1917 British .455

[Texas Star]

You won't hurt it with warm loads. I been shooting the old HE's for years with the same loads Elmer Keith loaded them with and I have not hurt one yet . They were not built for mild loads so what makes you think that's what you need to use in them now??

Eddie

Eddie-


Skelton blew a chamber on a M-1917 Colt .45 acp, which does have a heat-treated cylinder. The .455 S&W does not. He used a load with Unique powder that was recommended by Keith and others.


I don't know which loads you've used. But an idiot may make up Ruger Only or similar ammo, and that could easily blow up one of these old guns, never proofed for such high pressures.


You do what you want. Personally, I won't load even a heat-treated M-1917 with ammo much hotter than std. .45 ACP pressures. One factor to consider, apart from the thin chambers, is that these guns are now 100 years or more old.

 

[smithywess]

1917 .455 British

I've enjoyed handloading the original .455 Webley Mk VI for quite a few years now and have just purchased a Smith & Wesson hand ejector 2nd Model made around 1916 in original .455 calibre. I'm looking forward to loading the Mk I case formed from .45 Colt cases. I have always shot the 265 grain hollow based bullet cast in 1:20 alloy from the super mould by R.C.B.S .45-265-RN-HB. I'm a little concerned that S&W groove diameters start at .457 but I have yet to slug my new acquisition. If they do start there I'm hoping that the skirt of the bullet cast in this soft alloy will blow out satisfactorily to maintain accuracy. In the Handloader of December 2016 Terry Wieland was finding some difficulty in obtaining load data for the British Webley Mark VI. I have always relied on the data put out by Lee Precision for the Mark II case with no problems at all. I'm not quite sure how photos are made in this forum but this is my new acquisition...

 

[hanover67]

I finally got to a range to shoot my S & W .455/.45 Colt. My load was 4.5gr of 700X powder, Lyman bullet #45468, 182gr with my alloy, Winchester primers and Starline .45 Colt brass. I was happy with the accuracy, although I had to shoot offhand since the range did not have any benches. Attached are photos of the target and a loaded cartridge and the hollow-based bullet. These bullets drop from my mold at .455" diameter. I don't have a .454" resizing die, so I tumble lubed them in Lee alox and loaded them as they came from the mold.

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[hanover67]

Bullet photo

 

[nvcdl]

I managed to pick up an unmodified .455 S&W in 90% condition for $625 on GB a few weeks ago. Listing had realy fuzzy pics so I took a chance on it. Only loaded ammo available is on GB at premium prices tho - have some on order. I'd be surprised if it was shot much at all as it is the tightest cylinder on any S&W I've purchased.

 

[Hondo44]

Welcome to the forum!

Bravo, that's a great find and good price for unmolested, un-converted, and 90% finish 455.

Triple 1st Model or 2nd Model??? With a serial # or partial # we can provide which variation it is and likely a shipping date.

We love to see pictures if you can post them, or the link to the GB auction photos is allowed now that the auction has ended.

The first thing I'd recommend is flood the action and cyl arbor with gun cleaning spray to flush out the 100 year old dry grease and re-oil with modern lubricant.

Shoot and enjoy!

 

[Jack Flash]

I managed to pick up an unmodified .455 S&W in 90% condition for $625 on GB a few weeks ago. Listing had realy fuzzy pics so I took a chance on it. Only loaded ammo available is on GB at premium prices tho - have some on order. I'd be surprised if it was shot much at all as it is the tightest cylinder on any S&W I've purchased.

Neat that you found one unmolested. Of course that means ammo is hard to come by if you really want to shoot it.

Be advised that older .455 cartridges are very likely to be corrosive and after firing it special cleaning will be required to prevent damage to your revolver. To boot, the old stuff may have some collector value itself, so it try to find something modern to shoot. Fiocchi and Hornady both used to make .455 Mark II in the not-too-distant past. Perhaps you can locate some. Or you can learn to handload, but even then finding components can be problematic.

 

[nvcdl]

Here is a link: http://www.gunbroker.com/item/622953311

The pictures are awful - looks much better in person - has dings and light scratches in finish but doesn't seem to have been carried or shot much at all.

Serial # is 6517X

Welcome to the forum!

Bravo, that's a great find and good price for unmolested, un-converted, and 90% finish 455.

Triple 1st Model or 2nd Model??? With a serial # or partial # we can provide which variation it is and likely a shipping date.

We love to see pictures if you can post them, or the link to the GB auction photos is allowed now that the auction has ended.


Shoot and enjoy!