Webley cylinder troaths

[CCAMERA50]

hallo ,

recently i bought a Webley 38/200 MKIV ( tsahal surplus ) in conditions
really excellent.

First i "slugged" the bore and the cylinder throats to start organize the casting
of its 200 gr bullet

Well, i saw the diameter of the bore ( grove ) it is greater then the diameter
of the cylinder troaths - dimensions are : .3615/3618 the first , .3602/3605 the
second.

I think this will be not a very important detail , but anyway , just out of
curiosity , i wouldlike to know from other owners or "specialists" :

there was a specific reason for it , ( and if yes , what ) , or it is only a
production "tolerance" ?

Thank you and best regards

CC

Information

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[CCAMERA50]

Nobody can get an answer ?

CC

[browningautorifle]

What I've always used was the .360 diameter 200 gr bullet. I've never bothered slugging such a firearm because it just isn't a match or target gun.

[Patrick Chadwick]

The following remarks only apply to revolvers firing soft to medium-hard (Brinell 15) lead bullets !!!

Such revolvers are reasonably tolerant of bullet diameter.

At the instant of firing, the bullet will be slugged up to fit the chamber - provided that the bullet is not too hard!

The bullet, now with the same diameter as the chamber mouth, passes on to strike the forcing cone. Forcing cone is the term used for revolvers, as it is much wider than the throat in a rifle.

Striking the forcing cone causes the bullet to slug up a bit more, and it is then swaged down (the "forcing") by the cone to fit the rifling.

This slug-up/swage-down sequence enables revolvers to fire bullets with a diameter from a couple of thousandths of an inch larger than the groove diameter down to as little as the bore diameter. And it enables the revolver to tolerate less-than-perfect timing (i.e. the alignment of the chamber with the forcing cone). Typically, any soft lead bullet than fits the chamber will be fired, provided that the timing is good enough for the bullet to fully enter the forcing cone.

And it is one good reason why you should not use hard-lead bullets or jacketed bullets in an old revolver.

Of course, different sizes of bullet will produce different grouping results, but anything in the range specified above should work as long as the revolver does not have a mechanical defect.

It is certainly not necessary to worry about variations of less than 0.001". As you have already measured, the chambers can vary by more than that!

[CCAMERA50]

Hallo Patrick

ah ! it is true ....i' ve not considered the timing

...of course , the military production standard or a intensive field utilize could influence a perfect alignement

Then , if i correctly understand , the slightly smaller diameter of the bullet ( coming from the cilynder )
it is a help in case of a minimal timing imperfection ?

[GIPEGE]

Hello,
The S&W called K.38-200 were made specially for british troops during WWII.
The 38-200 bullet (or 380 MkII) have a diameter between .354(jacketted bullet) and .362(Lead bullet)
The .38 spécial bullet diam. is .350
I have seen many K38-200 rechambered to 38 spécial. The pistol is strong enough to support
such operation.

[Brit plumber]

Hello,
The S&W called K.38-200 were made specially for british troops during WWII.
The 38-200 bullet (or 380 MkII) have a diameter between .354(jacketted bullet) and .362(Lead bullet)
The .38 spécial bullet diam. is .350
I have seen many K38-200 rechambered to 38 spécial. The pistol is strong enough to support
such operation.

I'd be a little more than wary of using .38 special in a Webley 38 or a Enfield No.2 It may take the pressure for a while but eventually its going to let loose.

[CCAMERA50]

If i correctely understood

how it is possible re-chambering a .361 cylinder into a .357 ? ... and if it is possible ( ...all it is possible
apart the costs, i know ) , why transform a hangun born like a 38 S&W in a 38 sp ?

there is a valid reason ( ...surely not the accuracy ) to drive a .357 ball through a .362 barrel ?

[emmagee1917]

Brit plumber , he was saying a S/W K frame victory model in .38/200 could be rechambered in .38spl ( it's normal caliber ) and could handle it. This is true , and many were done . The OD of the .38/200 case is larger than the .38 spl. , however , so the rechambering will leave an oversized chamber which the brass fills and seals OK . Getting the empty cases out EASILY is another matter.
The Victory barrels were bored .38 spl spec on the .38/200s , ie. , .358 dia cast bullets . The early Victories were backbored by the Brits because they feared the barrel was too thin to withstand the larger .360 38/200 bullet. These fears were proved to be unfounded as the lead bullet was easily resized at the forcing cone and was .357/.358 by the time it got to the muzzle.
They were rechambered for import here , ccamera50 . because the 38/200 is unheard of in the US . The 38 S&W is a very weak version of it over here and noone offers the full strength 38/200 for fear that some dumb*** will put it into a cheep breakopen "saterday night special " revolver .
I reload full strength 38/200s for my Victories , but I use US spec. 200 gr. .358 diam. bullets as both the guns and the 38 S&W dies are set up for them.
Chris

[Brit plumber]

Brit plumber , he was saying a S/W K frame victory model in .38/200 could be rechambered in .38spl ( it's normal caliber ) and could handle it. This is true , and many were done . The OD of the .38/200 case is larger than the .38 spl. , however , so the rechambering will leave an oversized chamber which the brass fills and seals OK . Getting the empty cases out EASILY is another matter.
The Victory barrels were bored .38 spl spec on the .38/200s , ie. , .358 dia cast bullets . The early Victories were backbored by the Brits because they feared the barrel was too thin to withstand the larger .360 38/200 bullet. These fears were proved to be unfounded as the lead bullet was easily resized at the forcing cone and was .357/.358 by the time it got to the muzzle.
They were rechambered for import here , ccamera50 . because the 38/200 is unheard of in the US . The 38 S&W is a very weak version of it over here and noone offers the full strength 38/200 for fear that some dumb*** will put it into a cheep breakopen "saterday night special " revolver .
I reload full strength 38/200s for my Victories , but I use US spec. 200 gr. .358 diam. bullets as both the guns and the 38 S&W dies are set up for them.
Chris

Got it, thanks emmagee1917, apologies to GIPEGE.