Light, accurate 45 acp boil it?

[brewer12345]

I have been shooting a lot of hg68 clones in my 45 and while it does everything I want it to, it sure does take a lot of lead. I can simply keep it up and be happy, but it occurs to me to wonder: is there a good, accurate 45 boolit that uses significantly less lead?

[megasupermagnum]

H&G #68... Hollow point.

[super6]

I have a H&G #68 mold and love it. Did they make a hollow point mold in#68?

[megasupermagnum]

NOE and MP do.

[tazman]

The NOE hollow point version of the h&G 68 weighs only 12 grains less. NOE makes a 167 grain version of that boolit.
I have a Lee version that weighs 155 grains and it shoots well.

[megasupermagnum]

I'm not saying yours isn't accurate, but I've heard from more than one person that the 155 grain "thumb tack" is a dud. the 200 grain SWC is already as short as it is fat. If all you shoot is 25 yards or less, then some lighter designs will likely shoot well enough.

[megasupermagnum]

Yes, NOE says theirs weighs 188 grains, MP 185 grains. I consider that significant, although I shoot the solid only.

[kevin c]

Quite the accent, you've got there, Brewer. When you prepare the water for your coffee, when do you boolit? ;^]

[tazman]

Yes, NOE says theirs weighs 188 grains, MP 185 grains. I consider that significant, although I shoot the solid only.

With the 188-185 grain boolits, you get an extra boolit every 13-16 boolits depending on the mold. With the NOE 165 grain boolit, you get an extra boolit every 6 boolits. With the Lee 155 grain boolit, you get and extra every 4.4 boolits.
The OP asked to save lead. The ones I suggested fit that category.
As far as accuracy, that would depend on his individual gun, expected use, and abilities. Accuracy is dependent on the expectations of the shooter.
At the ranges I shoot, there is no observable difference in accuracy.

[ioon44]

I have shot a lot of 155 gr & 75 gr SWC over the years with good results, if you are using too much lead make some bullet traps and recycle your bullets.

[tazman]

I have shot a lot of 155 gr & 75 gr SWC over the years with good results, if you are using too much lead make some bullet traps and recycle your bullets.

While this is an excellent idea, the OP is from the Denver metro area. This is most likely an impossibility for him.
For someone who lives in the county, it is a perfect solution.

[Petrol & Powder]

I have been shooting a lot of hg68 clones in my 45 and while it does everything I want it to, it sure does take a lot of lead. I can simply keep it up and be happy, but it occurs to me to wonder: is there a good, accurate 45 boolit that uses significantly less lead?

".....I can simply keep it up and be happy..."
/\ That would be my course of action /\

[Rich/WIS]

Have a 155 gr NOE mold that drops closer to 160 with range lead. Loaded a couple hundred and the shot just as well as the 190 SWC, but only shoot at 25 yards. Less lead and less recoil so will switch to these full time when I burn through my stash of 190 gr bullets.

[brewer12345]

While this is an excellent idea, the OP is from the Denver metro area. This is most likely an impossibility for him.
For someone who lives in the county, it is a perfect solution.

Bingo. Wish I could set up a trap and do lots of other things that aren't possible in my little patch of suburbia.

[Conditor22]

.452 200 gr SW / 452460 LYMAN, BE 5

[Burnt Fingers]

I have the NOE 155, drops 159, I have the Lee 155, NEI, 160, and a couple of others.

If your gun will feed them they are fun to shoot. You'll use a bit more powder but save lead. There's a group buy going right now for the MP version of the 155.

You can get 180-185 versions from Accurate. The H&G 130 is a good boolit.

There are a lot of options for boolits lighter than 200 grs.

[marek313]

Its a little bit of wash because with lighter bullets you use more powder. Now if you are in an area where lead is hard to find but powder is available then I guess it makes sense but for if you already have access to lead I think #68 200gr SWC is a good bullet to shoot. I can get enough lead for my usage so I dont have this problem I guess.

[tazman]

I use light boolits for easy to shoot(low recoil)loads. I normally use the same powder charge I used with the heavier boolits as long as it functions the pistol.

[brewer12345]

I use light boolits for easy to shoot(low recoil)loads. I normally use the same powder charge I used with the heavier boolits as long as it functions the pistol.

Heh, I walked my load on the HG68s down to 4.5 grains of bullseye. If reliably functions the pistol, is really accurate, and I can shoot long enough that my eyes get tired before my hands do. I played around with the same boolit with various charges of Unique and found that 7 grains is very, very accurate, but it has a lot more blast and recoil than I am used to with my bullseye load.

[tazman]

Heh, I walked my load on the HG68s down to 4.5 grains of bullseye. If reliably functions the pistol, is really accurate, and I can shoot long enough that my eyes get tired before my hands do. I played around with the same boolit with various charges of Unique and found that 7 grains is very, very accurate, but it has a lot more blast and recoil than I am used to with my bullseye load.

I am using 4.1 of WST or Bullseye for mine. I have gone as low as 3.8 grains but function was inconsistent.

[Burnt Fingers]

3.8 grains of IMR Red. Not Red Dot, IMR Red.

[Walks]

I shoot a Lyman #452488, a very stubby WC over 3.5grs of Bullseye. A very light recoiling load. Unfortunately it doesn't stabilize until it gets out to 50ft. I also use an 11lb spring in my 1911's, which have all been ramped and throated. They'll feed empty expanded cases.

I'm fond of that RCBS 45-201-KT (SWC), I have two molds to cast from. They are great casting molds, one is marked KT, the other SWC. With a medium load of TiteGroup they are accurate and a pleasure to shoot, clean holes at any distance, STD Spring.
I cast them in conjunction with a Lyman #452374 4cav. The molds are alike enough in height and width that they fit the old Lyman Mold Guide.
My Shooting Partners 1911's are NOT ramped & Throated, so the 230gr RN feeds perfectly every time in their Guns.

I like the SWC the best.

[tazman]

Walks brings up an interesting statement that I don't really understand about a boolit not stabilizing until several yards from the muzzle.
It would seem logical that a boolit would be as stable as it was going to be as it leaves the barrel with yaw and other things kicking in as it goes down range.
What causes a boolit to fail to stabilize until some distance down range?
Particularly with a boolit as light for the cartridge as the one Walks mentions?
Sorry for thread drift.

[LenH]

I shoot a H&G S242 LSWC bullet weight is 160 gr with lino. I shoot this made of Hard ball and weigh in the neighborhood from 168 to 170 gr. I push it with
4.5 gr of Bullseye. Great bullet and very accurate. I checked Accurate Molds and he has a 45-160S that appears to be a very close clone he list 160gr with WW.
If I didn't have that old H&G I would check into this mold.

[fredj338]

I think they call them 9mm? Seriously, shooting a big bore is just going to cost you more. There are some good 185gr but that isn't enough lead savings to get me to stop shooting 200gr.

[fredj338]

Walks brings up an interesting statement that I don't really understand about a boolit not stabilizing until several yards from the muzzle.
It would seem logical that a boolit would be as stable as it was going to be as it leaves the barrel with yaw and other things kicking in as it goes down range.
What causes a boolit to fail to stabilize until some distance down range?
Particularly with a boolit as light for the cartridge as the one Walks mentions?
Sorry for thread drift.

There is a very short distance where the bullet gets disrupted as it hits the air leaving the muzzle, but most pistol bullets are stable within a couple feet from the bore, never an accuracy issue.

[Burnt Fingers]

I shoot a Lyman #452488, a very stubby WC over 3.5grs of Bullseye. A very light recoiling load. Unfortunately it doesn't stabilize until it gets out to 50ft. I also use an 11lb spring in my 1911's, which have all been ramped and throated. They'll feed empty expanded cases.

I'm fond of that RCBS 45-201-KT (SWC), I have two molds to cast from. They are great casting molds, one is marked KT, the other SWC. With a medium load of TiteGroup they are accurate and a pleasure to shoot, clean holes at any distance, STD Spring.
I cast them in conjunction with a Lyman #452374 4cav. The molds are alike enough in height and width that they fit the old Lyman Mold Guide.
My Shooting Partners 1911's are NOT ramped & Throated, so the 230gr RN feeds perfectly every time in their Guns.

I like the SWC the best.

RCBS made both the 201 SWC and the 201 KT. I have both molds. There are slight differences in the boolit. I actually have a pair of the 201 KT molds. I can take boolits cast from either one and they will fit in the other. The 201 SWC won't fit in the 201 KT molds.

I'm a BIG fan of the 201 KT. Mine are actually dropping at 210. This boolit shoots like a house on fire.

[MT Gianni]

If you save 45 gr of lead with every shot that is 155.6 shots to gain a lb. If you are paying $1 per lp for your alloy you save $10 every 1,556 shots or about what it costs most of us to drive to the range.
I love the accuracy of the #68 and shoot my 32 long when I need to save lead.