Looking for someone in or near GTA to help me load for a black powder .455 webley

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Onterrible, Communist Turdezuela
I have a beautiful pre- 1898, antique status, black powder .455 webley for which I would like to load for. I have .455 webley brass, primers, cast lead bullets, and I am in the process of getting some fffg black powder. I don't really have the room right now at my current residence to set up a reloading bench, though I will definitely look into buying a reloading kit once I move into my next house.

If someone in or around the GTA could perhaps volunteer their reloading bench, and some of their time, I would greatly appreciate it. I am quite new to all of this.
 
Why use black powder? - it's smoky as all get-out and ruinously salty; rusts like it invented it. I'd recommend Trail Boss, ~3.2gr gives me ~600 fps out of a Mk. VI, so it should be alright for yours.
 
gwesson said:
Why use black powder? - it's smoky as all get-out and ruinously salty; rusts like it invented it. I'd recommend Trail Boss, ~3.2gr gives me ~600 fps out of a Mk. VI, so it should be alright for yours.
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I guess that would be possible. I am just worried about the PSI being too high and the cylinder rupturing. I have seen/heard horror stories of old webley's cylinders blowing apart when using smokeless powder cartridges.
 
hatman1793 said:
Gwesson is right. Skip the blackpowder and try small quantities of modern smokeless powder:
Bullseye, RedDot, 700X, just keep the throw-weight below 3.0 grains.
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It handles the Fiocchi .455 webley loads pretty well, though it still shoots a little hot. That is why I was a bit concerned. But I am considering just going for some smokeless since black powder is sold out in the gun shops near my home.
 
The Fiocchi loads are STUPID hot; if your Webley will handle those, it'll handle just about anything. I think they rate it ~750 fps out of a Mk. VI, or 150 fps faster than my Trail Boss loads - I shot-off all my Fiocchi before I got the Chrony. If you can find it, buy all Fiocchi for your brass, that way you only have to worry about one size of primer.

My go-to Trail Boss load in a Mk. VI was 255gr Lyman SWC with 3.2gr TB, crimped - 589 to 610 fps. You GOTTA crimp; the Webley leaks pressure like a sieve, and without a crimp you won't ignite enough of the powder. The lowest TB load I ran through the Webley was 2.9gr - I had excessive variability with that load, 379 - 598 fps, I consider the load unsafe. I quit using TB because it's dirty; but it was a great powder for the job, and if you use Mk. II cases (the short ones - I think Fiocchi's are Mk. II's), you can't fit a double-charge of powder in the case; a nice safety feature.

Now I use 3.5gr VV N310, same bullet; or 4.2gr N320 (which gave a very consistent 631 - 634 fps). Remember though, your barrel is 2" shorter - results may vary. Size your bullets 0.450" - 0.452" - nevermind they called it a "455". All Webleys were drilled with a 0.442", then rifled 0.004" each side for a total of 0.450".
 
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