Lee mould for 45acp?

[Swede 45]

I´m looking into adding 45acp to my castings.. been casting some 38spl with 2 cavity moulds from Lee for a while now.
Leaning towards a 6 cavity mould this time..
Any other bullet then the Lee 200gr SWC copy of H&G68 worth trying out of what Lee offers?
The 228gr RN perhaps?

I tried out a couple of hundreds H&G 68´s (unknown from what mouldmaker) and they feed fine.
I shoot mainly precision at 25 meters.
Able to either lube in a Star with TAC 1 or LLA tumblelube..

Per

[1911KY]

The 230 gr RN tumble lube grooves do well for me and you know they will feed in pretty much anything, but I prefer to cast the H&G68 clone, as it stretches my lead a little further and cut nice clean holes in targets.

[62chevy]

Try the 452-200-RF very accurate for me. Comes in 2 or 6 cavity mold from Lee.

[Swede 45]

Chevy: is the upper grove on that bullet a lube or crimp grove?
If it´s a crimp, do you seat case to cover it? What COL do you get, if so?
I use the 358-125-RF in 9mm and seat to cover the crimpgrove.

[mdi]

For semi-auto reloading disregard the crimp grooves and check the OAL with the "Plunk Test" My 45 ACP and 9mm do not get crimped, I only use a taper crimp die to straighten the case mouth...

I have a Lee mold for .45 in 200 SWC, 230 RN T/L, and 230 TC. All work well in my 1911, but the 200 gr. SWC (68 clone) is my favorite.

[62chevy]

Chevy: is the upper grove on that bullet a lube or crimp grove?
If it´s a crimp, do you seat case to cover it? What COL do you get, if so?
I use the 358-125-RF in 9mm and seat to cover the crimpgrove.

No just below the crimp grove with an AOL of 1.200 +/- .001. Shoots fine in my gun with 3.5 grains of Bullseye. Your pistol my not cycle but mine does and cases drop with in 2 to 3 foot of the gun.

[3shots]

I like the lee 230 tl tc six cavity makes'um fast if you use jpw for lube.

[OptimusPanda]

I'm a fan of the lee 200gr swc. My 6 cavity mold is very well behaved and drops the bullets practically on opening the mold. I did have to load them a little longer than Fmj 230gr in 45acp to get them to feed in my 1911 though no big deal really.

[dudel]

I'm partial to the Lee truncated cone. TL452-230TC in a 6 cavity mold works great for me.

[Gunor]

Lee @ 200 grain Tumble Lubed or regular? Any preference?

Bullet Design - since Lee makes one of each at the 200 gr size.

I think it would be faster to tumble lube and push thru a Lee .452 sizing die (just to uniform them - maybe size then lube them).

I like to speed up the operation and save a little lead (200 vs. 230).

[Blackwater]

I have the 200 SWC and the 230 TC with normal grooves, and both shoot well. A buddy has taken deer with both designs, so they're effective as well. I tend to lean toward the 230 because it has a bigger flat on front, but there's probably not enough difference between them to matter, really. I want the 200 RNFP as well, and will probably get one soon. Two of my old Colt Commanders like shorter OAL's than most .45's, so I figure that one would do nicely. Love that big, sharp-cornered flat on the front of that bullet. I figured I'd likely use a light taper crimp to just turn the case mouth inward just enough to catch the forward edge of the crimp groove so the bullet can't be pushed back, compressing the load and possibly sky-rocketing the pressures. However, as noted, it can be done otherwise, and ANY cast bullet can use a little taper crimp, turning the case mouth just into the body of the bullet so the bullet doesn't get shoved back down into the case during feeding. That's all that's required for any auto load. With revolvers, the forces at work try to pull the bullet out the FRONT of the case as the gun goes back in recoil, and there, a good roll crimp is needed, and the hotter the load and the more the recoil, the heavier the crimp that's needed to keep the bullet where it's supposed to be until it's rotated under the hammer and in line with the barrel. Then, the crimp improved ignition as well when used with slower and/or harder to ignite powders. Real simple, really. Crimps DO have a function, and that function is to make our lives easier and more secure, and to make range sessions more fun and less problematic. All cast loads in autos need a slight crimp into the bullet or sooner or later, you'll have a bullet get pushed back down into the case. With autos, that usually blows out through the mag well, leaving splinters in your hand. Not a pleasant experience. I've only seen pics of this after it happened, but it's a VERY convincing tool for those who skip a crimp altogether.

[Ido356]

I have a TL452-200-RF for 45 ACP, and have to seat the boolit real deep to keep from contacting the throat. I just got the TL452-230-2R and have only casted a few for working on loads, but looks like they're gong to work just fine.

[rsrocket1]

If you have a picky 1911 that likes FMJ RN bullets, but chokes on SWC's, get the 452-230-TC 6 cavity mold. It feeds perfectly in my old Thompson AO 1911 which is very picky about non-FMJ RN bullets. TL or normal lube groove is a personal preference, I like the TL version because I can tumble lube 500 bullets in about 5 minutes with an overnight dry with 45/45/10 and get zero leading.


The drawn in arrow shows an uninterrupted transition from the nose of the bullet to the body of the case. This prevents 3 point jams in my 1911.

[Ricochet]

My favorite bullet for the .45 Auto is the Lee TL-230-TC. I have a 6 holer mould.

[guncheese]

i have both the TL and H&G type swc in 2 holers
and i find the 2 boolits to be 100% interchangable as far as feeding and accuracy
i now powder coat most of them
i drilled out the seating plug in my die to it sits on the shoulder of the boolit
so i can swap boolits during a batch without adjustment
the TL one really likes the powder coat

[nagantguy]

The 230 gr RN tumble lube grooves do well for me and you know they will feed in pretty much anything, but I prefer to cast the H&G68 clone, as it stretches my lead a little further and cut nice clean holes in targets.

+100 on that probly my all time favorite mold, feeds in anything very accurate and they don't need to look pretty to shot well, all I use for idpa, what I used to discard back into the pot now wins me matches.

[bangerjim]

I shoot every shape of 200 and 230 Lee 45's there are in ACP and LC. No problems......as long as you follow length rules and they pass the plunk test. I have to size to 451 and use a Lee factory crimp die to get any of my ACP's to even go in the 1911's match grade barrels. After doing that, I have 100% success rate. B4....about 12%!

I PC EVERYTHING!

banger

[Jaybees]

This is one dropped from my lee 200 RNFP. They drop pretty consistently around 218-220. I water quench then LLA tumble. I seat them at 1.155 for proper function in my 21sf. My 1911 (which I no longer have) allowed for a longer OAL but I was getting terrible feeding issues. At the time, didn't even think about seating them deeper.

[gwpercle]

I have both the 228 gr.round nose and 200 gr. SWC moulds. When I discovered my 45 would feed fire and eject the SWC, that's about all I use. I keep the RN for those who have guns that will not feed SWC's or for replicating G.I. Ball ammo. Both of mine are the non-tumble lube design.
I just like the way a SWC looks and the clean holes they cut in a target. Also saves a bit of alloy and lessens felt recoil.
Gary

[Tar Heel]

My suggestion is the Lee 452-228 1R

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