 454424 and the 270 SAA mold then I have with the Webley Style bullet.

A couple of these targets were shot using the MKI case which is longer and has more capacity so be sure you are using loads appropriate for the brass you are using, either the MKI or the MK II which is shorter then the MKI.

These loads were safe in my guns, be sure you consult a loading manual and work up carefully in yours.

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There are custom mold makers that can fabricate what you want, or that you can purchase made to order. Accurate Molds comes to mind. Tell them the as-cast diameter you want and the alloy you plan to use. They have several options that approximate the original look if that's your intent. I don't think they offer molds with hollow base plugs, as found with original bullets, but MP Molds does.

But, 470Evans is correct in noting that the good old 454424 will often cast a bullet, depending on alloy, that's a good fit and shoots great. The original hollow base bullet is problematic. The bearing surface is all hollow and the weight is well forward in the long nose. If that bullet tips even slightly, which is a huge problem in the stubby MKII cases, your bullets will keyhole badly.

He's also correct in noting that your goal is to find a good fit for your cylinder throats. Yes, bore diameter is important. But, if your bullets are a loose fit in the throats you'll likely never get better than mediocre accuracy and excess leading, even at modest velocities.
Hint: cast on the soft side (to permit obturation) and use (or make your own!! ...ask me how) an old fashioned "sticky" lube.

Enjoy!
 
hi guys ,I remember reading you can use .45 acp brass is this true ?
many thanks, for your posts ,
 
As far as I know the bullet used has a diameter of .454" so the 45 Colt bullet molds will work just fine. No reason to pay extremely high prices for a mold that's marked .455 Webley. Get an older mold with drops a .455" or .454" bullet and if you barrel slugs smaller put it through the correct lube/sized to make it perfect or just use it as dropped. (IMO of course)
 
I use the Lyman 454190 sized to .454" and just under 255 grains. Also have a Lee 225 gr RN double mold that I use unsized and tumble lubed with liquid Alox.
They both work fine but POI is different with the loads I'm using.

John
 

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