Hello, new here question about buying boolits fir 450 BM bolt action

[Rollins]

Hello, new member here and have a question about buying cast boolits, yes I know buying them for shame, but being new I figured I would take as many variables out as possible. I have reloaded for a 308 a little and while unemployed from college couple years back, I tried to cast for a mosin but it didnt go so well. I think it was to much at once.

So anyway I have a 450 BM ruger american I bought 2-3 years ago but have not shot much as I missed dear season due to work last couple of years and at 2 bucks a shot it kinda hurts the wallet.

I am back visiting parents in mid Michigan while waiting for my next work run(military contractor) and thought to reload some rounds. I see some places sell cast bullets in 452 cal for around 10 cents and are powder coated.That seems pretty cheap as nobody here has wheel weights,and I would have to buy at around 30 cents a pound.

Anyway I see that all cast boolets and the molds seem to be 452, but so are the regular bullets. From what I read, cast needs to be a bit bigger than normal. So if 450bm is 452, then wouldnt I need to have cast at something like 454, or 455? However I dont really see anything at that size, and custom molds arnt cheap for a noob.

I have used google and read stuff on here, mostly in the past trying to cast for the stupid mosin.but most info that shows up is old and mostly for AR rifles.

So any help would be appreciated, thanks.

[Rcmaveric]

Best bet is to measure your gun. See what it needs. You can use a groove diameter bullet, .002 over groove or a throat diamter. It all depends on what works best with that gun.

You might not need a custom mold. Check out NOE and see what they have. Group buys and classifieds are great ways to get used and custom molds for reasonable prices.

And welcome to the forum.

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[rking22]

There is a group buy going right now.
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?383568-ACTIVE-NOE-450-BM-C-315-for-450-Bushmaster-45-Colt-454-Casull-460-SW

[Pipefitter]

While you are looking, lots of info at http://450bushmaster.net/ . While the site is not as active as this one there is still lots of good information in the archives there.

[Burnt Fingers]

You probably need to look at .454 bullets.

[Rollins]

Thanks, I juat thought I would ask cuz it seems like everything for sale is 452 and for cast I would have thought 454 so you would get the slight oversize cast seems to need

Taking my rifle in this week to get slugged, I dont have a kit or brass rod and pounding down a 45 cal BP revolver ball makes me worried.

The goal would be to start by buying some afforable quality cast boolits to see if i can get any good groups and learn with. Then start to cast my own, though with the cost of lead, molds and such it is something to think about.

I would love an afforable accurate bullet to use. For now it would be just white tail, coyote and targets. So nothing a good lead bullet cant hamdle. If i ever get the chance to hunt bear or elk or something like that id look at more performance bullets.

[M-Tecs]

I am odd man out here. Slugging barrels on older firearms is beneficial since the bores varied a lot. Today with modern manufacturing not so much. I always measure throats on a revolver. On newer rifles not so much. On new firearms I don't slug until I have a leading or accuracy issue or if I am going to order a custom mold.

My bet is the bore will be closer than most peoples ability to measure the slug. Paying some to slug and measure it most likely will be a waste of money that could be spent on a inexpensive mold like a Lee. Once your get the mold try both sized and unsized if the unsized is not to large

With a .452 mold the alloy and temperature will affect size but a .452 commercial mold should cast larger so the bullet will size to .452". PC coating will also add some size.

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?334423-Bullets-suggestions-for-450-bushmaster

http://450bushmaster.net/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=12143

.454" here

http://www.acmebullet.com/bullets-reloading-brass/45-CAL-Lead-Cast-Bullets?product_id=585

[Dusty Bannister]

I looked at the reloading data on the Hodgdon site and noticed that the jacketed bullets recommended measured .452". It is generally found that cast bullets be something between 1-3 Thousandths larger to sufficiently fill the groove diameter of the barrel. Going too large will perhaps cause a pressure spike when the case mouth is jammed in the throat. While I understand your expectations of sufficient accuracy in maintaining barrel specs, the quest is for a safe cast bullet load. We are trying to help a reloader that is inexperienced in the actual practice of cast bullet reloading and I would hope we are all basing our suggestions on doing it safely to avoid any small error that could have big consequences.

I am not saying that the suggestion that not slugging the bore is a bad idea, but until that is done, who can say that the jacketed bullet at .452" is oversized and not necessary, or not. This way, the OP will know for sure what the minimum bullet diameter is needed to prevent leading. And being new to the process might save some frustration in the long run.

[M-Tecs]

The Ruger American 450 BM uses a 16.12" cold-hammer-forged barrel. Tolerances on hammer-forged barrels tend to be very consistent. The SAAMI specs for the 450 BM is a .453 throat with a .442" bore and .450" groove diameter with a .002" plus tolerance. Real world at measuring cold-hammer-forged barrel is that they tend to run .0005" over SAAMI minimums. Even at absolute max the throat would be .455" and the bore would be .452". https://saami.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/ANSI-SAAMI-Z299.4-CFR-Approved-2015-12-14-Posting-Copy.pdf specs page 147. Note I have only measured about a dozen hammer-forged rifle barrels with only two being Ruger's.

Since the 450 BM headspaces off the case mouth a simple plunk test will address safety/pressure concerns. Again in the case of the 450 BM the case mouth does not go into the throat (neck) like on a bottle neck case. For most non-machinists the best way to measure the throat on something like this is a pound cast or next would be a chamber cast but why? Unless the load fails a plunk test, falls short of jacketed accuracy or leads why pay someone to measure the barrel?

Real world establishing an accuracy standard with reloaded jacketed bullets is a cost effective good start. Next is accuracy and leading comparison of the 10 cent PC bullets. If they pass the plunk test and accuracy is equal or close to equal to the jacketed bullets without leading you have a winner.

Next is determining how much you will actually shoot it. The Hornady Flex Tip 250 bullet is very common bullet for the 450BM. They can be had for 56 cents each https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item/0000345201/45-caliber-point452-diameter-250-grain-ftx-flex-tip-50-count

It appears the OP is not a high volume shooter or even a current caster????? so cost effectiveness of purchasing all the require equipment verse cost of the purchasing bullets may be a factor.

To the OP purchasing wheel weights is no longer cost effective unless you can find old stashes. Today most wheel weights are steel or zinc. I have a source for two five gallon pail every month or two. I stopped taking them about two years ago due to them mostly being steel or zinc.

[Rcmaveric]

The only pressure spikes i have noticed was jamming a bullet in the lands. The NRA Cast "Bullet supplement" recommend groove diameter bullet bodies and bore diameter noses but shallow multiples small grooves recommend .002 over groove. Cast bullets For beginers and experts recommends throat diameter. The Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook gives its own size recomendations in the reloading data.

Quickloads indicates that raising a bullets diameter causes barely any pressure increases ( i think its like its like 4% over groove with no adverse effects to pressure). My own personal experiences using throat diameter bullets leads me to believe that throat diameter slightly more accurate due it being supported by throat and preventing deformation.

I always recommend people experiment with different sizes and see what they and the gun like.

They only thing i have seen in normal reloading that causes drastic pressure spike is sticking a bullet into the lands.





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[bluejay75]

Im with MTecs on this one. I ordered 600 Speer Bonded 260 grain and 250 pieces of Starline Brass. Found a good load in the first box of 50 and haven’t gotten around to casting many bullets for my Savage 450 BM.

https://www.midsouthshooterssupply.com/item/000214481/45-caliber-point451-diameter-260-grain-mag-jacketed-hollow-point-50-count

[Rollins]

Thanks guys. When I called the scrap yard metal works a while back they said their scrap lead was 30 or 50 cents a pound. I dont know how well it is sorted though and what kind of lead, it could be car batteries for all i know.

For casting I have 2 cast iron pots, a small propane stove, thick welder gloves, a cannister of harbor frieght powder coat powder, a lee mold for the mosin and a old toaster oven.

If i was able to get a supply of lead I might look at casting later. When looking at reloading for the 450 I saw some cast boolits really cheap and was thinking that they the 450 uses heavy 45 cal ammo, so I could maybe use that.

It seems anything marketed as 450 bm bullets are premium hunting rounds designed to take out elk bears etc but for white tail and making stuff explode I would think solid lead would be ok as I have killed deer with solid lead slugs from a 12 guage and muzzle loaders.

I have not purchased the reloading dies yet. How does the lee kit work for cast boolits? Would I need a special expander to bell the case so i dont shave lead? Is the stock crimp die ok? I know some get a different one but it seems that is the AR guys, for bolt is stock ok?

[M-Tecs]

bluejays75 recommendation for 24 cent jacketed bullets would be my recommend starting point. Your 10 cent powder coated bullets maybe just fine but on the other hand they could be a source of various problems. There is a reason that high quality hand cast premium bullets can be more expensive than jacketed. Normally they are cast with certified alloy's and have a much higher GC. 10 cent bullets are going to be some form of unknown scrape that could have you chasing your tail over leading or accuracy issues.

Do you currently load for any calibers? For a new loader the first goal is to learn how to reload safely, the second is to equal factory for accuracy and than to be able to surpass factory for accuracy. Less variables with jacketed to learn on. Once you get your jacketed loads to equal or surpass factory for accuracy start doing the same with cast. It can be done but the learning curve normally is much more of a challenge.

[Rollins]

Well I have reloaded a bit for a tika 308 with varget and seemed to get accuracy as good as factory at 100 yds(farthest i could shoot) .

The cast boolit place is a company that seems to get good reviews for other calibers on here, they use a hitek coating that is supposed to do very well at keeping leading out od the barrel and getting good velocity.
Like i said i was thinking along the lines of what you were saying and going with bullet of good quality to cut down on error factors from my casting, which is why i thought about buying commercial cast ammo.

Also if I am able to get good accuracy and good speed then it should also work well for bambi .

[dverna]

Casting hunting bullets is a waste of time and money IMHO. (note: I only hunt deer and harvest a maximum of two per year)

I found it challenging (near impossible) for a cast bullet to achieve jacketed bullet performance wrt accuracy and expansion. Just not worth the aggravation….I do not enjoy doing it. Cost of components adds up quickly. But I hunt with a .308, and your .450 will be more forgiving as accuracy requirements are less onerous and velocity is lower.

Buy the factory bullet designed for the gun and work up a load. bluejay75 is on the right track...but you do not need 600 bullets.

I use cast for plinking and practice but hunt with jacketed. Jacketed bullets give me complete confidence in the accuracy of the bullet and its ability to produce a humane kill.

[M-Tecs]

Most of the hunting I do is with jacketed bullets. In 35 Cal and larger for deer I have also used cast a lot and they work very well within limitations. If I ever shoot a Bison it will be with cast. I have cast and shot over a 1/4 million bullets so I real do appreciate the benefits of cast bullets. I have zero experience with PC so this may or may not be valid. With traditional cast and lubed I find it very easy to get great performance until I get into the 1,800 FPS range. After that various issues tend to arise. None of these issues are insurmountable but they do take much more effort of overcome. The 450 BM can push a 250 grain bullet at 2,200 FPS. That may be to much for some of the jacketed handguns bullets and I would be surprised if scrape lead 10 cent PC bullets will hold accuracy at that velocity.

I shoot a lot of 45/70 with both cast and jacketed. In Marlin's or stronger actions it is possible to safely push 300 jacketed hollow point bullets fast enough that the unsupported lead on the hollow point spins off. Accuracy goes from excellent to 12 plus inches at fifty yards with visible lead splatter on the target.

Hopefully some of the guys that enjoy pushing cast at higher velocities will weight in since their experience would be helpful.

[bluejay75]

MTec went into a little more detail than I wanted to. But he knows what he is talking about. You might luck into the right alloy but chances are you won’t. That’s a large column of powder being fired off by a small rifle primer and most regular cast bookies won’t stand up to that. You could go heavier on the boolit and have a decent chance of finding a good load. But this caliber might be tricky or trickier to start your cast quest on.

[Rollins]

Update just got back from the gunsmith and he used a 45 cal soft ball pushed from the muzzle . according to his measurements my bore is 455. He said up at the top it was a bit tighter amd opened up towards the chamber.

I am really disappointed as I was hoping for a tigher bore so I could shoot the cast boolits.

Since it appears I have a larger bore jacketed is the way to go as once you start to order special sizes the price goes up. Might as well spend a few pennies and get the hornady.

I wonder if I got a bad barrel? Though accuracy at least out to 100yds aprox was pretty good so for now I will leave it. Bought a box of hornady black just to have some for deer season while I look more into reloading. Kills me to spend almost 2 bucks a shot though

[M-Tecs]

If it was measured correctly??????????? it is out of SAAMI spec by .003" . That is a manufacturing defect and Ruger will replace it. If mine no way in h*** I would keep it.

Even with jacketed you still have .003" blow by.

[dverna]

If it was measured correctly??????????? it is out of SAAMI spec by .003" . That is a manufacturing defect and Ruger will replace it. If mine no way in h*** I would keep it.

Even with jacketed you still have .003" blow by.

Agree.

I doubt the barrel is that far out, but if it is, you are in trouble.

Easy to check. Shoot some factory ammo. If it groups larger than 3", you have a problem.

[M-Tecs]

If it's truly that large you can used .458 cast bullets if the front of the case still has clearance.

[M-Tecs]

Update just got back from the gunsmith and he used a 45 cal soft ball pushed from the muzzle . according to his measurements my bore is 455. He said up at the top it was a bit tighter amd opened up towards the chamber.


What did he use to measure the slug?

[Rollins]

He had a round ball of lead he said made for slugging bores and used a set of fancy looking calipers from what I could see.

I dunno if he wrote it down wrong or what. I am going to get a second opinion. I have a buddy who is a machinist and have him measure rhe slug.He is used to measuring things down to the ten thousands.

I have the slug and measured it, I have digital calipers so maybe a micrometer will be different but I got .4505, .4510 and .4508.

Using the guide for slugging the bore which is how I did my mosin before. I measured from one raised ridge to the one on the other side, and got those numbers.

I dont know if i am doing something wrong, or if the gunsmith wrote it down wrong or what.

Maybe he meant 45055, and just missed the zero wrote 455?

[M-Tecs]

The reason I asked is the Ruger 450 BM uses a five groove barrel.
https://ruger.com/products/americanRifleRanch/specSheets/16950.html

You normally can not use a standard mic or caliper to measure five grove bullets. Sometimes the land and groove lines up so you can get very close. The V-anvil micrometer is the best normal way but it is an expensive and specialized tool https://www.amazon.com/Mitutoyo-V-Anvil-Micrometer-Cutting-Ratchet/dp/B007PSS7IW

If you machinist friend has access to a CMM, a 108 Degree 5 Flutes V-Anvil Micrometer or an Optical Comparator that would be preferred.

Next is a 108 degree V-block with a standard mic and some math.

"A way to simulate one is to make a small V-block of the appropriate included angle (108° for five grooves), calibrate it with an accurate diameter pin, and then measure the bullet and V-block with an ordinary micrometer. Then do the math given below.

The math goes like this:
Let a = the included angle of the V-block,
t = the thickness of the V-block from the bottom of the V to the bottom,
h = the measured height of the bullet and V-block,
and d = the diameter of the bullet.

Then d = 2(h - t)/(1 + 1/sin (a/2) )

An example:
For a 5 groove bullet, the included angle (a) is 108°, assume the V-block "thickness" (t) is .250" and the measured total height (h) is .5854", then
d = 2(.5854 - .250)/ (1 + 1/sin (108/2))
d = 2(.5854 - .250)/ (1 + 1/sin 54)
d = 2(.5854 - .250)/ (1 + 1/.80901)
d = 2(.5854 - .250)/ (1 + 1.23607)
d = 2(.5854 - .250)/ (2.23607)
d = 2(.3354)/(2.23607)
d = .6708/2.23607
d = .300

The easiest way to determine the V-block thickness (t) is to measure a known cylinder and then calculate it from

t = h - (d/2) (1+1/sin(a/2) ) "

After that I have read that wrapping the slug with .003" skim will somewhat work but I have never tried it sinced I have both a 108 degree V-Anvil mic and a 108 degree V-block. I am retired now so I don't have access to a CMM or an Optical Comparator.

Please post the second opinion numbers when you get them. Hope you didn't have to pay the gunsmith much.

Bore taper with large are the chamber and smaller at the muzzle is a good thing. Seems to be common with hammer-forged barrels. I don't know if it's a process function, nececcary to remove the mandrel or an actual design feature. Colt pushed it being time for the Pythons and Blackstar barrels used a chemical process to do it.

Reverse taper is less of a good thing but it is a fact of life when you recontour heavy barrel blanks to lighter contour.

[Rollins]

Wow that is a lot of math... Yeah that might be his problem that he used the wrong thing to measure. Whats weird though is that I measured according to the guides on how to do it, and seem to have exactly what the barrel should be.

Now I am not sure if I will go to another place to get it measured as they might do the same thing. This place charged 20 bucks to do it. I thought for 20 bucks they would do a bit more . I thought about juat pounding a lead ball down the barrel but was just a bit nervous in case it got stuck or I damaged the crown or rifling somehow.

From what people are telling me here, if it was as off spec as the shop says it would not shoot well at all. When I bought it a while back and shot with it, the gun shot well at leaat at 100 yds

[dverna]

Wow that is a lot of math... Yeah that might be his problem that he used the wrong thing to measure. Whats weird though is that I measured according to the guides on how to do it, and seem to have exactly what the barrel should be.

Now I am not sure if I will go to another place to get it measured as they might do the same thing. This place charged 20 bucks to do it. I thought for 20 bucks they would do a bit more . I thought about juat pounding a lead ball down the barrel but was just a bit nervous in case it got stuck or I damaged the crown or rifling somehow.

From what people are telling me here, if it was as off spec as the shop says it would not shoot well at all. When I bought it a while back and shot with it, the gun shot well at leaat at 100 yds

Actually, the math is the easy part. Making a 108* V-block will be the challenge.

Like I said earlier....if jacketed bullets work, why mess around with all this effort to get a hunting bullet? You have already wasted $20 and gas to get to the gun shop. If you have someone else slug the barrel, you are already at $50 and have not made one bullet.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1018229522?pid=693974

Under $125 for 200 bullets....should last many years of deer hunting.

[dondiego]

Why don't you just shoot it with some cast boolits first? You can measure all you want. Shooting is what will tell the tale.

[Rollins]

Thanks for all the help guys. After learning that 5R barrel ruger needs to be measured differently I seached the forum and they had a guide. Basically you use a thin strip of metal you measure thickness of, and then wrap it tightly around the slug where the grooves and rifling marks are and then measure. Then subtract the thickness of the metal.

I wrapped my slug with a thin metal I cut from a soda can as per the guide and took about 15 or so measurements , re wraping the slug each time and re zeroing the calipers

I got between .455 and .456 . subtract the metal band which I also measures many times at .0055 or .0060 I get the barrel at .450-.451 so that sounds right.

Yea I wasted 20 bucks but I was hoping to find the exact bore size to get either the best jacketed or cast boolits for it and also I wanted to be safe. All the guides to reloading here it seems say to slug the bore.

I think i will get some jacked bullets reloaded first to get good accuracy hopfully. Then try cast, it seems a nice guy named george will stop in sometime with a few for me to try and we can go from there. There is something attractive being able to cast your own cheap boolits or buying them for a few cents to get the cost of shooting down low.

[M-Tecs]

More cost effective factory options here https://ammoseek.com/ammo/450-bushmaster

[Tripplebeards]

If you check some of my posts from 2017’ I loaded up some lee 300 grain flat nose cast to try in my 16.5” barreled 450 BM Ruger American. The best I did was 1.1” at 100 yards. It was a load of 35.5 grains of H110 that averaged 2075 FPS on my chrony. I had a few other loads that shot 1.25” to 1.6”. The biggest issue was it turned my gun into a single shot because the big wide metplate would catch and jam. I ran my loads all the way up to 460 S&W max loads without any chamber pressure signs but the rest of the rifle rattled apart from the heavy loads.

Imo what was causing everything to vibrate loose was the factory weaver style rail. I found the rear mounting screw loose. I wrecked one optic and had optic number two slide a good 1/4” even after I installed rosin in the scope rings before I diagnosed the loose rail mounting screw. I acraglass bedded the updated Ruger picatinny rail, blue loctited the mounting screws, and sprayed 3M 77 super adhesive inside the scope rings and let dry before reassembling. That loose rear picatinny rail mounting screw is a very common occurrence from what I was told from Randy’s gun shop in Michigan who was the one who originally came up with the Ruger special run. I’d tell you if you haven’t done it yet to remove your scope rail and either bed it or bathe the bottom of it in blue loctite and reinstall it.

I bought a group buy 275grain 450 bushmaster hollow point mold last year here but haven’t cast any or shot my gun after I glued everything down. I’d be very shocked if anything comes loose again. The 275 grain mold I bought looks exactly like the current 315 grain group buy.


When I slugged my gun I measured two slugs I ran through it. One measured .450” and the other .451”. I powder coat and gas check my boolits in a lee sized to .452”. No leading issues what so ever all the way up to 40 grains of H110 with the lee 300. I’m sure the new mold I bought will bring sub MOA groups with the correct load combo and feed properly. The key with this rifle (which I found out the hard way) is to find a tapered boolit that feeds.

I probably casted up a couple thousand of those 300 grain flat nose boolits,PC’d, and GD’d them and now they are collecting dust. I would assume their too heavy to shoot in my new vaquero?

I bought a box of the hornady 250 grain red tipped j words to try. I loaded up a few but never shot them yet. Taper crimp only, If you roll crimp them and then tapper per hornady recommendation they won’t feed in the American.

https://i.imgur.com/Rw4cseU.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/Sa8qJtS.jpg

CW longshot had his shooting submoa with non GC boolits.

To be honest after my 450 BM Ruger American rattled apart and I literally glued it all back together I picked up my Ruger 77/44 and started load testing for it and never picked my BM back up after I found out with the replaced under warranty factory magazine it wouldn’t feed the big lees anymore. It’s been collecting dust ever since. I might have to cast up some HP’s and load test it...or at least get it sighted in with the J words I loaded for it to try.

If you check the photos on my home page I have the gun, boolits, and group results. I tested it back in 17’ when it first came out. I was pretty much flying blind as I couldn’t find anyone else posting anything for the rifle on the internet shooting cast or reloading for it for that matter. Jeff from gunblast had an article saying he loaded up Barnes to basically 460 S&W loads without pressure signs so I gave it a try with cast. The action can handle it but the test of the gun could not.

[Tripplebeards]

I found my posts for you...

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?339280-Ruger-American-450-bushmaster-using-Lee-310-s-(my-1st-casts)group-results

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?340634-2nd-round-at-the-range-with-the-Ruger-American-450-Bushmaster-and-Lee-310-s

And the bedding of the scope rail...

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?374742-2nd-time-scope-has-come-loose-on-my-ruger-american-450-bushmaster-need-help!

[Rollins]

Thanks tripple beards. I will check on the scope base screws tomorrow. Maybe a layer of contact cement and red locktite to make sure it wont move.

The speer bullets are on back order for now.
I see a few speer deep curl bullets for 45 long colt. They are 452 diameter 250 grain hp bullets. I know the 45 cal bullets supposedly wont hold , but wouldn't 45 cal bullets be ok If They arw like 250-300 grains? What makes the hornady ones like the xtp mag different? They look about the same weight, and diameter .
Is there something I am missing that tells me if a bullet would work with the 450 bm ?

[Tripplebeards]

Did you slug your barrel yet? Pretty easy to do. I used a bunch fishing split shot. I piled them in a spent casing, put a propane torch to it for a couple of seconds, let cool, and tapped out with my bullet puller. I then used a cleaning rod to tap it through and measure it. You can also just cast a pure boolit if you had a mold and tap it through. Measure the outside after its through. Don’t know about pistol bullets but I would assume the longer the boolits the better it will stabilize imo. Polishing up the bolt sure makes the American cycle quiet and smooth vs sounding like wearing parachute or corduroy pants with your legs rubbing. Lol. I polished up my trigger and cut a coil or so off the spring. It brakes at a crisp 18 oz. and I can still screw in the adjustment screw to add pull weight to it.

[Rollins]

Tripple beards I paid a shop to slug the bore and he said it was .455 which everyone here thinks is way out of whack.

From what some experts on here tell me is that ruger uses a 5 groove barrel for this gun and you need special equipment or do it certain way to get the true size.

So I took the slug he gave ne after pushing it though ny barrel and I followed the directions posted on annother thread on how to do it.

I am getting ny bore about 451. Which seems to make more sense as when i did shoot it with the box ammo I was getting pretty good groups at least for me at around 100yds.

I see a place called everglade ammo and they sell some 45 ACP 250 gr hollowpoint jacket bullets and some people have good succes with them, they cost abiut 16 cents if you buy in bulk. I think I'm gonna try some for plinking and if they are accurate small critters like coyotes.

[Tripplebeards]

.451 is what mine slugged at as well. Who ever slugged it didn’t give you an accurate measurement. Hope they didn’t charge you to much for about 2 seconds work with the wrong answer.

.452 cast boolits will work fine for you in you gun. I’m shooting .452 in mine PC’d and GC’d. Some guys here like a little larger diameter boolit but if you use a lee sizing die like I do they don't offer a .453 unless you pay a lot more for Lee’s custom shop to make you one. I don’t trust myself to polish The inside of my die perfectly even with sandpaper. I would probably have an out of round .453 or larger sizer that would make my cast boolits wobble down it’s flight path. Keep it simple and try done .452” sized boolits. I’m sure they will shoot tight with the correct load. You can see some of the groups I’ve gotton with .001 over. No leading as well. I’ve put a good couple hundred cast through my gun so far. I’m still green with cast. I’ve only been at it for two years now so there are WAY more Knowledgeable casters here. The Ruger 450 bushmaster was my first go at it. I still haven’t found the right bullet yet as I only tried the lee 300 grain FN but I figured out how to make it group with “whiskey barrel” shaped boolits. I always weigh all mine within one grain variance and color coat them per weight with various colors of PC. Ive tried them the even closer in matched weight but notice no difference in accuracy. I also had a tighter (not much, 1.1” VS 1.25”) group with air cooled clip on wheel weights VS water dropped with my 35.5 grains of H110 load. Im going to try 50/50 w/pewter added for my HP group buy mold, PC and GC, and retest one of these days.