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While World War I military surplus .455 Mark II ammunition is quite rare, occasionally quantities of surplus .455 Mark VI ammo from the Second World War are encountered. Unfortunately, World War II military surplus .455 ammunition has also become quite collectable and using it for recreational shooting is not really cost effective.

Inventorying the .455 Mark II ammunition I have accumulated over time yielded usable amounts of Fiocchi, Hornady, and Kynoch brands, as well as a handfull of World War II Mark VI Canadian surplus ammo. Modern, commercial .455 Mark II ammo is loaded with hollow base, lead bullets, much like the original military ammunition. A sample bullet was pulled from each of the three brands of .455 Mark II ammo to be used for the range tests, along with a World War II Mark VI jacketed round. The diameter of each bullet was measured with a micrometer, and each bullet was weighed. The following data was obtained:

ManufacturerTypeBullet Dia.Bullet Weight Fiocchi (lead) .454" 262.3 grains Hornady (lead) .452" 264.6 grains Kynoch (lead) .445" 265.3 grains WWII Mark VI (jacketed) .454" 266.7 grains

The Hornady bullet has an unusual post swaged into the center of the base cavity. Evidentally the post is meant to facilitate obturation of the bullet’s skirt.