Hi, my first post, so please excuse the amateurish questions - I'm thinking of restoring my Grandad's vintage revolver made by S&W and am looking for information on modern ammunition suitable for the S&W .455 Mark II Hand Ejector Second Model, made for the British from 1915 - 1917. I'm in Europe and understand that .455 ammo is difficult to get but people have suggested that one can buy a 'half-moon' or 'full-moon' clip to allow it take '.45 ACP'. I'm not familiar with firearms, and hope you can help? The cylinder block where the ammo goes does not appear to have been altered, in that it still has the S&W serial number stamped at the rear.
Thanks for any advice or leads.

If you read this section of the forum, you'll find a posting by a person here who just had one blow up on him. His was a modified revolver, changed to use 45 Colt ammo. It calls into question the wisdom of modifying these fine old guns.

The best approach is to search until you find suitable ammo. Then don't toss out the fired cases. Either learn to reload them yourself, or find someone who will. Its not witchcraft, or any black art form. It just a simple task that requires concentration. Another word of advice, keep your loads very mild pressure and velocity wise. The gun isn't a magnum, nor will it ever be.

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Dick Burg

Thanks Dick,
I hadn't realised the dangers and had been told the only ammo for this .455 was old stock and therefore unreliable - is there a forum / website that I can get info on where new ammo suitable for this gun can be found - given the restrictions in Europe, hand-loading cartridges may not be practical.

Welcome to the forum and congrulations on acquiring your grandfather's revolver - family heirloon guns are special, they tie the generations together.

I believe Fiocchi still makes limited runs of .455, at least I see it now and then at gunshows and advertised on the web.

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William H. Smith

I don't know how things are in your country, but here in the US you can get newly manufactured .455 Webley Mk II. Mk II is a shortened version of Mk I and will work fine. Hornady makes it and I believe Fiocchi still does as well. Perhaps a gunshop can order some for you? It will be expensive.

MidwayUSA is out of stock with no backorder. You might contact them anyway, and see if they ship internationally (assuming that they ever get any back in stock). MidwayUSA

The suggestion about reloading some yourself is a good one. Brass is available from Graf and Sons ( Link ). Fiocchi brass is very thin, so my guess is that Hornady brass would be a better choice.

Personally, if I could not obtain ammo, I would not alter the revolver just so it will shoot something I can obtain. I would spend the alteration money on another revolver, hopefully one that fires a commonly available cartridge. Leave your Grandad's revolver in its original condition.

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You're shy a few manners.

Guys - just wanted to say thanks for all the help and advice - it certainly makes research easier for us newbies, and hopefully someday I'll be able to reciprocate.

Yes, Fiocchi and Hornady both still make it. I've shot both in mine. Starline also makes new brass in .455 if you reload. Brass can also be made for it (a bit of a pain, though). You can shorten .45 AR, 45 Long Colt, or .45 Schofield brass, then turn a little thickness off the inside edge of the rim. Whatever you do, stick with recommended light loads.
Chris

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Chris
SWCA #2243 SWHF #292

Here is one place that claims to have the Hornady ammo in stock and at a reasonable price:

http://www.rrarms.com/catalog....on=1025&brand=455WEB

Way back when I was the owner of a few .455s, I set out on a mission to find ammo. My then gunshowing pard, John, took mercy and gave me an original "battle pack" of 12 rounds in ugly grey cardboard. But then I found several boxes at gunshows. It was labeled various things, like .455 Colt, etc. Same ammo. I believe they produced it in Canada until recently - maybe still.

If you notice the velocity and pressures of .45 ACP or .45 Colt, you'll notice its significantly faster than factory .455s.

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Dick Burg

.455 Colt is the same as .455 Eley is the same as .455 Webley Mark I. Case length is about 0.890".

.455 Webley Mark II has a case length of about 0.770. See photo below for a comparison of Mark I to Mark II. (It's also interesting to note that Fiocchi cases use small pistol primers while Dominion use large.)

The Mark I was originally a black powder cartridge. With the advent of smokeless powder, the Brits concluded that a smaller case would more efficiently burn the new powder, and thus developed the shorter Mark II.

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You're shy a few manners.