44 webley load

mcpiper

mcpiper

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Hey guys, I finally joined the antique handgun crowd after much consideration on what to get. I wanted something that wouldn't break the bank and that would be easy to reload for. I purchased this Belgian "British bulldog" in 44 Webley/ 442 RIC from a fellow GunNut. So I've loaded up some rounds using trimmed .44 Special cases. I've loaded 215 gr heeled rounds over 5 grains of FFG pyrodex and crimped the cases. I haven't been able to find much load data for this round other than that it was loaded with around 10 grains of blackpowder.
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First and foremost, I don't load BP cartridges; I always try to find the equivalent smokeless load for all my antiques and so far it has panned out great. I guess in your case, somewhere between 2.0 to 2.5 gr of Unique should do it. I have a similar piece in 320 revolver cartridge and mine is recommended to be loaded at approx. 1.8 to 2.0 (as it's a smaller + lighter bullet/cartridge).

However, there' one very important thing to remember when loading BP in a cartridge: you cannot leave ANY airspace. I don't know how you loaded the 5 grains in your loads and if you used a filler, but if you haven't.. it might be a good idea to buy a bullet puller and correct the error before firing it even once. Air space in cartridge + black powder = extreme pressures. This is not the case with smokeless powders however, but BP and it's substitutes are very touchy to airspace... so be very careful.

Besides, 5 gr of BP seems a little too little, no? According to most people who load bp pistol cartridges, you're supposed to fill the case full of BP and sit the bullet on top in a way that it compresses the powder (hence no air space). I don't think 5 gr will be enough to do that... unless you fill the rest of the air gap with toilet paper (no joke, that's how it's done).

Also, I assume you already know that BP is measured in volume and smokeless is measured by weight even though the unit of measure for both is "grains", right? Do not confuse the two or you could have a bad surprise.


Now... having said all that, welcome to the antique side of collecting (the most addictive, I may add). It's rough in the beginning to figure all that stuff out, but once you master the basics, it's nothing but fun. Don't let anything discourage you from pursuing the hobby! If the budget allows, of course... (because we all know antiques can be pricey sometimes.. most times... always, lol!)

:D
 
Thanks for the info guys. I fired my first rounds in my backyard (antiques handguns are great) and these loads are very underpowered. I'll now start working up to a proper load for it.
 
762mm said:
First and foremost, I don't load BP cartridges; I always try to find the equivalent smokeless load for all my antiques and so far it has panned out great. I guess in your case, somewhere between 2.0 to 2.5 gr of Unique should do it. I have a similar piece in 320 revolver cartridge and mine is recommended to be loaded at approx. 1.8 to 2.0 (as it's a smaller + lighter bullet/cartridge).
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For IMR-700X (the "new" name of the "old" Hi-Skor) :yingyang: , I "found" some people saying about 2.2 grains for .442 :redface: , and 1.4 grains (MAXIMUM) for the .320 ?......:confused:
 
id use about enough 3f goex to fill the case to just above where the heel of the bullet sits this way you get some compression

(id stay away from subs like pyrodex but use it if you have too id always stayaway from 777 that stuff is not the best in antique guns)
 
All of the above

I usually use cornmeal or cornstarch as filler for reduced BP loads (reiterating, "leave no airspace").

Also with BP, use SOFT lube like SPG or homebrew. If you are using standard smokeless lube with those, you will have some extra cleaning to do. AND you will have to clean more frequently. Not the end of the world but it will save you a lot of unnecessary cleaning effort.

Happy shootin'
 
antiqueguy said:
id stay away from smokeless in non nitro proofed guns if you do load smokeless you want to keep the pressure to the same as the oringal round(this does not mean the same fps because with somkeless makes a higher pressure for the givin velocity)
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but what about 2400 and slower burn rate powders?. I'v heard you can achieve higher fps with lower pressures using 2400 and slower.
 
Tyockell18 said:
but what about 2400 and slower burn rate powders?. I'v heard you can achieve higher fps with lower pressures using 2400 and slower.
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2400 works very well as a replacement for FFG black powder for the reasons you described. However it's not well suited to replace FFFG black powder, which is what was used in the smaller capacity cases like the 44 webley. FFG is too slow to be efficient in these small cartridges and so is 2400. Pressure would not be a problem but getting decent velocity level would be hard.
 
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