.45 LC Hollow Base 250-255 gr.

[berkmberk1]

I've been surfing all night and can't find a source for hollow base .45 slugs. I found a site with $200 custom made moulds but I'm not THAT anxious. Anyone know of a source?

I should add tha I'm looking for .454!

(Sorry if the answer is buried somewhere in the BBoard, but I can't find it.)

Thanks,

Mike

[Boz330]

Mike, take a look at Lee molds, I thought that they had a hollow base mold in 45. It might be under there BP molds or even rifle.

Bob

[Poygan]

Mike,

I bought one from Lee a few years back with a hollow base. I believe it was on their surplus page from a special order that was never paid for/picked up. Looks sort of like a Lyman 454190. I bought it for a Ruger that had a replaced bbl that needed a .454 boolit and this one worked well. I don't recall the as cast diameter but the hollow base probably made it work. I had tried a Lee 255 grainer but it had a tendency not to fill the bbl properly. I tried to find an original bbl but finally gave up and sold the Ruger.

[berkmberk1]

Thanks for the replies, but I am leaning very much toward a finished product and not casting my own. Its something I would like to try, but living in a one bedroom apartment doesn't lend itself to casting my own right now. I would like to try loads as close to the original as possible including a bullet as close to original design. The case is a different matter!! My reading of older texts and loading references indicate the expandable base was a significant factor in the cartridge performing adequately. I'd like to experiment with that but have not found a source slugs.

[Nueces]

The Remington 45 Colt lead bullet is 250 grain, .455 diameter, hollow-based and available from Midway, product # 446981.

Mark

[berkmberk1]

I saw that one and I think they said it had a "concave" base. I believe the originals actually had a hollow base/skirt. The impule of the BP load was supposed to expand the skirt on entering the forcing cone, making a complete seal. I wanted to see if/how those would affect reloads with BP and maybe smokless.

[Bad Flynch]

NEI makes that mould, and I have one. Probably it costs $100+ by now. It is a jim-dandy mould, too. Somewhere, on the internet, I saw someone offering HB bullets for the .45 Colt, so keep looking.

[wills]

http://westernbullet.com/cbip/images/r457195.gif
http://westernbullet.com/cbip/br457195.html
http://www.blue-star-inc.com/pbullet.htm

[berkmberk1]

NOW THAT IS A HOLLOW BASE BOOLIT!!!

Thanks,

[berkmberk1]

He HAD just what I wanted, about four years ago....perfect .454 hollow base 250 gr. Now Remington only makes a solid base :cry: :cry: :cry:

[BustemAgain]

You might want to try RCBS special order mould available from midway.http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=193682
I have one and it casts a very blunt 237gr round nose hollow base at .457 in ww.

[frank505]

Mt Baldy Bullets makes one, cast of 20:1 and lubed with SPG.
307-754-5255

[berkmberk1]

Thanks.

I sent them an email to see if they have anything I can use.

I spent all last night on the net and probably searched two dozen actual bullet suppliers. It really sucks to need an odd sized bullet. I found two sites I could find an adequate slug (250/255 gr and .456 or .457) but price is something else....$20 for 100 and $20 for 50!!! While these prices are reasonable for what I would be getting, by the time you include shipping and handling, whats the use? I'd do it if I was shooting an original 1st gen Colt!

What a quandry.........shell out a lot to rebuild what is essentially a new gun now, or spend the equivalent (eventually) on shooting bullets with a dubious supply life!

Still haven't heard from Cim-moron. Their phone was also busy everytime I tried it.

[J Miller]

Mike,

I'm in Springfield, IL too. Small world.

I must have missed something, but why do you need a hollow based .45Colt bullet?
I shoot a lot of .45 Colts and have played with several different bullet diameters in my guns.

Joe

[berkmberk1]

Joe,

The original Colt used a .454-.455 bullet with a hollow base. This type of bullet sealed the cylinder throat and the forcing cone when the cartridge was fired. As black powder explodes instead of burning like smokeless, the impulse of the explosion expanded the "skirt", thus making the seal. I've read that smokeless doesn't effectively do the same thing and since its generally considered more efficient the bullet makers have discontinued using a hollow base.

The reason I was looking for one is because the Cimmaron Arms cavalry model I have was not manufactured properly. The barrel and cylinder were grossly oversized. I was looking for an adequate way of compensating for the loose tolerances. Unfortunately, I couldn't find what I was looking for (correct size/with a true hollow base). There is another post going into my disgusting experience with CimMORON Arms. Suffice it to say, if you buy one and its out of warranty don't ever figure on getting ANY customer service. In fact, don't figure on even hearing from them. I finally got an email from the owner asking me what my problem was (after two months of emailing and trying to get thru on the phone) and when I told him, I never heard back again.

My weapon is now at Oglesby & Oglesby getting a new barrel and cylinder.

[J Miller]

I understand. For the record I have a S&W 25-5 that has .457" chamber throats and a .4515" grove diameter. About as far off as you can get. About the only factory ammo that shoots well in it is the Winchester 255 gr lead, and 225gr STHP.
The 255gr lead is nominally .456" diameter, and I've miked the 225gr STHPs at .455".
A couple years ago I ordered some 270gr Keith Bullets from Beartooth sized to .457" to match the gargantuan throats. According to Marshall Stanton this would not cause any pressure problems, and would most likely cure the leading and inaccuracy problems I'd had with that gun since 1983.
These oversized bullets worked great.
I have two molds of my own that will throw bullets big enough to do the job. An old Ideal 454190 255gr conical flat nose, and a mid 70s vintage Lyman 454427 mold.

I hope O&O gets your gun fixed up good and proper.

Take care.

Joe

[berkmberk1]

My bore was .455 and the throats .460!!! It would tear the hell out of a target, but I could never get one to go thru front to back.........I"d still like to know how that one got out of the factory.

[J Miller]

berkmberk1,

That is absurd. That gun should never left the factory.

Joe

[Bad Flynch]

Mt Baldy Bullets makes one, cast of 20:1 and lubed with SPG.
307-754-5255

I ordered some of these and they just came in. They even sent them in 0.458" diameter for that old Cimarron Model P that I have with the huge throats. They look beauriful.

[Swagerman]

This suggestion probably won't be the answer to your search, but it is a solution that I had to face as well.

Gun is 1917 type S&W 2nd model that was converted to .45 Colt after the great war 1. It has .455 barrel and cylinder throats that are even bigger, more like .457 diameter.

My solution was to use .454 bullets of any weight I desired, by using swaging techniques to make a 1/8" to 1/4" depression that is not conical but flat. This leaves a little skirt of about 1/16th to 1/8 of an inch thick.

What happens is the skirt flares out enough to seal the cylinder throats by sealing the gases to the barrels forcing cone. There the .454 front end of the bullet sizes properly into the front end of the rifling, and following bullet's skirt gets resized as a taggalong as it exits down the rifling and out the barrel.

Accuracy is quite good.

To swage bullet bases is no big deal, but you'll need the proper swaging die and nose punch, and learn the technique to do it. I'm willing to help if you want the knowledge.

Swagerman aka Jim