You would have to have the cylinder converted by a gunsmith...which would be a shame IMO

 

The .455 ammo can be found. It might be a little pricey. But,I agree w/ twaits, I'd leave it in original condition. Pics please!!

Charles

 

I second, or third if you will the leave it alone comments. The conversion seriously undermines the value. If you want a NS 45 ACP there are plenty of 1917s around that are 45ACP. Keep the gun you have in 455 and shoot it as is. you will find the 455 in the heavy NS a fun range gun with mild recoil and decent accuracy. Dave

 

so many .455s have been chopped to fire .45 acp that unmessed with .455 new service revolvers in decent condition are becoming increasingly hard to find at a reasonable price.

prairie arms, buffalo arms and smokewagon gear, among others, all have fiocchi .455 in stock this morning, starting at $32 a box.

if you're dead set on having a .45 acp, why not sell the .455? you could then buy a chopped example, or even a 1917, and have money left over for a goodly supply of ammo.

 

CapnHawk,

It is your revolver and you can do whatever you want with it. But I add my voice to the others LEAVE IT ALONE! If you want a .45ACP revolver look for a M1917 and if you are into .45 COLT there are New Service out there that are already in that chambering. .455 Mk II ammunition is available from both Fiocchi and Hornaday.

 

You can convert it tomorrow but you can never put it back to original EVER

 

Long time ago, when no .455 ammo was avail. I turned the rim of .45 long colt brass down and shortend the shell to .455 shells. Still reload them.
But now is .455 ammo and shells avail.

Leave it in .455

Beat

 

Can you find a used, beat up but still mechanically sound cylinder and convert it to 45 Auto? I suppose some timing/fitting would be required but then you could have your cake and eat it too

John Gross

 

I handload the .455 and it's great. Works well with 255 grain lead SWCs sized .454". Build up a small supply of brass and it becomes relatively cheap to shoot.

 

Yes, absolutely, leave it alone, and, enjoy it's uniqueness as it is!


.455 Cartridges or Brass is easy to get now, and, it is a fun Cartridge to re-load yourself, also, allowing many variations for Bullet type, from Wadcutters to traditional Eley or Enfield forms.


Molds are a little challenging to find, as are the Dies, but, you can prevail and really have a nice outfit.


Bores in those days ran larger than they do now...so, .45 Colt diameters of the time, are usually about right.

 

I also agree it should be left in original condition. And as most have said, components/ammo is readily available. A quick search of "455 webley" at Grafs found the following:

Lee dies - 28.99
Hornady ammo - 18.99/box of 20
Hornady brass - 30 per hundred

Way reasonable, and very fun to reload/shoot.

 

I bow before the experts on this forum. I do have a 1917 .45 ACP and a .45 Colt New Service already in my stable. All of you have convinced me to leave well enough alone and I shall. My thanks to you all for your compelling opinions. Greatly appreciated. This is a great Board!

 

Penn Bullets will size .455 diameter bullets for you, good products, good variety and good guys to buy from. Love their 225 grain full wadcutter.

 

Penn Bullets will size .455 diameter bullets for you, good products, good variety and good guys to buy from. Love their 225 grain full wadcutter.

Thanks for mentioning this dfetcher!


I have long yeared for a full Wadcutter in 455 for various of my older .45 LC Revolvers, and, could not find them, or even a Mold, anywhere.

I was ready to modify a Mold in fact, in order to be able to have them.

 

RCBS made molds for 265gr .455 round nose, hollow base bullets.
They are not on RCBS pages found, but Midway is selling them for 117.- $

Steap, but its the original bullet shape, which is not in the normal production line.

Beat

 

As for me, I want full Wadcutters, shaped like a 'Can of Soup'.

Also, about the same Bullet, but, hollow front, or even hollow front and hollow Base ( I know, I'd have to Swage them! ) like the old .476 Enfield 'Man Stopper' was.


I have a couple lovely S & W 2nd Model HEs, and, one Colt New Service, which were .455, and or which have quite large Cylinder Bores and Barrel Bores of .455 or .456 or so.


Two of these (one S &W and the Colt ) are Snubbys.


So, soft Lead, and, a right shape Bullet of appropriate diameter, would be desired for them, for optimal performance and fun.

 

I have a couple lovely S & W 2nd Model HEs, and, one Colt New Service, which were .455

Ah, excellent. So, which do you like to shoot more? For me, I have a really hard time with the size and shape of the S&W grip frame.

 

Oyeboten,

Like fig. 5 & 6 in here : http://cartridgecollectors.org/455/introto455.htm

Those are "the manstopper".

Where due you get those bullets from ?

Beat

 

Oyeboten,

Like fig. 5 & 6 in here : http://cartridgecollectors.org/455/introto455.htm

Those are "the manstopper".

Where due you get those bullets from ?

Beat

I wish I knew where to get various of those old Bullet shapes for the .455 or for .45 Colt.


I will be delighted to soon have the ones mentioned by dfletcher a few Posts above...true Treasure!


Far as some of the other old shapes, I guess, either one is lucky enough to find an old IDEAL or maybe LYMAN or other Mold, or, to find an English Mould, or, one sits down, thinks hard, and electes a common Mold which can then be modified to permit a dished front, flat base, 'Can o' Beans' shape Wadcutter or roughly appropriate weight for one's anticilated charges or taste.



One can get very nice 230 Grain Wadcutters of .453 diamater, which are the old 'SAECO" No. of #453 I believe.,..from "Western Bullet Co." in Montana.

I do not know if they can offert the same Bullet in larger diameters though.


I loaded up some of those awhile ago in Black Powder, and, in 'UNIQUE'
for .45 Colt.

I used ten grains of Unique, and, seated the Bullet not deep at all, and, was getting 840 FPS out of the 2 Inch New Service.

I was scolded for this because I was relying on Loading Lyman Data from many decades ago ( 1951 ) , and, was reminded that 'Unique' is understood to be a more powerful Powder now, than it was then, so, I was at the upper limit of .45 Colt, for 'Standard' loadings, or, maybe, I was passed it a little, far as that goes.


But, my New Service Snubby, the Cylinder accepts either .45 ACP, or, .45 Colt, so I assume it was made in anticipation of the higher pressures of the ACP Cartridge, where, what I was doing with .45 Colt would not have bothered it one bit.

I had one Case seperate, from the generous Head Space and the 'grab' of slightly fouled Cylinder Bores preventing the Case from moving back all the way once it fired, because I had been shooting Black Powder just prior and the Bores were a little fouled...otherwise, with clean Cylinder Bores, I had never had any issues shooting .45 Colt with it...it just prefers the Bullets be around .454 or .455ish to fill the diamaters of the Cylinder Bores and the Barrel well, is all.



So, the Link for those .455 Friendly Wadcutters which dfletcher shares, is definitely the best thing of it's kind I know about at this time, for having some fun with either one's .455 Revolvers, or, with anmy of the older .45 Colt Revolvers which still had the old, larger Bore diameters.


Be a dandy SD Bullet too of course....especially for a Short Barrel or Snubby.

 

Way too much powder...

One can get very nice 230 Grain Wadcutters of .453 diamater, which are the old 'SAECO" No. of #453 I believe.,..from "Western Bullet Co." in Montana.

I do not know if they can offert the same Bullet in larger diameters though.


I loaded up some of those awhile ago in Black Powder, and, in 'UNIQUE'
for .45 Colt.

I used ten grains of Unique, and, seated the Bullet not deep at all, and, was getting 840 FPS out of the 2 Inch New Service.

 

Here's the link for Penn Bullets ....

http://www.pennbullets.com/45/45-caliber.html

If anyone's got a 41 AE they also make a 170 grain truncated nose bullet for the chambering.

 

I am not trying to steal the 455 thread but following are some 455 related photos.
The first is a roll mark tool made of brass to mark ends of master cartons of 5,000 rounds of Winchester COLT 455 ammo.

The second is a 455 Eley (short round)next to Winchester 455 COLT round ( taller round)

The third is a 2nd model S&W sent to Winchester to test the 455 Colt ammo

 

Interesting. When was the last time Winchester made .455 ammo?

 

This search for .455 bullets confuses me.
.455 Webley has a bullet diameter of .454 the same as long Colt.
.455 Colt/Enfield has a bullet diameter of .455. 1 thousanth of an inch difference. Problem? What problem?

Up to 1998 when I could still shoot cartridge loading pistols I had both a .45 Long Colt and .455 Eley cylinder for my Bisley Flat top and used both with success.

Just to annoy some I must admit to melting down 2,000 'Man stopper' bullets just a few weeks ago. The lead (for other guns) was more usefull than bullets that I am not allowed to shoot.

 

What has always amazed me about the post WW2 altering of .455 cal British import revolvers [Webley, Colt or Smiths] is that .45 LC and .45 ACP bullet diameters are usually .452 while .455 Eley is .455 of course, which makes for terrible accuracy. I have 7 N.S.'s- 2 altered to .45LC, 2 in original .455, 2 in .38 SPCL and a lonely 1917. The only way around the accuracy problem is to reload .454 in .45LC brass [in a gun altered to .45 LC], however you run into trouble trying that with .45 ACP because the round is short and the brass is thicker at the mouth. In guns that the cylinder is rebated for .45LC instead of shaved for .45 ACP you can still shoot .455 brass as the rim of .455 is larger than the 45LC rim but you have bullet jump to contend with as the bullet is unsupported after it leaves the shorter case. My vote is not to ruin another old martial Colt. Swap it for a 1917 or buy another .455 that is ls ready messed with. If you look you can find .455 brass. Midway carries it and Sportsman Guide carries .455 ammo sometimes. Good luck.

 

Shades of the saying "I can't handle my own problems but I'll advise you on yours". I went thru the same kind of issue about whether to deepen the chambers on my .44 Russian S&W DA topbreak, so to shoot .44 Specials. I did it. I shoot .44 Specials.
See it below, it came as something of a beater that I reworked. On yours it seems like the issue is whether you are doing for yourself or for someone else.