Webley MkVI and .45ACP

Riflechair

Riflechair

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No Not Again!
This thread has been done before yes I know.

However it keeps coming up because more and more people seem to be doing this. I'm referring to, of course, using .45ACP ammunition in the webley MkVI.

I found another web page where this is being advertized as a possible solution to the shortage of .455 eley.

What do you think?

The Arm of the British Empire
The WEBLEY Mk. VI .455 double-action service revolver.
July 3 2005

This old 1918 British Government issue sidearm is a real heavy duty "no nonsense" workhorse!! Used in both WW1 & WW2 as the "Arm of the British Empire" It"s a hinged frame,top breaking, ejecting all the spent cartiridge cases at once. Six inch barrel & lanyard ring on the squared butt.

Webley2.jpg


I use half & full moon clips to seat .45 auto ammo in the massive cylinder. .455 Eley or the old service round may be extremely difficult to scrounge up.

Just hefting this old warrior brings to mind visions of Sherlock Holmes, shoot outs in darkest Africa with the Zulu tribes on the warpath, Indiana Jones in some remote jungle hell-hole protecting some sacred important artifact. But for now I have it on loan and will pack it in the south Texas mesquite, granjeno, tasajilla & prickly pear "jungle ".
 
The Webley on the photo seems to have a shaved cylinder, standard practice by importers in the 50 & 60's in the USA to make Webleys easier to sell.
 
Thank You Jean
Thats what I thought.
Personally I believe this is morally the wrong thing to do. The Webley is quite rotund and can take the pressure of the .45ACP but why not just obtain the right brass, some .455 bullets and start roling your own?

I keep seeing people looking shaving their cylinders on other forums and it bugs me.
 
Unfortunately, most of the Webleys I see in the USA have shaved cylinders, even nice early MKI/II/III's !!!!!!!
 
Most of the damage done to Webley cylinders was done in the 1950's and 60's. At that time you could buy a Webly MKVI for $9.95 at J.C.Penny's departmant stores all over the US (Lee-enfirlds were $14.95). While the pistols were plentiful and cheap .455 ammo could not be found for love or money. .45 ACP milsurp was plentiful, inexpensive and somebody figured out how to shoot it in Webleys. So, cylinders got shaved, .45ACP loaded and shot and a lot of Webleys are still around because of that. It is what it is.

That said, the .45ACP is too hot to be a full time diet in your Webley. Buy the right bullet, load to Webley ammo pressures and use .45ACP with half-moon clips or .45 Auto Rim and you're good to go.
 
Cottage Hill Bill said:
Most of the damage done to Webley cylinders was done in the 1950's and 60's. At that time you could buy a Webly MKVI for $9.95 at J.C.Penny's departmant stores all over the US (Lee-enfirlds were $14.95). While the pistols were plentiful and cheap .455 ammo could not be found for love or money. .45 ACP milsurp was plentiful, inexpensive and somebody figured out how to shoot it in Webleys. So, cylinders got shaved, .45ACP loaded and shot and a lot of Webleys are still around because of that. It is what it is.

That said, the .45ACP is too hot to be a full time diet in your Webley. Buy the right bullet, load to Webley ammo pressures and use .45ACP with half-moon clips or .45 Auto Rim and you're good to go.
Click to expand...

Exactly.

Has anyone ever heard of early model Webleys failing when used with .45ACP ammunition? A lot of the very early .455s were converted as well as the Mk. VIs.
 
My friends MKI Webley has a failing top strap latching area (visibly deforming).
Click to expand...

What exactly do you mean? The latch screw or latch will fail long before you could deform the actual locking recess in the top strap. Sounds more like someone has snapped the action closed many times with out depressing the latch.

Take a look at the latch on the side with the spring, see how thin it is where the screw comes through, that is the failure point on these guns. The screw will bend or the latch will crack but I doubt firing it can deform the top strap.
 
Just be carefull and id still reload the 45 ACP ammo.

this is what happened to a MKVI converted to 45 ACP
I frist thought it was a Hot reload but no it was some match Factory target ammo that caused this damage.


Click to enlarge
 
Heres a better picture LOL
I load some hot but safe rds for the MKVI MODIFIED to shoot special 45 Colt loads. im getting 1000 FPS with a 250 gr .454 Keiths bullet seated deeper in the case.
The 45 ACP is smaller in Dia than the 455 and alot of gases escape past the 45 ACP Rd
The guys who really are into shooting the 45 ACP in MKVIs and hitting there targets Reload and expand the case mouth and use a .454 Dia keiths bullet in the 45 Acp case and load em in the moon clips.

might look funny but the accuracys way better.


 
I have a shaved 1915 MKVI that I've put hundreds of Fiochi .45 acp through using full moon clips. No problems, and while not a tack driver this old piece shoots quite respectively.
 
Perhaps
However the bore of the MkVI webley is more generous than the standard .45 colt or .45 ACP.

Bore dia - groove to groove (cast bullets)
.45 colt & .45 ACP is .452"
.455 Eley or Webley is .455" to .456"

I'm supprised you're getting good accuracy with .451" jacketted ammo in a .455 bore.
 
Well if some folks don't mind shooting proof loads in their webleys, which is exactly what .45ACP rounds are.
Oh by the way, its not the bore diameter you should be looking at. Mike the front of the chambers and you may be in for a shock. That is what is going into the barrel and the reason why webley bullets are hollow base. .446
Hornady makes .455 brass, and while .45LC is the same diameter as .455 cases, the rims are thicker. Even if you could close the action, its a safe bet the cylinder would bind.
However www.buffaloarms.com does offer .455 cases made from .45LC and they do the work of thinning the rims. (Load in .455 Lee dies)

And for shaved cylinders .45 Auto Rim brass 1s available from both Midway and Grafs.
5.0 gr of Unique will duplicate the factory load with either a 250 gr bullet or the 265gr Webley bullet. And that load is from an OLD Lyman reloading handbook. The Webley is far more pleasent to shoot with that load.
 
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A THOUSAND fps with a 250????????

In a Webley????????

Text Book of Ammunition sez nominal 630 ft/sec. I do think your loads are well over the Proof standard. Read carefully John Sukey's item above.

I'm using a Webley and a New Service with sane loads, having an absolute ball, the bullets make it to the targets and the targets fall over. Who needs Casull performance in a century-old handgun, anyway? Would you expect a Model T to run the Indy?
 
smellie said:
A THOUSAND fps with a 250????????

In a Webley????????

Text Book of Ammunition sez nominal 630 ft/sec. I do think your loads are well over the Proof standard. Read carefully John Sukey's item above.

I'm using a Webley and a New Service with sane loads, having an absolute ball, the bullets make it to the targets and the targets fall over. Who needs Casull performance in a century-old handgun, anyway? Would you expect a Model T to run the Indy?
Click to expand...

Im only doing what Elmer Keith and others have done.
his .454 dia Keith bullet for a 1200 FPS Max 2400 load in a Modified MKVI Cylinder.
You have to ream the chamber to except the 45 colt solid head brass frist then seat the bullet deeper in the case.
Im below that and the gun handles it NO problem.
No excess presure at all. The cases fall out.

Text book ya right thats a Factory loads 455 specs. Im shooting 45 colt not 455.
My Modified guns in mint condition and i intend to keep shooting my loads.

You keep to your 650 FPS loads if it makes you happy and feel safe!
I will enjoy my gun my way thanks LOL
 
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