.450 inch Adams Revolver

Ball

The army had started purchasing Adams percussion revolvers in 1855 and they were used throughout the Crimean War where they gave good service. However by 1868 a move to breech loading revolvers had begun and Britain progressively converted the percussion revolvers to cartridge firing.

The cartridge adopted for the Adams and later Tranter revolvers was a .450 inch Boxer round that was underpowered compared to later service pistol cartridges, but it lasted until WWI.

Ball Mark I

"Cartridge S.A. Ball Breechloading, Boxer, for Dean and Adams Converted BL Revolver Pistol Mark I" was the somewhat convoluted nomenclature of the first .450 inch ball round adopted, but it was later changed to "Cartridge S.A.Ball Pistol Revolver Adams Mark I".

The Ball Mark I was approved in December 1868 and shown in LoC Paragraph 1739 dated February 1869. It had a brass Boxer case with an iron base disc secured in the normal way using the primer cup as a rivet. The bullet was pure lead with two cannelures and a base cavity and weighed 225 grains. The propellant charge was 13 grains of Adams Pistol Powder (blackpowder) contained in a paper coil which gave a muzzle velocity of 650 feet per second. It was unheadstamped.

Ball Mark II

The principal difference between the "Cartridge S.A. Ball Pistol Revolver Adams Breechloading Mark II" and the previous mark was that the iron base disc of the Mark I was replaced by a brass disc in the Mark II. Like the Mark I the title was later changed to "Cartridge S.A. Ball Pistol Revolver Adams Mark I"

In all other respects the Mark II was similar to the Mark I and had identical ballistics.

It was approved in September 1877 to Design RL1706 and shown in LoC Paragraph 3219 dated December 1877.

Both the Mark I and Mark II were approved for emergency use in the later Enfield revolvers.

Ball Mark III

Long after the Adams pistol had passed from front line service in the British army, they were still in use with reserve units, the Indian Army and the Royal Irish Constabulary, so a more modern version of the cartridge was introduced.

The "Cartridge S.A. Ball Pistol Adams Mark III" was approved in 1909 to design RL16433/1 and not shown in Lists of Changes. It had a drawn brass case and although the specification called for a bullet seating cannelure around the case, most examples do not have this. The bullet was pure lead weighing 225 grains and the blackpowder propellant charge was 13 grains of either Pistol Powder, Powder FG or G.20 Powder.

The round was manufactured by both Royal laboratory and Eley Brothers. Thos made by RL were manufactured from cut down .455 inch Mark III Webley cases and are headstamped "R/|\L III". Thise made by Eley Broithers are commercially headstamped and usually carry the two Broad Arrows overstamped on the "ELEY .450" headstamp to indicate government acceptance.

The round continues to serve as a reserve item in WWI and Eley Brothers received an order in September 1914 for 170,000 rounds.

It was declared obsolete for Land service in March 1921 and endorsed Obsolete in August 1927.

Left to right: Adams Ball Mark I, Ball Mark II, RL made Ball Mark III and Eley Brother Ball Mark III with Broad Arrow overstamp.Blank