Webley 1889 safe with 45acp

45 ACP bullets are also generally .452... You'll have subpar accuracy if you're shooting 45 ACP.

I'm having alright luck with reloading 45 ACP cases with .454 Hornady SWC with 5 grains of HP38 in my shaved Webley Mk II. Reloading is definitely the way to go if you want cheaper ammo when shooting an old Webley.

More info here: https://www.canadiangunnutz.com/for...9-Webley-in-45-acp-questions?highlight=webley
 
Must be down loaded to the .455 spec to be safe. Do not shoot off the shelf .45acp!
If it is in its original cal. Please don't ruin the gun by changing it unless you have a spare cylinder
 
IIRC .455 Webley loads run around 13,000 to 15,000 CUP (Copper Units of Pressure). .45 ACP loads run in the area of 21,000 CUP.

It is definitely NOT recommended to fire standard .45ACP loads in a Webley revolver of that vintage (I'm assuming it's a Mk1 based on year of manufacture). They were designed to take black powder loads only.
 
I assume it is a Webley WG model of 1889?
No. It is not a good plan to fire full power 45acp in that revolver. 45acp cartridges should be downloaded for that revolver.

I had a parts gun, a WG M1891 that was modified for 45acp and has likely fired a lot of it - the bore is smooth with just a shadow of rifling visible, the latch is loose, the frame hinge pin is bent and the pin holes are oblong.
 
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The metal in these was never meant for jacketed bullets. Aside from pressure issues of 45acp, you really should only shoot lead bullets.
 
Handload the .45ACP cases with appropriate .455 bullets and powder charge.
Silly thing about converting these antiques is that after conversion, handloading is necessary - and it is just as easy to load .455 as it is to assemble .455 loads in ACP brass.
 
tiriaq said:
Handload the .45ACP cases with appropriate .455 bullets and powder charge.
Silly thing about converting these antiques is that after conversion, handloading is necessary - and it is just as easy to load .455 as it is to assemble .455 loads in ACP brass.
Click to expand...

It is easier to find 45acp brass and much less expensive, and you can load 45acp to higher velocity at the same pressure as 455 MKII. That's because there's close to 20% more case capacity in the acp, which is fairly close to the case capacity of the original MKI 455 brass.

It is a shame to see the old guns mutilated for 45acp, but if a previous owner has done that then may as well make the best of it.
 
tiriaq said:
Handload the .45ACP cases with appropriate .455 bullets and powder charge.
Silly thing about converting these antiques is that after conversion, handloading is necessary - and it is just as easy to load .455 as it is to assemble .455 loads in ACP brass.
Click to expand...

That is true but I think most were converted in a time when .455 brass and ammo was near impossible to find easily and .45 acp brass and ammo has always been cheap and plentiful.
 
jethunter said:
I assume it is a Webley WG model of 1889?
No. It is not a good plan to fire full power 45acp in that revolver. 45acp cartridges should be downloaded for that revolver.

I had a parts gun, a WG M1891 that was modified for 45acp and has likely fired a lot of it - the bore is smooth with just a shadow of rifling visible, the latch is loose, the frame hinge pin is bent and the pin holes are oblong.
Click to expand...

Out of interest, how did they modify the WG to chamber and fire .45 acp without them sinking into the chambers too far? was it by shaving the face and extractor/ ejector at the rear to allow moon or star clips or some other way?
 
As everyone else has already mentioned, no it's not. Even if it was, it's still not a good option, as the bullet diameter is .452 on ACP, which is 3 thou smaller then .455, some of the bores on Webleys are even larger.
This will result in horrid stringing of shots, even key holing from as close as 10 feet. It's so bad that throwing the gun at the target would produce better results, I'm not kidding.

The solution? The poster in this thread "Jethunter" makes some damn good projectiles for these old girls. I was at the point in giving up on my Webley's, until I seen that someone makes good projectiles for them. Now it's shooting to point of aim, making solid hits on steel poppers as far as 50 yards. The investment into an antique firearm should also come with the investment into even a single stage press.
 
mkrnel said:
Out of interest, how did they modify the WG to chamber and fire .45 acp without them sinking into the chambers too far? was it by shaving the face and extractor/ ejector at the rear to allow moon or star clips or some other way?
Click to expand...

yes, shave the rear of the cylinder and use moon clips.
 
I used to shoot an old Webley Mark IV and New Service Colt .455 revolvers back around 1975.

Back then Dominion (CIL) was still making .455 Colt ammunition and I had 200 cases to reload.

Using my.45 ACP dies and a .455 shell holder, I managed to load using salvage .22 lead bullets cast in my 230 grain Lyman #452374 RN mold.
While for the .45ACP, and sized to .452", they measured .454" or thereabouts unsized, which is how I used them.

Quite accurate and easy to load.

I also experimented with .45 LC cases. I cut them down and turned the rims thinner from the front side of the rim. While laborious to produce with my primitive tools, they worked fine.

I also read about making a swaging die to reduce the rim thickness on .45 LC. Just a case sized hole in the end of a piece of round steel bar stock.
You slide a case in and pound on the die against a smooth steel anvil surface to flatten and thin the rim, checking with a vernier caliper.
 
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