Pre-War Smith & Wessons:
Smith & Wesson Hand Ejector 2nd Model .455 Mark II caliber revolver. All original uncut revolver with 95% blue. Hard to find with Canadian proofs as well as British proofs. Canadian Army issue. $1,395.00 Item# PR7376
Smith & Wesson Hand Ejector .455 Webley caliber revolver in excellent condition with excellent bore and excellent grips. Has broad arrow de-commission marks releasing it from government service. Real nice .455 caliber S&W! $1,350.00 Item# PR8700
Smith & Wesson Hand Ejector .455 Webley caliber revolver with 93-95% original blue & excellent bore. Very nice 2nd model hand ejector. $1,295.00 Item# PR6445
Smith & Wesson Hand Ejector 2nd Model .455 Mark II caliber revolver. Uncut cylinder. Original .455 caliber revolver with 95-97% blue. Excellent condition. Made for British Military contract. $1,195.00 Item# PR4768
Smith & Wesson Hand Ejector 2nd Model .455 caliber British Army revolver. $995.00 Item# PR2891
Smith & Wesson Hand Ejector 2nd Model .455 caliber revolver. $895.00 Item# PR1237
Now since my original posting along these lines back in November of 2002, there is no doubt that the price has simply gone up on these Curio & Relic firearms. A few of us bought in on it back then... (Minnesota!
) Some are now as much as triple what they used to go for. However, this is, to the best of my knowledge, one of the largest sets of S&W .455's up for public purchase in some time. All of these are the real thing, most probably good shooters (with a bit of careful smithing from a qualified professional--check with the dealer), and some (especially the slightly cheaper ones) might even be a good candidate for barrel modification. With a bit of barrel cutting by a professional smith, and the addition of the ramped sight, these seem to fit the bill rather well, but only if you're looking for a true investment in real working gear.Physical address:
Collectors Firearms
3301 Fondren, Suite O
Houston, Texas 77063
Toll Free: (877)214-9327
Tel.: (713)781-1960
FAX: (713)781-6407
email:info@collectorsfirearms.com
Also, for those who may have .455 hand cannons which are good (and thoroughly checked-out) shooters, and want to fire the original load, .455 ammo can still be had, though not from as many sources as in the past. The Old West Scrounger (www.ows-ammo.com), formerly of California and Nevada, and now out of West Virginia, used to have some nice, slightly more affordable hand-loaded rounds available. Apparently, however, no more.
That leaves, to the best of my knowledge, only the manufactured .455 ammo by Fiocchi (which also works for .455 Webleys). The shells, for those that care, contain 262 grains, a lead round nose, 850 fps muzzle velocity, 420 ft.-lbs. muzzle energy, and the price can run the gamut:
$35.00 http://www.ammoman.com/webstore_obsolete.htm (note 5 box minimum order);
$35.95 http://www.militarygunsupply.com/shop2/ ... cts_id=322;
$38.99 http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.e ... mid=167595;
$39.95 http://www.smokewagongear.com/p-52-fioc ... r-lrn.aspx;
$40.95 http://ammunitiontogo.com/catalog1/inde ... rers_id=10;
$46.57 http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/c ... tid=211932;
$69.95 http://www.ammo-one.com/store.pl?action ... 55+Mark+II
As you can see, the price per round can run between $ .70 and $1.40. The lower end of the range has not actually gone up at all in the past six years. Handloading? Always a more affordable option, if you know what you're doing. Half- or full-moon clips for using .45 ACP? Be careful! .455 Webley loads have a maximum operating pressure of 12,700 PSI. .45 ACP runs closer to 18,000 PSI, so even though many S&W's (and Webleys) have been modified to fire .45 ACP, it doesn't mean that's necessarily a good idea. Every time you pull the trigger on an ACP, you're essentially proof testing the gun!
Enough. Dissertation over. If you've got the cash and the (pardon the pun) Jones, this might be a good opportunity before the prices go up again! And as Dad would say (though in a different movie), "Here endeth the lesson."
Sincere regards,
Henry Jones Sr.
