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guy_with_boolits
07-28-2020, 09:17 PM
whats out there? I'd prefer more than 2 cavities because I want it to be my primary round and practice alot with it. Would be awesome if it was around 180 grain so I get more boolits from my lead.

Gtrubicon
07-28-2020, 09:29 PM
Mp452-200, I have the 4 cavity, it rains boolits when I cast!

RedlegEd
07-28-2020, 09:32 PM
Hi,
I was at the range the other day, and a gentleman a couple of benches down was shooting an H&G 68 that had been Hollow Pointed. He said they came in around 180 grains or so and were really great, accurate bullets. I already have a no lube groove HG68 clone from Mihec (MP Moulds) which I really like. My next purchase will be this one that's the HP version. (https://www.mp-molds.com/product/mp-452-185-swc-hp-pb-no-lube-groove/) In any event, I don't have pictures, but if you know anything about how well an HG68 shoots in the .45, I think you'll be happy. Hope this helps.
Ed

ETA: Okay, you forced my hand. I went on Miha's site and ordered the HP 4C brass mould with handles. The whole thing (with shipping) was €134.81 (about $160.00). A little high, but not many places you can get a high quality, 4C brass mould for that price.

265408

MDC
07-28-2020, 09:32 PM
Mp452-200

Rick B
07-28-2020, 10:24 PM
M&P 452-200. Not only is it a great looking bullet, it shoots phenomenally well.
Rick

megasupermagnum
07-28-2020, 10:36 PM
Are you looking for a target style bullet, a defense style bullet, hunting style, or other? I've heard great things about the hollow point version of the H&G #68. The solid version shoots so well, and I've heard the HP can make it even better. I'm sure it could work as a defense bullet, but it is really a target bullet, weights about 180 grains, and is considered the bullseye king. I'm a big HP fan for hunting, but due to the fat and slow nature of 45 acp, I believe it is much better suited to a solid bullet for hunting. My own favorite is the NOE 452-232-HP, which is a 232 grain HP, so does not meet your criteria. There are a lot of choices for a 200 grain HP, most are just your run of the mill RNFP like the above mentioned. NOE and MP are the two places to look for hollow point molds, both are available in 4 cavity.

Budzilla 19
07-28-2020, 11:11 PM
Megasupermagnum, i have one of those NOE 452-232 molds with all the pins, the cup point was the best. But, they were 242 grains with my alloy. Good luck to the OP on his search.

megasupermagnum
07-28-2020, 11:25 PM
I only ever tried the flat point, and the large hollow point, and only with 20:1 alloy. I don't remember what the solid went, but the large HP seemed to be smack dab right at 232 grains for me. The only real issue is 230 grain hollow point data is not all that common. I worked up one load that was a max in an older Alliant manual, and it ran 980 fps. Not too shabby, and shoots good.

Petrol & Powder
07-29-2020, 09:24 AM
I understand the desire to have the same practice load as your carry load but I'm not sure I would go that route.

The H&G #68, and all of its clones, is a great target bullet, and possibly a good SD bullet in its solid form. I'm not sure I would want to drop that down to 180 grains just to gain a hollow point. And there is the added expense of a hollow point mold with pins and the slower production rate. I would be curious about the amount of expansion & penetration of a soft lead solid #68 at about 200 grains verses the expansion and penetration of a hollow point of the same bullet at about 180 grains.

Another route that I would explore would be to find a jacketed hollow point of the same weight that shoots to the same point of aim and use that for your SD load. Use the standard H&G #68 (or whatever profile/weight you want) for your cast lead practice load. As long as both loads shoot to the same point of aim and feed/function reliably; you will have a good combination.
Just tossing that option out there.

Burnt Fingers
07-29-2020, 11:17 AM
I really like the Lyman Devastator. But sadly it only comes in a single cavity mold.

Beyond that the MP 452-200 is my favorite. It feeds well and it shoots well.

I've got several hollow point 45 molds. Most of them have to be seated very short to chamber and then that causes feeding problems.

The two that don't have those problems are the two mentioned above.

My handloaded SD loads for the 45 ACP are the Lyman Devastator. That massive hollow point is impressive.

guy_with_boolits
07-29-2020, 11:20 AM
Thanks guys. I put 180 grain because I didnt really know what was possible. I just want to be able to make more boolits with my casting lead. 200 or even 230 would probably be fine (although 200 would be better!)

However its very important to me to make one round that is my only ammo essentially (at least for awhile). I have bought alot of equipment for loading and casting and I want to make tons of ammo in bulk so I can practice and take the ammo variable out of things. I think making just one boolit will make me a better boolit maker as well, since as I practice more I will notice the quality control of my loads and boolits more. It will keep the focus on one boolit casting process and load development versus spread out my attention.

Petrol & Powder
07-29-2020, 01:45 PM
Thanks guys. I put 180 grain because I didnt really know what was possible. I just want to be able to make more boolits with my casting lead. 200 or even 230 would probably be fine (although 200 would be better!)

However its very important to me to make one round that is my only ammo essentially (at least for awhile). I have bought alot of equipment for loading and casting and I want to make tons of ammo in bulk so I can practice and take the ammo variable out of things. I think making just one boolit will make me a better boolit maker as well, since as I practice more I will notice the quality control of my loads and boolits more. It will keep the focus on one boolit casting process and load development versus spread out my attention.

Speaking as a die hard disciple of simple logistics; I think you're on the right path.

I'm not totally convinced you need a HP for a SD round and I'm certain you don't need a HP for a practice round.

I believe a soft 200gr SWC driven to over 900 fps would be decent SD round, even without a HP, and it may even penetrate deeper than the same round with a HP.

In any event, the number of SD rounds you will need pales in comparison to the number of practice rounds you will need; which is why I suggested the JHP for you self defense needs.

So one course of action would be to simply ignore the HP option for all of your rounds and just cast nothing but solid 200 gr SWC of the H&G #68 style.
Another course of action if you really want a HP for a SD bullet, would be to cast solid 200 gr H&G #68 bullets for your practice ammo and purchase a JHP bullet that duplicates the P.O.I. of your practice round. You will need far fewer JHP bullets than cast lead practice rounds. A few hundred store bought bullets will cover that need for a long time.

Just throwing out some options here.

onelight
07-29-2020, 01:55 PM
I agree with every thing he said /\ I do use jacketed HP for cary where penetration is a concern At certain locations or for calibers under 44 but other than reliability checks with the HP ammunition practice is all cast with a load that matches the carry loads.

Petrol & Powder
07-29-2020, 02:08 PM
I know this is a cast bullets forum, so please excuse the blasphemy;

Back when I carried a 1911 for serious social situations and not just poking holes in targets, my SD loads generally utilized 230gr. HP's or 200gr HP's.
In those days the 200 grain HP was the Speer "flying ashtray" bullet. (it got that nickname due to the gaping hollow point cavity in a relatively short 200 grain bullet).
If you had a gun that would reliably feed the flying ashtray (and that's a whole different thread right there), that was an excellent bullet.
The old "flying ashtray" has been discontinued BUT it was replaced by the outstanding 200gr Speer Gold Dot.
Speer sells the 200 grain Gold Dot as loaded ammunition or as a component bullet.

gwpercle
07-29-2020, 02:19 PM
NOE has moulds with different pins for casting hollow point , larger penta point and a pin for casting a solid nose (no cavity)...buy a mould set up with all three pins and it's like having three different moulds .
A four cavity mould will turn out a lot of boolits .
Gary

cwlongshot
07-29-2020, 02:21 PM
Another vote for a MP mold. Choose the profile ya like.

IMHO his is easiest to use of the HP molds I have and use. (He makes a darn fine mold too!)

CW

OS OK
07-30-2020, 09:57 AM
MP 452 - 200 - HP ... incredible workmanship & attention to detail.

https://i.imgur.com/zTk53mz.jpg

But...don't forget Erik Ohlen at erik@hollowpointmold.com ... he can make a HP mould out of your favorite caster, add the pins you want & outstanding service & his workmanship is equal to Mihas @MP.

https://i.imgur.com/fdD78en.jpg

Burnt Fingers
07-30-2020, 10:56 AM
NOE has moulds with different pins for casting hollow point , larger penta point and a pin for casting a solid nose (no cavity)...buy a mould set up with all three pins and it's like having three different moulds .
A four cavity mould will turn out a lot of boolits .
Gary

NOE has penta point pins?

I've been screwed! All I ever get are deep, cup and flat nose pins from NOE.

I think you mean MP when you mention penta points.

Burnt Fingers
07-30-2020, 10:59 AM
Speaking as a die hard disciple of simple logistics; I think you're on the right path.

I'm not totally convinced you need a HP for a SD round and I'm certain you don't need a HP for a practice round.

I believe a soft 200gr SWC driven to over 900 fps would be decent SD round, even without a HP, and it may even penetrate deeper than the same round with a HP.

In any event, the number of SD rounds you will need pales in comparison to the number of practice rounds you will need; which is why I suggested the JHP for you self defense needs.

So one course of action would be to simply ignore the HP option for all of your rounds and just cast nothing but solid 200 gr SWC of the H&G #68 style.
Another course of action if you really want a HP for a SD bullet, would be to cast solid 200 gr H&G #68 bullets for your practice ammo and purchase a JHP bullet that duplicates the P.O.I. of your practice round. You will need far fewer JHP bullets than cast lead practice rounds. A few hundred store bought bullets will cover that need for a long time.

Just throwing out some options here.

A four cavity hollow point mold from MP will cast damn near as fast as a solid. You can use hollow points for both practice and SD.

That's the nice thing about casting our own, hollow points don't cost any more than solids. In fact, with something like a MP or NOE hollow point mold the hollow points cost a little less due to using a little less lead.

Petrol & Powder
07-30-2020, 08:50 PM
I wasn't offering THE option, I was offering An option. And the key part of the phase, "A four cavity hollow point mold from MP will cast damn near as fast as a solid.", is the fact that it is ALMOST as fast as casting solids but not quite as fast. If you're making 100 bullets, it's probably not a factor. If you're making 700 bullets, it's a factor.

Only the OP can decide what is best for him.

As for bullet weight and the amount of lead used, a 200 grain hollowpoint uses exactly the same amount of lead as a 200 grain solid. The only way to reduce the amount of lead per bullet is to reduce the bullet weight. So the only way a hollowpoint saves lead is if you are comparing a solid bullet to the same bullet with a hollowpoint, in which case, the HP will weigh less than the solid.

megasupermagnum
07-30-2020, 11:49 PM
I think all the best options have been stated in this thread. The good thing about the 3 designs listed here, are that they all cast well. I've never tried the hollow point version, but the solid H&G #68 casts easy. The 200 and 230 gr RNFP's cast easy as both solid and hollow points. Is a hollow point mold as easy as a solid? In my case, I can make that said NOE 452-232-HP as a hollow point, or a solid, and I can't tell any difference. My last time, I cast about 500 of them hollow point, and it was just as easy as anything. The caveat is that I know exactly where to run that mold, and I've used hollow point molds plenty. I don't know how much a learning curve would effect this.

I will say this, the solid version of a bullet is never more difficult to cast than the hollow point version. I don't think you will be out anything using two bullets. 45 acp is very forgiving, unless you change something dramatically, most loads hit pretty close to the same POA. This is a complete contrast to something like 357 magnum, where a 125 grain bullet could hit 2' lower than a 180 grain bullet. Lee makes a few good designs in their 6 cavity molds, and despite what some claim, their molds are great, they will serve you well.

USSR
07-31-2020, 08:14 AM
I like the MP clone of the Lyman 452423. Depending upon the alloy and whether casting the regular hollow point or the penta point, they come out of the mold at about 225 grains. If you look at the bullet on the left, you will see why I call this one "the flying ashtray".

Don

265518

OS OK
07-31-2020, 02:40 PM
Big & wide mushrooms are pretty to look at & it's amazing what you can get a subsonic chunk-O-lead to do...but...they don't penetrate as far as a midsize HP. If they frag when expanding and loose weight penetration suffers again.
Just how far should a HP penetrate? That's the question that's caused lots of speculation, even arguments among members here.
I think it's past time that the HP is 're-thunk'...perhaps without so much frontal surface area, maybe try to keep the wide diameter in some other physical shape but keep in mind that penetration and the HP retaining it's full weight might trump big pretty HP mushrooms?

I've been thinking lately about the Penta...still a wide mushroom to disrupt tissue but has less frontal surface area per diameter to prevent it's penetration. After all the mushroom is like a parachute once it's opened. The design of the penta lends itself to opening along the weak points of the cavity...it opens in the corners of the cavity where the lead is thinnest and most susceptible to tearing as it folds out and back.

So with that in mind, I have been experimenting with the 'Tricorne' ( 3 sided cavity ) and the 'Quad' ( 4 sided cavity ) in both the Lyman 452374-RN & the 452460-SWC, keeping in mind that penetration and full weight retention is first and foremost at these subsonic speeds.

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

This one tested on 6 water filled milk jugs where it penetrated 3 jugs fully and cracked open but did not enter the fourth.

https://i.imgur.com/Y3fbJ9N.jpg

It's a work in progress and the focus of this summer's doinz here behind enemy lines.
There's more speed to be had in this one before crossing the 18,000PSI barrier I am trying to stay under...no +P or greater pressures.

https://i.imgur.com/yrViRE4.jpg

This type HP opens and forms gussets behind the petals that keep them from folding back into the body of the cast and loosing lead as it peels off the front end...jacketed HP's do this weight loss thing, even have jacket separations.

https://i.imgur.com/lc8iczG.jpg

The Quad is another promising HP design. This one in a SWC, a Lyman 452460 pictured with the 452374-RN...again...less frontal surface area yet large diameter.

https://i.imgur.com/ZZ43fBF.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/Prv9Jnr.jpg

Casting functional HP's is a bit tricky, trying to get them to function at the speed you desire for your platform, trying to keep them from fragging or just remaining a solid without any opening...I would venture a guess that there are more HP moulds on the shelf collecting rust & dust than any other mould.
If you are going to cast your own and have the desire to excel at it...it's a deep RabbitHole...it is a fun & enjoyable quest.

gwpercle
07-31-2020, 03:10 PM
I and two friends went down the 45 acp cast HP Rabbit Hole in the late 1970's .
After much experimenting and a lot of failure and "it sorta almost worked" , we came to a conclusion : For 45 acp cast them in solid form and for a hollow point buy the Sierra 185 gr.JHP and drive it with 7.5 grs. of Unique ... I'm not sure of the exact velocity but they reliably opened up .

Getting all the details correct and proper expansion is tough ...

OS OK ... my hat is off to you ...those cast HP's mushroomed perfectly and you got them to perform just the way they should ... ATTABOY !!!
That quad HP design is quite interesting ... very good !
Gary

onelight
07-31-2020, 03:22 PM
You have done some very interesting work , controlled expansion cast boolits NICE.

RedlegEd
07-31-2020, 04:05 PM
Hi all,
Back up in my earlier post #3, I said I was going to order one. Well, it came in. Four cavity HG68 design with with HP and FP pins, no lube groove (I Powder Coat or HiTek pistol bullets.) So now, I have a choice of 185gr HP, or 200gr FP SWC that I can even cast at the same time!
Ed

265535

gwpercle
07-31-2020, 06:58 PM
Hi all,
Back up in my earlier post #3, I said I was going to order one. Well, it came in. Four cavity HG68 design with with HP and FP pins, no lube groove (I Powder Coat or HiTek pistol bullets.) So now, I have a choice of 185gr HP, or 200gr FP SWC that I can even cast at the same time!
Ed

265535

Sweet ...now you all set for your trip down the "Rabbit Hole"... hang on and have fun !!!
Gary

megasupermagnum
07-31-2020, 07:30 PM
You can get way down the rabbit hole if you want. There is not deep dark secret to making a hollow point work. Use a softer, malleable (low antimony) alloy, and all will be well. Bigger hollow point or softer alloy work at lower velocities.

The beauty of a hollow point, is that even total failure to expand is still every bit as good as a solid bullet. You can't go wrong.:-P

RedlegEd
07-31-2020, 08:07 PM
Oh, I've been down that hole and talked to Alice! I've also got a couple of .458 HP as well (Lyman 457122 300gr Gould, and an MP 458 400gr Keith style that I bought on the group buy.) Typically, I use a softer alloy for my pistol bullets (since I coat them,) and a 20:1 binary mix in my .45-70s. So even though I don't hot rod the bullets, I think they'd expand just fine. As an aside (thread drift,) when Petrol & Powder was talking about the Speer 200gr HP "Flying Ashtrays" in a previous post, it brought back some fond memories. I used to load and shoot that bullet a lot when I was [much] younger. One of the things we used to do was to put a live pistol primer anvil down into the cavity, and seal it in with fingernail polish. Growing up in southern AZ, there were always a lot of rocks to shoot, and we'd get our giggles shooting at rocks a few hundred yards away, then waiting for the report a few seconds after firing. I know this isn't something you should do, but it sure was fun, and I survived in spite of it. :)
Ed

USSR
07-31-2020, 08:54 PM
Casting functional HP's is a bit tricky, trying to get them to function at the speed you desire for your platform, trying to keep them from fragging or just remaining a solid without any opening...

Not really, not rocket science at all. Rule One: a fairly heavy for caliber bullet. They don't shed their velocity when transiting what ever medium they are entering like the light weight bullets do. And Rule Two: Match your alloy to your velocity. Keep the antimony content low and the tin content high. If you look at my hollow point test bullets above you will see zero fragmenting and nearly 100% weight retention. The .45 bullet on the left (225gr) came out of my Colt Gold Cup at ~ 800fps. The middle .38 caliber penta bullet (162gr) was clocked at 845fps and the one on the right (158gr) was doing 940fps - both out of my 2.5" snubbie.

Don

OS OK
07-31-2020, 11:41 PM
Not really, not rocket science at all. Rule One: a fairly heavy for caliber bullet. They don't shed their velocity when transiting what ever medium they are entering like the light weight bullets do. And Rule Two: Match your alloy to your velocity. Keep the antimony content low and the tin content high. If you look at my hollow point test bullets above you will see zero fragmenting and nearly 100% weight retention. The .45 bullet on the left (225gr) came out of my Colt Gold Cup at ~ 800fps. The middle .38 caliber penta bullet (162gr) was clocked at 845fps and the one on the right (158gr) was doing 940fps - both out of my 2.5" snubbie.

Don

I wasn't trying to imply that there's rocket science to this at all.
In referring to your beautiful mushrooms I was implying that they do not penetrate well when they open so wide.

Here is a single water filled milk jug that I shot a MP-452-200-Cup HP through. Just 6" of water and two walls of thin and not so strong plastic.
The results were astounding...those big mushrooms are parachutes in water, gel or flesh.

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

Here's the stats on what was fired...

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

Here's the actual impact with the chronograph recording the exit velocity from that one jug...it entered at 908fps and exited the jug at 450fps. It delivered 1/2 its energy into the jug and lost 1/2 it's velocity. I have not pushed my luck again to see what the velocity would be after leaving a second jug..."if in fact it were able."

https://i.imgur.com/eQKaRb9.jpg

And here's the modest mushroom that was recovered.

https://i.imgur.com/1uXPype.jpg

I doubt seriously this large mushroom would have penetrated and escaped the second jug to pierce the third. Many times I find these large HP's either Penta or Cup still in the second jug where the Penta in the picture below was found.

https://i.imgur.com/y4krm0K.jpg

Not yet having any type of conversion factor or rule of thumb for jug penetration and it's equivalent in 10% ballistic gel I can't estimate what depth they'd penetrate with this weight, speed & HP cavity design but I'm working on that too, my first gel block will arrive next week.

For the skeptics regarding the above facts...here's the video of this experiment.

FIRST TIME EVER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2maRWzS58gQ

sutherpride59
08-01-2020, 12:16 AM
I’ve seen some other nay-sayers and I’ll have to agree, unless you are just trying to save alloy hp isn’t that important with 45 acp because of the slow speeds. But I do like the NOE hp molds more than any of the others, I like how the pins are held in. Mihec makes good stuff but I don’t like the c clamp that holds the pins in, I ordered a bag of 20 on eBay because I keep losing them. I used hp when I was shooting uspsa just to save on alloy and it didn’t mess with the rhythm or speed of my casting. At the time I had a good deal on powder with a store that closed out so that’s why I used em. Now I use solids 225 cuz my powder supply is dwindling.

Burnt Fingers
08-01-2020, 11:06 AM
I’ve seen some other nay-sayers and I’ll have to agree, unless you are just trying to save alloy hp isn’t that important with 45 acp because of the slow speeds. But I do like the NOE hp molds more than any of the others, I like how the pins are held in. Mihec makes good stuff but I don’t like the c clamp that holds the pins in, I ordered a bag of 20 on eBay because I keep losing them. I used hp when I was shooting uspsa just to save on alloy and it didn’t mess with the rhythm or speed of my casting. At the time I had a good deal on powder with a store that closed out so that’s why I used em. Now I use solids 225 cuz my powder supply is dwindling.

I'm the opposite.

I prefer the MP system to the NOE system.

You don't even really need those C clamps.

I can cast faster with the MP system over the NOE system.

megasupermagnum
08-01-2020, 12:35 PM
Yes, I've got two molds converted to inset bar style from Erik at hollow point molds, which is the same style MP uses. I too kept loosing the e clips, but found they work just fine without them. I prefer the inset bar to the NOE linkage, but both work.

As for hollow point penetration, the huge expanding bullets are intended to reduce penetration. It's not desirable for all things, but some people don't want a pass through with defensive ammo. Myself, I don't worry as much about that, but due to the track record of 45 acp hollow points, I don't worry about them not penetrating either.

gwpercle
08-01-2020, 07:11 PM
For anyone wanting to do 45 acp HP's , look at post #23 , by OS OK , the second photo...
30:1 7.8 bhn 948 fps . That 30 parts lead to 1 part tin would be the place to start , our mistakes were making HP's too hard , the 950 fps velocity is a good one .
All we had were round cavities ...the Quad point or Penta point seems to work much better .

I've always thought that even if my .45 HP doesn't expand it's still making a .45" hole ...
Gary

Newtire
10-04-2023, 01:03 AM
I think all the best options have been stated in this thread. The good thing about the 3 designs listed here, are that they all cast well. I've never tried the hollow point version, but the solid H&G #68 casts easy. The 200 and 230 gr RNFP's cast easy as both solid and hollow points. Is a hollow point mold as easy as a solid? In my case, I can make that said NOE 452-232-HP as a hollow point, or a solid, and I can't tell any difference. My last time, I cast about 500 of them hollow point, and it was just as easy as anything. The caveat is that I know exactly where to run that mold, and I've used hollow point molds plenty. I don't know how much a learning curve would effect this.

I will say this, the solid version of a bullet is never more difficult to cast than the hollow point version. I don't think you will be out anything using two bullets. 45 acp is very forgiving, unless you change something dramatically, most loads hit pretty close to the same POA. This is a complete contrast to something like 357 magnum, where a 125 grain bullet could hit 2' lower than a 180 grain bullet. Lee makes a few good designs in their 6 cavity molds, and despite what some claim, their molds are great, they will serve you well.
I have that 6-banger Lee mold and the Arsenal Flat base and there really isn't alot of difference out of 3-1911's that live at my house.

mnewcomb59
10-04-2023, 12:03 PM
In referring to your beautiful mushrooms I was implying that they do not penetrate well when they open so wide.


Not yet having any type of conversion factor or rule of thumb for jug penetration and it's equivalent in 10% ballistic gel I can't estimate what depth they'd penetrate with this weight, speed & HP cavity design but I'm working on that too, my first gel block will arrive next week.

For the skeptics regarding the above facts...here's the video of this experiment.

FIRST TIME EVER
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2maRWzS58gQ

Each water jug equals about 4-5 inches of ballistic gel. If you aren't putting at least a dent in the back of jug 3, they are not penetrating deep enough for FBI or LE or concealed carry. 2 jugs is 8-9 inches, like a 22 lr HP or a 380 HP. I try to get 4 jugs for self defense HP, and 5 jugs for hunting bullets. 3 Jugs will not exit a deer, and 3 jugs won't even break a rib on the offside. 4 jugs will often be caught under the skin on the off side of deer, and 5 jugs will exit any mostly broadside shot. I have recovered a few 5 jug bulets from deer, but they were frontal or Texas heart shots.

fredj338
10-04-2023, 02:27 PM
I have a Lyman Dev mold, it works just fine. I dont need to shoot them for practice, any 190-200 gr bullet will do for practice.

jdgabbard
10-04-2023, 03:30 PM
I've been happy with my NOE 230gr HP mold. I think it's supposed to cast as a 250 solid for 45colt if you want that. But the 230gr pills have a HP cavity on them that looks pretty radical. Had it for about 10 years now. Been happy with it since I bought it.

dankathytc
12-25-2023, 02:08 PM
Realizing this is an older post, I can’t help but post my first attempt ay casting the MP-452-200. I doped 297 bullets in approx. 90 minutes while using a comfortable and relaxing cadence. My PID was cycleing, and being limited on time I used the temp control lever on my Lee 4-20, with a good casting thermometer keeping it at a steady 790-800 degrees. Only one bullet showed a very slight wrinkle on the nose. I will give them 3 to 4 days to harden and test to determine the approx. BHN using my Lee tester. I have a half dozen M-P molds and they are a joy to use.321354

Bigslug
12-25-2023, 04:39 PM
What the heck. . .zombie threads can be fun.

It all comes down to what you're trying to accomplish.

230 grains of non-expanding bullet at GI speeds can penetrate a lot - nine milk jugs in my experience, or probably a rough equivalent of 36 to 45 inches of FBI Jell-O.

Turn that 230 grains into a duty hollowpoint and that will drop to about three jugs, sometimes four, and typically about 14" of bare gel.

So if one were to drop the bullet weight down to 180-200 grains like the OP hints at, I'm sure a solid H&G #68 will still give plenty of penetration, but if you're going to turn that same mass into an .80" caliber parachute on expansion, I'd be concerned that it's best use might be in restricting it to jackrabbits and coyotes. My general attitude is that if you're looking to save lead with expanding bullets, maybe a .45 isn't your best choice.

I led the group buy in convincing Ranch Dog to design this one and NOE to run them:

321363

Goal was to more or less duplicate the excellent feeding characteristics of the LBT 230gr LFN in a tumble lube format. In a solid, it drops at about 234 grains; 220 with the deep hollow point pin, and somewhere in between with the "controlled expansion" cup point.

A clever participant in the group buy suggested turning the front tumble lube groove into a crimp groove to increase appeal among the revolver shooters, and the rest is history. With the three sets of nose pins, it covers a lot of bases.

BJung
12-25-2023, 10:15 PM
MP 45-200 here too