Help me pick a 45acp rn mold

[mikeyman]

Gentlemen, I am on the hunt for a 45acp mold that closely resembles factory ball ammo. These boolits will be used for competition and strictly range use. Not interested in a swc mold as I prefer the recoil impulse of a heavier bullet plus I need the reliable feeding of the round nose shape. I was looking at the Lyman 452374 or NOE makes a 225gr rn I believe. Any suggestions greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[RobS]

The Lyman 452374 will be the ball ammo similar profile. I don't believe that NOE has a 225 gain 45 cal bullet, maybe Mihec at MP-molds. Another real close nose ogive but has a little bit of a flat meplat is the Accurate Molds 45-230M. http://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=45-230M-D.png

[bhn22]

Lyman 452374 was specifically designed to approximate the profile of military ball bullets. The only challenge to this mold is finding one that casts full diameter in front of the grease groove. If you're looking at a used mold, try to find one that casts .454ish so the resulting bullet would be full diameter up front.

[dragon813gt]

Miha just sent out PayPal requests for the 452374. Here is the thread: http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?155635-MiHec-452374-brass-four-cavity-solid-or-hollow-point

There are usually over runs available.

[mikeyman]

My mistake I meant this 230gr rn mold from NOE

http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/product_info.php?cPath=41&products_id=323&osCsid=ope94b2o80ihhphjaa20sapvg3

I read alot about lymans new molds having problems out of round and or undersized which makes me hesitant to buy one. I will shoot a PM to Miha and see if they have extras thanks Dragon.

[groundsclown]

I've got a lyman 452374 4 banger & it drops .4515-.4528...a little OOR, using plain 'ol WW's. Sizing to .452 doesn't do much other than filling the grease groove. For my purposes, it works. Sure would be nice to have it .001-.002 larger though using plain WW alloy.

If I were to do it again, I'd get an rcbs 45-230 rn over the lyman. Never had size problems with any of the rcbs using ww only. Only drawback that we all know is they're only 2 cav :(

[Blammer]

this is a good one to start with.

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/Cast%20boolits/45ACP/DSCN7746-1.jpg (http://s54.photobucket.com/user/blammer8mm/media/Cast%20boolits/45ACP/DSCN7746-1.jpg.html)

[Fluxed]

My mistake I meant this 230gr rn mold from NOE

http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/product_info.php?cPath=41&products_id=323&osCsid=ope94b2o80ihhphjaa20sapvg3

I read alot about lymans new molds having problems out of round and or undersized which makes me hesitant to buy one. I will shoot a PM to Miha and see if they have extras thanks Dragon.


This is a no-brainer.
Buy this mold in a 5 cavity and a set of their handles and be done with it.
You'll have it in a few days.

I've shot thousands of them.
Great bullet and great mold.

[MTtimberline]

I would suggest the RCBS 45-230-RN. Very easy to make good looking boolits with the correct diameter. I've had good results with it shooting and feeding well too. Only downside is the two cavity thing. Overall it's hard to go wrong with it for 230gr RN.

[ShooterAZ]

I would suggest the RCBS 45-230-RN. Very easy to make good looking boolits with the correct diameter. I've had good results with it shooting and feeding well too. Only downside is the two cavity thing. Overall it's hard to go wrong with it for 230gr RN.

+1 on this mold, I love all of my RCBS molds and I have a bunch of them. The 2 cav thing is not a down side for me. These molds will last forever if properly cared for, and I'm after quality over quantity. This will hold especially true if you are match shooting. Preheat before casting and you will get perfect boolits every time.

[Wilkie]

I have the Lee 452-230 TL that works in all my pistols and my hi point carbine.

[MtGun44]

"I need the reliable feeding of the round nose shape"

This is a commonly believed myth. The H&G 68 200 SWC will feed exactly as reliably as a 230 RN, saves your
lead supply and cuts bigger holes in the target.

Bill

[groundsclown]

"I need the reliable feeding of the round nose shape"

This is a commonly believed myth. The H&G 68 200 SWC will feed exactly as reliably as a 230 RN, saves your
lead supply and cuts bigger holes in the target.

Bill

Not to side track this post but how does the rcbs 45-201 swc compare to the h&g 68? I've got the rcbs & shooting it thru my glocks (30 & 21) it's hands down the most accurate but feeding is bad...no matter the oal.

[mikeyman]

Thanks for your help everyone. I got lucky last night and scored a 4 cavity NOE 230gr mold used for a good price. Cant wait to give it a spin.

As to the 200 swc comment, I am sure they can be made to shoot reliably but for the last 3 years and maybe a dozen matches I have never seen a fellow classsic division shooter using anything but round nose bullets in a 1911. It is what the 1911 was designed to shoot after all.

[dragon813gt]

Have you tried a H&G 68? I haven't seen one gun that they don't feed reliably in. They are also extremely accurate.

[mikeyman]

The only one I have tried is the lee version - playing with the oal I found the right length but still had maybe one or 2 out of 100 fail to feed properly. I know there are multiple variables that could cause this but I just decided to go for a rn design.

[dragon813gt]

Fair enough. I don't think the Lee version is true to the original dimensions. But I could be wrong about that.

[mikeyman]

I know I will eventually get a good 68 copy mold to play with but I need to get going for the season of matches coming up and thought a rn mold will be my safest bet for reliable rounds.

[MtGun44]

RN is safe for feeding, but so is a real 68 clone, both are 100% feeders if you set
up LOA and taper crimp correctly.

The RCBS has a wider meplat and shorter nose, but it always fed for me. Lee 200
SWC has a longer nose and smaller meplat. Neither are what I would call a clone
of the H&G 68. I'd call the RCBS as closer to the Lyman 452460 which is accurate,
but SLIGHTLY more likely to have issues with feeding in some guns. It will work
fine in the overwhelming majority, but not like the H&G 68.

Any round that you are not taper crimping as a separate operation is suspect in the
.45 ACP. In my experience (more than 30 yrs in IPSC competition, helping a lot of
newbies to reloading in those years) the most likely failure was a failure to close due to
inadequate or zero taper crimp. Taper crimp to .468 or tighter and you will be
fine. Another issue is too long, with the full diam portion of the boolit hitting
a tight throat. I had used 1.260 for many decades (Colts and Wilson) and suddenly
with my first Dan Wesson with a really tight match chamber and short throat, I
had to seat deeper to 1.250 to make them work in it. Now all my .45 ACP is
seated that way.

Bill

[Le Loup Solitaire]

I have used the RCBS 45-230 RN successfully in both revolver and semi-auto. I believe that the extra band lends more surface bearing to the bullet and contributes to its accuracy. The RN feeds well. The H&G #34 is a close copy of it. Other H&G's such as the 68, the 130 and the 78 also are excellent designs that have been very popular with shooters over the years. LLS

[mikeyman]

UPDATE - Got a used NOE 230 gr rn mold that is working like a dream. It's a hg 34 copy and it functions perfectly in my 1911. The only odd thing is it drops 220 grain bullets. Thanks for everyone's input.

[chrissy4560]

i use the lee 452 semi wadcutter 6 cavity mold... the only thing i dont like is that even with smoking the bullets still tend to stick. i got a hickory stick and give it a rap and they all fall out

[Colohunter]

I just started casting with a Lee 200 SWC, I shoot IDPA with 200 gr SWCs through a Springfield TRP. The SWCs make a sharp, large hole that makes scoring a breeze. However, I have a Para SF-45 that hasn't reliably fed SWCs from several different manufactures.

It might be worth trying out some SWCs before dismissing them, but the classic ball style is a great all around bullet for 45.

[hermans]

I have this one from Accurate, shoots straight, and feeds in both my 1911's without any problems.
http://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=45-230B-D.png,

[jdee74]

H&G 34, it is truly my favorite bullet for 45 auto and also my favorite mold to cast with.

[typz2slo]

Been trying to get a swc to shoot in my Colt Commander but no luck as of yet. My RI 1911 will eat anything I put in it.