.45ACP Gov't profile 230gr RN Group Buy

[Forester]

I have cast a couple thousand of these now and shot about 100 through 2 different 1911s. One is my "game gun" for USPSA and IDPA, and feeds dang near anything so that does not prove much. The other is a little more picky, my Dan Wesson CBOB with a short, tight throat. Both guns fed the relatively few of these I have shot flawlessly.

They cast easy, size up fine and shoot and feed flawlessly. I have not done serious accuracy work with them yet, but it seems to be a little shy of the Lee 200gr LSWC, but not by much.

If anyone has buyers remorse or for any reason wants to part with their mold I would be happy to take it off their hands.

Anyone else tried these yet?

[Springfield]

I've cast a few but haven't shot any yet.

[Lloyd Smale]

Ive never found any of the round nosed 45 acp molds to be tack drivers. What they are is a good very reliable feeding bullet for plinking, small game and even self defence.

[ronbo]

Doesn't Lyman still make the 225 or is it 230 grain roundnose mould. I bought a used Ideal marked 4cavity in the same bullet style off another website a couple of months ago for $30 and was happy to get it. It was the same bullet I used to cast about 40 years ago in a single cavity Lyman for the 45 auto.

[Lloyd Smale]

yup they do.
Doesn't Lyman still make the 225 or is it 230 grain roundnose mould. I bought a used Ideal marked 4cavity in the same bullet style off another website a couple of months ago for $30 and was happy to get it. It was the same bullet I used to cast about 40 years ago in a single cavity Lyman for the 45 auto.

[MakeMineA10mm]

Doesn't Lyman still make the 225 or is it 230 grain roundnose mould. I bought a used Ideal marked 4cavity in the same bullet style off another website a couple of months ago for $30 and was happy to get it. It was the same bullet I used to cast about 40 years ago in a single cavity Lyman for the 45 auto.

Hi Ron,
Yes, they do. It is a 225gr version. It's my guess that they litterally took a 230gr military FMJ, copied it's shape and diameter, and then cut a lube groove in it. The lube groove cut 5grs of weight off the boolit.

What I did was make the lube groove slightly bigger (in cast this boolit was getting used in something other than a 45 Auto, like a 454Casull, for example), and then add a longer base with a slight bevel to make it easier to load and get the weight back up to 230grs. This does make it a hint longer than a military FMJ, but it loads, feeds, and shoots exactly the same.

I'm not qualified enough to speak on the accuracy question. There is another thread here at CB going right now that says that RNs are easily more accurate than SWCs, and it talks about stability in moving through air and that ultimately spire points are most accurate...

Well, I think that SO MANY factors go into accuracy (let's see, where to begin? - casting quality, straight-sizing, consistent brass and primer seating, accurate powder charging, bullet seating, crimp, gun inherent accuracy, sights, shooter, wind at the range that day, etc., etc., etc....) that it's hard to separate out exactly what part nose shape plays. Mostly, in practical use, I think nose shape effect on accuracy is primarily theoretical...

[9.3X62AL]

The big plus for the Govt. RN design is feed reliability. Not so many years ago, 1911A1 pistols weren't real reliable feeders with a lot of TC or SWC designs. The Lyman #452374 would run like water through "stock" 45s, though. A lot of those same 45s had accuracy standards of "minute of No. 2 washtub at 50 yards", so the standard for boolit accuracy wasn't demanding.

I've seen some extremely accurate work done with both hardball and cast reproductions of hardball bullets. Many of us don't have either pistols or skill levels capable of sorting out the finest points of bullet style accuracy differences--and I'm in that league--so it isn't a thing I sweat about.

[Salmon-boy]

Personally, I'd like to thank MakeMineA10mm for getting this GB started, and honchoing it and having the patience to wait for Duke's moulds to be paid for... Thanks man!

Now I just have to get my sorry behind out of work long enough so I can cast up a whole bunch.. The mould looks REAL purty - like it's gonna throw some nice boolits for my Smith...

[mtgrs737]

Doesn't Lyman still make the 225 or is it 230 grain roundnose mould. I bought a used Ideal marked 4cavity in the same bullet style off another website a couple of months ago for $30 and was happy to get it. It was the same bullet I used to cast about 40 years ago in a single cavity Lyman for the 45 auto.

When this GB went with the bevel base, I bought a Lyman 4 cavity. I am very happy with it, it throws perfect boolits when I do my part.

[Springfield]

Shoulda went with the GB, the bevel base is almost non-existent.

[mtgrs737]

Shoulda went with the GB, the bevel base is almost non-existent.

I am sure the GB is a nice boolit, but I don't think I gave anything up with the Lyman. It will cast all I will ever need.

[wildbill49]

I've been using the Lyman 452734 for years (about 30+) and find it almost as accurate as NM Military Ball M1911 ammunition. In fact I have 2 - 4 cavity molds in the 452734.

I was very fortunate to command one of the US Army's 3 AMTU's in the late 1970's. As such I had a very good pistolsmith working for me. He built me a 1911 for NRA Conventional Pistol competition that would shoot NM Ball at under 1 inch at 25 yards and keep 10 shots in the 10 ring at 50 yards from a Ransom Rest. Using the Lyman 452734, which runs about 230 gr with wheel weights and greased with 50/50 ALOX, I've cleaned several 25 yard timed fire targets. My load is a little dirty, but shoots well in my pistol. It is 5 gr. of Red Dot and WLP primers.

As for the profile, the NM Ball is more rounded that the cast boolit, but about the same length. Remember that the jacket on the ball is a lot lighter than lead, so I suspect that is why the Lyman is a little more pointed. It is listed as 225 with Lyman #2, but I don't think they need to be that hard for the velocities you are shooting them in match competition.

I do weigh my boolits for match shooting and keep them with in +/- 0.1 grains. For practice I just inspect and reject those with obvious defects.

I've also used this load in my Glock 21 with a Barsto barrel and while not as accurate as the 1911 match pistol, it still gives 2+ inch groups at 25 yards, if I do my part. For the 7 years that I was carrying this pistol in active law enforcement duty, I was able to maintain the position as the best shot in the department. Lots of times I would use my reload for qualification, not for accuracy issues, but because lead was easier on the pistol.

Wild Bill

[Harmon_Greer]

can someone show me a picture of this cast bullet? i reallly like the lyman bullet and if i could get a 6 cavity i would be happy.

[redbear705]

Well I finally got the time to cast size and lube some of these.

I loaded some up on top of 4.7gr of W231 and also 5.3gr W231.

I run a stock colt 1911 government series 80...using a 22# spring.

The 5.3gr W231 actually ran great! out of my gun and they also ran great out of my friends springfield TRP.

The 4.7gr load was equally great with just a little less recoil.

I had no leading,using soft lead and sized to.452" and lubed with Jakes purple.

I think that the small bevel reduces the leading issue as the edge is not in the hot gas as much as the ones with a big bevel....just a guess, but dont have an issue with plain based bullits either.

Anyhow I am waiting for the next group buy on this mold as I would like to get 2 more...:) hint hint hint:-D

JR

[35remington]

"I run a stock colt 1911 government series 80...using a 22# spring."

Whoa! I can't think of a reason to run a 1911 with a spring that heavy. Especially with hardball equivalent loads.

[Lloyd Smale]

I agee. I run my guns with 16s using hardball. 22 lbs spring may be ok in a commander but its on the heavy side for a 5 inch gun

[denul]

Dont know about the recoil spring, but I'd definitely go for 2 molds of this type; was sleeping last time out...

[Harmon_Greer]

can anyone post a picture of a sized and lubed bullet?

[lead_her_fly]

Pictures man, post some pictures!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Springfield]

Here is a pic of the first and second 45 ACP GB's. The one on the left is the one with the slight bevel base.

[MakeMineA10mm]

Just for clarity, in the picture above, the first group buy, run by someone else, is the boolit on the right. The second group buy, that I ran, is on the left.

After some intellectual battle with Lee over the first moulds, we re-wrote the drawing and made it perfectly clear what the ideas/boundaries were.