I cast my first boolits yesterday.

[Animal]

Down South/BNE- Thanks. I'm going to try making up a couple of dummy rounds when I get home tonight.

[Animal]

Waco, thanks for posting the pic. It's a good reference for knowing what they should look like

[Animal]

Now, before I start fooling with my air cooled boolits I'd like to ask another question. A few of you mentioned that sizing may not be necessary. I was under the impression that sizing them all would provide more consistency with accuracy?

If not, I may just pan lube them the way they are because I'd hate to put LLA on those nice looking boolits.

[CJR]

Animal,

A couple of suggestions. Buy a loaded cartridge gauge, sold by Dillon or Wilson, to measure the loaded rounds before shooting them. If your unsized diameter is too large or you have a split neck the gauge will tell you. It's much better to eliminate problem loads before they jam up your piece. Also, I turn my flaring stem diameter down so that it just enters a sized 45ACP case up to the stem's flaring diameter. Then when I seat the CB and taper crimp it,the CB is very tightly held and will not be shoved deeper (i.e. raises pressures) in the case during the chambering process in a 1911. Finally, you're going to like the RIA because they go bang every time.

Best regards,

CJR

[Garyshome]

Congrads!!!! Way to go!!! Time to get some really cheap ammo together!

[Foto Joe]

Sizing will make your boolits perfectly "round" which sounds like something you would want right? Round is actually very good but keep in mind that you're not shooting 300-1,000 yard targets with these things. A slightly out of round boolit isn't going to make or break you at 15-25 yards. Two doses of LLA, one before and one after sizing will put a pretty substantial coating on the nose of the boolit which in turn comes into direct contact with non-moving parts during chambering causing the LLA to rub off then get heated by combustion byproducts, i.e. "It makes goo."

I first started out sizing that exact same boolit through a Lee sizing die. My first change was to start using 45-45-10 which cut down on the "goo" in the gun quite a bit. The second change was to stop sizing altogether and it made little if any difference in accuracy. The third change was to use my Cabela's points to by a Lyman 4500 Lube Sizer and start using NRA 50/50 lube.

The LLA or 45-45-10 will work quite well for what it was intended, more so the 45-45-10. I personally wouldn't take the time nor aggravation to pan lube those boolits in lieu of LLA or 45-45-10. Worst case you can wipe the LLA off the nose with paint thinner or mineral spirits before you box 'em up.

[Recluse]

Now, before I start fooling with my air cooled boolits I'd like to ask another question. A few of you mentioned that sizing may not be necessary. I was under the impression that sizing them all would provide more consistency with accuracy?

If not, I may just pan lube them the way they are because I'd hate to put LLA on those nice looking boolits.

Welcome to the world of pouring and rolling your own.

As far as shiny versus non-shiny, makes no difference. When you watch quench, often times the heat of the alloy causes the minerals in the water to adhere to the surface of the boolit.

Secondly, water-quenching for .45 anything is totally unnecessary, and can even cause you some undesirable results if the boolit ends up too hard. I'd recommend simply going air-cooled and be happy.

I size every single boolit I cast and I do it so as to ensure consistency of diameter and that they are all concentric (round). If you choose to tumble-lube, the best formula is to "lube, size, lube, load, shoot." You can tumble-lube .45 ACP all day long with excellent results. If you choose to use Lee Liquid Alox, you're going to use way too much your first few times at it. Everyone does, so just be prepared.

The aesthetics of the boolit are for our benefit and ours alone. An ugly boolit shoots just as accurate and true as a beauty pageant winner. Lube is messy, no matter if you pan lube, tumble-lube, or use a lubesizer. The pictures you see of pretty boolits with neat little lube rings filled all nice a beautiful are more often than not the result of someone shining and prepping the boolit for a photograph. Have done it myself on many an occasion for the purposes of photography, but not for actual shooting.

Expand your case (belling the mouth) just enough to seat the boolit without shaving any lead. Do not use a FCD (Factory Crimp Die) with that boolit. Combined with water-dropping and the swaging that the FCD does, you will get leading in all likelihood.

And finally, with that boolit, be VERY careful with your OAL as it is critical to the case pressures that will be generated. 35 Remington knows this boolit and the 45 ACP forwards backwards and all points in between. A quick PM to him would be advised if you are still relatively new to reloading and are going to use this boolit for your 45. It's a very good boolit, but I remember 35 Remington pointing out a few things that are an absolute necessity for safe loading of this boolit.

Good luck, have fun, be safe and welcome to the world of self-sufficiency. Feels good, don't it?

[Pitchnit]

Welcome, This is a great hobby. I started just a couple years ago casting for a 45 just like you. Don't use the Lee factory crimp die. Seat and crimp in separate stages and COOPER Chore boy may be your friend until you get things dialed in. Lots of fun things to learn. Good luck and have fun. Regards

[Sweetpea]

I can't quite tell from the pictures, is there a nice flat base on these, or that goofy little bevel?

I might have to get one if it is flat.

Brandon

[Animal]

I can't quite tell from the pictures, is there a nice flat base on these, or that goofy little bevel?

I might have to get one if it is flat.

Brandon

Yes, they are quiet flat.

[Animal]

Recluse- Thanks for the heads-up on the seating depth. I will PM 35 Remington. As for the FCD, I purchased one recently and removed the sizing ring at the base of the die; I just wanted a die that that would taper without sizing so I wouldn't have to constantly adjust dies (i assume this is exceptable?).

I just got finished playing with the seating depth on a few dummy rounds. Reloading for this 1911 reminds me of how good I had it with my revolvers. It's a whole different world when trying to seat a boolit to the correct depth without being able to see what it looks like in a revolvers chamber.

Foto Joe, proper lube will probably be a whole new endeavor of it's own. I've only used 60/40 beeswax/Vaseline when not using LLA. How do you figure it will hold up in a low pressure 45? It did very well in my mild .357 loads.

[Down South]

Recluse- Thanks for the heads-up on the seating depth. I will PM 35 Remington. As for the FCD, I purchased one recently and removed the sizing ring at the base of the die; I just wanted a die that that would taper without sizing so I wouldn't have to constantly adjust dies (i assume this is exceptable?).

If you knocked out the sizing ring on the FCD, you will not have any problems with the die swaging the boolit.

I just got finished playing with the seating depth on a few dummy rounds. Reloading for this 1911 reminds me of how good I had it with my revolvers. It's a whole different world when trying to seat a boolit to the correct depth without being able to see what it looks like in a revolvers chamber.

I do what we call a "Plunk Test" to help determine the seating depth on any pistol. That's where you have the barrel out of the pistol, drop the Boolit in the chamber and see if it fits. If it fits, the case mouth will rest at the bottom of the chamber and the Boolit will not be touching the rifling."Hope this makes sense" If not, someone with better sense than me can explain it.
I like to start with a long OAL to start the test, one that I know will be to long and work from there until the Boolit chambers by itself. Then I like to shorten the OAL another .010-.020". Then you can check to see if the Boolits fit your mags. You can also check OAL against your reloading manual OAL recommendations.

[Animal]

Down South, that is basically what I tried. I had some pretty good progress, but nothing I want to say for sure until I have more time to tinker with it.

[Animal]

For the hotplate proponents.... I think I'm going to try and pick up a large brake rotor and use it as a hot plate. I'll lay it over the turkey fryer and set my RCBS pot in the middle. This should be enough to work as a hot plate for my boolit mold and give me a convenient spot to set my ladle down.

I already heated, welded and rigged up a sturdy bracket for my thermometer... why stop there?

[Foto Joe]

If the 60/40 beeswax/vaseline combination was working for you in 357 I don't really see why it wouldn't in the 45 but I don't have any experience with it. From your previous post I'd assume that you'd be pan lubing with it though. If that's the case, stick with the LLA or 45-45-10 for convenience, both work very well in my opinion.

I know that there are folks out there who don't care for the Lee FCD but I do use one in 45ACP and it still has the ring in it. I was recently setting up dummy rounds for a new 200gr SWC in 452 and pulled a dozen or so boolits when I was done fitting and measured them. Low and behold they were all still .452 just like they came out of the Lube Sizer.

[Down South]

Not all FCD's are not created equal so to speak. From what "I've Heard" the sizing ring can vary in size from die to die in the same caliber. My opinion from the experience that I have is buy a good crimp die to start with and don't bother with FCD's. But if you have one, try a few dummy loads and pull them. If the die doesn't swage the Boolit down, leave well enough alone.
Another note, Some brands of brass are thicker than others. This can make a difference between a Boolit being swaged in an FCD or not as well.

[JSnover]

I made a lid for my Lee 4-20. It keeps the temp a little more stable and gives me a place to warm my ingots. If I need to keep another mold ready to go, I have a Lee Precision Melter on the bench. A single or double cavity mold fits in there well enough.

[Tn Jim]

Sounds like I dodged a boolit then. I've been using a FCD for my 45acp without a hiccup for over 5 years. My 45 is a Springfield and is more accurate with my cb loads than I can shoot it.

[waco]

A look at a loaded PC round

Attachment 91875

[Animal]

A look at a loaded PC round

Attachment 91875

PCing huh? I'm still trying to wrap my head around casting my own boolits. I'll be in touch with you on this subject at some point.