Best 45 molds

[RyanJames170]

What are some of the better 45 colt/45ACP bullet molds one can have for target, hunting and defensive shooting.
i currently have
lyman 454190
Lee 452-255-RF
Lee 452-160-RF

[Thumbcocker]

Lyman 452460 or a clone ober 231 has worked for me in several. 45 acp pistols and revolvers.

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[Mk42gunner]

I use the Lyman 452460 in .45 ACP. All three of my molds (2 DC, 1 4C)drop my alloy at 207 grains. The other famously accurate .45 ACP mold is the Hensley & Gibbs 068.

For the .45 Colt I like the Lyman 452424, but if I were starting over for the big Colt round, I would try the Lee 255RF.

Robert

[Bigslug]

I kinda touched on this a little in your other thread, but a bit more explanation. . .

Some years back, I went down a deep rabbit hole of making Elmer Keith's .45 Auto Rim bullet - the 452423 - work in a 1911. While I did accomplish this - somewhat - the benefit I really gained was a lot of insight about 1911 magazines and how that gun feeds its ammo.

Short of GI hardball, you aren't going to beat the profile of the LBT 452-230-LFN / BD45 / Accurate 45-230A, D, or H (what I'm currently engaged with) and similar for smooth feeding. This is essentially a flat pointed round nose of roughly 0.60" in length, a driving band section of roughly 0.30" in length, and a meplat diameter of 0.30" to 0.32".

The Accurate 45-230F is similar with a step down from body to nose to leave extra room to clear a 1911's slide stop lever. I have that mold, but haven't found that feature necessary in light of having run the LBT, 230H, and NOE TL452-234

If you shop NOE, Accurate, and MP, you'll find numerous examples of that general profile with options of conventional or tumble lube grooves or powder coat, a variety of crimp groove options, hollow points, etc...

For a pure target bullet, you aren't going to top the old Hensley & Gibbs #68 200 grain SWC. It maintains the overall length of a hardball round but reduces weight via a narrowed nose section with a rounded-over meplat. It does a very credible job of fooling the gun into thinking it's feeding hardball. Great for a low recoil plinking load. Clones abound. The tumble lube grooves of the Accurate 45-200HT version could be pressed into service as crimp grooves for a wheelgun.

Hunting bullets for .45 Colt? That is a DEEP well, so you'd probably better narrow your definitions of game and distance.

[Gtrubicon]

I’ve been really liking the Lee 452-200 rf in acp, and MP’s version of the 45-270 in the 45 colt. I use the large hollow point pin. I m going to get the 452-255 Lee to try in the colt. It works very well for me. Both are powder coated. I also like Lees 255gn semi wad cutter in the 45 colt, very accurate. But I dislike using the mold itself.

[hc18flyer]

I like Lyman's 452460 for .45 ACP, and RCBS 45 270 SAA for my .45 Colt Blackhawk. I also use a lot of the RCBS 250 grain rnfp in the Colt. hc18flyer

[Alstep]

The H&G 68 is tops here as well in the 1911. And I've found it works just as well in the 45 Colt.
4.0 gr Bullseye is a nice moderate load in both. Accurate and dependable, doesn't beat you and your gun up.
Works for me, try at you own risk.

[RyanJames170]

I see a lot of people are liking 200gr various 200gr molds, what is peoples thoughts on the Lee 452-200RF mold?

I already have 2 255gr RNFP molds I coukd mess with, no 230gr molds though, not really sure if I could just substitute a lower velocity 255gr in place of a 230gr in the 45auto

[Gtrubicon]

For me the Lee 452-200 rf is my best shooting bullet for 45acp, they feed perfectly in multiple different 45acp guns. They are also really good in my Blackhawk conversion cylinder.

[Winger Ed.]

Hmm. When you get a 6 hole Lee that casts their 200gr TCSWC,,, you'll have full coverage.

I'm not a big Lee guy, but that one is a favorite, and sure impressed me.

[Bazoo]

I really like the RCBS 45-201-SWC for 45 Automatic. I never tried it in the Colt. It was accurate and very reliable in a Springfield Armory Mil-Spec.

[gwpercle]

If you own a 1911 in 45 ACP you want the Lyman #452460 200 gr. SWC .
It can be loaded to take the X ring right out of a NRA Bullseye Match Target ...
I've won more than a few Trophies with this one ... I'm looking at them now !
and smiling
Gary

[contender1]

Due to the quality, the easy way to make different nose options, the type of mold material,, I have to say the MP-Molds and many of his designs have become my "go-to" molds. I can easily make solids, shallow HP's, deep HP's, and even Penta designs. And the brass molds heat up good, and hold heat in a manner to allow for a lot of trouble free casting.

As for actual designs,, match the bullet shape to the desired use.

[Sam Sackett]

If you are talking 45 Colt, the Lyman 454485 is a gas check clone of the 454190. Great bullet for pushing harder for hunting.

Sam Sackett

[Bigslug]

I see a lot of people are liking 200gr various 200gr molds, what is peoples thoughts on the Lee 452-200RF mold?

I already have 2 255gr RNFP molds I coukd mess with, no 230gr molds though, not really sure if I could just substitute a lower velocity 255gr in place of a 230gr in the 45auto

You gotta be careful there.

Such adventures start really cutting into your internal case volume and you need to reduce charges accordingly. The 452423 that I experimented with is supposedly a 238 grain bullet by the old literature, but in practice drops closer to 250. It had to be seated pretty deep in order to negotiate the feed ramp, and the meplat was so oversize that it stood a decent chance of setting back further on impact with the feed ramp. Whatever the cause, I had a pressure spike that ruptured a case head and caused some minor blood loss. My Dad has a blown up 1911 barrel from our 1980's experimentation with .45 Super mounted on a plaque to serve as a daily caution that the "outer edge of the envelope" is where the postage gets cancelled. So any more, I'm not really crazy on the ideal of wildly over-spec bullet weights, intense power modifications, or making revolver projectiles work in guns where the ammo must negotiate a feed ramp.

You were asking about "best" molds for the job, not, "what can I half-@ss cram in and make work?" Molds within the spec range and shape profile are cheap. Blown up guns, hands, and eyes are expensive. Take it FWIW.

[RyanJames170]

I wonder how this mold would do for both 45 ACP and 45 colt, looking at the mold it looks similar to a Lyman 454190 just shorter and lighter