Which Lee 6 cavity mold for .45

[MSG]

I'm getting everything together to start casting for my .45 1911 and now I'm needing to buy a mold. The molds that I'm considering are the Lee 6 cavity TL 230 Tc and the Lee 6 Cavity TL 200 SW. Any thoughts or preferences on these two molds or maybe another Lee 6 banger? I'm totally new to this so I've been reading as much as I can and appreciate all the info on this forum.

[skeet1]

My personal favorite is the Lee clone of the H&G 68, the 200 gr. with the regular lube groove. This bullet loads and shoots beautifully. I use a small charge of Unique in my 1911 and they feed flawlessly.

Ken

[DrCaveman]

I faced the same dilemma a while ago, and went with the TL 230 RN for its 'tried and true' value in 45 acp. Has worked great for me though I think a standard lube groove for 230 gr RN is much more traditional. I don't think the lee 228 qualifies for this, due to an unusual ogive shape. Don't own it so I could be wrong but it certainly does have a different profile than my TL 230 RN.

I also purchased the lee h&g 68 copy, which by necessity is also standard lube groove. Very happy with it, and have heard less good things about the TL 200 swc. You may have good luck, at worst you are out $20 or $40 if you jump right into the 6 cav.

Might I suggest buying your proposed moulds in 2 cav first, then if you like the boolit and can get it to shoot well, buy the 6? You will still be less invested than a comparable shaped mould from any other mfgr and will have a 2 cav to play around with... Make it into a hollow point... Etc

Based on a recent experience, I would also highly recommend lee-menting. Pretty easy, really, and it sharpens up the castings considerably & boolits drop better. Can barely identify the seam now. I loafed and put this treatment on the back burner for way too long... Just do it!

[saint_iverson]

I enjoy using the TL 230, the heavier boolit normally means less powder, so your powder stash lasts longer, just have a reliable supply of lead since you're using over 10% more than the 200gr. I cast with COWW and water quench (some would argue against this step), then use the 45/45/10 for the TL and push-thru size to .452, after a second TL with the 45/45/10, ready to load! Quick, easy, minimal leading, and the 6 banger means production!

Another good/bad thing about reloading the 45 and 230gr combo is the variety of powders, so many options! I load with CLAYS because it lasts forever (1lb will output ~1700 rds if i recall correctly), however, mainstays like BULLSEYE, UNIQUE, etc are always available at your fingertips!

+1 Lee-menting

[wiljen]

I like the little 200-RF for a plinker load.

[Casting_40S&W]

I use the Lee 6 Gang, TL452-200-SWC, easy to cast, easy to lube, easy to shoot. I have made 40 lbs of them already, about 1400 bullets, and can report no problems with the mold. I lube the mold every 20 casts, and have only smoked it once, since it was new. The bullets fall out like rain, when the mold is opened.

[Benchrest]

Justg a tought, Iuse the 230 gr TC, I load the 230 gr. Horn, XTP and profil is very close when switching to jacketd bullets. Just change seating stem a half turn and good to go.

[MSG]

Hmmm decisions, decisions. What bullet profile works well in both a 1911 and a Glock 21? I've read that the SWC doesn't feed reliably in the Glock, anyone had that experience? I do like the idea of using less lead per shot so the TL452-200-SWC does look good. Is this a reliably feeding bullet in a 1911?

[Larry Gibson]

I prefer the Lee 6 cavity 452-190-SWC. Less alloy, feeds great in all my M1911 types and works in my 45 Colts also.

Larry Gibson

My bad, guess it's not currently available in 6 cavity...........too bad, it's an excellent bullet.

[zuke]

Lee 6 cavity TL 230 Tc .

That's the one I use for my 45 Win Mag ,M1Carbine conversion.
No leading with a double tumble in the 45/45/10 lube,and I get an average of 1410 fps pushed by 16 gr of AA#7 out of a 19 inch barrel

[Moonie]

My personal favorite is the Lee clone of the H&G 68, the 200 gr. with the regular lube groove. This bullet loads and shoots beautifully. I use a small charge of Unique in my 1911 and they feed flawlessly.

Ken

+1 to this one, I have the Mihec 200gr HP 2 cavity, the Lee 230 TC 2 cavity and the Lee 200SWC 6 cavity regular lube groove, of these my 200SWC is my go to for volume.

[Wilkie]

I have found that the 230 grain TC works with 1911 and glock. I have a 200 grain SWC that didn't like my Glock. The feeding ramp on some Glocks are a little low. So SWC won't work on those. Some glocks work some don't. I like the TC.

[geargnasher]

For a 1911, the 230-TC, 230-2R TL (NOT the two-groove 228 round nose), or the 200 SWC are all good ones. I've had some issues with the 200 SWC in several pistols including a GI 1911, an XD, and two M&Ps, it all depends on how the ramp and throat are shaped. If the throat is short they may have to be seated with the front band almost even with the case mouth, and that makes them tend to enter the chamber at too steep of an angle and they can jam. The ramp can be a problem too as Wilkie mentioned. The other boolits have a large enough nose tip diameter that this isn't a problem in any of the dozen-odd automatics I've tried them in. Personally, I'd go for the TC boolit with the single lube groove if using regular lube and a sizer, and the tumble-lube 230-grain round nose if using liquid Alox or similar.

Gear

[EvilElmo]

I use the 452-230-TC.

[Balta]

I have 4 .45 caliber mold and a Lee 230 TC ,regular lube bullet is my favorite.Works great in my SW1911 ,accurate and reliable feed.I dont have TL.. i try that but didnt work good for me..

[Pitchnit]

I use a regular groove 200 LSWC Lee 6 banger and tumble with 45/45/10. Runs great through a Springfield Range Officer, S&W 45 compact and a Smith 4506. Mine drops right at .4535 and I size to .452. No leading, The RO will hold 2" all day at 25Yds. Regards-Pitchnit

[MikeS]

For a boolit design that will feed out of most guns, Glocks included, I would go with the 230gr TL roundnose. NOT the 228gr roundnose with 2 standard lube grooves, which is probably the worst roundnose design out there! The TL 230 is a totally different design, and one of the best roundnose designs out there, it's fairly close in profile to the H&G #34 roundnose which is IMHO a much better design than the Lyman 225gr roundnose.

The second choice would be the 200SWC standard lube groove boolit, which is a clone of the H&G #68 which is probably the best SWC for the 45ACP. Some folks say the Lee version isn't that close to the H&G design, but it's close enough that it's a good shooting accurate boolit. It just might not feed as well in a Glock as it will in a 1911. When it comes to feeding, a roundnose design is going to be the best one for shooting in all kinds of pistols, but in a 1911 the H&G#68 feeds as well as a roundnose, that's the gun the #68 was designed for.

[Elkins45]

I prefer the Lee 6 cavity 452-190-SWC. Less alloy, feeds great in all my M1911 types and works in my 45 Colts also.

Larry Gibson

My bad, guess it's not currently available in 6 cavity...........too bad, it's an excellent bullet.

Too bad, indeed. I have a two banger I bought back in the late 80's that is one of my most prized molds. It feeds and shoots just beautifully in my Sig P220. I would love to have a six cavity version.

[brstevns]

For a boolit design that will feed out of most guns, Glocks included, I would go with the 230gr TL roundnose. NOT the 228gr roundnose with 2 standard lube grooves, which is probably the worst roundnose design out there! The TL 230 is a totally different design, and one of the best roundnose designs out there, it's fairly close in profile to the H&G #34 roundnose which is IMHO a much better design than the Lyman 225gr roundnose.

The second choice would be the 200SWC standard lube groove boolit, which is a clone of the H&G #68 which is probably the best SWC for the 45ACP. Some folks say the Lee version isn't that close to the H&G design, but it's close enough that it's a good shooting accurate boolit. It just might not feed as well in a Glock as it will in a 1911. When it comes to feeding, a roundnose design is going to be the best one for shooting in all kinds of pistols, but in a 1911 the H&G#68 feeds as well as a roundnose, that's the gun the #68 was designed for.

What is wrong with this Round Nose? Have used it for years in 4 different model 1911's and 1 Ruger with great success.

[MSG]

Thanks for the input. I still haven't placed my order but will soon after Christmas. Is it ok to tumble lube the Lee 200SWC standard lube groove boolit?

[Boolseye]

I do like the idea of using less lead per shot so the TL452-200-SWC does look good. Is this a reliably feeding bullet in a 1911?
It depends on how you load it and whether the 1911 has a throated barrel. SWCs will not feed reliably in a 1911 set up only for ball ammo, in my experience. A throating job can be done at home, but it must be done right or you will wreck the barrel. I can't speak to Glocks, never having owned or even shot one. I load my SWCs with a heavy crimp (about .467 at the case mouth)and a thumbnail of the top band showing. This is how I was taught by expert bullseye shooters, and it works great for me.

Is it ok to tumble lube the Lee 200SWC standard lube groove boolit?
Absolutely. I will go ahead and recommend that you do get the standard lube boolit. It's a great, incredibly accurate shooter.
I tumble lubed them only for a long time and never had any leading or accuracy problems. Now I pan lube them, but I don't notice a difference.

[geargnasher]

What is wrong with this Round Nose? Have used it for years in 4 different model 1911's and 1 Ruger with great success.

The slide lock lever runs a bit proud in Kimber 1911s and the base of the nose on that boolit is the wrong shape, too spherical and too fat right in front of the case mouth, so it tends to trip the slide lock prematurely in some guns. The nose is also too short, making it necessary to deep-seat the boolits to get them to feed in most .45 automatic magazines, which also makes them rattle and bang back and forth and sometimes jam on feeding. Some pistols with non-existent throats won't chamber them at all. A good round-nose for the 1911 is a Lyman 452374 which is basically the two-radius copy of military ball ammunition, and the Lee 230-RN tumble-lube design that MikeS and I mentioned previously. Since Lee doesn't offer that one in a regular lube groove design, I had Accurate Molds design a close copy with two lube grooves and a flat base, catalog number 45-230L. I've tried a number of different boolits in .45 automatics and keep coming back to that one and the Lyman, they just flat FEED and shoot to POA in everything. I've shot over three thousand of the 230Ls to date and have not had one single jam in any of a dozen .45 automatics. The Lee 230TL is just as reliable, but I generally prefer real lube grooves.

The Lee 228-grainer is a pretty solid .45 Colt boolit, although it could stand deeper lube grooves for that one.

Gear

[fatboy]

I use the 230TL, I am actually on my second mold, I have run thousands of them lubed with alox 45/45/10 with both Unique powder and i have started now using ZIP from ramshot, it shoots the same as Unique but WAY cleaner.

[brstevns]

The slide lock lever runs a bit proud in Kimber 1911s and the base of the nose on that boolit is the wrong shape, too spherical and too fat right in front of the case mouth, so it tends to trip the slide lock prematurely in some guns. The nose is also too short, making it necessary to deep-seat the boolits to get them to feed in most .45 automatic magazines, which also makes them rattle and bang back and forth and sometimes jam on feeding. Some pistols with non-existent throats won't chamber them at all. A good round-nose for the 1911 is a Lyman 452374 which is basically the two-radius copy of military ball ammunition, and the Lee 230-RN tumble-lube design that MikeS and I mentioned previously. Since Lee doesn't offer that one in a regular lube groove design, I had Accurate Molds design a close copy with two lube grooves and a flat base, catalog number 45-230L. I've tried a number of different boolits in .45 automatics and keep coming back to that one and the Lyman, they just flat FEED and shoot to POA in everything. I've shot over three thousand of the 230Ls to date and have not had one single jam in any of a dozen .45 automatics. The Lee 230TL is just as reliable, but I generally prefer real lube grooves.

The Lee 228-grainer is a pretty solid .45 Colt boolit, although it could stand deeper lube grooves for that one.

Gear

Alright, I see now what you are saying. Still like they say if it works don'i fix it. If I do get another 45acp lee mold I will try the tl 230 as you stated. Thanks for helping me to understand.