455 webley reloading questions

fuhgettaboudit02 · January 19, 2012, 06:08 PM

i want to reload my webley brass with a slightly larger bullet than is normally used. lee sells this really cool mold that makes a 300 grain bullet in .452 diameter. traditional webley bullets are 265 grain and .454 diameter. does anyone think because of these small differences that this is a bad idea?

also, any idea of how many grains of powder i should be using when reloading these? the gun i have is a 455 garate (sometimes called eibar 455), from 1914. it is a spanish gun that was used by the english during WWI. thanks for anything anyone can tell me.

Brian Pfleuger · January 19, 2012, 06:12 PM

Loading bullets that are .002 under sized in likely to cause severe leading issues.

There's no way to tell you how many grains of "powder" should be used. All powders are different and there are literally dozens of choices.

I will assume that you are new to reloading and suggest that you buy and read "The ABCs of Reloading" and at least one good load manual. The Lyman 48th Edition is a good choice.

Romeo 33 Delta · January 20, 2012, 06:07 PM

Go to Buffalo Arms. They have the ideal bullet. It's not cheap like a typical .45 lead bullet ... but it IS the proper diameter (and has that wierd British shaped nose as well).

I have about 5 revolvers in .455" and that's all I use because it works.

fuhgettaboudit02 · January 25, 2012, 01:21 PM

i slugged the barrel and found that it is exactily .452, so that bullet would fit perfectly. my only question now is would it be dangerous to use a 300 gr bullet, when they originally came with 265. i found a 360 gr bullet mold in .452 diameter on ebay that would be cool to use, would that be okay? what if i used less powder?

Brian Pfleuger · January 25, 2012, 02:58 PM

I believe that you generally want lead bullets that are .001 OVER sized. I'm not a lead shooter so I'm not positive but that's the number I usually see.

As for shooting a 300gr bullet, there's nothing inherently dangerous about it as long as you do it right.

You'll need to make sure that the bullet isn't jammed into the rifling and can be seated to a depth that allows for an appropriate powder charge to be used.

You may have trouble finding data for that bullet weight so you might have to experiment on your own. Needless to say, doing so can be extremely dangerous if you don't have a thorough understanding of what's happening.

I assume you are new to reloading and I would suggest getting some experience with "normal" practices before venturing out on your own.

Magnum Wheel Man · January 26, 2012, 08:20 AM

have you considered loading soft lead balls ??? they can often be found in that just right diameter... & being soft lead if they are a bit bigger they squeeze down nicely

personally I think you'll be fine with the 300 grain bullet ( so long as the gun is in good condition )... I load many old black powder era cartridges from 32 S&W (short) to 44 Bulldog using various loads of Trailboss... you may see a slight bit more leading, but since you are not dealing with a rifle length barrel, or I assume not planning on shooting 100's of rounds in a session, I think you'll be OK

if you measure your case capacity, to a line that the base of the bullet will seat to in the case ( in grains of powder ) of Trailboss, & multiply that by 0.7, you will get a safe starting load... the powder is so bulky, that I have in the past ( on weaker action guns ) I've used 0.5 as a multiplier, with good / safe results... so if you wanted to be more conservative with the 300 grain bullet, you could use a 1/2 case of powder

if you have any questions about this, feel free to PM me & we can discuss this further

January 19, 2012, 06:08 PM	#1
fuhgettaboudit02 Junior Member Join Date: January 19, 2012 Posts: 2	455 webley reloading questions i want to reload my webley brass with a slightly larger bullet than is normally used. lee sells this really cool mold that makes a 300 grain bullet in .452 diameter. traditional webley bullets are 265 grain and .454 diameter. does anyone think because of these small differences that this is a bad idea? also, any idea of how many grains of powder i should be using when reloading these? the gun i have is a 455 garate (sometimes called eibar 455), from 1914. it is a spanish gun that was used by the english during WWI. thanks for anything anyone can tell me.

January 19, 2012, 06:12 PM	#2
Brian Pfleuger Moderator Emeritus Join Date: June 25, 2008 Location: Austin, CO Posts: 19,578	Loading bullets that are .002 under sized in likely to cause severe leading issues. There's no way to tell you how many grains of "powder" should be used. All powders are different and there are literally dozens of choices. I will assume that you are new to reloading and suggest that you buy and read "The ABCs of Reloading" and at least one good load manual. The Lyman 48th Edition is a good choice. __________________ Nobody plans to screw up their lives... ...they just don't plan not to. -Andy Stanley

January 25, 2012, 02:58 PM	#5
Brian Pfleuger Moderator Emeritus Join Date: June 25, 2008 Location: Austin, CO Posts: 19,578	I believe that you generally want lead bullets that are .001 OVER sized. I'm not a lead shooter so I'm not positive but that's the number I usually see. As for shooting a 300gr bullet, there's nothing inherently dangerous about it as long as you do it right. You'll need to make sure that the bullet isn't jammed into the rifling and can be seated to a depth that allows for an appropriate powder charge to be used. You may have trouble finding data for that bullet weight so you might have to experiment on your own. Needless to say, doing so can be extremely dangerous if you don't have a thorough understanding of what's happening. I assume you are new to reloading and I would suggest getting some experience with "normal" practices before venturing out on your own. __________________ Nobody plans to screw up their lives... ...they just don't plan not to. -Andy Stanley

January 26, 2012, 08:20 AM	#6
Magnum Wheel Man Senior Member Join Date: July 26, 2006 Location: Southern Minnesota Posts: 9,333	have you considered loading soft lead balls ??? they can often be found in that just right diameter... & being soft lead if they are a bit bigger they squeeze down nicely personally I think you'll be fine with the 300 grain bullet ( so long as the gun is in good condition )... I load many old black powder era cartridges from 32 S&W (short) to 44 Bulldog using various loads of Trailboss... you may see a slight bit more leading, but since you are not dealing with a rifle length barrel, or I assume not planning on shooting 100's of rounds in a session, I think you'll be OK if you measure your case capacity, to a line that the base of the bullet will seat to in the case ( in grains of powder ) of Trailboss, & multiply that by 0.7, you will get a safe starting load... the powder is so bulky, that I have in the past ( on weaker action guns ) I've used 0.5 as a multiplier, with good / safe results... so if you wanted to be more conservative with the 300 grain bullet, you could use a 1/2 case of powder if you have any questions about this, feel free to PM me & we can discuss this further __________________ In life you either make dust or eat dust...

January 20, 2012, 06:07 PM	#3
Romeo 33 Delta Senior Member Join Date: March 27, 2009 Posts: 315	Go to Buffalo Arms. They have the ideal bullet. It's not cheap like a typical .45 lead bullet ... but it IS the proper diameter (and has that wierd British shaped nose as well). I have about 5 revolvers in .455" and that's all I use because it works.

January 25, 2012, 01:21 PM	#4
fuhgettaboudit02 Junior Member Join Date: January 19, 2012 Posts: 2	i slugged the barrel and found that it is exactily .452, so that bullet would fit perfectly. my only question now is would it be dangerous to use a 300 gr bullet, when they originally came with 265. i found a 360 gr bullet mold in .452 diameter on ebay that would be cool to use, would that be okay? what if i used less powder?