Webley Toughness?

You could be in a Lee hand press and set of carbide dies for under $100. Maybe less than $75 if you shop right. Unless you're going to shoot some crazy high volume of rounds, it should serve you well.
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I would be shooting at most 300 rounds per month. Time is of no issue for me. I am looking for the cheapest method of reloading .38 S&W that is humanly possible, while still making quality and safe ammo.

This Lee hand loader might well be EXACTLY what I'm looking for.
 
I had the W.H. English Pak Tool.
Hand tools are inadequate for any amount of shooting.
Get a low end single stage bench press and if you are in confined quarters, a stand that you can set by a card table to load from. BTDT.
 
Don't tell your landlord, or any neighbors, you are reloading. Some leases preclude storage of flammable and/or explosive material(powder). If it isn't in the lease I would be worried about non-renewal.
 
All good info seeing I just took delivery of a Webley Mk IV in 38 S&W yesterday. The mail order ammo arrived today so it's range time tomorrow. Looking forward to seeing how well she performs.

Someone mentioned the cheap canvas holster and mine came with the holster. I was thinking it was something that the seller threw it in, but it is dated 1945 inside the holster. Came with the matching belt as well. Though I'd have to lose about 100lbs before it would fit me. Those Brits must have been real skinny back then.....
 
Model12Win said:
Very cool, Natman. Would I be able to mount this to a kitchen counter? I'm an apartment dweller, and don't have access to a proper workbench.
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Loading with cast bullets in food preparing area may not be a good idea. Possible lead contamination is the concern.

-TL
 
I use a Lee Hand Loader for all my reloading. Have for years. I don't see where it's much, if any slower than an single stage press.

For something like the 38/200, I'd get a set of dies and just use the little powder dipper that comes with them, if you don't have plans to reload for other cartridges. You're not going to be hot loading it anyway. Just consult the instruction sheet that comes with the dies, pick the right powder for the bullet you're going to shoot...if I remember correctly there aren't a lot of options, and you're in business. You might want to pick up a cheap Lee case trimmer and chamfer tool, but I reloaded 38 Specials for years without them.

Check E-bay for the press and dies. That's where I get most of that kind of stuff. Just make sure everything comes with the dies, like the dipper and the instruction sheet.

I've got a set of Lee dies for the 38 S&W that I've never used. I used to trip over Smith & Wesson M&P's chambered for the 38 S&W that were pretty cheap, so I figured I'd get the stuff to reload the cartridge and pick one up. Wouldn't you know. Haven't seen one since. :)
 
I see Cajun Bass, thank you for the input.

The Lee hand press may well be a good choice for me since it would be a hassle to have to clamp down a press since I live in an apartment. I've got the time, and don't mind an initial investment if it means I can cut the cost of ammo down. Plus I can expand to other calibers in the future and this could open up new calibers that I would otherwise not own.

Again, I would want to do this as cheaply as possible. I would probably not get things like a case tumbler or anything, I'd just wash them out by hand. Sure I know it's tedious but I won't be putting thousands of rounds down range, but every time I buy a box of factory .38 S&W I feel like someone hit me in the gut, considering that factory .38 special is half the cost!! :eek:

Without turning this into a reloading thread (or maybe I should start a separate thread?) what would you guys also recommend I pick up in addition to the Lee hand press and .38 S&W dies in order to get a cheap reloading setup going? I also already have the book "ABC's Of Reloading" so will be reading over that again as it's been a long time since I last read it.
 
This is off topic but on the subject of reloading in an apartment, I have a friend who made his own loading setup for that use. Briefly, it consists of a flat steel plate about 1x2 feet, with a steel column at one end and of a height convenient to hold the loading tool. There are several ways to attach the pieces, including welding, but it is better if the floor plate and the upright can be separated easily for storage/moving. The user stands on the large base plate while working the tool.

If/when the tool needs to be taken down for moving or getting it out of sight, the base plate is just unscrewed.

Jim
 
I've found that a couple of large C clamps and a sturdy surface to clamp to are all that's needed to do a passable job with a standard bench mounted press.

I've even done .375H&H full length resizing with my press just clamped (not bolted) to a table. And, you can, if it matters, do it without marring the table surface. Also makes for easy pick up and storage of your setup when finished.
 
Webley IV Range Report

So I got my new Webley out to the range today for the first time and she was a lot of fun to shoot. Though I have to say that the rounds seem to be tumbling once fired going by the pattern below. I was shooting at 7 yards from the target, so the group is not bad for a gun this old. But you can definitely see they are not stabilized. Anyone else notice this when shooting their Webley?

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One thing I can say for sure is that 38 S&W is a pretty anemic round. It was interesting though as the lead round would significantly come apart when it hit a reactive metal target.
 
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Slug the bore, odds are the bullets you have are a loose fit, so they keyhole.

I don't have a Webley .38 but I do have a Mk VI .455 and it doesn't keyhole.
 
Webley

The original loading for this gun used a 200 gr. bullet. The British called them a .380-200. The bore is actually .360 but I load 158 gr. semi wad cutter .357 bullets that I use for .38 spec. They shoot well in both my Webleys. I have a .455 Webley from 1900 and have shot it a lot and it is still as tight as when I got it. It has been converted to .45 acp which is a lot hotter than the .455.
They are fun to shoot and it is real cheap if you cast your own bullets and reload. They are expensive to buy factory ammo for.
Reload for it and have fun.
The British claimed it stopped as well as the .455 when using the 200 grain bullet, who knows???

I just read about the key holing. refer above. The Webley should have a .360 bore and was originally supposed to shoot a 200 gr. bullet. There are companies that make bullet molds for it.
 
The 200 grain lead round nose .38/200 load was considered effective. The later 178 grain FMJs, less so, by the men that shot other men with them.
 
Not to drift too much, (still Webleys) but this needs to be said..

DO NOT SHOOT .45ACP AMMUNITION in the converted Webley .455s!!!!!

Standard GI ball .45acp ammo is at the proof test levels for the Webleys! yes, the guns will take it, for a while, until they fail.

The shaved cylinders of the Webleys was so they could be shot with .45acp BRASS loaded to Webley level loads which are lighter than .45acp ammo!

You MIGHT get away with hundred of rounds of acp, or you might have a cracked cylinder the very next time you pull the trigger. DON'T DO IT!

As to the .38 keyholing, with a nominal .360 bore, (which might actually be larger) regular .358 slugs might not upset enough to get a good grip on the rifling. And if the bore is worn, even the "right" size bullet might not grip well, and something a couple thousandths larger might be needed for accuracy.
 
I would suggest the OP look around for a used Lee 3 hole turret press. They are cheap(I paid $40.00 for mine) and he would only have to set up the dies once. That and a set of dies with the powder dipper he could get started for around $80.00. He could add things later if he wanted to. He would pay more that for the the consumables(powder, primers, bullets & cases) to start up with but once started it would end up being way cheaper to reload.
 
In regards to those targets, were they attached to any kind of backing? I've seen targets that ripped like that when I stapled a paper target to crossboards with nothing behind them. Attaching a piece of cardboard to the crossboards, then stapling the target to the crossboard stopped it.

Actual keyholing I've seen ripped a smaller non circular hole, not that elongated tear. Note at the ends of the tears, you can see a circular hole where the bullet impacts cleanly, then rips the target.
 
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