webley .455 question

[youg]

Just inherited a 1918 webley .455. I heard it could be converted to shoot 45acp. Does anyone know more about this? Maybe how to tell if it is already converted? Is a big deal to convert? Does it kill the value if I do? Any info would be appreciated. Cool gun. 45acp would for sure be convenient if possible. thanks.

[Diomed]

If it's converted the back of the cylinder will be shaved. You can tell if it's been shaved either by eyeballing it (if you're good) or by dropping in a half-moon clip of .45ACP or a round of .45 Auto Rim. If they fit, there you go.

It's a terrible idea to convert an unconverted Webley. It may seem like a good idea, but you're doing two things when you do it. One, you're killing the collector value. Second, the gun is generally considered too weak for .45ACP, so you'd have a safety issue (I'm not 100% convinced that's true, but that's the standard gun lore on it). At this point in time, I'd be surprised if you could find a gunsmith who'd be willing to do the conversion. One who is may not be someone you'd want working on your guns.

[youg]

Safety first. I don't want to damage the gun or myself. And I don't want to kill the value either. I will have to check and see if it's already converted. .45acp is just so common, it would have been nice, especially since I already reload them. Can't wait to shoot it.

[Diomed]

.45acp is just so common, it would have been nice, especially since I already reload them. Can't wait to shoot it.

From what I've heard (and it may be bunk) if you're set for reloading .45ACP, loading .455 is easy. The brass is available, and you can use the ACP bullets as long as you're not looking for maximum accuracy.