Semi-auto handgun for cast?

[selmerfan]

I've been loading for 20 years, rifle, shotgun, and single-shot pistol (XP-100 and Encore). I'd like to purchase a semi-auto handgun for home defense purposes and for just fun shooting at the range. And I obviously want to run cast through it primarily, if not exclusively. What makes/models would ya'll recommend? I'll get the mold I need for the gun, I'm thinking either a 1911 .45 ACP of some sort or a Springfield XD in .45 ACP or .40 S&W. Thoughts? Opinions? Comments? Am I way off base here? Thanks!!!!!!!

[cabezaverde]

I would look for a used 3rd generation S&W auto. 4506,4516, etc.

[oscarflytyer]

My old Thompson Auto Ord GI 45 loves my cast load with 200 gr SWC H&G # 68 (Mihec mold). I bought it used and well broken in. All I have done is lightly polish the chamber and feed ramp, and put in a .005" over size bbl link (to improve bbl to slide fit) and a new std size bushing. The link and bushing were due to it being well used and broken in. Greatly improved the accuracy.

[Carolina Cast Bullets]

IMHO the Taurus PT1911 is a tough one to beat. It has all the "bells and whistles" of a Kimber or Ed Brown or other high end 1911 but at anywhere from half to 2/3'rds the price depending on where you get it.

I have one in SS and it eats everything I feed it and is as accurate as one could expect of a carry gun. The only thing I did to mine was remove and replace the ambi safety cause, IMHO, its a solution to a problem that does not exist.

Jerry
Carolina Cast Bullets

[376Steyr]

I'd say go with a 1911-type .45, if for no other reason than if it doesn't want to shoot properly, there is a huge amount of expertise and parts available to make it work to your expectations.

[462]

Another vote for a 1911 clone. One-hundred years of uninterrupted production speaks volumes.

[BulletFactory]

A kimber.

[9.3X62AL]

Caliber? 45 ACP--probably the lead-friendliest centerfire autopistol caliber in existence.

Make/model? Bewildering array of really good pistols "out there". Very hard to beat a good-quality 1911A1-series offering. I've had very good results from a Glock 21 with OEM barrel (no mushroom clouds, leading, or other issues), SIG-Sauer P-220, and both 2nd and 3rd Generation S&Ws (645 and 4513). I'm going to take the 1911A1 leap after a long hiatus later this year, likely a Colt XSE variant.

See what fits your hand best. SIG-Sauers have superb ergonomics. The CZ-97 is a fine pistol, also--and would be my choice if my agency authorized them for carry. Darn it. Good ergos there, too.

[epj]

A 1911 in .45 would work well. I also have a gen3 S&W mod 4566 in .45 that will feed anything. It is super tough, accurate, and used examples can be had for $4-500; a lot less than a mid priced 1911.

[Kskybroom]

One more vote for a 1911 45 acp..

[shooterg]

The only question is what make of 1911 !

[MtGun44]

1911, but in my opinion, the Taurus is marginal if you plan on shooting a lot. It will be OK
for the casual shooter that may only hit 1000 rounds EVER. I have gunsmithed one very
thoroughly and while the frame, barrel and slide are decent quality, the small parts are
really marginal.

Kimbers and the Colt XSEs are very well made, and the Dan Wesson, while expensive is an
absolute Cadillac, every inch the equal of the $3000+ custom 1911s for half the price.

Be aware that the XD will not feed SWCs at all and this is inherent in the design, cannot
be "tuned" out.

Bill

[HammerMTB]

I see a lot of 1911 fans. Not too surprised, really. It's a great platform.
My opinion is that it'd be hard to go wrong with any of the popular well made pistols. I don't include sub-caliber or the hunnerd dollar cheapies. Some of them work, I admit. But if I was betting my life on it, I'd spend more and get more.
I was a 1911-oholic for a lot of years, but got won over the the Glock side a few years ago. I still love the feel of a 1911, but high capacity and ease of use/maintainance/mods took me to the Glock, and I am content there.
My son shoots an XD45. I cast and shoot TC style boolits for it, and it eats them up like no tomorrow.
There are lots of choices. My hardest part is to limit the #, not decide on 1. They seem to proliferate..... :groner:

[DIRT Farmer]

One son shoots a XD, the other son shoots a Springfield. I have a built gun for stock class, needs rebuilding again, and a Springfield, plus a Sig 220 that was my last duty gun. They all shoot pratice with the Lee 200grn TC. The XD was dicy about the length, but runs fine now. The Sig was the cheapest of the lot, a police trade in that was rough outside but still had bluing on the contact points on the barrel. All good guns, I would not hesitate to depend on any of them, but prefure the 1911, see above about the gun up for the third rebuild.

[RobS]

Be aware that the XD will not feed SWCs at all and this is inherent in the design, cannot
be "tuned" out.

Bill

I'll agree on the older XD models not feeding SWC's, I have one, however there is talk that the 45 XDm has a modified angled slide rib that allows reliable extraction/feeding of SWC boolits and general feeding. Does it work............???? I don't know personally as I don't have one. I mention this as to the OP's considerations.

[MtGun44]

My brother's XD 45 is less than 1 yr old and will not work with SWCs due to the extracted
case being dragged HARD over the next round up in the mag. The rear bottom edge of the
extracted case hits the SWC shoulder and causes a jam almost every time. Maybe there
is a more recent version, but be careful if you value shooting SWCs like THE .45 ACP boolit,
the H&G 68.

Bill

[mpmarty]

The only question is what make of 1911 !

Rock Island Armory aka RIA I bought their "tactical" model full size 1911 and already owned a Taurus PT1911. The RIA outshoots the Taurus and was a heck of a lot cheaper to buy.

[RobS]

I agree with you on every aspect MtGun44, my 45 XD will not feed a SWC worth a darn, but because of this I found the most accurate 45 boolits I've ever shot from a 45 ACP. Ask your brother if on the underneath side of the rib has a small angle on the end near the breach. If it doesn't it's not one of the newest models.

[Muddy Creek Sam]

My Colt O1918 WW1 loves Cast 230gr Round Nose.

Sam :D

[bigboredad]

the springfield xdm is said to eat the swc with no problem. I have the xd .45 compact and love it. The swc problem is a not a issue for me. I recently had tom at accurate molds whip up a 200 gr. rn that has a small flat point. It runs like butter thru my xd I also have the rcbs 230-rn that I really like as well. For me the xd fits the role I intended it for and it does a very nice job at it. I love the 1911 style a it fits my hand perfect but for me and only me the xd is perfect. Doesn't mean I don't like the 1911 style and one day I hope to be able to afford the 1911 I've been searching for.

[pls1911]

1911 --- hands down.
I have custom Colt/essex target models, Colt stainless and Blue models, S&W variant and a few Auto Ordinances...and i feed a friends Kimbers..
Hey!! guess what?
My go-to 1911s are Auto Ordinance iron, bought for $150, and $180 bucks...
gone through with a Dremmel tool to smooth up mating surfaces, break over point chamber and feed ramp, match the hammer and and sear, and install an extended trigger... all completed in about 30 minutes.
Utility, recreational target, and pig guns, they feed 180 through 240 grain slugs, round nose or wad cutters, like greased corn through a goose. No Jams, stovepipes, or other malfunctions like the Colts.
VERY acceptable accuracy, and no leading ever...none (Heat treated bullets, std lube, +LLA)
There's a good reason for the mil spec tolerance slop...these things work reliably in bad situations....

[7br]

I found myself in the same situation this year. I shoot silhouette and starting casting so I could afford that habit. I went to a range that had pistols for rent and spent $25 in fees and shot a couple of different pistols. I also shot a relative's Springfield XD. I think it was a pretty solid plan and glad I did it. I am very satisfied with my choice.

[thx997303]

I shoot an XD. It's been very reliable. I've shot it a lot in the last 4 years.

[plainsman456]

I bought a Colt back in 1980 and shoot 200 grain semi-wadcutters in it with no problems,after getting the length figured out.
The Springfield looks good to me today.

[Skipper488]

I am a huge Ruger fan. I've owned a Ruger KP90 that was outstanding (but a little large in the grip for my small hands) and I now own a P345 that has eaten every handload I've thrown at it including factory cast SWC and my own home cast Lee TL452-230-2R boolits. Rock solid guns that will always work reliably.

[fredj338]

Stick w/ a none polygon rifled bbl for best results. So that means buying after market for a GLock or such. The 45acp is probably the easiest to get lead bullet to run well. The lower pressure makes it pretty simple, the 9 & 40 can take more tinkering. Any truncated cone or round nose design will run in 99% of all the pistols out there.
All my 1911s will run on anything. The XD will eat everythng BUT a LSWC.

[gasboffer]

I agree with you on every aspect MtGun44, my 45 XD will not feed a SWC worth a darn, but because of this I found the most accurate 45 boolits I've ever shot from a 45 ACP. Ask your brother if on the underneath side of the rib has a small angle on the end near the breach. If it doesn't it's not one of the newest models.

RobS,
Can you let us in on the most accurate bullit you are referring to?
Thanks
Clyde

[Crash_Corrigan]

I bought a Taurus 1911 when they first came out three years ago. Out the door it was less than $550. I took it to an indoor range and bought a box of American Eagle FMJ bullets.

It started out fine but after the first mag I started to get wierd malfunctions. I would find a hammer down on a new round after I had fired off a round.

Then I started to get two to five shots being fired with one depression of the trigger. I did not even finish the box of ammo. I packed it up along with the empties and the remaining fresh rounds and carried it back to my gun dealer immediatly.

He was puzzled but took the gun and all the acountruments and sent them off the Taurus in Florida and gave me a brand new gun from his safe.

The 2nd gun has had over 6,000 rounds fired thru it without a hiccup or any problem. It has shot 1.26" groups of 10 rounds at 25 yds from a sandbag. It is a joy to shoot and loves my handloaded 200 SWC boolits over 4.5 GR of Clays powder. It also loves the 230 gr RNL boolits from a Lee six banger that I have.

I shoot the 200 SWC at paper cuz it makes neat holes and I use the 230 GR RNL boolits for the steel targets.

At 100 yds I can hit the gongs or even the paper targets but I need to elevate about 8" above the target.

When I got the gun it had a 3 3/4 # trigger pull. Now at over 6,000 rounds it has smoothed out and breaks at 3 1/4 #.

The only time it malfunctioned was when I failed to put powder into the casing and the primer went POP and the boolit lodged in the barrel. A fast pass with a range rod punched out the slug and and went back to shooting but slowly as I did not want nor expect another dud but who knows?

The original malfunctioning gun was returned back to my gun dealers inventory about a month later with a new trigger assembly and sear as something had gone badly wrong for that gun to go automatic on me.

The only real thing I can pick on was the finish on the gun. It seemed to wear really fast and appeared thin to me. I had it reblued locally and my guy put on a Royal Colt Blue finish that shines like a mirror. Then I added a set of Houge Cocobolo Wood grips and the gun is a thing of beauty now. I am almost afraid to take it out into the elements and shoot it........NOT.

Now they have them in Stainless Steel and I believe also with a rail under the dust cover for your accessories and they also make them with a laser built into the grip.

This is a fine gun with a lot of goodies that could cost you a bundle if added later to a basic gun.

I have seen and fired RIA .45's and they are a good gun for the money but feature wise they do not stack up against a Taurus 1911.

If you want to spend a lot of money then go ahead and get a Ed Brown, Kimber or another of those really fancy and expensive 1911's. It is your money. However I would spend mine on another Taurus 1911 and a cheapo Lee six banger or two and spend the rest on powder and primers cuz you will need them in large quantities as shooting a decent 1911 is a hoot and you will not want to stop.

I presently have 7 magazines for mine. It comes with 2 eight rounders. I bought a pair of Chip McCormick 10 rounders and 3 Colt seven rounders and a mag loader. It saves me money on manicures and saves me time on the range.

I can go through 200 plus rounds and the gun keeps on trucking. On hot and dry days at about 250 rounds I apply some oil to the rails and clean off the gunk at the chamber area. An application of oil to the locking lugs also seems to keep the gun running better. A thorough cleaning and dissambly takes place when I get home and I seldom find any leading in the bore. Lubed with carnuba red from white label lubes I get a neat lube star at the muzzle end.

I doubt that I have fired a full box of j word bullets thru the gun and only then to chrono the load and be able to judge the recoil and such so I can make some duplicate loadings using lead boolits. These rounds I save until the end of my shooting sessions and then I run a few mags of these higher recoil and higher powered rounds thru the gun just so I can practice some with street CCW rounds and not be surprised if I ever have to use them for social work.

[selmerfan]

Well, I guess I'll be watching the classifieds on a few forums for a used 1911 variant in .45 ACP That's where I thought I was headed, ya'll just confirmed it. Thanks!

[garym1a2]

I would be tempted to try a glock 19 with aftermarket barrel. I only cast 357 and 45acp 1911 now but a good 9mm would be worth the effort. With the nine its super easy to find brass and you get near twice as much bullets per pound of lead.

[AZ-JIM]

I have a .40 S/W model 410, the first handgun I bought when I turned 21. I have only put a few thousand rds through it but it shoots cast boolits as well as it does jacketed bullets. The cast load is the Lee 175g t/c boolit over 5.0g of Bullseye with a slight crimp. I tried it with no crimp and it was all over the target. I have only had one feed malfunction with it and that was using some no name reloads I got from a local indoor range facility becuse I ran out of ammo. I don't know what a comparable gun sells for but I would have to guess it would be far less than a 1911 and probably an XD as well.

@12-13yds, standing

az-jim

[tommygirlMT]

Im going to break from the rest of the crowd --- 1911 will do you --- but Id recommend Glock 21 with a lone wolf replacemetn barrel (regular square land/groove rifling and fully suported chamber) --- that combination as a "working gun" will kick most 1911s butts in my opinion

[RobS]

RobS,
Can you let us in on the most accurate bullit you are referring to?
Thanks
Clyde

A custom mold that I had BABore put together for me. It's his 453640 with a huge meplat.

Some Pics:

http://i612.photobucket.com/albums/tt206/RobS01/BPR230HP-1.jpg

http://i612.photobucket.com/albums/tt206/RobS01/BPR230HP2-1.jpg

http://i612.photobucket.com/albums/tt206/RobS01/200gr805010BHNWW-1Sn.jpg

Giving an idea of how big the HP is, the meplat of the bullet is .320. It has a crimp groove but doesn't affect anything; I actually use this one for both my light 45 revolver loads and for my standard 45 ACP loads.

Here is some pics of the mold:
http://i612.photobucket.com/albums/tt206/RobS01/BRP453640HPmold.jpg

http://i612.photobucket.com/albums/tt206/RobS01/Side-HP-1.jpg

http://i612.photobucket.com/albums/tt206/RobS01/Bottom.jpg

[pistolman44]

I build 1911's and for the money for what you want a semi for you can't go wrong buying a RIA 1911.

[bigboredad]

RobS
Very cool looking bullet and very cool mold