I got started casting with a Lyman 452460 (4X) and learned that feed-up is a function of COL with any boolit. By learning what your pistol(s) likes you can usually make any boolit function. I also have the Lyman 452374 and it is great fun also. My standard load for the 200 grain SWC is 7.0 grains of Unique, a charge that will give you everything this boolit can provide.
My old Auto Ordnance 1911 is quite finicky with bullet profiles. It loves standard FMJ RN bullets and Bear Creek RN Bullets, but it chokes on SWC bullets of all types, plated and cast.
I chose the Lee TL452-230-TC bullet and it's been fantastic for the past 8 years. I now seat it to where the cone meets the case mouth and give it a slight taper crimp just beyond vertical. For me, it's about a 1.17" COL and if feeds perfectly in my 1911 and XD45. The 6 cavity mold heats up quickly and the heavy bullets drop out of the mold like rain. It empties a 20 pound pot very quickly.
The non TL version would be just as good. I used to TL the bullets and they worked great. I now powder coat them and they work just as well.
My new Lee TL452-230-TC 6 cavity showed up yesterday! Looking forward to giving it a go this weekend. Rsrocket1, what powder and charge are you using in your 1.17 COL load?
Try 4.1 grains of BE.
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Tested out my first load with the TL452-230-TC today.
It shot accurate with no failure to feed issues, no leading and no keyholing.
5.5 of Unique
OAL 1.18
Powder Coated and sized to .452
Shot out of a Glock 30s with the stock barrel.
Nice! I have that boolits brother, the RN version-also shoots good.
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I use this one from NOE for coating with Hitek lube, you could powdercoat it as well.
http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/index.p...om1rnlhrvf1jn0
I personally would recommend finding a good 4 cavity H&G #68 mold with the original handles. Once you cast with an H&G mold you won't part with it as long as you continue to cast. The iron H&G molds produce beautiful bullets and the molds only get better with age. Iron is much more forgiving then aluminum or brass.
Yes, it is going to cost you more to begin with, but these molds retain their value. When your family sells your estate they will get considerably more for the mold than you paid. Other molds will be worth pennies on the dollar, if they are not already in the scrap bin.
As far as the reasons for the #68; first it is undeniably the most accurate bullet design for the 45 ACP, especially at 50 yards. The design of the bullet is such that it hits the feed ramp at the same spot as a round nose, making it function flawsley. It is a 200 grain bullet so it uses less alloy.
I have got a national match upper on a cheaper lower( cant think what the brand is now) and it choked with everything but hardball until I changed the magazine. once I changed the magazine it would feed everything. So, its not necessarily a feed ramp issue or a bullet design issue.
I used to use the #68 200gr SWC until I found the Magma 200gr SWC. Its just as accurate and functional and works great at 50 yards.
Like 6bg6ga I to use Magma molds I use the 200 SWC and the 230 RN both work great in my 45 acp and my sons kriss Vector the 230 in the vector is deadly out to 50 yards that as far as we could get on the range that day 100yds and above were full I have had lee molds but they did not work as well as the Magma molds do D Crockett
First, some historical comments on CBs.
1. Many years ago, the NRA started identifying CB designs that were inaccurate or accurate up to 25 yds after which they became unstable and inaccurate. After the NRA identified these CB designs many mould manufacturers stopped producing these inaccurate designs. I would suspect that many of these inaccurate CB moulds ended up on ebay
2. Also, the superbly accurate truncated cone(TC) 9mm bullet was developed by the US Air Force. Then the Air Force(AF) published the dimensions for an accurate TC 45ACP bullet. Since Hornady was contracted by the AF to produce the first copper jacketed bullets, Hornady was the first commercial producer of these accurate TC bullets in 9mm and 45ACP. Ross Seigfield then used the AF designed 45ACP Hornady bullets in front of W231 to win the World IPSC Chamsionship with a 1911.
3. The technique, used by the AF, to achieve superior accuracy was to design the bullet by increasing the spacing between the forward Center of Pressure(CP) and the rearward Center of Gravity (CG). Hollow-pointing a bullet can also significantly improve the accuracy of an existing bullet design because it moves the CG rearward to increase the CP-CG spacing.
4. Many shooters over the years have recommended shooting bullets at long range. If it's accurate at 100+ yds, it's stable and most likely an accurate bullet design.
So what has worked for me, in the 45ACP, is the Lyman 230 gr.452374 RN which is very stable, feeds well and is accurate up to 100 yds. Likewise the H&G #292 230 gr. TC (copy of AF design) is a superbly accurate 45ACP bullet, feeds well for me, and is a "thumper of a hitter" at longer ranges. Finally, the Mihec 200 gr. HP RN is also excellent in accuracy, feeds well and can be easily loaded up to 1000+fps, in a 45ACP 1911, with normal pressures.
Best regards,
CJR
BP | Bronze Point | IMR | Improved Military Rifle | PTD | Pointed |
BR | Bench Rest | M | Magnum | RN | Round Nose |
BT | Boat Tail | PL | Power-Lokt | SP | Soft Point |
C | Compressed Charge | PR | Primer | SPCL | Soft Point "Core-Lokt" |
HP | Hollow Point | PSPCL | Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" | C.O.L. | Cartridge Overall Length |
PSP | Pointed Soft Point | Spz | Spitzer Point | SBT | Spitzer Boat Tail |
LRN | Lead Round Nose | LWC | Lead Wad Cutter | LSWC | Lead Semi Wad Cutter |
GC | Gas Check |