452490 o.c.l.

[BCB]

Am I overlooking something? ...

I am reloading the 452490 Lyman boolit in the 45 Colt…
(Is it even a boolit designed for the 45 Colt?)

I have just been crimping it in the crimping groove as I am shooting it from a Blackhawk and I really wasn’t overly concerned about the O.C.L.

But a bit ago, just out of curiosity, I went to my Lyman reloading manuals. I have several of the cast boolit manuals plus their regular reloading manual…

I can’t find a bit of data for the 452490 boolit!!!...

I wonder why that is. It is a Lyman boolit but does not appear in their manuals, at least from 47, 48, and 49 and their latest two cast boolit manuals…

Am I missing something? ...

It really isn’t a concern as it has worked very well in the crimp groove as far as O.C.L. goes, but I am just curious as to what Lyman might indicate as the “proper” O.C.L. …

Thanks…BCB

[shooting on a shoestring]

I got that boolit so I could wring some serious horsepower from my 7.5" Blackhawk. Turns out my 454424 could do the same but without the GC. So, I haven't run the 452490 in a long time.

As to there being a dearth of data on it, well in cast, pretty well any 250 gr SWC data would work. Pretty much the same story looking for wadcutter data in .38 spl. Lots of different wadcutters, only one or at most two listed in any given manual. The rest are close enough.

In fact if you look at 454190, 454424 and 452490, they're all 250 grain, about the same length, load data all looks the same, within experimental error.

There's probably no load data specifically for 452490 b/c not many use that boolit. Just don't need the GC in .45 Colt. The faster 45 calibers seem to want heavier boolits.

Thats my take.

[TheBigBang]

The 452490 is an old Ray Thompson design for the .45 Auto Rim cartridge. The Lyman site now says the .45 Auto Rim AND .45 Colt, but in reality I don't think Thompson had the .45 Colt in mind when he designed that bullet. In fact, I'm not sure exactly what he did have in mind, as 1. this is a gas check design for a relatively low-velocity round 2. in the original cast bullet handbook, he states that HE'S never really tried this HIS OWN BULLET DESIGN, but some shooters down in Texas (he doesn't say how many) wrote & told him it was "just what the doctor ordered for their Model 1950 S & W .45 auto-rim making clean kills at 100 yards on coyotes using arm rest from top of car." Given the large variety of firearms available to Texans in the 1950s one wonders how many chose to off 'yotes @ 100 yd.s off the tops of their cars with .45 Auto Rims. He doesn't give ANY loading recommendations of his own OR the "shooters down in Texas" who supposedly wrote to him, nor is there any load data elsewhere in the handbook. So, guy designs a GAS CHECK bullet for the .45 AR, doesn't even try it himself, & doesn't bother to provide any load data - this dude was CLEARLY an EXPERT bullet designer & we were all lucky to have him! As far as the bullet itself goes, it is now listed on the Lyman site as 255 gr., in other handbooks it is listed at 230 gr., so the molds may have changed significantly over the years. How old is your mold? What is the overall length of the bullet it casts? What is the distance from the very top of the crimp groove to the meplat (nose) of the bullet? With probably most modern (Ruger, Freedom Arms) .45 colt revolvers having nominal .451~ bores, it can be used in .45 colt & with the gas check it's probably just the ticket for those who want a 255 gr SWC like the 454424/452424 in .454 Casull, but feel they need a gas check for that chambering. It looks much like the 454424/452424, but I think the nose maybe sufficiently longer that it would exceed SAAMI OCL when loaded to the crimp groove in a .45 colt case, which MIGHT cause problems in SOME guns - but then again might not.

[runfiverun]

at 230 grs it would make a good autorim boolit.
i don't see a need for a gas check either,unless you were really putting the coals to it in a contender or a 24" 454 levergun.

[BCB]

Yea that is what data I started with—the 250± grain boolit listed in many reloading manuals…

Presently I have tried 13 different powders ranging from Bullseye to IMR-4227 in burn rates…

Highest velocity was 1250 fps with H-110 and the IMR-4227 gives the best accuracy at around 1000 fps…

So, I guess with those numbers, the gas check design probably is not necessary…

But, I have found the 452490 to be more accurate than the 45-270-SAA…

I’m loading them to an O.C.L. of 1.65”±. That certainly is not a problem with available length in the Blackhawk cylinder.

But one thing is for sure, I ain’t hitting any coyotes at 100 yards! Even from a good bench rest, let along the roof of a vehicle. (BUT, the vast majority of people who are handgun shooters are much better than I am—at least with some of the posts I read!)

But, I do like the boolit even though it is a gas check design…

By the way, I had to send the mold back to Lyman as it was casting boolits at 0.451” or even less at times. (But that is another story)…

It now casts at around 0.454” and they size to 0.452” nicely now…

Thanks for all the info…

BCB

[45 2.1]

Thompson originally designed this as a 230 gr. SWCGC. It seems Lyman increased the weight up to 255 gr. later. I have both copies and the earlier 230 gr. is the best one. I had BRP make me a plain based version of the 230 gr. that was spectacular as a hollow point in the 45 ACP.

[nitro-express]

In my quest for data for the 255 grain GC 452490 in the 45 Colt, I've yet to find any definitive data. However, I'm of the opinion that the bullet is being used for the 454 Casull mostly. The OAL when loaded in a 454 Casull is 1.760, and the 45 Colt case being about .100" shorter (1.383 - 1.285) the OAL with the 453490 seated normally, will be 1.660". Ruger cylinders will accommodate that without any issues.

But: that does mean that any data for loading a like weight bullet seated to 1.600" or less will not good data. Not unsafe, but not substitutable IMHO.

The gas check will permit using a softer alloy, and fit will be less of a factor.

Hornady has data for the 240 gr XTP-MAG at an OAL of 1.655, and unless I find any specific data, that is where I'll start, likely with 20 gr of 2400. I'll chrono and likely stop when I reach 1300 fps.

I'm aware that this is an old thread, but applicable information seems hard to find, this post is at the top of my search, so far.

[beagle]

Have a 452490HPPB. Removed the GC shank and HP'd it. Runs about 247 grains in this configuration. Shoots well in the .45 Colt but it don't get a lot of use as I run more 454190HPs than I do it as I load them in ACP cases for my Ruger convertible. Still. it's worthwhile having one if you're a die hard .45 Colt fan as it does shoot good from the .45 Colt case./beagle