First cast with 45acp mold

[hickfu]

Ok I finally got a little time and wasnt hurting too bad so I went out and cast some 200gr 45acp boolits from my new Lee 452-200RF, Wow this mold casts big! they are coming out at 455 to 456, I ran them through the 452 sizer before really checking on what size I would need... What do you guys that have this mold size your too? I will be loading them into an XD45 Tactical and a S&W 1911PD. I slugged them both and it seems that the 452 should be good but wanted to see if a bit bigger would be better.

What are some good loads that you all are using for this boolit?
Yes I have multiple reloading books and will be checking each and every one of them....
I have 700X, 800X and titegroup to use and I feel lucky to have those the way powder is to find...

After casting and sizing I hurt too much to remain standing so pictures will have to wait until tomorrow.


Doc

[hickfu]

Oh, I forgot to ask... What alloy are you guys using with your pistol calibers like 9mm, 45acp, 380? I just made up a batch of 50/50 COWW/PURE with 1% Tin (pewter) added. Is this a good mix for pistol or would air cooled WW's work at 12 to 13bhn?

Doc

[TXGunNut]

Great mould, I size it to .452 in a Lee sizer. Two coats of LLA and they're ready to make pretty holes in paper.
Sorry you're hurting. Loading and many other tasks were often agony for me until my pulmonologist looked over my Rx's and changed things up. I "fired" the GP who prescribed the **** that made me act and feel like a very old man. Not saying it will work for you but I hope you're getting second opinions. After eight months of dragging my butt around I'm giving serious thought to swinging a leg over my mountain bike, someday even my roadie.

[TXGunNut]

Oh, I forgot to ask... What alloy are you guys using with your pistol calibers like 9mm, 45acp, 380? I just made up a batch of 50/50 COWW/PURE with 1% Tin (pewter) added. Is this a good mix for pistol or would air cooled WW's work at 12 to 13bhn?

Doc

I use ACWW's if they fill nicely, if not I add tin until I get the fill I'm looking for.

[Bohica793]

I never could get that mold to drop anything larger than .451 and eventually gave up and traded it off. Glad to hear you are having better luck. I cast everything to what Elmer considered hard (10-12).

[hickfu]

99825

I cast almost 500 boolits and only had to throw back about 5 of them.


Doc

[bangerjim]

Mine are 452 out of that exact same mold......I then powder coat and size back to 452.

I load for 45LC. I use 9-10 Bhn then powder coat. All are subsonic loads.

TightGroup is my go-to powder for everything pistol. I use the data right out of the Lyman CB book and Lee Modern Reloading. Works for me! Usually at 70% max.

banger

[Cherokee]

Looks like ya done good Doc. I use ACWW + 2% tin for most all my pistol boolits and size all my 45 ACP boolits to 452 (sometime 451 if the boolit is not up to 452). Both sizes work but 452 seems best for all my 45's, including the XDm 45.

[trixter]

I shoot an XDm and it likes .451 real well. I use the Lee TL 452 200 SWC ( these are so easy, they fall out of the mold every time). Coat with Lee Liquid Alox, size with the Lee push thru sizer, and then LLA again and then load and shoot. I love this GUN STUFF!

[hickfu]

Loaded up some dummy rounds and they fit in both the S&W 1911PD and the XD45..... I am happy happy happy
Now to try out the 230gr Truncated cone mold......

excess650, I think I will go back to my original alloy that air cools around 12 or 13 bhn and water drops to 19 to 21 bhn.... I can air cool for 45acp and WQ for 9mm and not change alloy
I have always used the same lube for all my rifle and 44 mag boolits but its probably too hard for pistol in a short barrel so it looks like I try LLA (smelly stuff)

Doc

[triggerhappy243]

I cast and load the 200 gr. lee swc out of strait W/W's. water drop into a 5 gal. bucket of cool water, Size to .452 damm things shoot more accurate than jacketed bullets. I have used, universal clays(too slow), power pistol (like it), Unique, is a bit dirty and does not burn all the powder. they chronograph at 927-967 FPS.

[spfd1903]

This was my first Lee six cavity mold. With 10:1 or 20:1 alloy, usually drops at .454 and 203 to 205 grains. All the boolits have been loaded for .45 Colt. This boolit and HP-38, after a lot of trial and error, would put all five rounds from a Taurus Judge on the bullseye at 30 feet. Does just as well from a Ruger Vaquero. All sized to .452. Just last week, loaded up a number of powder combinations for .45 Auto, 20:1 alloy, sized to .452. Trial OAL of 1.17. Have not been to the range yet to authenticate the .45 auto.

[RobS]

Doc:
I shot the Lee RF 200 grain design out of my autos and 45 Colts for quite a while and liked the large meplat. The Lee 230 TC is a good one and it is one of the easier molds to find accuracy with. Most of the time I use air cooled WW alloy for my 45 auto's however the Lee 200 RF was more accurate out of my pistols (one being a XD Tactical) when I water dropped.

[hickfu]

Doc:
I shot the Lee RF 200 grain design out of my autos and 45 Colts for quite a while and liked the large meplat. The Lee 230 TC is a good one and it is one of the easier molds to find accuracy with. Most of the time I use air cooled WW alloy for my 45 auto's however the Lee 200 RF was more accurate out of my pistols (one being a XD Tactical) when I water dropped.

That is good to know... I will run another batch and water drop and air cool some, that way I can run a test between AC, WQ and the 50/50 mix I tried. I really don't like switching alloys

Doc

[TXGunNut]

That is good to know... I will run another batch and water drop and air cool some, that way I can run a test between AC, WQ and the 50/50 mix I tried. I really don't like switching alloys

Doc

Should be interesting, I didn't bother to try water dropping or heat treating with the 200. ACWW worked so well it didn't occur to me and I'm a big fan of KISS.

[MtGun44]

Either straight ACWW or 50/50 plus tin should be fine. I have to laugh at WD for
.45 ACP. Kinda like adding caviar to hog feed. Costs money and time and the pigs
will never know or care. .45 ACP does not need hard boolits.

Bill

[RobS]

Either straight ACWW or 50/50 plus tin should be fine. I have to laugh at WD for
.45 ACP. Kinda like adding caviar to hog feed. Costs money and time and the pigs
will never know or care. .45 ACP does not need hard boolits.

Bill

We all know that you are an advocate of air cooled WW alloy all the way up to magnum loads and that's fine if it works out for you with your hand guns. We also know on this forum that you are huge on the H&G #68 SWC as well. Now, I use air cooled with every damn boolit for the 45 acp except the Lee 200 RF because professor gun liked it that a way. I've also shot them all as water dropped too but accuracy was the same so as you stated it's a potential extra step for some as you have to take them out of the water and allow to dry etc.

[bruce381]

in 45 ACP what is OAL? thats feeds well to the crimp grove or other lenght?

[hickfu]

Mine were not seated all the way to the crimp groove (bad eyes) when I tried them in the 1911 and XD45.. They fit the 1911 but they wouldnt seat all the way in for the XD. I took them out to the reloading room to my magnifying light and noticed that they had just a little bit left to go, so I set the seating die a little bit further in and then did a taper crimp... Now they seat perfectly in the XD as well... They are 1.171

Now they are seated right in the crimp groove.


Doc

[DaveSpud]

I use this mold for both .45 Colt and ACP. Mine casts 'em at .452-.453, unless I get something on the mold plate, and don't get the mold tightly closed. When that happens, they can get noticeably bigger.

I've used Unique, Blue Dot, PB and TiteGroup. PB works best for me. TiteGroup leads awful for me, where the other powders don't. Might be a lube issue for me. Others have told me they can use TiteGroup without leading. I haven't been able to.

[wildchild2010]

Doc

Are you using the 2 or 6 cavity 200-ref molds?

Thanks

[hickfu]

I got the 6 cavity.... I hate sitting there for a long time to make a few boolits when I can make a bunch!!!

Now I really need to start finding a good load that works in my guns... I have 700X, 800X, titegroup and I just got 4lbs of unique



Doc

[wildchild2010]

I got the 6 cavity.... I hate sitting there for a long time to make a few boolits when I can make a bunch!!!

Now I really need to start finding a good load that works in my guns... I have 700X, 800X, titegroup and I just got 4lbs of unique



DocThanks for the reply. The 6 cavity does make sence at banging out the lead.

[fredj338]

Lee molds are all over the place on as cast size, diff alloys & temps only makes it worse. I have the same mold, runs about 0.453" using range scrap, about 206gr. I find anything harder than range scrap in he 45acp a waste. I rarely add tin to anything for the 4acp but LHP alloy of 25-1.
IMO, forget the TG for lead bullets, way too hot & smokey. Unique or 700x will be a better choice.

[geargnasher]

The plastic pistols seem to trend toward no throats and sharp steps at the end of the chamber. When combined with generous chambers and way-oversized boolits, this can cause a shaving condition that will lead the bore. Be prepared to throat it or size .451-ish and seat so the boolit pilots the cartridge in the front, meaning the case headspaces on the boolit itself rather than the extractor claw. Take the barrel out, make some dummies to pass the "plunk test" minus .005-10" clearance with the barrel hood and see if they will manually cycle through the gun.

You can also easily make a pound cast and know ahead of time what you're up against for sizing and fit.

Gear