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Inert .455 rounds.

N

navyman

Well-Known Member
Hello,
I'm showing three .455 rounds here and am hoping I can get some information about them?
From left to right the headstamps read;
KYNOCH 455 (This one is crimped more heavily).

K40 VI (I assume this is WW2 Mk six) It looks as though a .45 ACP projectile has been inserted, or was there a .455 FMJ projectile?

G.F.L. .455 Mk II This one is semi rimmed and I'm wondering if this was for the WWI Webley semi automatic pistol. I believe the rounds were packed in sevens for the seven round magazine and packets marked; NOT FOR REVOLVERS ? I think Colt also produced these pistols ?

I'd appreciate any comments about these?
Best regards,
navyman
 

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Hi Navyman,
The Kynoch .455 is commercial,the MkVI did have a FMJ,the semi rim I am not sure about but not for the Webley auto(see photo)

Cheers
Tony
 

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.455

The first Kynoch round is a commercial case that has been re-loaded. That is not the profile of a normal .455 lead bullet. That case probably had a jacketed bullet originally.

The second is as you say, a 1940 Mark VI case that has had a .45 ACP bullet inserted. The Mark VI was a FMJ bullet introduced at the beginninmg of WW2 amid fears that the lead bullet contravened the Hague Convention, but again the .45ACP bullet has the wrong profile. See the picture for the shape the bullets should be. The Mark VI is on the far right.

The GFL case was made by Guillo Fiocchi of Lecco, Italy and is a modern commercial load. It only appears semi-rimmed because of the way it was manufactured. The round for the .455 Self loading pistiol is quite distinctive as you can see in the second picture which shows a ball and steel inspector's round.

In WWI the Royal Flying Corps/RAF ordered about 13,000 Government Model pistols from Colt in .455 S.L. calibre (the same basic weapon as the US Model 1911). The RAF retained these pistols and issued them in WW2.

The main user of the Webley self loading pistol was of course the Royal Navy.

I have also attached a picture of the "NOT FOR REVOLVERS" label. Interestingly, the "N" at the top left of the label, indicating Naval issue, has been struck out. Almost certainly that is because this was RAF issue.

Regards
TonyE
 

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OK, as it is Christmas I will let you off just this once!

Happy Christmas to you and yours, my friend.

Cheers
TonyE
 
Happy Christmas to you and yours also,we will have to catch up in the new year sometime for a beer(or two!)

Cheers
Tony
 
Thanks to you both for the information, I'm reading a dissertation by David Thomas at present entitled; The Pistol in Military Service during the Great War, hence my interest.
Happy Christmas to you both,
Guy.
 
I have some spare bullets for these if you need any, They are correct bullets as I pulled them myself from some damaged rounds I had been given. I also have some .380 if anyone needs any

Richard.
 
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