Lee 452-200rf

[Antietamgw]

Anyone using this in .45ACP? Being a flat nose fan, I've talked myself into thinking the RF design is a bit better than the SWC for an all purpose bullet for plinking, small game. Anyone know the meplat size on these?

[txbirdman]

Yeah, I tried this with good success in my Combat Commander. There was some issue in regard to crimping. I can't remember exactly what it was but did overcome it successfully. I loaded up to 7.4 gr. of Unique to get to the same velocity that 7.0 gr. of Unique produced in a 200 SWC. Worked well in my pistol.

[Buckshot]

.............Antietamgw, welcome to the board. I recognize your handle from Shooters.com :D. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe I ran across it mostly on the single shot forum?

.............Buckshot

[AnthonyB]

I tried this one a few years ago when I was looking for an LBT 200 FNB mold on eBay. The design has promise, but this proved to ba a spectacular PITA mold to use. I don't think I ever got better than 20% good boolits from it and promptly gifted it to BD when he was designing the original BD45. He reported the same casting problems, and the mold is probably in a snow bank now. Still, it remains the closest thing to the LBT I finally bought at a ridiculous price. Tony

[Antietamgw]

Txbirdman - thanks for the info. I'm shooting 200 SWC with Unique now. Accurate but a tad dirty though most of the trouble might have been the lube. An old friend that recently passed on cast and sold pistol bullets as a sideline. I always just bought my pistol bullets from him and put my time into casting rifle bullets. He made his own "secret" lube which I suspect was Tractor Supply lithium grease and (used) parafin seals from his wife's summer canning. Just couldn't convince him to charge a couple $$ extra and use a hard lube. He did get a little pissed when I asked him if he had a zerk fitting to fill up his Star lubrisizer. I've got a few roll and taper crimp dies so I ought to be able to work something out. It's interesting to note the additional powder required to get to about the same velocity. Hopefully I can get the 200RF to shoot as well as the SWC.

Buckshot, yup, I'm mostly a single shot guy but I've fooled with some milsurps, levers and bolt guns as well. I do some gunsmithing between work and farming and have taken interest in some of your projects and conversions. I've done a few projects in my little shop of horrors that some less open minded folks might call strange... Mostly I just spend my extra time trying to make 5 or 10 holes in the paper snuggle a little closer together.

AnthonyB, thank don't sound good - rough mold maybe? Design doesn't look bad. I have a few of Veral's molds, only gripe was trying to cast fast enough to keep them hot. Seems like I'm late here for the group buys, sure would have liked a 358-180RF and the BD45 mold.

[AnthonyB]

I may be able to help out if you are interested in the modified BD45 named the BD45CM. Look at the Group Buys section and you should be able to follow the evolution of the design. Based on what I heard from other group buy leaders, I ordered a few extras. Tony