mystery molds

[ThaDave]

Ok so I picked up two molds at a local Pawn shop yesterday for a really good price i get home and cant find load data for either mold in the Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook 4th edition or Speer bullets Reloading Manual #14. One of the molds is a LEE .430-240-SWC number 90299 double cavity, tumble lube bullet so my question is: is it safe or even advisable to find a bullet close to the same specs and slowly work up a load or just stop dead in my tracks and until I find something with the exact bullet I have a mold for?

The Second mold that I found is a LEE 90348 and according to the tag it is a 220 gr for .45 ACP, .45 Colt, .45 Auto Rim but I cant find it anywhere when I try to Google it a double cavity mold comes up (http://www.midwayusa.com/product/378487/lee-2-cavity-bullet-mold-452-200-swc-45-acp-45-auto-rim-45-colt-long-colt-452-diameter-200-grain-semi-wadcutter ) but the mold I am holding is a single round nose bullet and not a Semi wad cutter at all and it may just be my eye but it looks really short and once again no load data. Its not even listed on the LEE web sight under pistol or BP molds

So I come to yall oh great knowledgeable ones (and yes you less knowledgeable ones too) have y'all seen this molds before I am thinking that the .45 may actually be a black powder mold just because of how short the bullet is but I'm still very new to all this and would rather ask and look dumb than do something stupid and get myself or God forbid someone else hurt by not asking.

For the record I am not asking for your load datas only places I can look up published data or if I can use something close and work my way up checking for signs of pressure as well as shot groups out of my guns

the .44 Mag will be from a NEF Handi-rifle and the .45 will be either a Springfield Mil-Spec 1911-A1 or a Springfield XD.

I will post Pictures as soon as I figure out how

[petroid]

In the absence of published load data for a particular bullet you can use same weight or heavier bullet load data but you have to make sure the seating depth is not excessive to reduce case capacity and cause a high pressure situation. Measure the length of your bullets and figure out your seating depth at the OAL you want to use. Now consult your published data, keeping in mind the length of the bullet the data is for and the OAL they use. Seating depth is the length of the bullet plus the case length minus the OAL. If your seating depth is deeper than published data be very careful with load workup. In the pistols OAL will be, of course, determined by feeding from the magazine and chambering. In the Handi-rifle you may be able to seat longer than in a handgun but its up to you

[ThaDave]

117355117356117357

The ".45" mold

Ok so find something of about the same length and weight and work from the low end up checking OAL

[Mk42gunner]

Can't help with the .44 data, but for your .45, I would follow the data for the Lyman 452374 pretty closely. It is a 225 grain RN and in your 4th ed. Cast Bullet Handbook.

If you cast and shoot much, I predict that you will outgrow that single cavity mold's production very quickly.

Robert

[ThaDave]

I'm not 100% sure it is even a .45 cal mold. Im going to have to wait until I get the rest of my gear out here to find out.... I guess i could cast a wax bullet just to measure the dia and then when I get my lead and other gear I could pour for weight and dia. I just got back into the country so most of my gear is in Texas and I'm going back and forth between Yuma Az and Camp Pendleton Ca.

How often do the companies change mold Id numbers? It seems strange that it would be marked as one thing but the company show something totally different.

[petroid]

I'd like to see what drops out of that mold. I see the part numbers but it looks more like the 452-228-1R. It may have been a 200gr SWC that was bored out to a round nose.

[Wayne Smith]

Cast boolits of your alloy. Weigh and measure. Compare with boolits for which you do have data. Use the data of the closest boolit. If you find no cast boolit data look for condom bullets that are similar. Your cast boolit will create less pressure than the condom boolit so you can use that data too.

[ThaDave]

OK so I don't have most of my stuff out here yet including my scales or calibers, but I did find some lead air rifle pellets that I melted down and this is what came out of the mold.

[Cowboy_Dan]

That .44 looks spot on as to what it should be. It may just be poor fillout, or the picture angle, but the .45 almost looks heeled. Probably just a narrow base band.

[petroid]

What does that 45 weigh?

Sorry didn't see that you don't have a scale handy

[ThaDave]

That .44 looks spot on as to what it should be. It may just be poor fillout, or the picture angle, but the .45 almost looks heeled. Probably just a narrow base band.

These are the first casts I have poured in probably 10-15 years (wow I'm actually old enough to say that...kinda scary lol) and the tools used weren't the best in fact they were melted with a propane torch on an old spoon and poured from there before I dropped them into a 7up bottle filled with water to quench. So not they are not as good as they could be or will be but considering I just got back into the country less than a week ago and my tools are either in Texas or Az. and I am in Cali sometimes we just gotta work with what we got.

All of the ".45" bullets I poured had that same rounded base but even after pouring and holding the bullet I still cant find anything from LEE about the mold or data for it. The .44 came out fairly nice but I only had enough lead left to pour one like I said sometimes you just gotta work with what you got.


What does that 45 weigh?

Sorry didn't see that you don't have a scale handy

I may pick up some new scales and a few other small things at the gun show this weekend there aren't too many other places to get reloading gear in my area.

[Freightman]

Look here for he load for the 240 .429/.430 boolit http://stevespages.com/429p_3_240.html
here for the .451/.452 http://stevespages.com/451p_1_225.html

[ThaDave]

Sweet thanks Freightman.

[ThaDave]

Ok so I picked up a scale at the gun show and was able to weigh the bullet. it came out to 153-155 grains spread for 10 bullets, so I think it it pretty safe to call it a 155 grain round nose .45 cal bullet and I was able to get it ID'd as a mold LEE made for cowboy action shooting, but once again was told that it most likely wouldn't work in a semi auto because of how short it was. On the table was another single cavity .45 200 gr SWC with handles made by IDEAL, after some talking and backs with numbers I got traded in the LEE and some cash for the steel molds made by IDEAL. So I'll likely recast the bullets into the new mold and post pictures of that when I do.

[Green Frog]

I think you will find that 200 gr Ideal™ SWC much more useful than the rather odd 155 gr Lee™. If it is the 452460 as I suspect, it is the one that the old NRA Cast Bullet Handbook classified as the one bullet you could use for everything in the 45 if you were going to limit yourself to one.

Froggie

[Harter66]

I'd bet the Lee was for a C&B conical ball.

[Wayne Smith]

I'd bet the Lee was for a C&B conical ball.

Yop, that's exactly what I was thinking. Cast that with a hot mold, hot alloy and you will get a fully filled out recess that centers it in the top of the cylinder so it can be driven in cutting a ring of lead.