Recommendation for Mould or is it Mold for .45 ACP

[Elmar66]

Primarily for shooting out of a Kimber 1911 but I also have other .45 auto loaders.

I hear some bullet shapes are better than others for the 1911 frame.

I would imagine a 4 cavity would be faster to create bigger quantities correct?

What are the best moulds for the $$?

Thanks!

Elmar

[GabbyM]

Saeco four cavity #068 or #069 if you want a flat base.
Its the 200 grain SWC copy of H&G #68.

MiHec ran a #68 copy in the six cavity aluminum blocks a while back.

[Moonie]

If on a budget the 6 cav Lee 230gr TC (non tumble lube) would be a great mold to have. I have the 2 cav version and it feeds perfectly in 2 1911's.

If not on a budget, or if you want better quality I can recommend Mihec's molds, ANY of them, the 6 banger is good for lots of boolits or the 200gr HP which I do have. Works of art they are.

[David2011]

+1 on the Saeco #068/069. It is a pleasure to cast and shoot. Mine's the flat base version and shoots very well. Yes, you want a 4 cavity mold. Yes, you will eventually want a Star sizerof you don't have one.

The Lyman 452374 is another favorite of mine. It bears a strong resemblance to the JMB original 45ACP profile and casts at a nominal 225 gr depending on your alloy.

Both of these molds and the truncated cone feed well in all of my 1911s. The TC is designed to have the same geometry during feeding as the ball ammo shape. I've tried some other SWCs that didn't always want to feed as smoothly.

Welcome to the frey!

BTW- I've seen Lyman molds on fleabay for $20 above retail lately so beware.

David

[Echo]

I saw a 4C Lyman 452460 on eBay today for less than $50. I hadn't sold,yet, so we don't know how much it will actually sell for, but they are available for reasonable prices. It is a SWC design, but mine shoot in both my 45's just fine.

And +1 for the recommendation of the -374 design. I don't have one, but friends have used this successfully.

[462]

Elmar66,
Welcome!

I'm extremely satisfied with Lyman's 452374 and 452460 designs.

Whatever mould you decide on, become educated on ebay prices -- in other words, don't be in a hurry to buy. I've seen too many used, although current production, moulds sell for more than full retail. True, there are bargains to be had...my last purchase was an Ideal 2-cavity wadcutter for $20.

Be sure to check out the site's buying and selling forum.

[Catshooter]

I can also recomend the Lyman 452372. Midway sells them.

And it's "mould", just like it's "boolit". :)


Cat

[2ndAmendmentNut]

I have a 4-C Lyman 452374 mould. These boolits are great and all my 1911s love then including my Kimbers.

[Mk42gunner]

I like the Lyman 452460. One of these days I'll have enough spare change to get a four cavity mold; but since I don't shoot that much .45 anymore, my two cavity works well enough.

Robert

[RobS]

A round nose design is going to give you less issues regarding function. The Lyman 452374 would be decent, but only if it cast out at the right diameter. Lyman has had issues with molds running undersized and I have decided to hold off until I hear better word on the company's quality control.

SWC's such as the Lyman molds mentioned seem to feed well in most 45 1911's and are the preferred design for paper if that is your intent. Other designs that are decent include the already stated Lee 452-230-TC (Truncated) or even the Lee 452-228-1R design. Both of these are shorter than the typical ball type design so it is not uncommon to have them seated to a shorter COAL for function.

There are also those members here who are mold/mould makers who do an excellent job and also a few others out there such as LBT or Mountain Molds who do very good work as well.

If I was on a dime then I would go with either of the Lee designs but note the truncated design has a bit of a bevel to it so it can be a PITA when lubing on a RCBS/Lyman style lubricator. The 1R Lee mold is a true plain base and always shot well in the firearms I shot it in.

[whitetailsniper]

In my 45 acp i shoot the lyman 180 grain devistator hp my gun loves em, ive rapid fired tried to jam,and not had a single one,,, there very accurate and have a awsome mushroom effect,retain most of its weight, i cant exspress enough how much i enjoy this bullet mold,i have 13 differant molds for my 45 and the above is not only my favorite but my go to bullet and mold. Look into it,,other members have tried and agree. And in case you were wondering i use 7.5 grains of unique,
sizes to .452 and col. Is 1.246 i have yet to crony them,but will soon.

[Elmar66]

Thanks for all of the input and welcomes. I am well aware of the eBay scams and I am normally a pretty educated buyer. This is just one of my expensive hobbies, so I try to save where I can.

Is the issue with some of the 6 cavity molds that they become distorted with heat? I know some tend to shy away from some of them. I was just wondering.

I just set up my Hornady L-N-L AP, so as I am buying more supplies to feed it, I see that buying boolits at $65 per 500 is pretty expensive for lead. Considering I have probably 4000 empty .45's.

After I get pretty familiar with the reloading process I want to start casting my own. I also shoot .380 which is still very expensive for some dang reason.

Thanks again!

Elmar

[Mk42gunner]

Thanks for all of the input and welcomes. I am well aware of the eBay scams and I am normally a pretty educated buyer. This is just one of my expensive hobbies, so I try to save where I can.

Is the issue with some of the 6 cavity molds that they become distorted with heat? I know some tend to shy away from some of them. I was just wondering.

I just set up my Hornady L-N-L AP, so as I am buying more supplies to feed it, I see that buying boolits at $65 per 500 is pretty expensive for lead. Considering I have probably 4000 empty .45's.

After I get pretty familiar with the reloading process I want to start casting my own. I also shoot .380 which is still very expensive for some dang reason.

Thanks again!

Elmar

Give a guy a heart attack:holysheep. It is too early in the morning for me to read prices like that. The last time I bought boolits at retail was in 2003, $21.99 for 500 250 gr RNFP from Western Nevada Bullet.

At those kind of prices, it wouldn't take too many boolits to pay for the equipment. From my understanding the .380 reloads just like the .45 ACP, only smaller.

From reading your post it sounds like you are new to reloading. If so I recommend getting a reloading manual or two and studying before actually loading any ammo. Also read the stickies and ask any questions here; I would rather read a thousand new guy questions, than one aw &*%^ post.

Good Luck,

Robert

[Elmar66]

Roger that Robert, I 've already read the Lee reloading manual. I have watched about every video I could get on my computer about setting up and running the L-N-L. I can tell already that it's going to be a great machine and a lot of fun.

I've been working on setup for the past week or so, getting everything right and adjusted.

After I run this first batch of store bought boolits, it will be off to the internet to buy my casting supplies.

Either this forum or another I belong to, I had a guy send me some .380 boolits when I bought .380 casings from him. Thought that was a great deal and a kind gesture for someone new (again) to reloading.

[casterofboolits]

:holysheep $65.00 for 500! :groner: I get $60.00 a thousand if you pick them up at my shop. Probably a bit of a drive for you tho! :bigsmyl2:

I like the Lyman clone of the H&G 68. 452460. I feel the Saeco mold blocks are too small for a 45 and would overheat quickly. Don't get me wrong, I have ten Saeco moulds, four of which are eight cavity. The Lymans are about half the price of the Saeco mould. You could probably buy two of the Lyman moulds for the price of one Saeco.

[cbrick]

The Lymans are about half the price of the Saeco mould. You could probably buy two of the Lyman moulds for the price of one Saeco.

And not to mention that the last two SAECO molds I bought new were cr*pola and Redding refused to do anything about it. Something to consider.

Rick

[RobS]

And not to mention that the last two SAECO molds I bought new were cr*pola and Redding refused to do anything about it. Something to consider.

Rick

And that just sucks!!!

[casterofboolits]

And not to mention that the last two SAECO molds I bought new were cr*pola and Redding refused to do anything about it. Something to consider.

Rick

Sorry to hear that. All the Saeco moulds I have purhased have been excellent moulds.

I recently purhased a second Saeco #115 four cavity 09-122-RNBB and it perfectly matches the one I purchased over 20 years ago. Both of the moulds drop 125 grain boolits of the same diameter. This is fine with me as my H&G six cavity moulds #309 09-125-TCPB and #275 09-125-SWCBB drop 125 grain boolits with the same alloy. So I can run all these moulds together.

[45-70 Chevroner]

I like the six cavity Lee also, it works great makes lots of boolits quickly and the price is right.

Websters dictionary: Mold a matrix to cast metal in. Mould see Mold. There are a number of definitions for mold but only one for mould which is, "mould/'mold/war of MOLD." ie. see mold.
I don't think it makes any difference which you use, mold or mould because we all know what you mean.

[codgerville@zianet.com]

I use both the 452374 and 452460 in Springfield and Charles Daly guns with no feeding problems whatever. Usually buy from Midway, decent prices and fast shipping.

[Dale53]

The best quality for the money is the MiHec #68 H&G flat base mould (200 gr SWC that has the reputation of functioning in more 1911's than any other SWC design):

http://www.mp-molds.com/shopping/pgm-more_information.php?id=4&=SID

These are SUPERB moulds! Just a couple of days ago, I ran 42 lbs of finished bullets from an RCBS bottom pour pot using a MiHec mold. The actual casting time was under 2.0 hrs.

Dale53