.455 Eley Bullet Weight and Velocity

[Niederlander]

Does anyone know the bullet weight and velocity for the .455 Eley round?  I don't have a "Cartridges of the World" handy.  Thanks!

[Sir Charles deMouton-Black]

Does anyone know the bullet weight and velocity for the .455 Eley round?  I don't have a "Cartridges of the World" handy.  Thanks!

From COTW, 3d Ed. 

455 Revolver Mk I, aka .455 Colt.  Case length is .87"
265 gr bullet   1. Kynoch black powder mv 700 fps
                     2. Kynoch Cordite mv 600 fps
                     3. US loading (powder not stated) mv 757 fps

.455 revolver Mk II  ( case length .77") These cases are available from Hornady from time to time.  Fiocchi sells ammo.
Factory load  w/265gr bullet @ 600 fps

When I am making Mk I cases I use a LEE case trimmer for the .45 ACP at .89 "  Just easier, and the result is satisfactory in my WEBLEY Mk VI.   When altering .45 Colt/Schofield/Special you have to trim the rims from the front to .035".

[Niederlander]

Well, the bullet weight and muzzle velocity would explain the results I got today.  I shot my Colt New Service, originally in .455 Eley and converted to .45 Colt, with the same loads I use in my 1860 conversion revolver.  I was expecting the point of impact to be off quite a bit because those loads move so slow (probably about 700 fps with a 255 grain bullet).  Since that just about duplicates the original Eley loading, I shouldn't have been surprised that elevation was perfect (about two inches left, though).  Cool!

[RattlesnakeJack]

Dale:

The "correct" bullet for the .455 cartridge is a long-nosed hollow-base pill which, as others have already indicated, weighs 265 grains ..... there was both a Mark I and a Mark II bullet (same weight for both) -



FWIW, RCBS make a mould (.455" 45-265-RN-HB) which throws a bullet very close to the Mark II ..... it is what I use:

[pony express]

That MkIII bullet looks pretty fearsome! I wonder how that wouls expand if you loaded it in a .45Colt over a full load of BP? But on the bad side, would not be easy to cast with both a hollow base and nose.

[PJ Hardtack]

Pony Express

Reversing the bullet would give you a vicious HB for a close range stopper; however, loading it with the pointy end up, I think that you'd find the 265 HB Webley bullet much too long for the .45 Colt. Deep seating it wouldn't likely work either as the ogive of the bullet would prevent getting an adequate crimp.

Oddly, both my .450 Tranter and .455 Colt New Service do their best work with FB Colt .452 bullets.

[RattlesnakeJack]

The Mark III bullet was known as the "manstopper".  It was adopted in 1898  but then dropped almost immediately because it was clearly in breach of the Hague Convention of 1899 against expanding bullets in military applications ....