Which .45 ACP boolit

[Josh Smith]

I really like the Lee truncated cone 230grn and their 200grn tumble lube SWC. A properly tuned 1911 should feed either.

I'm mostly going back to tumble lube for pistols, and sold my TL version of the 230-TC years back... dangit. At least they aren't expensive.

Regards,

Josh

[Whitespider]

So... I ordered a Lee 2 cavity SWC, found a Lyman carbide 4 die set on GunBroker for 21 bucks, I've got plenty of brass (but I don't remember why)...
And now here I sit, twiddling my thumbs and waiting... which always sucks.
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[TexasGrunt]

I've got several hungry .45 ACP mouths to feed. It's my favorite centerfire pistol caliber.

Lyman 452460 200 gr
RCBS .45-201-SWC
Lyman 452488


I'd like to try the Lyman 452460 165gr, 452489 and 452630. NOE also has a couple I'd like to try.

I use WST 4.4-4.6 gr with any of the first three boolits. I did pick up the NOE TL452-230 mold in the RG2 and I doubt I'll ever use it to not cast the hollow points. I've got a bunch cast, powder coated 50 of them in a high gloss black and they are sexy as can be, I've got a bunch more ready to go with Hi-Tek Kryptonite Green.

I'll get those to the range next week and see how they shoot. If they shoot well the NOE hollow point will probably become my new carry load, albeit with a bit higher powder charge.

[W.R.Buchanan]

I'll throw my .02 in here as I recently started casting for .45 ACP. I got a 4 cav. Lyman 452374 which has been around for a long time and is a proven performer.

I also Powder Coat those boolits so I don't have to mess with lubing etc. Cast, PC, Size, load, shoot.

This is a standard 230 gr Round Nosed boolit, which has been a standby for probably 60-80 years. it works perfectly in my Glock 21 SF.

Randy

I load it with 5.7 gr of W231

[Ed_Shot]

You will not go wrong with the Lyman 452374 for accuracy and reliability. For a 200 gr. the Accurate 45-200E ( a TC design) has proven accurate and absolutely reliable. Lyman's 452630 (HG 68 clone) gives superb accuracy but some weapons choke on any shoulder above the case mouth.

[NoAngel]

I have had my best luck to date with an RCBS 45-250 RNFP. I know 250g is a bit on the heavy side for 45 acp but I powder coat and use a 230g FMJ starting load as my max backed off 10% and worked up. With CFE Pistol and my FN-FNX tactical.....it's a helluva lot more accurate than I am. Feeds flawlessly too. In fact, I have a PT-145 and it's the only bullet that little turd will cycle 100%.

[Possum Lickaa]

I've got to say, thay Lyman is a beautiful looking boolit. However, I, like so many others, mainly use the lee 200gr SWC. Its a good little boolit. Feeds well, shoots well, and on top of 4.0 gr BE, its very easy on me and my pistol. For something a little more potent, I go woth the NOE 452-230 Large HP. You'll be able to cast Hollow-Point, Cup,Point, and RFN with this mold, and they all perform well.

[Shiloh]

The H&G 68 clone by LEE is my favorite. Buckshot flycut most of the bevel base off.

Shiloh

[DougGuy]

Don't be a bit surprised if your barrel doesn't really have enough freebore, or any at all, to seat your boolits out where you'd like to. If you look down the barrel and it looks like it has rifling that runs right to the end of the chamber, and no throat to speak of, don't fight it, send it and get it throated, they run like a singer sewing machine afterwards, and will easily plunk any boolit that will cycle through the magazine..

[trixter]

Take a look at the MP Mold, 45 Hollow point from them. It will produce from 1 mold, three different boolits. There are round nose with round pins for hollow point, then there are hex pins for hex hollow point, and then turn the pins and make solid point round nose boolits. These molds are brass pieces of pure art. Give them a look.

[11B-101ABN]

If you are anywhere near Cedar Rapids we could meet and I will give you some of my favorite SWCs ready to load.

[Whitespider]

If you are anywhere near Cedar Rapids we could meet and I will give you some of my favorite SWCs ready to load.

I'm about 2 hours north of you... up around the Charles City area... I really appreciate the offer, but I won't be down that way this week.
The mold and reloading dies are to be delivered today according to USPS tracking... but the pistol was just shipped today according to the email.
I should be able to have brass prepped and a pile of boolits cast this week easily enough... all I've got is a .452 sized die (thought I had a .451 also), but I'll still wait to size them until I can slug the barrel (here's to hopin' .452 is the one I need).
I expect the pistol to show Thursday... and that's when the top punch should be here.
Plan on pressin' the trigger some on Saturday.
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[TexasGrunt]

I've never used anything but a .452 cast for .45 ACP.

[ShooterAZ]

I've never used anything but a .452 cast for .45 ACP.

Same here with one exception, a Para Ord P14-45 and it wanted .451 to chamber. I no longer have it. Everything else is .452, and Iv'e never needed to slug a bore for a 45ACP. Edit to add that my favorites are the NOE H&G 68 clone, The RCBS 230 RN, and the RCBS 185 SWC.

[David2011]

The 452374 and the H&G 68 or its Saeco equivalent are my favorites for the 1911. Overall length is often determined by the shape of the magazine. The 452374 matches the inside shape of the mag very well. If a 200 gr SWC is loaded to the oal of a 452374 it won't fit into the magazine because the nose has corners.

David

[Whitespider]

OK... now I have a question, and I didn't see a sticky on it.
This Lee mold is different than any of the others i have. It has actual alignment pins and what appears to be steel bushings for them to fit into... and deeper, wider, circular vent lines. Obviously Lee has changed their molds since I last bought on.

Is there anything I should know?? Any quirks?? Etc.??
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[Area Man]

LOL
I don't have any 6 cavity handles.
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I've only been half heartedly and sporadically been casting over the last handful of years and I recently decided to learn more about it and actually make some good bullets with good loads. Almost all my molds are inherited Lyman or RCBS 1 or 2 cavity molds. I picked up Lee's 6 cavity 200 grain mold for my 1911.

It's like a powder measure. I handloaded for years without one. Once I got one, I couldn't understand how I lived life without one.

[David2011]

OK... now I have a question, and I didn't see a sticky on it.
This Lee mold is different than any of the others i have. It has actual alignment pins and what appears to be steel bushings for them to fit into... and deeper, wider, circular vent lines. Obviously Lee has changed their molds since I last bought on.

Is there anything I should know?? Any quirks?? Etc.??
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You're right, the newer Lee molds have bushings and much better venting.

[gwpercle]

Clean it well with acetone and a soft old tooth brush. The machining oils go deep into the pores of the metal. My last one I let soak in acetone for a few hours....that got all the oil out.
If not deep cleaned the machining oil comes out from the heat and spoils the castings.
Heat cycle the mould two or three times , this sets the pins and drives oil out. Clean with acetone and tooth brush in between the heat cycles .
Permatex Anti-Seize compound and synthetic 2-cycle oil are great mould lubes.
The new Lee 2 cavities are much better than the old. Look for left handed sprue plate screw, mine was marked LH.
Gary

[Whitespider]

Look for left handed sprue plate screw, mine was marked LH.
Gary

LOL... I wish you would have posted earlier... I darn near twisted that screw head off before I figured that out.

Anyway, I scrubbed the mold with dish soap and hot water, lubed with Anti-Seize and started casting. The rear cavity (the one closest to the handles) gave me fits until I smoked it pretty good. The left hand thread on the sprue plate is nice, never moved. The rear cavity was really temperamental, if I didn't mount the ladle perfectly it would produce a reject every time. I did manage somewhere between 300-400 boolits this evening... that's enough to get me started. I expect the mold to be much better after another session or two. Didn't do the heat cycling, unless setting it aside while I put sprue **** in the pot and let it come back up to temp counts?? Overall, I think this Lee design is far superior to the previous... hands down. This mold, first run, liked running hot... right on the edge of "frosty"... but "frosty" would stick in the mold. I was using an alloy of 10# COWW, 10#SOWW, and 6oz of tin... boolits came in at 200.5 grains (give-or-take a ½ grain).

So now... thinking about the starting load... leaning towards 4.5 grains Bullseye and adjust from there for point-of-impact.
Anyone have thoughts on that??
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