.442 Webley


The .442 Webley is a British centrefire revolver cartridge.

History

Introduced in 1868, the.442 Webley round was used in the Webley RIC revolver. This was the standard service weapon of the Royal Irish Constabulary, which were also chambered in .450 Adams and 476/.455. Lt. Col. George Custer is believed to have carried a pair of RIC revolvers at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
A black powder round, the.442 originally used a 15–19 grain charge behind a 200–220 gr bullet. This loading was later joined by a smokeless variety.
At one time, the.442 Webley was a popular chambering in self-defence or "pocket" guns, such as the widely copied Webley British Bulldog pocket revolver.
The cartridge was moderately effective, being roughly similar in power to the contemporary.38 S&W,.41 Colt, or.44 S&W American, and somewhat less potent than the later 7.65mm Parabellum,.38 Special or.45 ACP. As a consequence, it was not very suitable at anything but close range.
Smokeless.442 Webley loads continued to be commercially offered in the U.S. until 1940 and in the United Kingdom and Europe until the 1950s.