.45 Colt Gas Check Bullets Around 250 - 255 Grain Anything Like That Available

[Freddie]

Just bought a Henry Brass Big Boy in .45 Colt. Seems to me any of the hotter loads using W296 (if I decide to use such loads in my Henry - another entirely different question I haven't settled yet) would benifit from gas checks. As I recall gas check bullets in .44 Mag are common, and as we all know, .44 mag and .45 Colt velocities can be pretty similiar when handloded. I guess one could say I'm a proponent of gas checks owing to my very first experience loading Lyman 311407, a 180 grain gas check I used for many years in my Buffalo Bill Commerative .30-30 Winchester with the beautiful long 26" octagon barrel. Without being gas checked, the bullets were coming out of the muzzle sideways, which could be easily seen when one managed to hit a piece of paper with one (and one had to be standing right in front of the target and only a few feet away to manage that!). My old Lyman (45th Edition) lists 1600 fps as the more or less upper limit for non-gas checked rifle or pistol bullets. Looks to me like that velocity could be fairly easily attained with the heavier loads. Hense my question. I just don't seem to be coming up with much in my searches. I'm finding 300+ grain gas checked bullets, but nothing much in the 250 grain area. I need to stay in that bullet range weight pretty close, apparently, as the longer bullets may not cycle in a Henry Levergun, or so I'm told.

Haven't shot the gun yet even though I have it a few weeks. Trying to get back into reloading after a very long absence. So I'm patient enough to see things are done right.

[murf205]

Try this boolit from Accurate Molds catalogue. It is a 250 gr and if you find another one you like, Tom can gas check it when he makes it. He is a true craftsman.300373

[Walter Laich]

I went with a pat marlin checkmaker and make my own for Plain Base bullets

patmarlins.com

basically you can use strips of soda or beer cans, punch out disks of aluminum and then turn these into GC that will work on plain base bullets. You mount the GCs by running the bullet base-first through you sizing die.

[Freddie]

Thanks for the good info murf205 and Walter. Didn't really know there were folks around like that who would make a custom mould. That design you posted is about exactly what I want. At present I have Keith's 454424, so I guess the thing to do is use that for the higher velocities (if I decide to go there), and see if there is any leading. There is in my 7-1/2" Rugar Blackhawk. But maybe if I'm careful to stick to Lyman #2 in the Henry (I pretty much run any kind of junk through the Ruger, sorry to say) I'll avoid it. If not, those custom moulds look like just the ticket. I'll have a lot of reading on www.patmarlins.com. Looks interesting though. Thanks Again!

[dondiego]

Sounds like you need a 45-70!

[MT Gianni]

If I had a mold cut I would go at least 1/2 plain based. I don't think you can push a properly fitting 45 Colt bullet fast enough to need a gas check.

[murf205]

Freddie, the Accurate Molds online catalogue is a boolit casters candy store. Another good mold maker is NOE Molds. I have both and they both are tops in my book. The one I posted a pic of has a wide enough nose to hit pretty hard and yet its nose looks like it would feed through a lever gun. Mt Gianni is right about having a mold made with plain base and gas check designs. I had Tom (Accurate) make one for my 45/70 in 405gr like that and it would give you the gc for the rifle and pb for the Ruger or visa versa. PLUS you will have the benefit of never having to depend on supply or politics to have boolits! Aint it grand???
Welcome to the CastBoolits family, you will learn a LOT from the great people here.

[jimb16]

Check NOE molds. They have molds like that in stock.

[Wheelguns 1961]

I have never shot a gas check bullet in my 45 colt marlin 1894. I never saw the need. It shoots great with the plain base bullets, and never any leading.

[GLL]

Freddie:

I have this NOE mold in plain base and gas checked hollow point. I can also make it a solid gas checked as well. Let me know if you would like a hand full to experiment.

Jerry

300381

[T-Bird]

I have a Ly mold # 452490 that is a 255ish gc design that I've had for years. Shoots great in my Rossi 45 Colt. I guess they still make it?

[T-Bird]

They have one on flea bay right now for $70

[murf205]

They have one on flea bay right now for $70

Be very cautious on flea bay. I bought some dies there that were TERRIBLE. Thank goodness I didn't pay much for them but they were junk. Dies???I dunno. There is a lot that can go wrong with a boolit mold that you will not be able to determine until you fire up the pot and cast a few(or a bunch). None of the sellers on that venue stand behind their sales like our mold makers that advertise on this site.

[Freddie]

Yikes! Gads of good information, some of which regretfully I should have been able to dig up myself. Thanks Everybody!

[yeahbub]

Here's a bit more, which is PB gas checks, thin sheet stock gas checks applied to the heel of a PB boolit and swaged on when you size it. This opens some possibilities for folks who have a plain base mold that performs well and want to push the envelope some. Sage Outdoors makes them in the popular calibers: https://www.sagesoutdoors.com/45-452-caliber-plain-base-aluminum-gas-checks/.

[T-Bird]

They are also still making the mold. Good luck finding one in stock.

[reddog81]

I've been working on 450 Bushmaster loads in the 1,500 to 1,600 FPS range with a 285 SWC and 304 grain WFN. The 304 grain bullet has a gas check and the 285 grain bullet does not. At those speeds I'm getting better accuracy with the 285 grain SWC. You'll be pushing the limits running a 45 Colt that fast.

[oldsalt444]

Matt's has gas checked bullets for 45LC you're looking for. They're a boutique outfit so their prices are a bit higher, but I can attest to their quality and fast shipping. They will size to your request.

https://www.mattsbullets.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=71&products_id=290&zenid=guoteu68ql1r6u83atnnn342m4
https://www.mattsbullets.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=338&zenid=guoteu68ql1r6u83atnnn342m4