.451 or .452?

[Hardcast]

You guys that shoot cast .45 ACP in semi-autos, what do you size at? I have five .45 autos, and have not slugged the barrel in any of them. Would it make any difference?

[gray wolf]

Well this is a good time for me to chime in and also give an update. I will get to your question.
Last season --I say that cause here in Maine we don't have any indoor ranges near by so we shoot in the sand pit while it is warm and the snow is under 5 inches. Any way I was having a hell of a time with leading up front just after the chamber in my S/A 45 acp. Not good with H&G #68 swc and horrendous with 230 round nose from two Lyman molds. I am saying chunks of lead coming out with the chore boy on a brush. I drove the guy's crazy over here with all my new lube formulas and questions about what was happening. Well Springfield replaced my barrel with a one piece instead of the two piece that it came with. the old one was not throated the new one is, and I, not knowing had a .451 sizing die in my 4500 luby thing. Ok I slugged my barrel and sure enough it wants a 452 bullet.
Now with the sizing at .452 I can use almost any lube and any bullet and after 200 rounds I have no leading. Size does make a difference. My bullets have also age hardened over the last year or so. I would slug the barrel and if you don't want to at least go with .452 as a first try.

My 2 cents.

GW.

[No_1]

Good question. Does size make a difference? I say yes, size makes all the difference in the world. A lot of reloaders think they can buy or cast a lead boolit, load it in a case just like a jacketed bullet and get the same accuracy as factory rounds. As you know, there is a lot more to it than this. Sizing the boolit to the correct size (+.001 to +.002 over bore size) is just as important to accuracy as using the correct powder.

I am sure that you have been keeping up with the thread that has been dealing with additional sizing of the boolit when it is being seated in the case.

There are many threads that deal with sizing as well as slugging a barrel. Slugging is so easy even a caveman could do it. It just take some dead soft slugs (round lead fishing sinkers from walmart?) and a good rod (Home Depot?), a clean barrel and a mallet.

Take the time to slug your barrels, find a boolit that fits the throat, expand your cases so they don't size the boolit down too much (get another expander?) and enjoy accuracy.

Robert

[Char-Gar]

I have been sizing my 45 ACP bullets .452 for almost 50 years.

[docone31]

I have two different make .45ACP. I size at .452. No leading in either.
I did check my OAL with the barrels. I set my OAL to the shorter chamber.
Great day at the range, no leading at all, very accurate. More so than the ball I can get at the range.
Good starting point.
I did not slug these barrels, I just made a guess.
Got lucky this time. Not so with my .303 British. Shows that sizing is critical. My .303 produced 2" groups with factory, 15ft groups with my castings sized at .311.
Sizing is VERY important.

[mooman76]

I agree totally with what hs been said here. If you're not going to slug your bores then this is one of those cases where a little big is better than a little small. Or you could just shoot some at .451 in all your pistols and see if you have leading.

[crowbeaner]

I size my boolits .001" over jacketed bullets as a rule of thumb. Since .451 is jacketed diameter for your 45 ACP I'd start with .452.

[runfiverun]

i like to use the biggest softest boolit that will chamber.
if they lead then the bbl is probably rough.
52 even 53 would be okay.

[colbyjack]

in my springfield with a match barell i use .452" -chris

[jhalcott]

IF I size .45 acp bullets,it's .452. At least ONE lee .45 mold I have doesn't need sizing .I use LLA on those. I use ACWW alloy and use them for plinking. They would be good for the midnight caller at acrossed the room distances too.

[Shiloh]

I have been sizing my 45 ACP bullets .452 for almost 50 years.

Ditto this Post.

Not 50 years, but around 30. Many of the Commercial caster offer .45 boolits
sized at .452. some may at .451 on request but .452 seems to be the standard

Shiloh

[Hardcast]

OK, thanks for the replies. I was trying to decide whether I need a .451" sizer die for my Star sizer. Looks like probably not.

[Dale53]

I have shot over 100,000 rounds from my .45's. All cast, all at .452" and absolutely NO leading in any of them. My alloy is ACWW+2% tin. I have used somewhat harder (WW/Lino 5/1) with the same results - excellent.

I've mostly used NRA Alox 50/50 but have been using Lars Red Carnauba for some time, now (less messy, higher melting point, and excellent accuracy).

Dale53

[Boomer Mikey]

.452" is the norm.


http://stevespages.com/jpg/cd45acp.jpg

I've shot lots of 0.454" 454424's and 454190's too.

Boomer :Fire:

[Hardcast]

Well I finally slugged the barrel on my primary carry .45 auto, a Colt XSE LW Commander, and it looks to be a .452" groove. I used the cast pure lead bore measuring slugs that Veral sold me several years ago. Looks like my concern was all for naught.

[gray wolf]

OK lets back up a bit. You slugged the bore and the groove is .452???
or it's .451 and you will use .452 ?-----if it slugged at .452 then you may want .453
But I think you are saying that it is .451 and you are going to use .452.
What the hell did I just say??? No what did he say?? or was it them?? :Fire:
Time for a jelly samich I think.

:drinks:

[DLCTEX]

I first started sizing at 451 may years ago as that is what I was told was correct, but after joining this board and learning more, I went to 452 and had much better accuracy. I did not experience leading to any great degree at 451 with any of my boolits. Now zero leading and tighter groups. This is with straight WW all the way. DALE

[Hardcast]

OK lets back up a bit. You slugged the bore and the groove is .452???
or it's .451 and you will use .452 ?-----if it slugged at .452 then you may want .453
But I think you are saying that it is .451 and you are going to use .452.
What the hell did I just say??? No what did he say?? or was it them?? :Fire:
Time for a jelly samich I think.

:drinks:


No, I measured the part of the slug that was engraved by the rifling in the barrel. The widest point of the slug measures about .452" on my dial caliper.

[Lloyd Smale]

ive tried them both in probably a dozen 1911s in the past and Have never seen a 451 outshoot a 452. Ive seen guns that it didnt make a differnce but none that actually liked the smaller size better.

[epj]

The Lyman reloading manual suggests that bullets for the 45ACP be sized at .451 instead of the usual .452. This is due to chambering issues. I have loaded both sizes, and can't really tell a difference. I had some commercial cast bullets marked .452 on the box that were really .450-.451. Didn't get any leading, but I was shooting a really light target load. Didn't test for fine accuracy. I am now loading my own cast Lee SWC's sized at .452. No chambering issues in any of the guns I use, but the also go through a Lee FC die after bullet seating. In any event, still no leading.

[mstarling]

.452" has served me well over the years with issue barrels, and aftermarket barrels by Kart and Nowlin.