455 Webley Mk 2 Case with Black Powder?
- Thread starter HasegawaYamato
- Start date
Thats some nice pics! And thanks for the info on 45 Schofield, eventhough I believe it is as hard to find as Webely mk1 case nowdays
I have enough prepped cases to last me for the rest of my life. But Starline hasn't stopped making 45 Schofield; I've heard third hand the cowboy guys like the caliber.
https://www.powdervalleyinc.com/product/starline-45-sw-schofield-100/
I would take that to mean the problem isn't that it isn't made anymore, but instead finding somebody in Canada with the cases for sale.
It's been a long, long time since I was comparing size dimensions to Webley in order to decide on what was closest and required the least work. I can't remember why the 45 Schofield was my choice from the options I had back then, but it was pretty easy to thin the rim from the front and essentially have a very long 455 Webley case.
I didn't have a leading problem that needed solving. I decided I'd rather just bake my cast bullets with PC, than rolling them around in sticky tumble lube.
I use 45 S&W brass (aka Schofield) to make 455 webley MKI. It was easy to get at one time. Now that starline is making 45 Cowboy I'd buy that first because it won't need trimming to length, already the right length.
The traditional HB webley bullet is a fair bullet if it's soft but my experience in several 455 webley revolvers is a soft-cast SWC will get better accuracy. Both the SWC and the traditional HB will shoot better sized 0.454" than sized 0.452 - and yes I know all about those tight webley throats. The trick with the webley service revolvers is to use a soft bullet, sized 0.454" (or 0.455") with a stout-ish powder charge to obturate.
The flat base bullet obturates just as reliably as the HB and stays centered in the bore better than the HB bullet. The HB has very poor centralizing characteristics.
The traditional HB webley bullet is a fair bullet if it's soft but my experience in several 455 webley revolvers is a soft-cast SWC will get better accuracy. Both the SWC and the traditional HB will shoot better sized 0.454" than sized 0.452 - and yes I know all about those tight webley throats. The trick with the webley service revolvers is to use a soft bullet, sized 0.454" (or 0.455") with a stout-ish powder charge to obturate.
The flat base bullet obturates just as reliably as the HB and stays centered in the bore better than the HB bullet. The HB has very poor centralizing characteristics.
That could be true concerning the bullet choices.
However, in my two revolvers, as I don't intend to fight off any charging colonial natives or do any trench clearing with Webley in hand, I've decided that stout charges to poke holes in paper is more squeeze than I want to apply for any extra amount of juice that might result.
And the hollow base RCBS replica bullet cast from pure lead seems to obdurate just fine, with accuracy better than the couple of handfuls of WWII era ammunition I got with the revolver. Better, probably because I could experiment with powders and powder charge with the reloads while the WWII ball is what it was.
Could it get even better accuracy? Probably/possibly. Am I happy with the accuracy I'm getting? Yes.
However, in my two revolvers, as I don't intend to fight off any charging colonial natives or do any trench clearing with Webley in hand, I've decided that stout charges to poke holes in paper is more squeeze than I want to apply for any extra amount of juice that might result.
And the hollow base RCBS replica bullet cast from pure lead seems to obdurate just fine, with accuracy better than the couple of handfuls of WWII era ammunition I got with the revolver. Better, probably because I could experiment with powders and powder charge with the reloads while the WWII ball is what it was.
Could it get even better accuracy? Probably/possibly. Am I happy with the accuracy I'm getting? Yes.
I had read about the HB being the holy grail of webley bullets, when I started shooting them I was surprised to discover the SWC shoots better. The best reason for the HB that I can see is the increased powder capacity.
I was an avid Webley collector for 20 years but down to just two 455 service revolvers now, a MKI and a MKII. Also shoot a Webley WG, which doesn't have the silly tight throats, and 45 Schofield brass fits without trimming or thinning.
I was an avid Webley collector for 20 years but down to just two 455 service revolvers now, a MKI and a MKII. Also shoot a Webley WG, which doesn't have the silly tight throats, and 45 Schofield brass fits without trimming or thinning.
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