Cast .45 ACP load data?!

[45 Shooter]

So, i'm ready to load up my cast .45 ACP (Lee 452-230-TC). Went and bought Lyman's 49th Edition and it don't give any data for that boolit :(. What manual do I need? and did I waste my money on the Lyman manual?

[Jim]

Nah, you're fine. Generally, you can load according to boolit weight. The only boolits you'll find in a Lyman manual come from Lyman molds.

What kinda' powders ya' got?

[45 Shooter]

Nah, you're fine. Generally, you can load according to boolit weight. The only boolits you'll find in a Lyman manual come from Lyman molds.

What kinda' powders ya' got?

None yet. Should I buy powder acording to the Lyman manual or get another manual as well. Can't hurt to have two manuals can it?

[45 Shooter]

I'm new to reloading and casting as well. If I load from boolit weight out of the Lyman manual, which they only list one 230 grain cast boolit and it's round nose, how do I know what my OAL is supose to be for my TC boolit?

Sounds like I need a manual that has the data in it for my particular boolit, I don't need to go blowin' myself up, the wife would be highly upset. :lol:

[462]

There is no such thing as wasting money on reloading manuals.

When it comes to cast boolit loads (and casting information) Lyman's Cast Bullet Handbooks, 3rd or 4th editions, are the best. Buy them both -- money well spent.

[Lights]

Can't go wrong with Bullseye or W231(HP-38) for powder in a 45acp. I prefer W231 for my 45 loads.

[gwpercle]

You really need to get the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook 4th Edition, it has cast bullet data for Saeco/Redding, RCBS, Lee and Lyman cast bullet design's. Not just Lyman...very helpful. But it does not have the Lee 200 gr tumble lube boolit. For that exact boolit you will probably need a Lee manual. It will give you that magical and vastly important OAL you need. But the Lyman lists loads for 19 different powders...thats a lot of good info. OAL is not somthing that will blow you up ( I've been reloading 45 acp since 1970 and have never measured, or even know what OAL they are). What will blow you up is too much or not enough of a certian powder. It never hurts to have several manuals...what info is not in one, can be found in the other. I have 10 manuals and refer to them all .
Gary

[garym1a2]

WST or bullseye.
For loads I try hodgen website first.

[DougGuy]

If you can find some W231 it is a long time favorite for .45 ACP. I think the starting load for a 230gr boolit is 4.6gr and the max is 5.3gr. I would not go to max right off the start.

With any .45 ACP you should load up a dummy round and make sure it will chamber in your barrel. Generally you would want some of the boolit sticking out in front of the case. COL on a 230gr fmj TZZ military hardball is 1.269" 1.270" with SAAMI specs stating 1.275" for max. TC boolit will be somewhere near 1.200" or possibly as short as 1.180" but somewhere in there will be the best for the barrel you want to shoot these from. Just make sure they pass a "plunk" test and go fully into the chamber until the case rim is flush with the end of the barrel hood. If you have to seat deeper, then you wouldn't want to be using the maximum charge weight.

I use a 230gr plated flat point round nose boolit, very similar to the 230gr TC you have, my plinking loads are 5.0gr WW231 with WLP primers and a COL of 1.180" it is an accurate, great feeding load that is pleasant to shoot.

This load data came from Hogdon's site.

Edit: A note on boolit diameter. Some guns have chamber dimensions on the tight side, some don't. The tight ones often will not take a .452" boolit unless it is seated so deep in the case, it causes unsafe pressures and rounds loaded like that are not within SAAMI specs and should not be used. I have a very cool Kahr CW45 carry pistol that is finicky about ammo, but it's a match grade barrel, very accurate shooter, it will feed and shoot any boolit .451" but will not go fully into battery with any .452" boolit unless it is seated so deep in the case, it could cause a dangerous pressure spike.

This is what the plunk test is for, to see if a loaded round, assembled to the proper COL, will chamber in the barrel. You might be fine with .452" or it may not want to chamber unless those TCs are sized to .451" just depends on your gun.

[knifemaker]

45 Shooter;
I have that mold in a Lee 6 banger and have shot many thousands of that rounds in 4 different 1911s. I load mine with 5.3gr. of W-231 for a velocity average of 825 fps. My overall lenght is 1.225 and have found that lenght to be very reliable in all four guns including a Colt Defender with a 3 inch barrel.
As for powder, I use W-231 to load midrange loads for the following calibers. 45acp, 44 spec., 44 mag., 38 spec. and 357 mag. It is a very good powder for many different calibers. If you can not find W-231, Bullseye will be another that can be used in the 45acp and others for light to midrange loads.

Using W-231 at 5.3 gr. will give you over 1300 loaded rounds per 1 pound of powder. Good way to stretch the dollar for more shooting.

The member that stated the max for 231 is 5.3gr. is incorrect on that information. I have 6 different manuels and most have a starting load of 4.9 to 5.0 and max out at 5.5 or 5.6gr. My Lyman manuel for cast bullets show the 230 gr. Lee cast bullet with a starting load of 5.0 and max load of 5.6gr. for W-231. The reason I load at 5.3 is that I have to meet a power requirement for IDPA matches and that load does it with ease and no worry about a DQ on my ammo for not meeting the power factor. 5.0 gr. will give you a softer load that is below standard 230 gr. hardball loads for power and velocity. About 780-790 fps in velocity out of a five inch barrel. I chrony all my loads during load workup.

[John Boy]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?192386-whats-your-go-to-powder-45-ACP&p=2133540&viewfull=1#post2133540

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?192386-whats-your-go-to-powder-45-ACP&p=2133540&viewfull=1#post2133540

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?146605-green-dot-for-45-acp&highlight=45+acp

[DougGuy]

The member that stated the max for 231 is 5.3gr. is incorrect on that information. I have 6 different manuels and most have a starting load of 4.9 to 5.0 and max out at 5.5 or 5.6gr. My Lyman manuel for cast bullets show the 230 gr. Lee cast bullet with a starting load of 5.0 and max load of 5.6gr. for W-231. The reason I load at 5.3 is that I have to meet a power requirement for IDPA matches and that load does it with ease and no worry about a DQ on my ammo for not meeting the power factor. 5.0 gr. will give you a softer load that is below standard 230 gr. hardball loads for power and velocity. About 780-790 fps in velocity out of a five inch barrel. I chrony all my loads during load workup.

See for yourself:

http://i1202.photobucket.com/albums/bb374/DougGuy/Reloading/HogdonW231_45ACP_zps687dd5bb.jpg (http://s1202.photobucket.com/user/DougGuy/media/Reloading/HogdonW231_45ACP_zps687dd5bb.jpg.html)

[Char-Gar]

As long as you stay away from max pressure red line loads you can use data for any cast bullet of equal weight. I would suggest 4.2 to 4.5 grains of Bullseye.

[leeggen]

In the Lyman load data auto pistol calibers book from Cabela's::
45acp-TL452-230TC bullseye 4.6gr. 800f/s 14000cup to 5.1 876f/s 17800cup
oal is 1.170
True Blue is bestat 6.1 gr 804f/s14000cup to6.7 866f/s 17800cup
The true Blue is the highly recom. powder gives good case fill
all this imfo came from the same book copywright 2011. a real good book for autoloaders
this one covers 380--9mmluger--40s&w--45acp OH you shoud use lead equal to Lyman #2
Good luck
CD

[DrewTenney]

If you can find some W231 it is a long time favorite for .45 ACP. I think the starting load for a 230gr boolit is 4.6gr and the max is 5.3gr. I would not go to max right off the start.

With any .45 ACP you should load up a dummy round and make sure it will chamber in your barrel. Generally you would want some of the boolit sticking out in front of the case. COL on a 230gr fmj TZZ military hardball is 1.269" 1.270" with SAAMI specs stating 1.275" for max. TC boolit will be somewhere near 1.200" or possibly as short as 1.180" but somewhere in there will be the best for the barrel you want to shoot these from. Just make sure they pass a "plunk" test and go fully into the chamber until the case rim is flush with the end of the barrel hood. If you have to seat deeper, then you wouldn't want to be using the maximum charge weight.

I use a 230gr plated flat point round nose boolit, very similar to the 230gr TC you have, my plinking loads are 5.0gr WW231 with WLP primers and a COL of 1.180" it is an accurate, great feeding load that is pleasant to shoot.

This load data came from Hogdon's site.

Edit: A note on boolit diameter. Some guns have chamber dimensions on the tight side, some don't. The tight ones often will not take a .452" boolit unless it is seated so deep in the case, it causes unsafe pressures and rounds loaded like that are not within SAAMI specs and should not be used. I have a very cool Kahr CW45 carry pistol that is finicky about ammo, but it's a match grade barrel, very accurate shooter, it will feed and shoot any boolit .451" but will not go fully into battery with any .452" boolit unless it is seated so deep in the case, it could cause a dangerous pressure spike.

This is what the plunk test is for, to see if a loaded round, assembled to the proper COL, will chamber in the barrel. You might be fine with .452" or it may not want to chamber unless those TCs are sized to .451" just depends on your gun.

Very Very good point. I have the Lee .452 cavity mold, and they will NOT chamber in my 1911, the .451 sizing die is already in the mail!

[RKJ]

here's what Hodgdon has on their web page. I've included all 230 grain rounds they listed. You can look them up @ Hodgdon Powder Company
Cartridge Load Recipe Report - 12/19/2012
data.hodgdon.com

230 GR. HDY FMJ FP Longshot .451" 1.200" 6.3 848 14,100 CUP 6.8 908 17,200 CUP
230 GR. HDY FMJ FP 800-X .451" 1.200" 6.3 817 13,300 CUP 7.0 900 16,900 CUP
230 GR. HDY FMJ FP SR 4756 .451" 1.200" 6.4 762 12,900 CUP 7.0 867 16,500 CUP
230 GR. HDY FMJ FP HS-6 .451" 1.200" 8.0 790 14,400 CUP 8.2 825 15,400 CUP
230 GR. HDY FMJ FP AutoComp .451" 1.200" 6.0 789 13,800 CUP 6.6 871 17,100 CUP
230 GR. HDY FMJ FP Universal .451" 1.200" 5.1 716 11,800 CUP 5.6 844 16,800 CUP
230 GR. HDY FMJ FP WSF .451" 1.200" 5.7 766 12,100 CUP 6.4 851 15,700 CUP
230 GR. HDY FMJ FP 231 .451" 1.200" 4.2 751 13,800 CUP 5.3 832 16,800 CUP
230 GR. HDY FMJ FP HP-38 .451" 1.200" 4.2 751 13,800 CUP 5.3 832 16,800 CUP
230 GR. HDY FMJ FP SR 7625 .451" 1.200" 5.4 745 12,200 CUP 6.0 848 16,600 CUP
230 GR. HDY FMJ FP PB .451" 1.200" 4.5 709 12,200 CUP 5.0 807 16,500 CUP
230 GR. HDY FMJ FP WST .451" 1.200" 4.1 733 13,900 CUP 4.9 848 16,100 CUP
230 GR. HDY FMJ FP Titegroup .451" 1.200" 4.4 744 15,000 CUP 4.8 818 16,700 CUP
230 GR. HDY FMJ FP 700-X .451" 1.200" 4.4 758 12,700 CUP 4.9 842 16,600 CUP
230 GR. HDY FMJ FP Clays .451" 1.200" 3.7 670 15,900 CUP 4.0 732 17,000 CUP
230 GR. LRN Longshot .452" 1.200" 6.0 747 12,000 CUP 6.8 875 16,800 CUP
230 GR. LRN 800-X .452" 1.200" 6.5 867 15,100 CUP 7.0 939 17,300 CUP
230 GR. LRN SR 4756 .452" 1.200" 6.3 813 14,200 CUP 6.8 892 16,400 CUP
230 GR. LRN HS-6 .452" 1.200'' 7.0 751 12,900 CUP 8.0 859 16,600 CUP
230 GR. LRN AutoComp .452" 1.200" 6.1 832 13,700 CUP 6.6 896 16,400 CUP
230 GR. LRN Universal .452" 1.200" 4.5 703 11,400 CUP 5.4 857 16,800 CUP
230 GR. LRN WSF .452" 1.200" 5.8 832 14,500 CUP 6.3 892 16,800 CUP
230 GR. LRN 231 .452" 1.200" 4.3 699 12,200 CUP 5.3 834 16,900 CUP
230 GR. LRN HP-38 .452" 1.200" 4.3 699 12,200 CUP 5.3 834 16,900 CUP
230 GR. LRN SR 7625 .452" 1.200" 5.5 828 15,100 CUP 6.0 897 17,300 CUP
230 GR. LRN PB .452" 1.200" 4.2 736 11,600 CUP 4.7 833 15,900 CUP
230 GR. LRN WST .452" 1.200" 4.0 776 14,300 CUP 4.3 812 16,400 CUP
230 GR. LRN Trail Boss .452" 1.200" 3.5 658 11,200 CUP 4.5 761 15,100 CUP
230 GR. LRN Titegroup .452" 1.200" 4.0 751 12,500 CUP 4.8 855 17,000 CUP
230 GR. LRN 700-X .452" 1.200" 4.5 831 14,500 CUP 5.0 893 17,700 CUP
230 GR. LRN Clays .452" 1.200" 3.5 716 13,700 CUP 4.0 793 16,800 CUP
230 GR. LRN Titewad .452" 1.200" 2.8 684 14,700 PSI 3.3 767 19,400 PSI

[daniel lawecki]

Clays I use it in both 1911 & .38 loads clean burning and more loads per pound.

[USMC87]

I use hp 38 and bullseye.

[nagantguy]

can't go wrong with bullseye!! good powder for many pistol/revolver rounds. its kind of dirty burning compared to some other powders but I have never found anything close as far as standard deviation and consistency between lots and accuracy. these are my experience's there are many good .45 acp powders to choose from and none would be wrong used with in listed specs.

[Randy C]

I like to collect reloading manuals and these folks do great reprints.
http://www.cornellpubs.com/old-guns/reloading-catalogs/

[GLL]

Randy:

Thank you for that link !

Jerry

[Adam10mm]

So, i'm ready to load up my cast .45 ACP (Lee 452-230-TC).
Oh my goodness, listen to me and listen to me good. This is the load you need to load and none other:

WW+2% tin = 234.5gr bullet
White label Carnuba or BAC lube
6.0gr WSF
1.185" OAL

I have cast and sold over 100,000 of those bullets. I have shot tens of thousands of that load and sell a lot of it locally both retail and wholesale to the single gunshop in the area. I'm lucky if I keep any in stock during normal market conditions. 800-850fps all day long depending on barrel length. Soft shooter, very accurate, size to your barrel and it won't lead and will have little smoke. That bullet and OAL will feed in any .45 ACP firearm.