Mold suggestion: .45, 200gr, round nose, tumble lube???

[aeronc]

I am looking for a mold with the following characteristics for a 1911:
1: .45 cal, 200 grain(easier on my hand to shoot and uses less material), round nose for more reliable feeding, tumble lube. Preferably a 4 cavity mold or 6. Inexpensive? Thanks.

[Jailer]

The Lee TL452-200-SWC is one that works great for me. It's a semi wad cutter but the nose is quite rounded and it feeds great in everything I've shot it in, is very accurate and is available in a 6 cavity mold.

[Chihuahua Floyd]

I have the same mold as Jailer and it has worked for me in a picky 1911. Hopefully I can try it in another 1911 tomorrow.
CF

[aeronc]

I guess I will be looking to buy one. thanks

[Echo]

I have found that the Lee 200 grain RN non-TL (90352) works well, even when used as cast, and tumble lubed. Haven't pushed it real hard, but no leading, and fine feeding.

[prickett]

I have found that the Lee 200 grain RN non-TL (90352) works well, even when used as cast, and tumble lubed. Haven't pushed it real hard, but no leading, and fine feeding.

That is a 230 gr, not a 200 gr.

[prickett]

The Lee TL452-200-SWC is one that works great for me. It's a semi wad cutter but the nose is quite rounded and it feeds great in everything I've shot it in, is very accurate and is available in a 6 cavity mold.

Be forewarned, the SWC does not function at all in a Springfield XD (in case you are seeking to expand your collection to include one).

[Jailer]

No desire to get an XD, but they work fine in my Glock 21.

[captaint]

I'm with Prickett here. I'm a SWC fan, but my guns feed them well. I hear here, all guns don't. So buyer beware. I might consider a lightly loaded 230gr round nose. The recoil shouldn't be bothersome. Good luck & let us know how it works out. enjoy Mike

[jacksgd]

Hi there.
Just joined the forum when I found this thread.

I have been casting for a short time now. All casting has been done with Lee molds. (124grn .356/9mm, 102 grn. for 380 auto, .358 for .357 and 38 special, and now a 200 grn SWC tumble lube for my 1911 Kimber.

With the help of reading postings on this and other forums everything has been going very well with the castings with the exception of a few hot fingers.

I just received the Lee 200 grn TL mold for my .45 auto and it made some good looking boolits. However, the base of the bullet measures .452 in. and tappers to .446 inches at the land closest to the nose of the bullet.

My question, is this a normal mearsurement for this mold design or is this a problem with my particular mold?

[MtGun44]

Lee is the only company making TL designs, AFAIK. Given the rest of your requirements,
seems like you have already made your choice.

Bill

[prickett]

Lee is the only company making TL designs, AFAIK. Given the rest of your requirements,
seems like you have already made your choice.

Bill

Ha ha! Good observation.

To the OP, you can TL boolits that are not of a TL design (IOW, any boolit can be tumble lubed).

[turbo1889]

Lee is the only company making TL designs . . .

Accurate Molds does TL designs as well (currently only up to 3-cav blocks though).

Not only that but you can get the heavier banded, better Ranch Dog TL profile instead of the standard Lee TL profile if you so desire.

For a pure TL design (such as a PB-RNFT boolit for 45-ACP) I would go with the heavier chunkier Ranch Dog TL profile. For my hybrid boolits where the nose that is outside of the case is TL and the main body that is inside the case neck is conventional lube grooves I go with the thinner standard Lee profile because they crush down in revolver throats and engrave in the rifling on rifles real nice and easy so that the boolit nose becomes a hand in glove tight fit in a guns throat and rifling when chambered. If you want the little grooves to crush down easy go with the standard Lee TL profile. If you want the little bands to hold up and maintain diameter when seated in a case neck with good neck tension go with the heavier banded chunkier Ranch Dog TL profile.

You could just tell Tom @ Accurate molds you want one of his 45-200B molds only with two Ranch Dog type TL grooves like used on his 45-500S design instead of one regular lube groove. He might need to slightly shorten the boolit to make it still be 200 grains but that wouldn’t be hard to do just shorten it up a little smidgen on the nose end, would still feed like butter. Would be a more expensive mold and only three cavities but it would be a higher quality mold.

Another option worth considering, and you would be getting a RNFT not a SWC.

[turbo1889]

Pulled up my CAD and threw together a quick drawing of what I'm talking about:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2164/5751277177_192155b793.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/54455625@N04/5751277177/)

Cut the nose length down by a little more then is probably necessary to compensate for the change in weight due to the change in lube groove type. I figure it is probably a 195 or so instead of a 200 which is probably what you want anyway since AM mold weights are for straight WW alloy and one usually casts 45-ACP boolits out of something a little softer and thus denser then straight WW alloy.

[MtGun44]

I stand corrected!

Fortunately, I am old enough to know include AFAIK (As far as I know).

Bill

[turbo1889]

Ah! So that is what AFAIK means. Not trying to correct you just trying to correct the information given. Yah, I know splitting hairs but I think you get the difference of intent.

I'm also a rather enthusiastic customer of Accurate Molds and I personally would take a super high quality two or three cavity AM mold made exactly or nearly exactly the way I want it over a generic Lee mold any day even considering I'm paying more for less cavities. So I thought I'd point out the alternative option I knew of which I personally would consider the better choice. I just love having the ability to throw together a little diagram like that in CAD and drop it into Tom’s email box and have a really nice brass mold show up in my mail box a few weeks later and it is done up just like I drew it and drops boolits that are nearly perfect right from the mold right on spec. right away.

[mnkyracer]

I just tried out lee's 200 gr SWC today in my Glock 21. I have a Lone Wolf barrel for it. It solved the failure to battery issue I had with the 452-228-1r, but I had 2 failure to ejects out of 2 clips. The rim caught on the SWC's shoulder. These did shoot extremely well over 5 gr BE.

I will have to try them with the Glock bbl and see if it does the same.