Favorite 1911 boolit?

[saz]

I am getting a new 1911 for my anniversary (YAY!!!) and I have been shopping for a mold. I just realized that there are a LOT of suitable molds out there. I am thinking a round nose profile and anywhere from 200-230grs. I was looking at the 6 cavity Lee 230 tl. Any thoughts???

By the way it is a Rock island 5" A1 government style, and yes my wife is AWESOME!

[MtGun44]

Sorry it is not a round nose, but the H&G 68 is the king of the hill for the 1911 in .45 ACP,
nothing else is close as far as number of rounds downrange in the last 30 yrs in the USA.

452374 Lyman RN is a good one, too. Lyman 452460 is a very accurate target SWC.

The new Miha Products 452-200 RN HP is fantastic! Very accurate and:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/picture.php?albumid=161&pictureid=2905

What more could you want?

Bill

[Dale53]

MtGun44;
I agree with you that the H&G #68 is the stand out bullet for a properly throated 1911. In fact, it will feed in most any 1911. I have the Mihec moulds for both the #68 and Mihec's Hollow point. That hollow point can be safely driven to 1000 fps with excellent expansion (see MtGun's picture above).

On the other hand, there are those that prefer 230 gr weight for general use. For those people, there is a really good bullet design that is considerably better than the Lyman 452374 RN and that is the Lee 230 gr TC with conventional lube groove. It will feed as well as the 230 gr RN and has much better terminal performance with it's flat nose.

Dale53

[ambergrifleman]

I like a Plain Old 230 Grain Round Nose.

[Carolina Cast Bullets]

I agree with Dale.

The Lee 230 grain TC boolit is great. I use the Lee TL mold and lube with 45/45/10, size to .452. Loaded with 5.0 grains of HP38, my Taurus PT1911 eats em up like salted peanuts and good accuracy as well.

Jerry
Carolina Cast Bullets

[bigboredad]

I really like the rcbs 230 rn but I prefer rcbs to lyman.

[MtGun44]

Dale,

We are in agreement a lot. :-)

I have the Lee TC 230 mold but only limited experience with it. Feeds fine but no notable
accy in my few experiments so far.

Bill

[saz]

I have never loaded or cast for a 1911, so this is all new to me. I never would have thought about the Lee TC. I have casted with a mihec mold and WHAT A THING OF BEAUTY! I would really like something that I can really drop lots of boolits with, such as a lee 6 banger to start, but if a good H&G #68 were to fall into my lap, I guess I wouldnt complain........ My reason for the RN profile was feeding. I had an older springfield years ago, and it WOULD NOT feed anything but a round nose reliably. That is why it went down the road as my carry gun and I have regretted it ever since.

[pdawg_shooter]

I agree with Dale.

The Lee 230 grain TC boolit is great. I use the Lee TL mold and lube with 45/45/10, size to .452. Loaded with 5.0 grains of HP38, my Taurus PT1911 eats em up like salted peanuts and good accuracy as well.

Jerry
Carolina Cast Bullets



+1 on the Lee 230 TC. Mine drops at 240 using 50/50 ww and pure. Load it over 8.5gr AA#5. Both my Colts and my Sig love it.

[bobthenailer]

I would get a copy of the HG #68 200 gr bullet almost every mould maker makes ther version of the #68 . I have the saeco version and have shot over 20,000 of them from at least 10 different 45 acps with excellent results .
as a added bonus youre useing 30gr s less lead per bullet thats approx 4 1/2 bullets more per pound of alloy

[Moonie]

I have 2 molds for my 45 acp, Lee 230 TC 2cav normal lube grooves, and the Mihec 200gr HP. These 2 molds are all you need, well ok, if I were to do it over I'd get the 6 cav Lee and the 4 cav Mihec lol

[35remington]

If a RN bullet is what you want, Lee's 230-2R tumble lube bullet is a faithful copy of the ball bullet ogive and loads to a comparable overall length with comparable feeding characteristics.

In other words, it's unsurpassed in the feeding properly department.

Many bullets get compared to 230 RN's as to reliable feeding, but if the 230 RN bullet is of the correct profile no bullet will feed better.

For the reason that this is the exact bullet a 1911 was meant to feed.

With true GI magazines, you'd then be feeding exactly the bullet it was meant to feed using exactly the magazines meant to feed it.

Reliability doesn't get better than that in the 1911.....no matter what bullet others are proselytizing for. Beware of eight shot magazines and weak springs, or magazines with Devel followers.

However, a HG 68 type bullet of reasonable similarity to the original design will usually outshoot it and normally feeds very well from the same gun, using the same GI magazines. It's usually somewhat to considerably more accurate because of better balance........less weight forward.

So my first bullet, for accuracy, saving of lead and decent feeding would be a HG 68 clone, too.

Beware......some HG 68 clones are better than others.

[MtGun44]

Like I said, H&G 68 or clone is THE mold for 1911s. Really.

The Miha HP 200 is a great mold, great design, but a bit specialized, the 68 is a better
"run of the mill shooting" boolit.

IMO, if you are going to have one mold for the 1911 - the H&G 68 clones are IT.

Bill

[targetshootr]

The BD45 group buy is all I use.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=25823&highlight=BD45

[Bulltipper]

Count me for the Mihec 200g from my Kimber Classic ll, I run 5 grains of 700x and it shoots flawlessly!

[DanWalker]

I have no idea how many 200 grain SWC's cast from a LEE 6 cavity mold me and my buddies have shot, but it's more than a few. I load them over 4 grains of Red Dot for a nice accurate target load.
Congrats on the 1911. Waiting on my promotion to come through at work, then I'm treating myself to a new 1911 too!

[krag35]

The BD45 group buy is all I use.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=25823&highlight=BD45






I have 2 molds for My and my Son's 45's both are BD45's by far the best 45 ACP boolit I have shot.

[waksupi]

I have 2 molds for My and my Son's 45's both are BD45's by far the best 45 ACP boolit I have shot.

Same here. It's all I use.

[stubshaft]

230gr TC Mountain mold use it in my 45 LC also

[casterofboolits]

H&G#68 gets my vote in 200 and 185 grain. I have two eight cavity H&G's for the 200 grainer and one eight Cavity for the 185 grainer (Old style 200 grain 68 modified to drop 185 grain by milling off the top) also a four cavity of each.

When I had my boolit business, I sold a couple million boolits out of these moulds and shot over two hundred thousand out of my IPSC guns.

[BD]

I'm also partial to the BD acp :)

BD

[shdwlkr]

I have the lee tumble lube 230 grain bullet and NOE 230 hp all the molds I need for my RIA's as I am a real fan of the 230 grain bullet in the 1911.

[9.3X62AL]

All of my 45 ACP favorites have shown up in this thread, so nothing to add in that vein.

I've been away from the 1911A1-series pistols for quite a while, and may be filling that niche later this year. 35 Remington's comments about the 8-round magazines caught my eye. All my past work with both 1911A1 and SIG P-220 in 45 ACP got done with 7-round magazines. I didn't and don't feel handicapped by that capacity limit, but thought that one more round in the box would be nice. Are these +1 variants a bad plan? I would be interested to hear what y'all have to say. TIA!

[Bula]

My 2 favorites, the 6cav Lee 200g SWC (#68 clone) and the 230 TC-standard lube groove on both. As stated prior, that 230 drops closer to 240g. I did need to play with the OAL on that one, but its a great heavy hitter. I'd say i shoot about 10 times as many of the 200 grainers, good place to start and the 6 cav's rain boolits too. Good luck and congrats on the Anniversary!

[skeet1]

I have been very happy with the Lee 230 TC but when it comes to accuracy and ease of shooting my Lyman 452460 is the one I will shoot every time. It is similar to the Lee TL 200 SWC in profile.

Ken

[L1A1Rocker]

The H&G #68 200 gr. SWC has been my bullet of choice sence getting into IPSC back in the 90's.

[dualsport]

OK, lots of good suggestions for boolits. Now, I'm curious about what lube and size? OAL? I know it varies, just wanted to see if there's a trend or consistent pattern.

[Shooter6br]

I started with 230 Lee TL Still use it. Got Milhec 200g HP/210 solid 2 cavity. Great HP with 20-1 or 25-1 alloy . Better than factory 230 g Hornady ( Flying ashtray)

[Moonie]

All of my 45 ACP favorites have shown up in this thread, so nothing to add in that vein.

I've been away from the 1911A1-series pistols for quite a while, and may be filling that niche later this year. 35 Remington's comments about the 8-round magazines caught my eye. All my past work with both 1911A1 and SIG P-220 in 45 ACP got done with 7-round magazines. I didn't and don't feel handicapped by that capacity limit, but thought that one more round in the box would be nice. Are these +1 variants a bad plan? I would be interested to hear what y'all have to say. TIA!

I have 4 8 round mags and 2 10 round mags between my Taurus and my sons RIA. Only had issue with one of the 10's, lips need tweaking. All the 8 round mags feed/function perfectly.

[EMC45]

I like the Lee TC 230gr. Also the Lee 190gr. SWC. I have the Lyman 452-374, but it is under sized.....Surprise, Surprise!! It shot great for the first 4-5 rounds then went to cr@p. I think it had to do with the fact my bore looked like a sewer pipe from all the lead. The Lee's don't lead. I size all my .45s at .452. I may take and try to lap out the 452-374 with some Comet.... I do like to profile of the bullet itsself. I just don't like an under sized bullet.

[35remington]

Excuse the quick thread drift.

I can't give blanket condemnation or approval of eight shot magazines without mentioning brand, and design downsides.

McCormick Shooting Star Eight Shot: Weak spring. Very weak. Devel follower.

Two strikes, you're out. The Devel follower is bad enough; the weak spring in combination with a poor follower design means this is a bad magazine to use with full power ammo. Bolt over base misfeeds and live round stovepipes are common. It would be nice if the seller would mention the very weak spring, but the hapless buyer gets to figure that out himself.

McCormick Power Mag: The "power" refers to a much more powerful spring than the SS, which is a very good thing. Problem is that the Devel follower is still present. The baseplate, with the turned in retaining lips, is slower to disassemble/reassemble than a magazine with a blind floorplate.

Given that the Devel follower is still present, anyone can do better than this magazine and I suggest no longer settling for mediocrity. Devel followers are more prone to nosediving. This follower that has a tiny rear skirt and no front skirt, and is known for dinging aluminum frames on the last shot from inertia.

McCormick Power Mag Plus: Finally, after 20+ years, the Chipster has admitted the Devel follower is severely flawed. A tab to function as a front skirt has finally been added, which is tacit admission that the Devel follower was a bad idea in the first place. The idea is to address the stability problems of the Devel follower in the Powermag, but I cannot yet report how well this works. Don't have one yet.

The McCormick magazines have the straight or "wadcutter" feed lips, which is the standard these days, apparently. Be advised these magazines feed more steeply and make the round approach the extractor at more of an angle than the original tapered lip style the 1911 was designed to work with.

Wilson magazines: departs from controlled round feed principles to some degree. The standard eight shot have weakish springs; the ETM has an extended length to allow more spring in the magazine by protruding slightly but the springs are wimpier than in the Tripps even so. Wilson did not address the follower wear from the slide stop that occurs due to its plastic construction, nor did they depart from the turned in floorplate lips that make disassembly/reassembly more difficult. The ETM is not as good as it could have been, and they get to charge you extra to boot.

Tripp: essentially improved Wilsons, with much stronger springs, metal construction to address slide stop wear on the follower, and much easier disassembly/reassembly due to avoidance of turned in floorplate lips. Extended in the eight shot length to allow more spring; magazine protrudes below frame a little but basepad makes it look a little less awkward. Same feed lip style as Wilson's; to avoid issues that arise from using varied bullet shapes this magazine also departs from the controlled round feed principle originally designed into the 1911.

Whether this "improvement" in an attempt to outsmart JMB is advisable or not depends upon personal experience.

Best reliability in a 1911 is when it is fed as the designer intended.......and most 1911 magazines do NOT do this. Explaining why many have so much difficulty with reliability.

There is no reason I can think of to prefer a Wilson magazine to a Tripp magazine except for saving a few bucks. In seven OR eight shot format.

Sorry, Bill.

But if you like the "pushfeed" type magazines, Wilson most assuredly does not make a better magazine than Tripp does.

I avoid all these iterations and stick with the tapered lip style magazine JMB designed to work specifically with the 1911. I think I am the better for it, and I've tried all the competition. IMO nobody knows better than the original designer what is correct.

Back to topic......and please excuse the drift.

[That'll Do]

My favorite 1911 bullets are the H&G 68 (I use Miha's version) and the RCBS 45-230-RN. They both feed smoothly in all of my 1911's.

[fivegunner]

My Favorite bullets for the ACP is #1 H&G292, #2 H&G68, #3 H&G34. #4 H&G130.:violin:

[Le Loup Solitaire]

I agree with Five Gunner on his numbers 2, 3, and 4; I use those with success. I also work with the RCBS version of H&G #34(its the same bullet) and H&G # 78 and they also perform very well. The H&G molds are still available from Ballisticast...same good quality with excellent casting qualities and correspondingly/deservedly pricey. LLS

[MtGun44]

Tend to agree with 35 Rem on the mags.

8 rounders can be pretty reliable, and I use them a lot for competition with very, very
rare issues with them. However in my primary carry gun, Colt SS Ltwt Commander,
I use 7 rounders. All my other 1911s seem perfectly happy with the early release type
of mags, and are 99% shot with H&G 68 loads. This particular gun always had a
very perceptible 'hitch' in the feed cycle with JHPs. Never had a real jam but it never
felt smooth, either. Once I dug out some of my TRUE GI lip design mags (no early
release) the hitch went totally away. I recently found an early Colt commercial nickel
mag in great shape and it is SO smooth that it is now the "starter mag" that ride
in the mag well all the time. Nickel plated mags are THE smoothest loading, feeding
and ejecting of all mags. And for that particular 1911, the old original feed lip design
and RN style JHPs work ultra smoothly throughout the feeding cycle.

Pretty much the best 8 rounders are the Metalforms due to the extremely good follower
design (all sheet metal three dimensional welded) and they extend the tube for the
8 rounders just a tad. The Wilson or Tripps are very good, but the Tripps are hard
to get the last round into the gun, and to seat the mag with one up the spout.

Bill

[flinchnjerk]

All of my 45 ACP favorites have shown up in this thread, so nothing to add in that vein.

I've been away from the 1911A1-series pistols for quite a while, and may be filling that niche later this year. 35 Remington's comments about the 8-round magazines caught my eye. All my past work with both 1911A1 and SIG P-220 in 45 ACP got done with 7-round magazines. I didn't and don't feel handicapped by that capacity limit, but thought that one more round in the box would be nice. Are these +1 variants a bad plan? I would be interested to hear what y'all have to say. TIA!

Drifting with 35 Rem (can't let him take all the flames by himself).
Al, I'd have to ask the use or uses to which you'll be putting your 1911. If you're plinking, punching paper, gaming, etc. .... use whatever makes you happy. However, if there's a chance that you might find yourself in a situation wherein you and your loved ones' lives depend on your ability to pump enough lead into your target that it gets so tired from packing all that weight around it topples over before it reaches you... 7 round GI (tapered feedlip) mag, traditional flat follower (with "tit"), Wolff 2XP (11 pound) spring (standard's 9 1/2).

One creates the space for an eighth round in a tube that was designed to hold seven by reducing the spring's wire diameter and number of coils (read : weaker spring) and the height of the follower (read : tipping follower). The header on the mag spring section on Wolff's site states "Use of reduced power springs with full power loads will cause functioning problems." You betcha.

On topic : Lee 230 TC (conventional lube groove) for serious whomp; H & G 200 gr. SWC for gilt-edged work; Lee 155 SWC for gaming.

[Marine Sgt 2111]

In my Para-14, 230gr RNBB Saeco's, in the Gold Cups Saeco 200gr SWCBB or 185gr SWCBB. I still have a 175gr SWC that I modified to 155gr and haven't really tried. So much to do and so little time.

[Dale53]

I find all of these problems with 1911 magazines to be quite interesting. I shot IPSC for five years in the late seventies and early eighties. For me, that amounted to 75,000 rounds (15,000 rounds per year) of full house .45 ACP's in my 1911's. We had a 180 power factor during those years before the "gamers" took over.

At any rate, money was very tight at the time and I needed extra magazines. I had an opportunity to buy a case of genuine GI magazines. I did so and NEVER regretted it. I kept what I needed and sold the rest.

I NEVER had a failure to feed. It just didn't happen. I had an excellent local pistolsmith, so my pistols were really put together well. Harold Johnson was the smith and there was no one who did it better.

Again, my choice of bullets is Mihec's #68 H&G Clone for general use. My choice for serious use is Mihec's 200 gr Hollow point. For those who want/need the 230 gr bullet, then I would pick the Lee 230 TC with normal lube groove. All of this coupled with GI magazines for best results.

It seems that my default choice of mags with GI magazines was a fortunate choice, going by what I read here. I can't take much credit for choice of mags - that is what I had and "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"...

Dale53

[saz]

I find all of these problems with 1911 magazines to be quite interesting. I shot IPSC for five years in the late seventies and early eighties. For me, that amounted to 75,000 rounds (15,000 rounds per year) of full house .45 ACP's in my 1911's. We had a 180 power factor during those years before the "gamers" took over.

At any rate, money was very tight at the time and I needed extra magazines. I had an opportunity to buy a case of genuine GI magazines. I did so and NEVER regretted it. I kept what I needed and sold the rest.

I NEVER had a failure to feed. It just didn't happen. I had an excellent local pistolsmith, so my pistols were really put together well. Harold Johnson was the smith and there was no one who did it better.

Again, my choice of bullets is Mihec's #68 H&G Clone for general use. My choice for serious use is Mihec's 200 gr Hollow point. For those who want/need the 230 gr bullet, then I would pick the Lee 230 TC with normal lube groove. All of this coupled with GI magazines for best results.

It seems that my default choice of mags with GI magazines was a fortunate choice, going by what I read here. I can't take much credit for choice of mags - that is what I had and "if it ain't broke, don't fix it"...

Dale53


Dale,
That is VERY interesting that you said that about the original GI mags. When I had a 1911 years ago, a friend of mine had a couple laying around and gave them to me. They fed everything I put in them. Since then I have a couple of friends that consider themselves to be 1911 aficionados, and we got to talking about my choice in a new 1911. 2 of them heckled me a little because it wasn't a Wilson, Nighthawk, Les Baer etc..... But I started asking about mag choices and mentioned that I had an older springfield with the GI mags and never had an issue, and you could have heard a pin drop. Could it really be that simple? Or is it the same reason that the 1911 has survived for 100 years without any major changes to its design?

Either way, I am on the hunt for a couple more GI mags and still considering 3 different molds- the lee 6 banger 200 SWC (H&G #68 copy) is about to get the nod though. Thanks everyone for the WEALTH of info. I am sure I will be back for some more. BTW, I a few pounds of Unique and that is what I will be working with- Thoughts?

[midnight]

I mostly shoot the Lyman 452460 and Lee's TL452-200 SWC and believe it or not the Lee shoots a little better. They both feed well in a Springfield, Star Firestar and an old Essex/Colt/who knows parts gun. With all the praise for the H&G 68 I need one. I'll keep a eye out for a group buy, maybe a 3 or 4 cavity brass Craemer style hollow point.

Bob

[35remington]

Exactly original, GI mags = Checkmate Industries. Get them with the XP springs, which are Wolff Extra Power equivalent. You must ask for the XP's. Not to be dismissed; only a 2.40 option instead of seven bucks aftermarket.

Do NOT fail to order the XP springs.

These GI mags, due to a knowledgeable gunsmith's input, are actually as good or better than original GI's because the release point has been optimized..this makes these excellent for ball, HG 68 SWC's and HP's with a ball like ogive. What makes them better than original GI's is the offering of the XP springs. Not to be missed out on!

[35remington]

Read this most excellent post on tapered lip (original GI and hybrid type) 1911 magazines.

It explains WHY they work.....because JMB designed them to work with the gun in the first place.

BUT it's never been explained better than here.

http://forum.m1911.org/showthread.php?t=26407

Also read the stickies under the magazine section in this forum. You will benefit thereby.

[9.3X62AL]

INVALUABLE INFO, gentlemen. Many thanks!

[flinchnjerk]

Saz

I have the Lee 200 SWC (conventional lube groove). It's a fine shooter; I can't discern any difference between results with it and the H & G 68 at 25 yards, but it's not an exact copy of the H & G 68. Longer nose, smaller meplat, has to be seated to a longer COAL than does the 68. I went away from it strictly because of my prejudice ( NOT supportable with logic or empirical evidence) against bevel base boolits. If you don't share this prejudice, the Lee in a six-banger wouldn't be a wrong choice.

[saz]

35 Remington,
I believe I found the correct magazine you were referring to here (http://http://www.checkmatemagazines.com/cart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=11&idproduct=27) but I am unsure of the spring you were talking about on this (http://http://www.checkmatemagazines.com/cart/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=25) page.

[saz]

Couldnt stand it anymore, and I ordered a 6 banger lee 200 swc today. Itll be here in about a week or so..........

[35remington]

When contacting Checkmate, be sure to ask for he XP springs. They'll know what you're talking about when you mention it, and you'll get them. They are not listed on site because they have not updated it, but they are available.

[btroj]

I have the Checkpoint mags and have no problem with them. They are also very reasonable in price. I can't see paying 35 dollars for a magazine when my 18 dollars magazines work so well.

[lbaize3]

I primarily use the 200 grain 45 Colt LRNFP bullet in my 45 acp pistols. I only have two 1911 pistols in 45 acp left, a Springfield loaded and a Para single stack. I use Chip McCormick Power Mags and have had no failures to feed in thousands of rounds. Needles to say, I also shoot other bullets designed for the 45 acp; the 230 TC, 230 RN, and 200 SWC for the most part. The reason for the 200 grain LRNFP is because it loads so well in my 45 acp revolvers using full moon clips. It was a happy circumstance that led me to try the same load in my 1911s.

[Snapping Twig]

I got the Lee 230g TC standard groove in a 6 gang and never looked back.

Lube them with White Label BAC and size them .452. Load them over 5.3g W231.

When I take my daughter's boyfriend(s) out for some quality time, they typically say I keep shooting the same hole.

Add to this, the TC bullet can be used for hunting or SD - very effective.

[rogsir]

I use the lee 200 grs swc, and is happy with it, but cant wait to get my hands on MiHec's 200grs hp.

[Wireman134]

I use the Lee 450-200-1R a 44 black powder boolit. Drops right at .452" @ 200gr. , 1.200" OAL in ACP

[218bee]

lookin for a 45acp mould also. How does one get ahold of Mihec to see if he has any HG#68 moulds you guys are so fond of....or was it a GroupBuy??

[Dale53]

Send Mihec a Private Message to see if he has any left (yes, the H&G #68 WAS a couple of Group Buys).

Good luck - you cannot do better!

Dale53

[9.3X62AL]

A little update on the 45 ACP subject, on a more personal level. GOT ONE--a Colt Gold Cup National Match, LNIB with one Colt magazine. Also scored 2 more Colt OEM mags for the present time.

The pistol on its first range trip fed 50 each of Lyman 452460, Lee 230 TC, and factory Ranger SXT without a bobble. Lyman's #452374 over 5.0 grains of WW-231 balked.......OK, something ain't right. Insufficient taper crimp, with remaining flare at case mouth easy to feel. Reset crimp to .473", and 100 of those ran like water through the Colt. Cause--operator headspace @ reloading bench, not attributable to pistol or mags.

The Colt OEM mags show a tapered feed lip contour when viewed from above. $18 each, and an OEM mag cheaper than Glocks. What's not to like? The Checkmates will follow, 'cause this hyar 1911A1 is a KEEPER.

I'm not sure if I ever answered the OP's initial question. Lee 230 TC, but that's not a strong preference. I like all those I've sampled so far in this pistol, as well as the BD 45. The #452460 has been the most accurate in a range of pistols for me, and very pleasant to shoot at 800 FPS or so.

[MtGun44]

As I have said repeatedly here, IME 85% of jams in handloaded ammo for .45 ACP 1911s is
inadequate TC. You proved it again, but the good news is that, as an experienced loader,
you figured it right out by yourself.

You'll like the gun. If the rear sight is held in with a roll pin, immediately make a replacement
out of 1/16th inch piano wire (lots of hardware stores or model shops have a small display
of 12" or 18" long piano wire) cut a bit long with a dremel and abrasive cutoff wheel. Round
over the ends by spinning it against the abrasive wheel and then put a noticable bend into
it with pliers. Drive this in and you will be done - the bend keeps it from coming out and
it won't break like the roll pin will. Eliason sights will fail at about 30-60K rounds, even with
the solid pin, so don't be shocked. It is still a really decent sight.

Are you familiar with the Gold Cup sear arrangement? If not, PM me and I'll give you a
quick tip which will save you HOURS of grief trying to put it back together if you pull the sear
and disconnector. NOT the same as a normal 1911, but easy to do if you get the trick.

The 452460 was my most accurate .45ACP boolit until I got the Mihec 200 RN HP, basically a
Cramer pin 452374 clone. It beats the 452460 at 50 yds by a good bit in my old Kimber.
Have not yet tried the Mihec in my ultra accurate Dan Wesson Pointman 7.

Congrats, they are nice guns.

Bill

[Dale53]

9.3X62AL;
MtGun44 is giving you the "straight skinny" on the sight pin. When I and my sons were shooting IPSC, my son's Colt Gold Cup received the sight treatment after breaking the roll pin. It never failed again.

In my not so humble opinion, proper taper crimp diameter at outside diameter of the case mouth is .470".

My personal choice in a target and high velocity cast bullet load is the 200 gr H&G #68 (I use a Mihec moulded clone of the #68). However, the Lee TC is a good bullet if you prefer 230 gr bullets. I use the Lee for quick reloads in my 625's, also. They feed flawlessly in the revolver (as well as my 1911's) for speed reloads with full moon clips.

Of course, there is nothing wrong with your choice of the Lyman 452460 bullet, ether.

I also have the Mihec 200 gr Cramer Style hollow point and it is a varmint bullet "par excellence" as well as a VERY accurate bullet.

Dale53

[thegreatdane]

I use the lee 200 grs swc, and is happy with it, but cant wait to get my hands on MiHec's 200grs hp.

Same here!

[DanWalker]

My new Kimber Ultra carry is loving the LEE 200 grain TL SWC's. Loaded over 4 grains of Red Dot, they are a fun load with plenty of pop.

[saz]

Well I finally got my lee H&G 68 copy today! Damn backorder. Gotta prep, leement and cast. More to follow.....

[saz]

I got a chance to cast a few with the new lee 6 banger. All I did was clean it up with some mineral spirits, smoke the cavities and use some bullplate and HOLY ****! This thing casts better than any mold I have used with no "leementing"! It also casts the right size boolits. They all cast .452-.453 form acww. I absolutely love my lee molds but this one takes the cake. I am so stoked right now!!!!!!

[WHITETAIL]

My daughters boyfriend just bought a Springfield XD 45.
So I put a box of boolits togeather for him.
They were starline brass.
Winchester primers.
5gr. of Bullseye.
And RCBS 230gr. RN #82048.
They shot flawless!:holysheep

[DanWalker]

COOLNESS!
Now you just need to go out and put a few hundred rounds through that 1911 of yours, when you're not too busy with that harley.

[Bullwolf]

For me it's the Lee TL452-230-2R

http://media.midwayusa.com/productimages/large/517/517501.jpg

With my 50-50 wheel weight + Linotype alloy, they tend to measure around .456 by my micrometer. I have to size them down to .452 since I cant get a .456 boolit to chamber in any of my 1911's, but better too large, than too small. This is one of the few Lee TL, or Tumble Lube molds I own that I can't just load at the size they drop.

I could probably get away with using just straight wheel weight lead, but my alloy works fine for me, even though it is likely harder than it needs to be. I never water drop. AC or air cooling is just fine, and they are probably borderline too hard anyways, with the all that Linotype in my alloy, but they sure do cast pretty.

The Lee mold is supposed to drop a 230 grain boolit, but for me they do drop a bit light. That is probably a result of the extra Linotype in my alloy. I get somewhere between 220-228 grains with my alloy. But still, that is a lot closer than most of the other molds I have, so I am not complaining.

I size to .452 using a Lee push through sizer, and previously I would tumble lube using straight Lee Alox. Of course now, I am in love with Recluse's 45-45-10 improved lube of Alox + Johnson's Paste Wax, cut with mineral spirits.

Not only does it seem to be a better lube, but it drys faster, is less tacky, and it also smokes less, as well as making boolit sizing take less overall effort.

I load the boolits behind 6.0 grains of Hercules/Alliant's Unique. My 1911's eat them up with no leading problems, and never a complaint. The round nose, TL mold boolit duplicates the profile of old 230 grain military hardball for me, and it also feeds just as reliably.

I load them to an overall length of around 1.265 - about the same overall length as my old military hardball, according to my calipers.

- Bullwolf

[mroliver77]

I started with the Lyman 452460 in 2 cavity. Nice boolit, shot well. I moved to the Lee 200grswc(H&G68 wannabe). This boolit did all I could ask of it and boolits fell easily from the mold. This was a flat base boolit. I see on Lees website the boolit is now a bevel base, yuck!! I bought The Mihec 68 clone and his 200RF/HP molds. I sold all the other .45 acp molds! For social encounters I have some :Lee 230 TC I got from our friend Willbird or the Lyman 452423 Kieth. The Kieth is closer to 240gr but feeds well and hits hard with a dose of Unique.
I picked up some surplus GI mags at a gun show a couple years back. 2 for $15. I grabbed 8 of them. They are the best mags I have along with Colt mags. In researching mags I found an article that stated that Checkmate makes the Colt mags and they are the closest you will get to JMB's design.
Jay

[saz]

I finally had a chance to sit down for about an hour last night and work on the new Lee SWC's. I made a few dummies and WOW do they feed nice. Very smooth. OAL was 1.240" and taper crimp down to .469". Now if I get a chance to load a couple hundred, I will be in business.

[thegreatdane]

I finally had a chance to sit down for about an hour last night and work on the new Lee SWC's. I made a few dummies and WOW do they feed nice. Very smooth. OAL was 1.240" and taper crimp down to .469". Now if I get a chance to load a couple hundred, I will be in business.

Saz, if I recall, that's well over crimped. Save yourself the frustration and crimp to standards - .473. A crimp that strong will most likely reduce the size of your boolit and cause major leading.

[saz]

I checked and it is not swaging the boolit down. We will see when I get to the range if they lead. I have not had any issue with this crimp so far.

[Dale53]

saz;
I have been taper crimping to .470" for over forty years. So, your .469" is not all THAT tight.

Dale53

[saz]

I have read that .470-.473 is about ideal for the ACP, so I figure .001" isn't gonna harm anything. I have been working on crimp diameter and my pistol does NOT like anything over .471". It doesnt chaimber very smooth. Maybe it is because of the dies I am using? I dont know for sure, but it works very well for me.

[Dale53]

saz;
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it!":drinks:

Dale53

[saz]

saz;
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it!":drinks:

Dale53

I agree completely!!!

[Artful]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v355/rowdyfisk/FAL/P1020211.jpg
I have a fair number for 45's to feed and over the years found 452460 200 grain swc a favorite for light plinking, and 230 TC to be 2nd favorite as all around choices.

I don't have a LEE but an older NEI for the TC but any good design will require correct seating depth and a correct crimp but then with good magazines will reliable. I use 230 grain Hydroshocks for carry ammo (after making sure they feed just fine).