200gr SWC Mold?

[novalty]

Well I was lucky enough to get some casting equipment recently at a good price, and even more lucky to have a Father-in-law to mentor me on casting. So now I am looking for a 200gr SWC mold to start casting for my 1911--so I can finally hang out my sign :castmine: I have been really happy with RCBS products and was looking at their #82047 double cavity mold 45-201-SWC, but have seen a lot of reference to Lyman's 452460 mold. MidWayUSA has the RCBS listed at $73.99 and the Lyman at $65.99. This is the price range I'd like to stay within. Not sure if one is better than the other, or if maybe there is another option is the same general price range that might be better.

Thanks in advance!

[H.Callahan]

If you are casting for a 1911, I don't think you can beat an H&G #68 or clone thereof. It is kinda the gold standard for reliable feeding in 1911s. Mihec just finished a run of these for a group buy and probably has extras. You can buy the genuine article new from Ballisticast (they number it #668). Or you can hunt around to find one for sale used.

[novalty]

If you are casting for a 1911, I don't think you can beat an H&G #68 or clone thereof. It is kinda the gold standard for reliable feeding in 1911s. Mihec just finished a run of these for a group buy and probably has extras. You can buy the genuine article new from Ballisticast (they number it #668). Or you can hunt around to find one for sale used.

Found the Group Buy thread, looks like I missed out on this one.

[tonyjones]

Check out M-P in the Vendor Sponsor & Vendor Sponsor Sales sections of this forum. M-P last updated their available moulds in July, I believe. B-C is a Banner Sponsor and you can find their "banner" at the top of every page. Click on the banner and you're there.

B-C and M-P moulds cost more than RCBS and Lyman. It will be worth the difference. Between RCBS and Lyman I would buy new or used RCBS or used Lyman.

Regards,

Tony

[H.Callahan]

Found the Group Buy thread, looks like I missed out on this one.
I think they just shipped. Usually he makes more molds that needed to fill the order. If you get to him before they are sold out, he can sell you one of the extras.

[paul h]

You can get an H&G #68 from Balisticast, it's a #668 in their catalog.

[BeeMan]

The MiHec 68 clone is a high quality piece of tooling. Per post 225

http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=116811&page=12

there were some left as of 8/20/12.

[wv109323]

I would ask you a question before I answer yours. How much are you going to shoot the .45 ACP? If you are going to shoot several thousand rounds a year I would recommend at least a 4 cavity mold.
Of the two molds mentioned I would go with The RCBS. There has be a mention of quality control problems at Lyman from time to time. I can't recall anyone mentioning a quality control issue with RCBS.
As always mine opinion is 100% free.

[Lance Boyle]

I voted other. I didn't feel like dealing with another lyman return issue, my last recut on a 314299 was only fixed at the bands and they left the nose sub .301 inch.

I figured I'd go with a well known independent and went with MP. I had to wait as he was in between. I got a 4 cavity brass 200 SWC, no pins, with handles. If I had it to do over again, I'd skip the handles and just use RCBS as they fit and are a touch heavier duty than the MP handles. The handles from MP were reasonably priced though.

ETA- I'm partial to steel though. I have a 2 cav RCBS .45-230 RN and it casts perfectly.

[novalty]

I would ask you a question before I answer yours. How much are you going to shoot the .45 ACP? If you are going to shoot several thousand rounds a year I would recommend at least a 4 cavity mold.
Of the two molds mentioned I would go with The RCBS. There has be a mention of quality control problems at Lyman from time to time. I can't recall anyone mentioning a quality control issue with RCBS.
As always mine opinion is 100% free.

I probably shoot between 500-1000 45's a year up here in Maine. Winter season and lack of in-door range keeps volume down. I checked with Mihec and they only have 4 cavity molds left.

[adkpete]

SAECO 069. This is what I use in my Smith 645.
Pete

[bobthenailer]

I personaly have 8 cavity Saeco # 068 there version of the famous H&G 68 , about any copy of this bullet is a good bullet that is accurate & reliable feeding in every gun ive used them in over many years .
for only 1000 bullets a year a 2 cavity will work fine you should be able to make them in 2 to 3 hours casting time , also if not using a Star/Magnma L/S get the Flat base version ! not the Bevel base .
so i would either go with the RCBS, Saeco or one of our mould venders from this fourm .

[GBertolet]

I have the Lyman 452460, and it shoots great. I have not had a 1911 that doesn't like this bullet. The S&W 25-2 revolvers like it also. There are many good mold designs out there, and this is one of them.

[novalty]

I have a RCBS LAM II, and leaning towards the RCBS mold as it is more in my price range and there seems to be some negative postings in regards to quality control on the Lyman.

[Carolina Cast Bullets]

No one seems to want to even consider the Lee offerings. I have many of them and they work well. Most of mine are 6 cavity and some have gone well over the 25,000 bullet mark. I do have some reservations about the Lee 2 hole alignment system. It works but it takes some extra effort.

Jerry
Carolina Cast Bullets

[MT Chambers]

Another vote here for Lyman's 452460.

[Wally]

No one seems to want to even consider the Lee offerings. I have many of them and they work well. Most of mine are 6 cavity and some have gone well over the 25,000 bullet mark. I do have some reservations about the Lee 2 hole alignment system. It works but it takes some extra effort.

Jerry
Carolina Cast Bullets

You make an excellent point---I have had five different Lee .45 Cal DC molds...all worked superbly casting beautiful bullets. Had two 452460's and both require that the bullets had to cool for quite some time before they would drop freely from the molds. I see no difference in accuracy between the Lyman and the Lee in the 200 SWC bullet weight.

[Moonie]

I like my 6 cavity 200gr SWC (non TL), great value. The 68 clones are probably a better boolit but my targets don't notice a difference.

[avogunner]

One of my first molds was the Lee 452-200-SWC (two cavity). It casts a fine boolit and I've used it trouble free for years. I would like to get the 6 cavity though...maybe soon.

[MT Chambers]

The Lee is bevel base, while the Lyman 452460 is not, some folks don't like the BB for top accuracy, myself included.

[huntrick64]

I chose to stop using my lee 45-200 SWC 6-banger because no 2 bullets were the same. I think their process uses 6 spearate cheries and they must have been worn when they made this mold. Some bullets out of round by as much at .004 and there was also a difference of .004 between the smallest and largest bullets all cast at once. I did find 2 of the cavities to be close enough that once you sized them they were the same, but I bought a 6-banger for a reason. I have LEEmented other 6-bangers and even have several that were excellent from the begining with no mods needed. I could also send it back to LEE and they would replace it with one that is right as I have done that too. I am not bashing Lee, I own several and they are usually worth what you pay for them, I just wasn't up to making this one work.

My last several molds have been MP brass molds. I just e-mailed Miha last week and he had at least one #68 4-banger brass so I snagged it.

[Fishman]

I recently got a Lyman 452460 and it's a good looking design. I've cast with it three times now and still have problems with rim tearoff if I don't let the bullets cool longer than normal. To be fair, it was a neglected mould so it could be that some slight pitting is causing it. However, I have read of a few others having this problem. I plan to "leement" it again and see if that fixes it.

[Moonie]

I chose to stop using my lee 45-200 SWC 6-banger because no 2 bullets were the same. I think their process uses 6 spearate cheries and they must have been worn when they made this mold. Some bullets out of round by as much at .004 and there was also a difference of .004 between the smallest and largest bullets all cast at once. I did find 2 of the cavities to be close enough that once you sized them they were the same, but I bought a 6-banger for a reason. I have LEEmented other 6-bangers and even have several that were excellent from the begining with no mods needed. I could also send it back to LEE and they would replace it with one that is right as I have done that too. I am not bashing Lee, I own several and they are usually worth what you pay for them, I just wasn't up to making this one work.

My last several molds have been MP brass molds. I just e-mailed Miha last week and he had at least one #68 4-banger brass so I snagged it.

Please note that lee no longer uses cherries for making molds.

[Wally]

I recently got a Lyman 452460 and it's a good looking design. I've cast with it three times now and still have problems with rim tearoff if I don't let the bullets cool longer than normal. To be fair, it was a neglected mould so it could be that some slight pitting is causing it. However, I have read of a few others having this problem. I plan to "leement" it again and see if that fixes it.

I tried two of the 452460's that had no rust on them--they did the same thing. I found it best to place the mold by a small fan for 5 seconds or so then, then open the blocks. Others like/use mold release coatings. This was the worst design for the front driving band tearoffs that I've ever come across.

[brghp]

Another 200 swc would be Lyman 452630 which is similar to the RCBS 45-201-swc except it has a bevel base.

[shootinfox2]

Magma 200 gr swc bb 45

[TXGunNut]

No one seems to want to even consider the Lee offerings. I have many of them and they work well. Most of mine are 6 cavity and some have gone well over the 25,000 bullet mark. I do have some reservations about the Lee 2 hole alignment system. It works but it takes some extra effort.

Jerry
Carolina Cast Bullets

Sorry I'm late, Jerry! I bought a 2-holer to test the TL design in my 1911's and quickly ordered a 6-holer. For my purposes I doubt I'll need another mould for my 45ACP's.
Gotta admit, A MIHEC 68 would be pretty cool!

[40Super]

I shoot the 200swc in my 1911, I first bought the Lyman as a quick was to cast my own. The Lyman version has a longer nose and smaller radius on the tip and I had to run a harder bullet due to nose damage when feeding. Those boolits didn't shoot as accurate.

I believe the RCBS is more closer to the true H&G 68 design. I now have gotten a Balisti-Cast (the actual #68 that started it all) 4 cavity and I wouldn't get any other design again.
So remember which ever one you get look at the specs, not all "clones" are the same.

I think the Magma Engineering mold is also a good design, I have a 9 mm mold from them and really like it so that would be a good choice, if non are available from Miha.

Another option is Accurate, he makes a clone that has the shorter nose and big radius , that is similar to the original.

[grrifles]

Lee 6 banger 200 SWC I use this a lot in my 1911 and have never had any problems with it shoots great


Chris

[huntrick64]

I think Miha still has some 4 banger brass #68 molds left for $110 shipped! I understand buying Lee molds because of the cost and I still use Lee handles on my MP Molds. Before I spent $80 plus shipping (which you would end up with at least $90 in it to your door) for a 2-banger steel mold, I would spend $110 total for an MP-Mould 4-banger brass. I assume this is for a 45 ACP and you can shoot up a lot of bullets quickly in one of those so the increased production rate of a 4-banger or 6-banger over 2 cavities would be desired. If interested, just e-mail him to verify he has one. If $110 is an issue, by the Lee, we all have. My $.02

[40Super]

The worst thing about the brass molds is the weight.Compared to a 2c steels the 4c brass feels like a tank,even a 4c steel is lighter. Dang nice molds though, but heavy. (when you have a messed up wrist it makes a huge difference)

[rainy191]

i have a 452460 and a beval base swc. i like them both. the beval base does help in starting the bullett during seating. unless your going to do competition shooting, either one will work fine for you

[Dale53]

My favorite .45 ACP mould is the Mihec (MP Molds) #68 200 gr SWC. Their four cavity brass mould is a superior mould in every way. I have moulds from all of the major manufacturers and Mihec's are my favorites.

The #68 mould (mine is flat based - H&G called them their #69) is designed with the same "strike point" as hard ball (as they feed from the magazine). They will feed in nearly every .45 Auto out there. They shoot exceptionally well if cast and sized correctly for the gun. They also cut a nice clean hole in the target. Mine shoot well at target load level as well as "barn burners".

FWIW
Dale53

[captaint]

I voted for the RCBS mold mainly because your chances of getting a good mold are better with RCBS. The 452460 is a fine boolit, but you never know anymore, what you're going to get from Lyman. enjoy Mike

[km101]

My Lee 452-200-SWC 2 cav mold makes good boolits! I cant tell a difference between the BB and the PB as far as accuracy at 25 yds. and I have shot 1,00's of each over the years.

[TXGunNut]

My Lee 452-200-SWC 2 cav mold makes good boolits! I cant tell a difference between the BB and the PB as far as accuracy at 25 yds. and I have shot 1,00's of each over the years.

With good casting technique and a bit of good luck the Lee 452-200 is hard to beat. Awesome boolit/mould! My 45's love this boolit. The six-banger worked a bit better in my situation but I'll keep this two-holer around. It's simple, cost-effective and it works.

[eck0313]

H&G #68, or Ballisticast #668 (same bullet) is the only way to fly. Both moulds, BTW, come out to closer to 210 grains when cast from WW material, unless you specify you want the bullets to weigh 200 grains with WW metal.

This bullet shoots great if loaded light for bullseye use, or hot for IPSC shooting.

[Jailer]

I voted other.

I have a H&G 68 5 cavity clone from Accurate Molds. It's a fantastic mold and casts great. I got it in aluminum so weight isn't an issue.

[skeet1]

I would vote for the Lee 452-200 SWC but I would buy the 6 cavity for about the same cost as the two cavity RCBS or Lyman. Mine shoots great and never fails to feed.

Ken

[smokemjoe]

In my gold cup and Kimber, the Lee 200 gr. bullet that you tumble lub. shoots under 7/8 groups at 50 feet bench rested, I lub it in my RCBS sizer, I dont like the looks of the bullet but it beats all my other molds. Joe