.45 Colt . . . Big Boolit!

[Pigslayer]

I have been shooting a Lyman 255 GR. GC SWC boolit in my .45 Long Colt. It's a good shooter . . . hands down. I recently thought that I would play a little & purchased a LEE C452-300-RF. It's a big boolit! That mold eats up some lead. Mind you it throws a boolit at about .457!! The gas checks are a little bit of a chore to get started and a gas check seater is most certainly needed!! But, after that it sizes just fine. I need the correct top punch for it. Of course there is no cross reference for the Lyman 450. Has anyone had any experience with this boolit using a Lyman sizer & if so what top punch did you use??:lovebooli

[41 mag fan]

Get ahold of the perfessor on here. He'll make you a top punch for a lot cheaper than you can get from Midway or another retail outlet.
Plus it's a lot better quality punch and you'd be supporting another cast boolits member by purchasing from him.
And Keith stands by his work.
I've got a 1/2 doz of his punches.

[geargnasher]

I use a blank top punch that I got from Tom at Accuratemolds dot com. The Perfesser could probably make one for the huge WFN profile of that boolit, but anything smaller than your sizer diameter and flat on the end will work.

It sounds to me like your mould isn't closing properly due to some lead debris sticking to the mould faces, or lack of lubrication of the alignment pins. This will make the boolits oversized and difficult to get the GCs on. Are the boolits round at .460", or are they elliptical? I have two of those moulds from different vintages and they both cast right at .453" with wheel weight alloy.

If you want some real fun, buy a Lee .457-340-RF and size them to fit your pistol. They will even fit in a SAA-style pistol if you seat them to crimp over the first driving band. With a reasonable charge of slow powder they are a real hammer, especially if cast from a soft alloy.

Gear

[Pigslayer]

I think I solved my top punch issue. I just took a 3/4" long by 1/4" dia. hex head bolt & used that for a top punch. Works well.

[Pigslayer]

I use a blank top punch that I got from Tom at Accuratemolds dot com. The Perfesser could probably make one for the huge WFN profile of that boolit, but anything smaller than your sizer diameter and flat on the end will work.

It sounds to me like your mould isn't closing properly due to some lead debris sticking to the mould faces, or lack of lubrication of the alignment pins. This will make the boolits oversized and difficult to get the GCs on. Are the boolits round at .460", or are they elliptical? I have two of those moulds from different vintages and they both cast right at .453" with wheel weight alloy.

If you want some real fun, buy a Lee .457-340-RF and size them to fit your pistol. They will even fit in a SAA-style pistol if you seat them to crimp over the first driving band. With a reasonable charge of slow powder they are a real hammer, especially if cast from a soft alloy.

Gear
I made a typo, the mold is dropping at .457 consistantly and concentric with Lyman #2. My experience is that LEE molds usually drop from .001 to .0015 bigger than the mold states. But this guy is .005 over! Hmmmmm.:brokenima

[felix]

457 to 452 is very doable when the lube grooves do not get smeared. The percentage of error goes way up as the diameter gets way smaller, like when 224 boolits are squeezed with one fell swoop from 227. ... felix

[fredj338]

My exp w/ Lee molds is exactly the op. Most of mine throw smaller bullets when casting w/ ww alloy. The 300grFP is a really good shooter in my RNH @ 1000fps.

[Pigslayer]

457 to 452 is very doable when the lube grooves do not get smeared. The percentage of error goes way up as the diameter gets way smaller, like when 224 boolits are squeezed with one fell swoop from 227. ... felix
No damage to the lube grooves. It only has one lube groove & actually two crimp grooves. The lube groove is very large.

[beagle]

You should be all right. I'm taking a RCBS 45-325-FN-U hollow point and nosefirst sizing from .457/8" to .452" and the bullets tend to lengthen a bit with minimal distortion.

Makes an awesome load in the .45 Colt over Lil Gun./beagle

[Pigslayer]

You should be all right. I'm taking a RCBS 45-325-FN-U hollow point and nosefirst sizing from .457/8" to .452" and the bullets tend to lengthen a bit with minimal distortion.

Makes an awesome load in the .45 Colt over Lil Gun./beagle

I shouldn't have any worries. The bullet is listed for the .454 Casul also. That's probably why it drops so big. I just loaded a dozen w/10 grs. Unique to see how they shoot. A little warm but should be O.K. I just recently found that the newer revolvers can be pushed more i.e. Ruger Super Blackhawk. For a long time I shot a 255 gr. GCSWC with only 8.0 grns. Unique That's only about 800 FPS. Shoots very well though.:Fire:

[stubshaft]

Diameter for the 454 Casull is .452".

[geargnasher]

Stubshaft, I was thinking the same thing. When I go from .457" or larger to .452, I go .454" first, doing a base-first .454" with lube and then whang 'em through the .452" sizer as soon as they are cool from casting so they don't have a chance to harden much. Sizing the second time with the grooves full of lube keeps them from getting wiped out.

Gear

[Pigslayer]

Stubshaft, I was thinking the same thing. When I go from .457" or larger to .452, I go .454" first, doing a base-first .454" with lube and then whang 'em through the .452" sizer as soon as they are cool from casting so they don't have a chance to harden much. Sizing the second time with the grooves full of lube keeps them from getting wiped out.

Gear

Gave thoughts to tumble lubing them before sizing. Easy enough to do. Got (3) bottles of LEE Alox. But at that, I'm not having any problems with knocking them down with one swipe in my #450 sizer although it does take a little more force. :coffeecom

[Pigslayer]

Diameter for the 454 Casull is .452".

I was just shooting from the hip when suggesting the bigger bullet is for the Casul.
I guess I thought becase they named it "454" then that is what it was. It's like, why did they call the .44 mag. a .44? It's .429! (depending on your barrel) Never checked but maybe they're measuring the outside of the case on the .44 mag.[smilie=1:

[beagle]

Gear, that's the best way to go with stock sizer dies. I've had mine slightly opened and polished so they'll take it in one pass but, yeah, you're right, it gives a "more harmonious outcome" done in steps like that./beagle


Stubshaft, I was thinking the same thing. When I go from .457" or larger to .452, I go .454" first, doing a base-first .454" with lube and then whang 'em through the .452" sizer as soon as they are cool from casting so they don't have a chance to harden much. Sizing the second time with the grooves full of lube keeps them from getting wiped out.

Gear

[grubbylabs]

Them big boolits are fun to make. So far the biggest I have cast is a 400 grain .460 for my 45-70. With a 3 cavity mold, you can empty a 20# pot pretty fast.

[Pigslayer]

Them big boolits are fun to make. So far the biggest I have cast is a 400 grain .460 for my 45-70. With a 3 cavity mold, you can empty a 20# pot pretty fast.

Yea, I'm gonna have to get a bigger pot. Mine is a LEE 10lb bottom pour and it has servred me well for ten years. Time for 20 pounder I guess. Hope I get abig Christmas bonus!!:mrgreen:

[Pigslayer]

My big boolit!

[Jim]

Them big boolits are fun to make. So far the biggest I have cast is a 400 grain .460 for my 45-70. With a 3 cavity mold, you can empty a 20# pot pretty fast.

Try casting .458 540s. 13 boolits to the pound.

[geargnasher]

I know, Jim, I cast a bunch of Lee 459-500-3Rs a while back, a pound every seven pours out of a two-banger! My normal max/min working load of about ten pounds in my "20" pound Lee pot was gone in 20 minutes!

Gear

[Whiterabbit]

I've also noticed it difficult to start gas checks on that bullet. Just a regular flat top punch works well for me in the lyman.

starting my gas checks are the biggest gripe with that mold.

[Pigslayer]

I've also noticed it difficult to start gas checks on that bullet. Just a regular flat top punch works well for me in the lyman.

starting my gas checks are the biggest gripe with that mold.

I made a flat top punch from a 1/4" hex head bolt. Yep, the gas checks are hard to start, but they crimp on tight!

[GLL]

Sized 0.454" for .45Colt.
http://www.fototime.com/F2B9D5B8B8FEF9C/standard.jpg

Jerry

[Pigslayer]

Sized 0.454" for .45Colt.
http://www.fototime.com/F2B9D5B8B8FEF9C/standard.jpg

Jerry

Nice looking boolit!

[DODGEM250]

I have been using some .45 Colt HP as muzzleloader bullets. I bought some from a Don3 to try out in my front stuffers with a Harvester crush rib sabot and they work great. I guess as far as handgun use they would be considered a big bullet, but, they work just fine in a rifle.