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Thread: best 45ACP hollow point mold

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy
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    best 45ACP hollow point mold

    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.

  2. #2
    Boolit Master Gtrubicon's Avatar
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    Mp452-200, I have the 4 cavity, it rains boolits when I cast!

  3. #3
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    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. 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.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Last edited by RedlegEd; 07-28-2020 at 09:44 PM.
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  4. #4
    Boolit Buddy
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    Mp452-200

  5. #5
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    M&P 452-200. Not only is it a great looking bullet, it shoots phenomenally well.
    Rick

  6. #6
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    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.

  7. #7
    Boolit Master

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    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.
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  8. #8
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    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.

  9. #9
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    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.
    Last edited by Petrol & Powder; 07-29-2020 at 09:38 AM.

  10. #10
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    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.
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  11. #11
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    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.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by guy_with_boolits View Post
    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.

  13. #13
    Boolit Master
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    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.

  14. #14
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    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.

  15. #15
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    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 .
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  16. #16
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    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!)

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  17. #17
    Boolit Grand Master OS OK's Avatar
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    MP 452 - 200 - HP ... incredible workmanship & attention to detail.



    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.

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  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by gwpercle View Post
    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.
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  19. #19
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    Quote Originally Posted by Petrol & Powder View Post
    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.
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  20. #20
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    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.
    Last edited by Petrol & Powder; 07-31-2020 at 08:10 AM.

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check