Cast boolit in .45 ACP

[311-200]

Hello guys,
One decade I have reload for rifle, but recently I bought one Croatian pistol H-S 45 Tactical (They sell the product in the USA like Springfield XD 45). I plan to start reloading for .45 ACP. I have read a lot, but I still have some questions without answers. I want to use the pistol for a second weapon for hunting. I saw different boolits types, but I have not experience with them. I'll be happy to hear your opinion. As I have very small choice for powders to buy - TiteGroup,N320,Universal Clays and H-6. I do not know which to use with cast boolits. I can buy Hornady shells and CCI 300 primers.

[Dan Cash]

Welcome to the wonderful world of the .45ACP. I have never used any of the propellants you list but if you will do a comparison with what you have available and pick one that performs in similar manner to Bullseye you will have a good load. I use Bullseye with a 225 grain truncated cone bullet that drops at .454 and shoot it as cast, (Accuratemolds.com). If you move that bullet along at 830 to 850 feet per second, you will have a pleasant, accurate and powerful load which will stomp any game in Europe.

[tazman]

I have used Titegroup in 45ACP with good results with all boolit weights. It gives good velocity and good accuracy.
Lots of data available. Check out the Hodgdon data site for more information.
http://www.hodgdonreloading.com/

[sundog]

https://www.vihtavuori.com/reloading-data/handgun-reloading/?cartridge=52

[Petrol & Powder]

I'm not sure what "a second weapon for hunting" means. Does that mean a pistol to accompany a rifle or a pistol used instead of a rifle? And for what game?

As for reloading the 45 ACP and the use of cast bullets, you should have no problem there. The 45 ACP is very cast bullet friendly. It's a low pressure cartridge, there are plenty of molds to choose from and there is a wealth of knowledge gained from over 100 years of use to draw from.

As for the powder, most powders with a fairly fast burn rate will work in the 45 ACP and I noticed that sundog provided a link for the N320, which should be readily available in Europe.

A few key points: the round must be able to feed and cycle in your pistol, so be a little cautious with bullet profiles until you are certain the bullet will function in your pistol. If possible, try before you buy.
I can't speak to that particular pistol but I would keep your bullet selection in the 200-230 grain range.

What part of Europe are you in?

[311-200]

Thank you guys for the reply.
@DanCash- There's not Alliant's powder here in Bulgaria.
@Petrol&Powder- I live in Bulgaria. Three monts ago the government gave permission to the hunters who has carbine rifle to buy one short barrel weapon (pistol or revolver). I use one Mauser M96 straight pull in 300 WM and decided to buy one .45 ACP pistol like you said to accompany to my rifle :). We hunt here basically wild boar.

[311-200]

I forgot to tell that is difficult to find reloading equipment here in BG. Even powder and primers I can buy from 2-3 stores in 200-300km. far from my home.At this moment nobody sells .45 bullets for reloading.That's why I prefer to cast and reload.I have ordered every equipment from Germany. That's why I'm trying to understand which mold will be suitable for casting for hunting and after that to order it. The other bad thing is that not every US online shops ships to BG.

[MOA]

I'd go with a truncated cast boolit. Titegroup would be my powder of choice. Keep it simple.

247604


Get a dozen bottles of Lee Alox and a push thru sizer from Lee at the same time and have at it.

Just my honest opinion.

[6bg6ga]

I would naturally go with a design that will feed in 99.9% of all 45's made and that would be a 230 Gr. RN. Will feed, function, and stop wild boars.

[Petrol & Powder]

311-200 :

A lead bullet that will feed and function in you pistol should be your first criteria. The suggestion for a 230 gr round nose bullet would certainly give a high probability of functioning in your gun.
A truncated cone [abbreviated TC] or Semi-Wadcutter [SWC] style will give you the added benefit of a flat point (better for hunting) and is still very likely to function in your pistol. I would strongly recommend that you keep your bullet weight within the 200 grain (13 grams) to 230 grain (14.9 grams) range.

Just for your information, here are a couple of examples of the bullet style: https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1010356371

and https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1010357962

Those are rather costly and you will probably be able to find less expensive versions in Europe but that will give you some idea concerning the style of the bullet.

A fairly fast burning powder will get the job done in 45 ACP.
If you have access to VihtaVuori powder, you should be able to find something that works. They offer several powders suitable for 45 ACP loads. VihtaVuori powders are expensive here in the U.S.A. , don't know what they cost in Bulgaria.
HS-6 will work but it's not one of my favorites, I think it's a little slow for 45 ACP.
I can't speak to Titegroup but others may be able to offer some input.

A good reloading manual is the best place to start.

Good Luck !

[Burnt Fingers]

Unless the pistol is the XDM version it probably won't work with SWC boolits. I've had three XD45 pistols and not a one of them would.

The problem is the extracted brass comes back and folds the case mouth of the cartridge in the magazine.

The XDM doesn't have this problem.

[MOA]

This is a good cast for 45acp. A Lee 450-200-1R
A 200 gr .450 Diameter

https://i.postimg.cc/pTrtYBh3/20141003-115524.jpg (https://postimg.cc/WDBKsg77)

https://i.postimg.cc/vBB0SqvL/20141003_161011.jpg (https://postimg.cc/xkwGXPhc)

Red Dot was my go to powder on this load.

[pworley1]

I don't have anything to add to the good information that you have already received from the others, I just wanted to say thank you for posting and giving us a little perspective on how our hobby works in your part of the world. Happy shooting.

[311-200]

Thank you guys again!
I found the bullet mold which MOA offer in one online store in Germany - Lee TL452-230-TC and I'll plan to order tomorrow.

[Petrol & Powder]

That should get you started.

Good Luck and keep us posted.

[Texas by God]

Thank you guys again!
I found the bullet mold which MOA offer in one online store in Germany - Lee TL452-230-TC and I'll plan to order tomorrow.That is a good bullet to start and end with in my opinion. I have used it on trapped hogs in my .45 autos and it works perfectly. You made a good choice.

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[ole_270]

That is a good bullet to start and end with in my opinion. I have used it on trapped hogs in my .45 autos and it works perfectly. You made a good choice.

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Care to reveal the loads you used? I just picked up this mold Friday. My barrel will plunk clear out to 1.25" oal but I don't have to seat it that long.

[Texas by God]

Ole 270- that would be 5 grains of Bullseye with the with the shoulder of the bullet just a fingernail above the case mouth. They run through my custom Ballester and my Ruger P97 like sand through an hourglass.

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[BigBore45]

For hunting backup. I'd go with 230 gr lrnfp with a max or possibly +p load with hs6

[Wally]

Lyman 452389 w/5.0 grains of Bullseye

[Wayne Smith]

MP molds is you neighbor in Slovenia. Miha makes beautiful molds and they should be easily available to you. MP is Miha Previc, by the way. I use one of his 200gr HP molds for my .45. I think you will need a solid, but Miha makes those too.

[mjwcaster]

Make sure you plunk test with dummy rounds before loading.
Not sure if they have changed but the older XD45 has a short throat/leade that some bullets will jam into.
I have to seat my Lee 452-230TC a little short because of this.

And as has been stated the XD does not feed SWC, at least not the older ones.
The XDM will.

Post pics of your pistol when you can, including the underside of the slide.
And the barrel where the guide rod sits.

That is one change I have seen, on the older XDs the guide rod sat on a flat and could move to the side on reassembly, locking the pistol up.
The newer ones I have seen, at least the Mod 2s have a dished cutout for the guide rod so it can’t get out of alignment.

Do you hunt hogs only in daylight or can you spotlight them?
Night sights on my XD were very nice when spotlighting hogs.


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[311-200]

mjvcaster, I'll post pics as soon as I have my gun in my hands! The procedures here in BG is so slow and if you want something you must wait! I bought the pistol on 30.08 and I gave it for registration in the police office on the 02.09! Yesterday I have visited the police office for second time and the registration was still not ready! The policeman who must do this was resting till Wednesday!:evil: I have ordered from Germany molds, I have cast some boolits, I have powder coated them, I have load them ... but still I have not my pistol yet!

[Good Cheer]

Everyone has different ways of accomplishing a task so this is just my version...
For 45ACP the best combination seems to be soft alloy, a rounded nose contour for reliable feeding, a large hollow point to assure expansion and heavy weight to assure penetration even when the nose turns inside out.
248451
But with or without expansion, if you want penetration for hunting then weight is still your friend.

[OS OK]

I would naturally go with a design that will feed in 99.9% of all 45's made and that would be a 230 Gr. RN. Will feed, function, and stop wild boars.

Ditto...

https://i.imgur.com/FwN4kD2.jpg

[oldsalt444]

Wild boars are tough animals. Any hard cast bullet with a flat point (TC, SWC, RNFP) at the higher velocities would take a boar cleanly. All of the powders you mention are quite suitable for the task. I would recommend velocities of 850-900 fps (260-275 m/s).

[megasupermagnum]

I don't see where you mention what you hunt. For small game a round nose works just fine. Once you get into medium game, say 150+ pounds, then absolutely not. A round nose bullet is not a good choice for deer/pig size animals. That Lee truncated cone mold you bought should be a good one. Feeding is the #1 priority, but a good handgun will feed flat nose bullets within reason. A TC nose with a moderate size flat is a great feeding combo. That slight radius of the meplat helps tremendously too.

Also I'm of the extremely unpopular opinion that most 230gr round nose bullets are not great shooters. I've never found one that wowed me in the accuracy department.

[mjwcaster]

And for future reference you do not need the tumble lube version to tumble lube.
The conventional groves versions tumble lube just fine.
I have used 45/45/10(recluse lube) for years on conventional groved cast bullets.

I haven’t heard anything bad about the mold you ordered but some of the TL Lee designs have a reputation as problem children.




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[311-200]

Finally I have my gun!248936 248937
Here are the pics. This afternoon I'll try it on the range.I have round S&B-FMJ,Hornady XTP and cast Lee 452-230TC - lubed and powder coated loaded with 4.9gr.N320. I'll post pics after that.

[Conditor22]

I'd say slug the bore but most 45 ACP's I've seen work well with .452 :) (but what do I know )

definitely do a barrel drop test with each boolit type. I like to test with an empty primer-less case then when I get the fit I want I mark the cartridge and save it for future reference.

Lee 452-200-RF need to seat deep PC'd over 5 grn BE

LYMAN 452460 PC'd over 5-5.5 (depending on the gun) grn BE fits better in guns with tighter throats

Both are accurate

[Rick B]

The cast load of the Lee 230 TC with N320 should function and shoot well.
Rick

[mjwcaster]

Looks like our XD.
The XDM has a hump on the bottom on the slide that presses the top round in the magazine down while reciprocating.
This allows feeding of wadcutters.

My XD45 is over 10 years old and has cracked a guide rod (just developed a crack in the round portion, not broken).

Probably shot between 15-30,000 rounds.

Other than the tight throat / lack of leade necessitating short seating of some rounds it has functioned great.

Take the guide rod out and look at where it sits on the barrel.
Is it flat or dished?

The originals were flat, allowing the guide rod to shift on reassembly.
Locking the gun up, with the guide rod sticking out the front of the slide.

To fix, take a box end wrench, hook onto the exposed guide rod, hit the wrench with a hammer, compressing the recoil spring and allowing the guide rod to seat in the proper position.

Newer guns seem to have added the dished cutout, better holding the guide rod in place.


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[311-200]

I just shot my first shot with my gun! 5 shot with Lee 230TC, lubed with averige speed 710 fps under 4,9 gr.N320 and the same cast, but PC with 760 fps under 4,9 gr. N320. I wonder the big diference of the speed between lubed and PC! Tomorrow I'll continue the test. In fact this was my second ever shot with pistol.

[Old School Big Bore]

I just spotted this thread. I was going to recommend the TiteGroup you already have on hand and a truncated cone between 200-240 grains from M-P.
I have a Springfield XD45 but since I don't shoot it in matches I haven't shot any handloads through it yet. All my .45 ACP loading has been for a match-prepped 1911 and a S&W .45 revolver.
Welcome to the board. Good luck with the .45. It should do well on boars.

[311-200]

I tryed N 320 -4.9gr., - 760 fps.
5.0 gr.,-790fps.
5.1gr.,-810 fps.
5.2gr.,-836fps.
5.3gr.,
and 5.4gr.870 fps.
But without any accuracy. Finally I killed the chrony with the last shot!
Than I decided to slug the barrel - 11.45 mm - 0.4507". Boolits drops 11.5mm -0.4527.
Everything looks normal, but I do not know how to receive good accuracy.

[ShooterAZ]

Ouch....Sorry about the chrono! What I would do next would be to try a different powder. Since you can get Titegroup, that would have been my first pick anyway. The Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook #4 lists 4.2 to 4.7 grains with that exact boolit. Also, take care you are not damaging or swaging down the boolit during the seating process.

[Wag]

What lead hardness are you using? If it's too hard, it won't obturate properly and accuracy will suffer.

--Wag--

[311-200]

@Wag - I use soft lead powder coated.
But even PC - the measure is .4527. I read that the PC put additional .001-.002.It seems to me that the boolit does not fit good to the barrel ! QuickLoad shows 836 fps for 4.9 N320 - I have 760 fps! 871fps-5.2 N320 -I made 836 fps.

[Wag]

It seems your boolits are dropping at a good size. I use .451 to .452 and they work fine but I don't PC, either.

--Wag--

[Wag]

Oh, and if you try to shoot a batch not PC'd, use a hardness that approximates the level of Lyman #2. As always, consistency is key.

--Wag--

[MOA]

By what method are you crimping your boolit?
Try different powders.
What distance are your targets?
What alloy mixture are you using. Lead/tin/antimony? (percentage)?
Are you getting leading?
If so, how much?

[Texas by God]

I have a small suggestion. Run a few hundred factory rounds through your new pistol to break it in and to establish an accuracy benchmark to equal or exceed with your handloads. S&B is good ammo to do this with- but by all means mix in some of the Hornadys that you have. Lots of people have shot their Chrony, no shame there!

[311-200]

@MOA - I use Lee 3 die carbide set, but maybe I did not set the sitting/crimping die correctly. The alloy is from tire weights and the distance is 14-15m. I get leading 249059

[Walks]

I'm enjoying your learning curve.

I think your choice of the Lee TL 230gr TC is an excellent one.

You're using Lee dies, does your seat-crimp die Taper Crimp or Roll Crimp ? If it Taper Crimps, I would try adjusting the die to seat only. Seat some Bullets and then readjust the die to Taper Crimp Only. Do a drop test of your seated and Taper Crimped dummy Cartridges.

If that solves your problem, great. If not, maybe someone more familiar with Lee dies could offer better help.

Good Luck

[311-200]

@Walks - Yes, maybe the crimp is my trouble. I'll try tomorrow to fix this problem!

[Texas by God]

My Ruger likes that boolit.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20190930/e78ac35877aad8c199e817fefaf498a8.jpg

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[Pops1911]

My standard range load is a 200 gr SWC over either Win 231 or VV N320.

[Dan Cash]

311-200, I think your bullet is too small.

[joatmon]

Would a second powder coat help any?
Aaron

[311-200]

First I started with longer COL - 32.4 mm - 1.275', but when I looked at my book which recommend for 230 gn. cast bullet with 5.1 gn. VV N 320 shorter COL -I reduced the COL to 30.5 mm - 1.20' and I had better result for accuracy. In fact I don't use gun rest.

@Aaron - Good question! I think so, but let we hear the experienced folks!

Yesterday I first have used my gun in hunting situation - I shooted to one male wild boar about 120 kg. from 150 m. with my Mauser 300 WM. The weather was very windy and the bullet deviate too much.The impact was on the pelvis bone, so the animal start to creep, I have doubled the shot and start to run towards the game. When I reached it I've shoted with the pistol, but maybe from the adrenaline - the boolit hit the jaw. Then I made second shot in the heart. This was 2 meters shots and the boolits went through the animal. I couldn't find them inside.I have catch the rifle shot on my camera, but not the pistol shot.

[charlie b]

Nice work on everything.

This is the regular TC bullet with lube groove? What lube?

I used the regular lube TC bullet in a 1911, lubed with old std stick lube and it did very well (pan lube, no sizing). Tumble lubing did not do well for me when using std groove bullets.

I would stay with powder coat since you are set up for it. I think the size should be fine as is.

As TbG mentioned, I would break in the pistol with some jacketed loads. Then check accuracy with the factory ammo. I had an XD45 years ago that did not do that well in the accuracy department. Never fired cast in it.

[35remington]

Texas By God, that looks like my P97 but with a blued slide instead of stainless. Did not know they made them with blued slides. Mine shoots well too. Converted to P90 magazines though after I had weak magazine spring issues with the originals.

[Texas by God]

Texas By God, that looks like my P97 but with a blued slide instead of stainless. Did not know they made them with blued slides. Mine shoots well too. Converted to P90 magazines though after I had weak magazine spring issues with the originals.It is stainless, it's been painted with Duracoat. I've had no magazine troubles and I've converted a couple of GI 1911 mags to work as well- but they are for practice use only. I need to get another P97 for a spare- great gun IMO.

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[Sig556r]

Miha (Mihec) of MP Molds should be closest to you (Slovenia) for your bullet mold needs.
CB choice ranges from 155gr to standard 230gr.
TG is a bit warm & easy to overcharge but otherwise OK. VV N320 is clean & easy to meter but a tad expensive.

[Stuckcase]

Slug your barrel. Not all barrels have the same groove diameter. Find your groove diameter and order your bullets .001 oversize so they fit well. Any bullet that fits will tend to shoot well and reduce fouling. Make sure your die does not size the bullets back down by sizing too tightly (referred to as case swaging). You can order 452 diameter and swage down simply by seating your bullets. Check the above and ***** if it is a sizing issue or a barrel diameter issue. Then pick your poison on bullet weight and powder/primer and such. You'll be disappointed with cast until you find your groove so to speak.

[Stuckcase]

My next ACP adventure
Montana bullet
215 gr Saeco 58 swc bb
7.5 gr IMR 800x
Win primer
Should pass thru anything in North America that I will hunt

[Charlie Horse]

"Cast boolit in .45 ACP"

You mean there's another kind?:shock:

[Drm50]

I shoot nothing but cast in 1911 and 25-2 S&W. I have several molds but shoot a 185g the most.
Run about 750fps with 1:1 WWs and Lead at 20:1 by weight Tin and have no leading problems. I size for each pistol.

[Randy Bohannon]

You have zero freebore in your barrel which makes feeding,functioning and loading lead bullets much more difficult regardless of style of the bullet. Your barrel is designed and manufactured to shoot jacketed bullets, until you address the no leade aka freebore issue satisfaction will be elusive.