Newb antique handgun question

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Here is a pair of .450 RICs, both from the Metropolitan Police batch. Moe's is in finer condition. I also use shortened Mk. II cases. Apparently some .450s will accept .455 Mk. II cases. These won't. Once cases are prepared, reloading them is no different than any other pistol cartridge. They are fine shooters.
Cases can also be made from .45 Colt. More complicated, though. Rims must be thinned from the front, in addition to substantial trimming. The smaller rim diameter is not an issue, because these use the rod ejection system.
Big advantage of the top break Webleys is simultaneous ejection, rather than poking them out one at a time.
Preparing ammunition for sale is manufacturing, and requires an ammunition manufacturing licence. There is also a substantial liability issue.
 

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A Webley MK1** 455 antique with ammo readily available make for hours of pleasure to shoot from the picknic table with other NR.

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Another excellent shooter is a Reichs Revolver. Easy ammunition. Really big gun, though.

The large revolver on the right side of the group is a Model 1873 Dutch service revolver. Very solid, well built piece.

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The 9.4mm ammunition is prepared from .41 Magnum cases, trimmed and sized. Bullet is a custom, cast in an Accuratemold.com mould.
Once again, after cases have been prepared, reloading them is no different than reloading any other cartridge.

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Also is it common to re-nickel them? Or re gold-plate the antique lever actions for instance?
Or does that annoy collecters if u go to resell
Them eventually?
 
Chps2 said:
So much great info boys, thanks!

Whats that smallest one with the white woodish handle?
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It is a 9mm Galand. Ivory handle. Uses a very odd cartridge. Steel, intended to be reloaded without reloading tools. The heeled bullets screwed into the case. Specimen cartridges can be $150 - $200 on the collectors' market.

Most collectors don't have much use for replating, etc.
 
Hmm weird. I kinda get it, cause it keeps it authentique looking... but they just look soooo much better to me re-plated
 
Here is a group of .25, .32 and .41 rimfires, plus a small pinfire.
The rimfires are quite functional, but ammunition is at best inconvenient. Pinfire ammunition can be had, but there is a real issue of practicality.

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Refinishing in most cases diminishes the value.

Since most times the original factory ammo is unobtainable, only reloaded ammo is an option. Its not permissible to sell reloaded ammo without having a licence, so most have to learn to reload their own.
 
46 Rim? my mind has gone blank?
Re ammo, if you find a gun, than time to think about ammo.
Best if you know a reloader that shoot this stuff.
You want to know what you are doing.
You could buy the supplies and have some one reload for you. But as mentioned, you need a licence to manufacture and sell ammo, plus some guys ammo, I don't want to shoot.
 
Specimen .46RF cartridges shouldn't be hard to find. Getting a quantity fresh enough to shoot would be problematic.
.44-40 will fit a .46LongRF chamber. Maybe cases could be primed with an offset .22 or de-powdered Ramset blank.
I have a Ballard .46LongRF rifle, with combination ignition - rimfire or percussion cap, with a tiny hole in the center of the case. I have fired it using percussion ignition; this is how I know that .44-40 will chamber.
 
I have one of the Rem 1863 "New Model's" that was converted at Rem. factory after civil war under the "Rollin White" (it has the roll marking on the cylinder) patent to .46 Rimfire. Not sure if it is the same cartridge as Tiriaq calls the 46 long but I have some .44 SP that just "plunk" into the cylinder.

Not sure what gun QM has but if it is one of the Rem "New Models" it prob is the same as mine...the hammer nose/firing pin in the conversion model won't fire a center located primer and the "added recoil" plate shim won't allow a center fire hammer to hit the primer either, the entry hole, (actually it is more of a slot) wont allow it to hit center as well so a new recoil plate shim & a hammer that more resembles the original configuration is required...doable but not a simple chang-over to fire center fire.

The other thing about the .46 Rimfire...at least mine does...is that the barrel mikes out at .454 so a "heeled" slug will probably be required for any expectation of accuracy or avoiding leading the barrel. I'm not sure why this is because the original New Models were all originaly .44 Cal and my barrel still has all the original roll markings and ball seating equipment but shows no evidence of a re-boring that I can see.
 
If a modern .44 case fits a .46RF revolver chamber, I cannot see any reason that the case couldn't be altered to accept an offset rimfire primer.
A heeled bullet (or maybe a hollow based one) would likely be needed. It would be worth asking accuratemold.com if he could cut one. He doesn't use cherries, the cavities are CNC machined, so a heeled bullet mould might be possible.
 
Interested in getting in to the antique world myself. To add to the OP; Is there a list someplace of the current antiques that are still avilable? Or should we just search by caliber and whatever comes up pre-1898 is okay?
 
53Izzy744 said:
Interested in getting in to the antique world myself. To add to the OP; Is there a list someplace of the current antiques that are still avilable? Or should we just search by caliber and whatever comes up pre-1898 is okay?
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Rather than a list you need to know the regulations which describe or define an antique. You will find them in the stickies at the top of our forum. Pre 1898 muzzle loading handguns and cap and ball revolvers are you safest bet in the sense that I don't think they have any qualifiers which exclude them from being antiques. Cartridge handguns are a more risky issue. The RCMP have changed how they interpret the laws, over the years, making it much harder to deregister pre 1898 handguns. It also creates a question in my mind of the status of guns which have previously been deregistered, some including RCMP letters, but which do not meet the current criteria

cheers mooncoon
 
Chps2 said:
So its just as easy to find the right equipment to reload .455 as 45acp?

Also, the unaltered ones are much hard to find tho right?
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A .45 Colt Lee Classic Loader does .455 reloading well, but slowly (also, you'd need a powder scoop that is different from the yellow .45 Colt powder-scoop that comes with that Lee kit) .... :yingyang:





As others have said, straight-wall pistol brass will last through many, many antique loadings.... :cheers:
 
Like the OP I’m also new to antique pistols. From a quick look at the EE there is a German reichsrevolver available for a lot less than a webley. How would the accuracy between these two pistols compare?
 
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