Webley Toughness?

Webley

I, too, have a Webley chambered for .38 S&W. I have had it a long time.
It may well be the strongest of the top break revolvers.
To
The Lee hand press, dies, powder scoop, primers, bullets, powder are all you need. I suggest, though, that you add an inexpensive scale - one of the digital jewelers scales on ebay will do just fine. You want to be sure that the powder scoop holds the amount of powder that it is supposed to hold.
Lead bullets at .360-.362 work just fine.
If anyone is into bullet casting, the Lyman mold #358450 drops a 195 grain RN at .360 using WW alloy
 
Last edited:
"It has been converted to .45 acp which is a lot hotter than the .455...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!"

When those converted guns were sold on the surplus market for $15-20 or so ("the good old days"), the sellers did not make any claims or recommendations for using light ammo; they simply said the guns fired .45 ACP.

In spite of claims by Anglophiles that those British .380's were super strong, more powerful than a .357 or that a .455 is more powerful than a .44 Magnum, all top-break revolvers are inherently weak. The Enfields and Webleys are adequately strong for the weak ammo they used, but that is all that can be said.

Jim
 
slightly off topic because they are not meant for the Webley, but Matts Ammunition makes a 180 grain hollow point in 38 S&W. They also make 38/200 ammunition which is meant for the Webley.
 
Note on clamping a loading tool to a table. Perfectly feasible IF you have a heavy table you don't mind marring. But the discussion was on reloading in an apartment where you would usually have a dining room table and maybe a kitchen table/lunch counter, none of which would provide much support and which could/would be damaged by using a heavy press on them.

That is why I suggested the "stand alone" tool mounting for that situation.

Jim
 
You could probably clamp on a silicone mat and get a good grip without marring.
http://www.woodcraft.com/product/158722/woodriver-silicone-bench-mat-18-x-24.aspx
Wrap it over the edge of the table so it protects top and bottom. May not work, but an idea.
What James K describes sounds quite similar to a grinder pedestal.
https://www.amazon.com/WEN-4288-Ben...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=9K3TP6GBRN61J9QKMBGG
I've used them with the plates to stand on in shops before. I imagine it would work quite well.
 
IIRC, the loading setup was very like a grinder pedestal, but instead of the heavy base usually seen on those, the base was just a flat plate with a rubber pad, which made it easy to take down for moving or to be put out of sight, unlike most pedestals for drill presses or grinders.

Jim
 
rockrivr1 said:
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?
Click to expand...

Those rounds aren't tumbling. You can tell by the perfect ring of soft lead around the hole. Those are rips in the paper caused by slow rounds fired at an unsupported piece of paper.

If they were tumbling you would be seeing the profile of the bullet, not a circle with a tear below it.
 
"If they were tumbling you would be seeing the profile of the bullet, not a circle with a tear below it."

Agreed. You can also tell that they aren't keyholes because a keyhole would be a nice profile of the bullet, but several of those holes are half moon shaped.

No bullet is going to do that unless it both keyholes AND rivets at the same time...
 
Target paper tearing can be caused by damp paper, unsupported (no cardboard backing) tsrget paper, non-uniform paper material, slow moving round-nose bullets, or some combination of the above.

Jim
 
After taking another look at the target in the pic (which I didn't really pay attention to before), I agree with Mike and JamesK.

ROUND holes with tear beneath it is not keyholing, it is the target paper tearing, and the reasons JamesK gave are spot on.
 
Thanks everyone. I didn't have a full backing on the target so hopefully it is just tearing. I'll do some additional shooting with her again and see if the tearing stops with a cardboard backing.
 
I don't own a Webley-yet-I have a No. 2 Mk I, I found Hornady HBWCs worked fine. 2.7 grains of Bullseye, equivalent of the classic 38 Special load
Reloading in an apartment ? I built a nice solid reloading cabinet out of plywood, holds my RCBS 4x4 very nicely. I have both the Lee and Lyman hand presses, work fine. Have the Lee hand priming tool. Main caution is to avoid double powder charges. Try some dry runs, see what setup works best for you, is most comfortable.
 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MP-412_REX
I'd agree that given the same manufacturing techniques, materials, weight, etc., the swing out is stronger. That is, of course, the situation OP finds himself in with the Webley. Saying a top-break can not be made to fire magnums is not accurate. The MP/REX-412 was not put into production because its import to the US was banned. I don't think there were any issues with strength.
Considering some of the niche arms that seem to be doing quite well in our current market, I am surprised no one has introduced one to market.
 
Saying a top-break can not be made to fire magnums is not accurate. The MP/REX-412 was not put into production because its import to the US was banned. I don't think there were any issues with strength.
Click to expand...

Lets be clear, there is a difference between strength and durability. Yes, they are linked, but they ARE different.

Yes, you can build a top break to contain magnum pressures, however, how long it will last is another matter. The top break design means forces are acting on TWO major points, the hinge and the latch, that are not an issue in solid frame revolvers. One Russian prototype with no history of service life really doesn't prove that a durable magnum top break can be done.

And this leaves aside the question of can it be done in an economically competitive price range. SO far, no one has tried it.
 
can it be done in an economically competitive price range.
Click to expand...
For a novelty item? I think so. To be price competitive with a GP100? Probably not. Many of the firearms in production today are not cost competitive with utilitarian competitors. If that was the sole standard people used in their firearms purchase decisions H&R would still be making single shots.

This discussion always reminds me of the initial threads about the LCR.
 
Agree on the target. The hits in the white show a round grease ring almost all at the top of an oblong hole. Most likely tearing of an unbacked paper target.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top