45 acp in Hi-Point carbine

Hi, I bought a Hi-Point carbine chambered in 45 acp and would like to load cast for it. I have the Lee 452-200rf and the Lee 452-230tc molds. Both are powder coated and sized to .452. I have not fired it as of yet but I have a box of factory 230 grain ammo to test for function as soon as I can make it to the range. I need a starting point for the cast boolits and was hoping someone here has first hand experience with this carbine. I understand how to plunk test a pistol and have done it for my son's 9mm. The manuals that I have do not list either of the Lee boolits. I guess I can partially size a case so the boolit is snug then chamber the cartridge and get my OAL like that. Does this sound logical for a semi auto? I do like tis for my bolt rifles. Thanks for any guidance.
Mark

I have a Hi point carbine in 45acp. My go to load is 5 grains of 231 and a Lyman 453374 230 grain RN slug, powder coated. I have tried many loads and all work fine, the rifle eats pretty much anything you feed it, it just wants to eat. Do use a taper crimp and do use a chamber guage (plunk test), you'll not likely go wrong. I size to .454 after powder coating.

Great fun little carbine. For the money, you can't beat it.

Chris

I have read many good reviews about these ugly little carbines and so thats why I bought it. Thanks for the info, maybe I'll powder coat a few unsized. I do have some hp-38, bullseye and unique.

Load it like you would load for a 45acp semi auto and you will have no issues , I own 2 in 45acp , only issue I had was both had nasty looking bores from there bluing tanks , took some polishing to smooth that out , I load swc , lee 230 round nose and 200 grain round nose hollow point , alox lubed and powder coated , have not found anything it will not feed and fire , I was using Unique 5 grains for 230 grain now using IMR target a lot of fun in a carbine and a joy to shoot .

To get the correct OAL you need for the cartridges, place a boolit of the type you will be shooting, in the chamber up against the lands. Next insert a wooden dowel in the barrel until it touches the boolit. Mark the dowel at the muzzle. Next remove the boolit, close the bolt and push the dowel in until it touches the bolt face. Mark the dowel again at the muzzle. Pull out the dowel and measure the the distance between the two marks on the dowel. That is your cartridge OAL. This will change if you change to a boolit with a different olgive shape. You may want to reduce this length by a few thousandths, but there are different opinions on that.

Thanks for the replies so far and am pretty confident that it will be a good cast boolit range gun. I did clean the bore with a brush and patches yesterday but have not used the borescope. Im thinking the factory jacketed ammo will take some of the rough edges off.
I have never used the wooden dowel method for OAL in my bolt rifles but this carbine would be a good one to try it on. I'll try it later on today.
Mark

I sold mine, but from what I remember mine preferred 200 gr swc loadings. Lighter pill reach out a bit better. I cant recall the load data. Like others have said, it eats everything. I had issues with cheek weld stinging. It was odd. Good luck

I took the springs out of the butt stock on my 9mm and it eliminated the cheek bite for me. I guess getting rid of the springs help it not move as much.

I really like my HP 4595, it's right up there with my Garand and 10-22 for "fun factor". Mine is very accurate and it has fed everything that fits in the magazine (the magazines I have need an OAL a little shorter than what my other 45 ACPs can use, not a function problem but sometimes the cartridges would rub the inside front of the magazine. I had a couple magazine jams, but I just shortened the OAL to 1.260" on some jacketed 230 FMJ loads and everything is now 100%). It feeds every bullet shape and size I've fed it without any problem after I seated my RMR 230 FMJ a bit shorter. My favorite cast 45 ACP bullets are the Lyman 225 RN and the Lee 452-200 SWC. I use the same loads in my HP as I use in my handguns (I figger it is a carbine designed for a hand gun cartridge, so I load it with hand gun data).

I have 4 of their carbines. The 45 acp is the most accurate of them.

In pistol caliber carbines I would not load the ammo differently than my pistol ammo. I'm mostly looking for loads that work best in both guns. If you tailor the OAL to the bore as you would a rifle round, you may find the ammo too long for the mag and too long to feed from a mag.
But the two HP carbines I have tried shoot fine with everything I have put in them. It's had to beat them for the price!

My experience in the one the kids ran off with having an H&G #130 , 45-200 , 452-200 , 452-255 , 454424 , was that if it fits in the magazine and was compatible with a 1917 Smith it shot very well .

The 14 round Promags worked well in mine , others swear by Red Ball mags . Nealing knee rest hits on a 12×18 plate weren't particularly difficult with the 454424s . 45-200 reproduced 25 yd 1917 groups at 50 yd . Like other 45s from revolver to carbine it gained >< 200 fps with Unique .

Attachment 268150
What could buckling the cases? The first one with the 452-200rf did not buckle but it looks like it crimped the mouth a little. Am I not supposed to let the bolt fly closed? Sorry if these are dumb questions but this is my first semi auto. These are all dummy rounds by the way.
I made up one each of both boolits and seated the 200rf just past the crimp groove and ran it through the Lee FCD and it looks ok after chambering it several times. The truncated cone I seated in the middle of the top drive band and used the FCD and it to seems ok. I then tried a taper crimp and must have went to much because it stuck slightly in the barrel! I will get a photo tomorrow, I have to leave for work in a few.

I've got one and love it, more fun than a barrel of monkeys! I also shoot both bullets you show here powder coated and loaded with Win 231 powder, 2 to 2.5 inch 9 shot groups at 50 yds.

I'm like BigAl, I have 3, had 2 of the 9mm at one point but the .45acp is the best of them all.

It will shove you around a little. But it stacks them up real nice.

Attachment 268152
These are the two I think were over crimped. Tomorrow I will just remove the mouth flare and try it again.
Mark

Swheeler, do you remember what OAL you were using with these two Lee boolits? Thanks.
Mark

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mjdd23

Attachment 268152
These are the two I think were over crimped. Tomorrow I will just remove the mouth flare and try it again.
Mark

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Yep, too much crimp...

Hint for new semi-auto reloaders; forget crimping. Change your thinking to "deflaring". Just remove any flare in the case mouth and check with the plunk test. Also suggest deflaring and seating done in two steps. And in my opinion, forget an FCD. just a plain taper crimp die is sufficient (I have reloaded many thousands of semi-auto rounds and have never had a need for an FCD. In my guns I have had zero failures to chamber form a poorly reloaded/bulged round)...

Ok, I loaded 20 rounds,5 each starting at 5 grains Unique and ending at 6.5 grs. Unique. I should get to the range on Friday.

Yep, MDI's got it there. All you really want to do is remove the flair. The buckling you show was most definately done by your crimping. And do seat and de-flair in two steps, the "seater/crimper" die that comes in most 3 die sets has probably caused more hair loss than teen-aged daughters.

Chris

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mjdd23

Swheeler, do you remember what OAL you were using with these two Lee boolits? Thanks.
Mark

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The 200 gr Lee rnfp at 1.175, and 230 TC at 1.185

Both these function through my handguns and the carbine, 230 gr, 5.5 w231 , I seated just about even with start of the TC ogive, from 4.5 barrel 830fps and same load in carbine right at 1000fps

Thank you swheeler.
I seated the 230tc the same as you did and the 200rf shorter at 1.165 to just cocer the crimp groove. I may have under powered them with HP-38 as i loaded five at 4.5 grains and five at 5.0 grains. I wanted to start low and it seems like a lot of bullet in the case. I will find out tomorrow in any event. Thanks again.
Mark

I've bought a RedBall 20 rd magazine and so far has worked flawless with everything I've thrown at it. I finished off 8 pounder of W231(approx 10k 45 auto) and have started loading Titegroup, will see how a pound of it does. Enjoy that carbine!

I made it to the range this morning to shoot the Hi-point for the first time. I set a target up at 50 feet and had my chronograph. I started out with 10 rounds of Speer Lawman 230 grain ammo and shot well with no issues. I actually like the sights it came with.
Now to try my hand loads! All 40 rounds shot great with no issues. No leading and locked the bolt back on final shot. I'm pleased with my first outing with this fun little carbine.
I will post the chronograph numbers tomorrow after i get some sleep. Thanks everyone for you help.
Mark

Awesome Mark. Good to hear your enjoying your new carbine.

Some chronograph numbers from yesterday morning.Attachment 268399
No luck with the photo swap.

Attachment 268366
Left bullseye all the hand loads plus 10 rounds of the Speer Lawman ammo. Was only 50 feet and had my front hand rested. I'm happy with that for the first time out with it.
Mark

I have had my High Point 45 acp carbine two years now been quite happy with it . I find I get about the same speed from ammo as from my 5" 1911 but much tighter groups. I also found a lot of ammo I loaded without sizing the bullets would not function in 1911 but functioned and shot well in the carbine.
My go to load for most cast bullets in 45 acp is 5 grains Red Dot it just seems to work well.

Any body have a 10mm Hi Point? Any problems? Cast boolits? Kick? Just thinking out loud. Thanks

Nice shooting! And i have a 10mm hi-point carbine. No problems. Not much kick at all. Only thing i did not like. The cheek pad was sticky. I got it off. Forget what i used though. One tip for everyone who got them. If you put and optic on. Put some blue loctite on the rail thread screws. Do one screw at a time. I had one of the plates that the screws go into fall off on the inside of the gun. There not the easiest carbines to take apart. 10 mm in pic.
Attachment 268384

I stripped one down once . watch for parts falling off but was easy enough to put back together , they do seem to feed and fire almost anything , and are pretty fun to shoot .

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BigAlofPa.

Nice shooting! And i have a 10mm hi-point carbine. No problems. Not much kick at all. Only thing i did not like. The cheek pad was sticky. I got it off. Forget what i used though. One tip for everyone who got them. If you put and optic on. Put some blue loctite on the rail thread screws. Do one screw at a time. I had one of the plates that the screws go into fall off on the inside of the gun. There not the easiest carbines to take apart. 10 mm in pic.
Attachment 268384

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I think that 10mm would make a dandy little brush gun for piggies and corn crunchers.

The 10mm and 9mm ones. You don't have to compensate to much for 100 yard shots at a 50 yard zero. There with in minute of 12 oz can at both ranges with 115 grain and 180 grain hard cast coated lead. I think the 10mm would do well with hogs. I ran 180 grain BHN 18 boolets through 6 2 inch planks. Loaded with 11 grains of blue dot. Im not sure what corn crunchers are.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by BigAlofPa.

The 10mm and 9mm ones. You don't have to compensate to much for 100 yard shots at a 50 yard zero. There with in minute of 12 oz can at both ranges with 115 grain and 180 grain hard cast coated lead. I think the 10mm would do well with hogs. I ran 180 grain BHN 18 boolets through 6 2 inch planks. Loaded with 11 grains of blue dot. Im not sure what corn crunchers are.

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Using my highly accurate SWAG method, I think corn crunchers are about the same as 3- 2 inch planks. So, yer good to go.

Add one of these to increase the fun factor, works flawless 20 rds at your finger tip. Stay away from the Midways PMag 14 rd mag never could get it to function properly. https://i.imgur.com/2RjWVPM.jpg

I wish! My communist state wiill throw me in the klink for that! Two years till retirement then I'm gone. P.A. is just over the border.
Mark

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mjdd23

I wish! My communist state wiill throw me in the klink for that! Two years till retirement then I'm gone. P.A. is just over the border.
Mark

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I feel for ya brother, damned socialist democrats;-(

I need to find one of these to buy. There like finding hens teeth right now.

Almost 2 months before mine came in.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by GregLaROCHE

To get the correct OAL you need for the cartridges, place a boolit of the type you will be shooting, in the chamber up against the lands. Next insert a wooden dowel in the barrel until it touches the boolit. Mark the dowel at the muzzle. Next remove the boolit, close the bolt and push the dowel in until it touches the bolt face. Mark the dowel again at the muzzle. Pull out the dowel and measure the the distance between the two marks on the dowel. That is your cartridge OAL. This will change if you change to a boolit with a different olgive shape. You may want to reduce this length by a few thousandths, but there are different opinions on that.

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That's a pretty good idea on measuring for your guns. I will definitely try that trick.