Best Cast Boolit for Henry Bigboy X

[Jugghead]

Good evening everyone. be gentle im a virgin when it comes to casting. I have been reloading for 30 years. just never cast my own. The first I want to cast for is 45 Colt. I have the Henry Bigboy X, and a Ruger Vaquero. I'm looking for the best cast Boolit that will work in both. I have been looking at the Lee .452 300gr mold. I know from reading the forums here there are a lot better molds out there. but as I am just beginning this journey I wanted to start off simple. Im trying to get away from store bought jacketed bullets. and the current selection I can find as loaded rounds are 400gr bear loads. they shoot fine in both my guns accuracy wise. but they seem to be too long to cycle properly in my Henry. Why i was looking at the 300gr cast.

main question is anyone have any experience with the Henry bigboy X and 300gr cast from the LEE mold. did they cycle properly. i will be also trying my hand at PC'ing them also. the mold part number is C452-300RN. I have not purchased the mold yet. but its about the only thing available i cant find in the 300gr.

I am open to suggestions on other grain molds also that would work well in my two guns. I mainly use this rifle as a truck gun for Hogs.
Thanks in advance for any advice and knowledge yall want to share.

[Misery-Whip]

Pm me and I can send you a sampling of the lee 452-200-rf and the 452-300-rf and we can find out. I'll throw in some tl452-230-rn too.

[CastingFool]

My Henry BBS in 45 colt likes both the lee 452-200-RF, and the 452-255 RF. However, it doesn't want to feed the 452-300. It hangs up in the carrier.

[Jugghead]

thats the problem im having with the 400gr bear loads. they hang up....

[ryanmattes]

I haven't shot that particular rifle, but my two favorites for .45 Colt are an NOE copy if the Keith SWC in 255gr and the Lyman 454190 at about the same weight.

I coat both with HiTek.

They're both a little lighter than you asked for, but they shoot nice and make a good hard thump when they hit something.

[Jugghead]

im not stuck on the 300gr.. im more interested in what will work flawlessly in my rifle. i had 5 hogs just standing there laughing at me trying to get a round chambered in my rifle... but my never fail Ruger Vaquero shut 2 of them up before they got out of my range for a pistol. so because im lazy what i find that work in the Henry will alao be used in the Ruger

[megasupermagnum]

Who told you there was a better bullet than the Lee 300gr? For what you want, it doesn't get any better. I've never heard of anyone trying to shoot a 400 grain from a 45 colt. If that's what you want, you should have got the 45-70.

[Markopolo]

The lee 300gr is simple and affordable, and prolly in stock... that Kieth SWC in 255gr that Ryan is talking about I like very well in all sorts of guns, and it feeds well in my stuff.. either way would be peachy, and might be found on certain auction sites.. Might be able to find the lee in 6 cavity also.. making it very economic

Marko

[Jugghead]

i have a 45-70 also that i will be casting for. but wanted to start with the 45 colt first to get the hang of things. the 400 gr are loaded over the counter bear loads i believe HSM brand.

if the 300gr feed good in my Henry then great. i have ordered both the 255 gr and the 300 gr two mold. just to see which one works best.

[oldcanadice]

My Henry is 44 mag, but my experience may be helpful to you. I experimented a lot with trying to get longest lengths and always had problems. It's a pretty nice gun, but it's not a target rifle. Trying to max out accuracy and going for the lands and all of that was a pure sink-hole of frustration.

I finally gave up, loaded to the saami length of 1.61, and have never had to look back. Shuffles those loads like a poker dealer does cards -- lee 300 and various semi-wadcutters, it doesn't seem to matter. Your mileage may vary.

[megasupermagnum]

I think you may be mistaken. HSM does make a 325 gr. I'm not finding any reference to a 400 or 405gr 45 colt load from any manufacturer. Such a load would be ridiculous, even if you hotrodded it, I doubt you would see over 800 fps safely. I doubt any guns would stabilize it.

You are on a good track with that Lee 300 gr. That's about the maximum practical bullet for a 45 colt, and that Lee is a good design for accuracy.

[ryanmattes]

i have ordered both the 255 gr and the 300 gr two mold. just to see which one works best.

That's what I like about the Lee 2-cav molds. For $22 they're great for trying out a profile or weight, attempting mold modifications, etc, without setting you back too bad if it doesn't work out.

Once you realize just how good the Keith SWC is, though, you'll want to buy a better name brand 4-6 cavity in that.

Ryan

Sent from my Pixel 5a using Tapatalk

[Jugghead]

you are correct the HSM is 325gr. i was looking at the wrong box when i saw the 400gr. and they are just a little bit too long to cycle in my Henry. im just waiting for my molds to show up now. i got the pot and lead today.

[Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang]

I can’t say for your Henry but the Lee 452-255 is a great .45 Colt bullet. It is what I shoot when I am shooting smokeless.

[murf205]

Jugghead, welcome to the madness, it's always good to have another brother here. Lots of good info and some very knowledgeable people willing to help. I am almost sure that Henry 45 colt barrels have a 1-16" twist which should stabilize a 300 or 325 gr boolit just fine. Your only hitch is feeding out of the magazine. Either of the Lee 255 gr boolits should work but the round/flat looks to me like it would feed pretty slick. As far as the 300 gr, I would get some members here to send you a handfull to try before I sprung for a mold because of the length and nose shape involved. I like the gas check on the 300 and sometimes when accuracy is marginal, that ole gas check will bring it around. As far as powder coating, I have had it solve some feeling ramp problems for me on account of its "slickness". Good luck and keep us posted.

[Cosmic_Charlie]

A chamber/throat cast would get you on the right track quickly.

[Thin Man]

I have 2 rifles chambered for the 45 Colt cartridge. The first is a Winchester 94AE with the short (Trapper?) barrel. My best groups for cast boolits come from a Lyman 452664 mold (250 gr.) which is an exaggerated variant of the original 454190 pattern. It has a round/flat nose profile with a larger flat face than the original 454190, also has a dedicated crimp groove. My group sizes with this boolit are the tightest of any cast rifle boolit I have ever produced. Soon I will be loading this boolit for a Rossi '92, an older rifle wearing the Interarms brand. The barrel is octagonal at the chamber and becomes round forward of the handguard. I made a few dummy rounds with this boolit and they flow smoothly when feeding them in both rifles. Will contact you with a group report when that is available. Of course the greatest challenge is to locate this mold but that is the challenge we all have with any mold.

[PAndy]

Lever action rifles can be temperamental about feeding. If you can try a few types of bullets, it will show you what works. Might have to play with overall length also. My big boy is a .357 and a friend has a .41 mag. They feed pretty well with a variety of bullets out to 1.6" OAL

[Mal Paso]

Henry has an article on their site that says what the guys are say, that cartridge length is more critical than boolit style for feeding.

[Jugghead]

i want to thank everyone for there advice and knowledge. i ordered the LEE 255 and the 300 gr molds. I will try them both and see what works best in my rifle. then i will probably upgrade to a better set of molds once i see what works best. Im sure will have more questions as i get started...