455 eley
- Thread starter m1978
- Start date
m1978 said:
You can get loaded factory Fiocchi mfg .455 ammo for around $55 box at most gun stores. Brass is reloadable. Lee makes .455 carbide dies. 250 cast grain bullets sized to .454" will work okay.
.455 Webley MkI, .455 Eley and .455 Colt are different names for the same cartridge - the latter two are commercial designations (British and American, respectively) for the .455 Webley Mark I service revolver cartridge.
The Fiocchi ammunition currently available (and the new-made brass casings) are actually for the .455 Webley Mk II (a shorter case, which was adopted for more efficient combustion of cordite propellant, when that replaced the original black powder load.) So far as I am aware, the only commercially available cases of the longer MkI/Eley/Colt configuration are made from shortened .45 Colt casings (a process which also requires the rims to be thinned - from the front, so it isn't something you can do in the average home workshop.)
Here are the full specifications of the original British service casings:
I use mostly old Dominion .455 Colt cases (i.e. essentially identical to the MkI Webley case) - they are relatively common here in Canada ... watch for them at Gun Shows.
Here is a picture of various .455 revolver cartridges - from left to right: Webley MkII, Dominion .455 Colt (i.e. Webley MkI), one of my reloads in a Dominion case using the bullet from the mould discussed below, and another reload (same bullet) in one of the altered .45 Colt cases, as mentioned above ...
As already stated, Lee makes an inexpensive set of .455 Webley reloading dies (which is what I use) and bullets commercially available for .45 Colt loads - preferably sized as big as possible (likely .454 as NAA has said) and ideally soft cast (in order to ensure maximum expansion in the bore) will work quite well.
If you are a stickler for correctness and/or turn into a ".455 junky" like me (I now have 6 different revolvers which chamber this cartridge [Whoops - CORRECTION - that's seven - I forgot one] RCBS makes a limited production mould which casts a virtual copy of the original .455 British service revolver bullet MkII - i.e. distinctive long "pointy" round nose, 265 grains weight, hollow-base - which is the ideal projectile for these loads, though the mould blocks are rather pricey at about US$100 -
While I'm on a roll, so to speak, here are the specs of the MkI and MkII bullets:
And here is the original entry in the British War Department's List of Changes in War Matériel and of Patterns of Military Stores for the adoption of the Mark I ,455 cartridge:
The Fiocchi ammunition currently available (and the new-made brass casings) are actually for the .455 Webley Mk II (a shorter case, which was adopted for more efficient combustion of cordite propellant, when that replaced the original black powder load.) So far as I am aware, the only commercially available cases of the longer MkI/Eley/Colt configuration are made from shortened .45 Colt casings (a process which also requires the rims to be thinned - from the front, so it isn't something you can do in the average home workshop.)
Here are the full specifications of the original British service casings:
I use mostly old Dominion .455 Colt cases (i.e. essentially identical to the MkI Webley case) - they are relatively common here in Canada ... watch for them at Gun Shows.
Here is a picture of various .455 revolver cartridges - from left to right: Webley MkII, Dominion .455 Colt (i.e. Webley MkI), one of my reloads in a Dominion case using the bullet from the mould discussed below, and another reload (same bullet) in one of the altered .45 Colt cases, as mentioned above ...
As already stated, Lee makes an inexpensive set of .455 Webley reloading dies (which is what I use) and bullets commercially available for .45 Colt loads - preferably sized as big as possible (likely .454 as NAA has said) and ideally soft cast (in order to ensure maximum expansion in the bore) will work quite well.
If you are a stickler for correctness and/or turn into a ".455 junky" like me (I now have 6 different revolvers which chamber this cartridge [Whoops - CORRECTION - that's seven - I forgot one] RCBS makes a limited production mould which casts a virtual copy of the original .455 British service revolver bullet MkII - i.e. distinctive long "pointy" round nose, 265 grains weight, hollow-base - which is the ideal projectile for these loads, though the mould blocks are rather pricey at about US$100 -
While I'm on a roll, so to speak, here are the specs of the MkI and MkII bullets:
And here is the original entry in the British War Department's List of Changes in War Matériel and of Patterns of Military Stores for the adoption of the Mark I ,455 cartridge:
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I should add that all British .455 Service revolvers were intentionally made to chamber the longer MkI cartridge, even after adoption of the shortened MkII cartridge. Matter of fact, I believe that most, if not all, other makes of revolver chambered for .455 will accept the longer .455 MkI/Eley/Colt cartridge - in essentially the same way that a .357 Magnum revolver will chamber and fire eithe .357 Magnum or .38 Special cartidges (or both .44 Magnum and .44 Special in a .44 Mag. revolver, etc.)
In addition to Webley revolvers and other British makes, there are also quite a few older American-made .455 revolvers - notably Colt New Service and Smith & Wesson Hand Ejector models - as used by both the UK and Canada during WWI (and, the Colt New Service by the RNWMP in Canada.) I see that Shooters Choice in Waterloo currently has a Colt New Service (".455 Eley" and described as "Good" condition) listed for $395 on their website, and Ellwood Epps in Orillia has two .455 S&W Hand Ejector revolvers listed on theirs - one is described as "Good" for $489 and the other as "Reblued/Fair" for $289.
To show what I'm talking about, here are pictures of my .455 S&W Hand Ejector (top) and Colt New Service revolvers ...
In addition to Webley revolvers and other British makes, there are also quite a few older American-made .455 revolvers - notably Colt New Service and Smith & Wesson Hand Ejector models - as used by both the UK and Canada during WWI (and, the Colt New Service by the RNWMP in Canada.) I see that Shooters Choice in Waterloo currently has a Colt New Service (".455 Eley" and described as "Good" condition) listed for $395 on their website, and Ellwood Epps in Orillia has two .455 S&W Hand Ejector revolvers listed on theirs - one is described as "Good" for $489 and the other as "Reblued/Fair" for $289.
To show what I'm talking about, here are pictures of my .455 S&W Hand Ejector (top) and Colt New Service revolvers ...
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- Location
- Tucson, Arizona
While the bullet may be .454, if you mike the chamber mouths you will find they are.451. There is a reason for that hollow base.
I have a twin to that New service Grant, in 455 Eley with British cavalry and RFC proofs on it. Fun old gun. - dan
I have a 1878 Colt DA Frontier Model Perscribed Antique revolver its Marked 455 ELEY
Yet the cylinder is the same length as the other model 1878s that uses the 45 long colt.
That 455 Bullet has quite a jump before it engages the Rifleing!
Yet the cylinder is the same length as the other model 1878s that uses the 45 long colt.
That 455 Bullet has quite a jump before it engages the Rifleing!
- Location
- Calgary, Alberta
If you really want to be esoteric you need to get something in .455 Automatic. I know a collector here who moved all his guns to the Isle of Man after the handgun ban and he's got a whole bunch of .455 Autos, Webleys as well as Colt 1911s.
Colt 1911s were issued in both wars in 455 Webley I believe. The one I would like to play with is the Webley semi-automatic revolver in 455. - dan
455 eley/webley/colt accuracy
What kind of accuracy can one expect of this chambering in a Colt New Service? The Colt seems to be quite a heavy revolver. Can this cartridge be made to perform a little better than the standard factory load?KD
What kind of accuracy can one expect of this chambering in a Colt New Service? The Colt seems to be quite a heavy revolver. Can this cartridge be made to perform a little better than the standard factory load?KD
dixda said:
Accuracy potential is very good. Probably as good as the .45ACP. But more importantly you would have to smooth out the trigger pull on that huge old Colt to get it to "shoot" well. That's my .02....
The Wizard
CGN Regular
- Location
- Colorado Springs, Colorado USA
It would take major mutilation of a .455 revolver to make it accept the .45ACP round with half moon clips. GET A U. S. Revolver, Caliber .45, Model of 1917 INSTEAD.
Cocked&Locked
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- S. Ontario
dixda said:
Funny you ask that
. I purchased an old colt new service in .455 from my uncle's estate. Not much (read none ) original finish left, just bare steel and some patina. Bore is clean and sharp. Trigger suprisingly smooth and crisp in both single and double action. With Fiochi ammo, I managed to tear a 5 shot group about 1.5" with the sixth round opening it up to 3.5". (I goofed
) Needless to say, I hold the old girl in some respect now. She still locks up nice, now to decide if I should have it refinished. There's nothing left of the original so I don't know if there is much value to damage. Any opinions? Pretty sure its a canadian military version, but not sure of its lineage.
