Question about ability to shoot .455 out of a shaved Webley

jacotsmith

jacotsmith

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Hi everyone,

It seems as though I've been bitten by the Webley bug so here I am starting another thread to ask questions.

I have owned a couple of them now and have some factory. 455 Fiocchi ammo, and am set up to reload the same, but I am currently eyeing up a MkI** with a shaved cylinder. From some googling I see that one can use a disk or moon clip to accommodate the original ammo, (at least with MkV models it seems), and am looking for some thoughts on the chip's effectiveness and ultimately their availability.

I am not currently interested in using 45 ACP or Autorim brass as I already have money invested in 455, but if that's the collective advice thats good to know too as then I will just pass on this particular pistol and keep looking for something unshaved.

So, do the moon clips work well and if so where can I find some?

Thanks for looking!
 
The moon clips are for the use of 45acp.
If you want to use 455 you need the spacer ring to replace what was milled off or a second, unshaved cylinder.

As I understand it anyway. Haven't owned one and would much prefer an unmolested one.
 
A .455 cartridge would have grossly excess headspace if fired in a converted cylinder.
Stop and consider how thin the .455 rim is, and then think about how much larger the moon clip plus .45ACP rim is.
Unless you are prepared to handload .45ACP ammunition, stay away from a converted revolver.
Even then, when the Gov't decides that it doesn't want folks wandering around packing iron, which do you think will retain value as a collector's piece - a .455 or an ACP conversion?
 
Thanks everyone. Sounds like I should stick with my unmolested .455 MkII and pass on the shaved MkI** if I don't want to inventory a second type of brass/ammo.

Sigh, it's a really cool piece though...
 
A Webley with a shaved cylinder can use .45 Auto Rim without clips,the rims are that much thicker.

And by using 45 Auto Rim you can even use a speadloader,I use HKS.25-5
 
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Also in regards to the spacer ring any half decent machinist should be able to make one. Pretty much just a disk of specific thickness with 7 holes in it. I will say however I like using 45 AR in mine just because the case length is almost identical to .455 mkI brass meaning I can load original black powder loads. Also there is a lot more published pressure data for 45 acp and 45 AR most of it the starting load is a max load for a Webley or a little passed but it does give you something to work off of.
 
265’s in 45acp brass on moon clips.
Easy to make, reloads quick, works great.
Unique is your friend.
4-5 grains.
Roll crimp at the last groove.
No reason to avoid a shaved gun, very rare to find one that isn’t shaved.
I can’t see any reason to run the plate and 455 brass other than entertainment.
 
Hi,
I agree with the comments about rim thickness being much less on 455 Webley than the 45 AR. The 45 ACP in a Moon-Clip is roughly, if not exactly, the same as the 45 AR. The issue would be the distance between the face of the cylinder where it is shaved for the 45AR, and the back-plate of the revolver frame. It is not good to have a sloppy gap between the casehead and the backplate. My question is whether some solder or brazing could create the desired space. The 455 Webley is a very low pressure load, so a super strong fix may not be required. I have shot 455 in a 45AR as an experiment, but quickly realized that there are many reasons NOT to do this. I won't expand on why, because it should NOT be done.
Gotta love those old revolvers!
Stay safe,
Dogsteve
 
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