.45 ACP Lee Mold suggestions

[clerkofkirk]

I just got a RIA 1911 and would like to shoot it more than buying pre-cast lead bullets will allow. (I know...I'm cheap.) I took up bullet casting briefly to cast bullets for my mil-surp rifles so I have some experience and the basic equipment.

Midway has 6-cavity Lee molds on sale and I was wondering which one to get. My commercial defensive load will be 185 grain so I was wondering if I should get something close to that.

Also, any tips regarding loading these cast bullets for a 1911 would be appreciated.

Thanks!

[docone31]

Suggestion,
As you are asking what mold would be best, I am presuming you do not have much casting experience. No disrespect at all there, it is how I started.
I highly reccomend
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpag...eitemid=789762
I am not saying use that vendor or not, just that casting.
My experience with that mold,
With water quenched wheel weights, excellent performance. I use Blue Dot.
Casting, following the directions that come with the mold, great casting. I rest the mold in the melt untill the lead does not stick to the mold, then cast.
Watch the sprue, when it shrinks into the mold some and then turns grey, cut the sprue and drop into water.
I pan lube, and size .452 using the Lee Push Thru Sizing System.
My only ACP mold.
Same point of aim as ball ammo.
Easy on the firearm, no leading.
If I were starting out on my ACP, I would use this mold. Actually it is the one I started with and I use it to this day. I also use 185gn Hollow Points for carry and this casting duplicates the performance of my 185s.
I avoid the six cavity molds. Just my way. I can cast a bunch of two cavity castings with comfort and quality.
Just my 2c.
Good luck and enjoy.

[CSH]

If your RIA will feed that profile the mould docone recommended is a good one. I have a LBT with a similar profile and it shoots great. The only production Lee 6 cavity 45 ACP I have is the 228 grain RN (1R). It casts easily and feeds well in the 6 1911's that I own, and is very accurate. Another choice that will probably be recommended is the H&G 68 and clones. It drops at about 200 grains, and is probably the most accurate bullet available for the 45 ACP.

[NuJudge]

I like the Lee copy of the H&G 200 grain Semi-Wad Cutter (SWC):
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpag...eitemid=336035

Lee used to make a copy of the Lyman 452460 in 2 and 6 cavity. I get excellent results from that bullet, but Lee stopped making it. The Lyman 452460:
http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpag...eitemid=583831

If you are casting .452" bullets bullets 6 at a time, you'll need more than basic equipment. You'll need a 20 pound pot, and you may need that to cast from and another 10 pound to act as a melter. Using just one 10 pound pot will suck it dry very quickly.

If you are casting bullets in quantity, get some of the BullPlate sprue plate lube available in the Swapping & Selling section near the bottom of the list of pages. Use very small amounts. If you don't use some sort of lube on the top of the mold blocks/bottom of the sprue plate, you will get a form of adhesive wear called galling.

Decide how much you are willing to spend to lube and perhaps size your bullets. Are you shooting these indoors or out? If you are shooting indoors in the .45 acp and use my favorite lube (NRA formula 50% Beeswax/50% Alox 2138F) through a lubricator/sizer, you'll get a lot of smoke. The Lee "Tumble Lube" system works and gives a lot less smoke, and has low capital investment, but the lube builds up in your Seating Die, and cleaning the Seating Die will lose adjustment, except if you use a Dillon Seating Die. There are other lubes which create less smoke, but they tend to be ones that require a heated lubricator/sizer. Really, with .45acp, just about any lube ought to prevent Leading, but it has to give accuracy too.

When I cast in quantity, I drop the bullets from the mold into a 5-gallon bucket of water, if only for material handling purposes. Drop them from the mold into an old towel, and the towel gets full, and they start dinging each other.

[putteral]

I agree with docone31 it is a great bullet for shooting paper. Makes neat round holes and the 200gr RNFP feeds wonderfully in both my .45'S. I also use the double cavity and after a few castings I can produce 400 boolits in about 2hrs or less. I just use my coleman stove and casr iron pot. I like 4.6 grs of titegroup or 5.2 grs of HP 38 with the 200 gr .45

[azrednek]

I agree with docone31's choice. It is what I use as a plinking round for both my 45ACP autos and revolvers. I shoot them un-sized and tumble lubed. Not 100% reliable but fine for the range. If I take the time to size them and remove the exposed excess lube from a finished round. I can't recall having a hang-up in an auto.

[clerkofkirk]

Thanks for the info! That was fast. I checked and I only have a 10# pot (Lee Production Pot IV). So I'll go with the mold docone31 recommended. I will get a Lee Lube and Size kit http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpag...eitemid=116429 since that is what I have used before. Do I need anything else? I have a Lee 3-die set. Do I need any kind of crimp die for the ACP?

[Willbird]

Your Lee 3 die set has a factory crimp die according to Lee, so your good to go.

Bill

[docone31]

I do not use the crimp die. I got leading the last time I used it. I have not had an issue not useing it.
Pan Lubeing is simple once you get used to it.
The important issue is to get the castings, and lube up to the same point and let them cool slowly. Then push them nose first through the cake.
I set a sheet of wax paper in the pan, then heat the castings, then pour in the lube. I then size at .452.
BadaBing BadaBoom.

[Cloudpeak]

I had some FTF problems with both designs (TL and conventional) of the 200 gr SWC bullets out of the Lee 6 cavity mold in both of my Springfield 1911's. They were very accurate, though. They aren't an accurate copy of the H&G 68, IMO. If you buy a Lee mold, I'd recommend the 6 cavity. You'll want Bull Shop sprue plate lube for sure with aluminum molds.

If you're in shooting 45's for the long haul and going to be shooting a lot, I'd recommend the Lyman 4 cavity, either 452260 or 452630 (which is what I have: http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpag...788&t=11082005 ) The initial cost is more but they will last forever and aren't as delicate as the Lee molds. I've had zero FTF over several thousand rounds with this bullet. I size .452" with a Lee push through sizer and lube with LLA. If you decide to sell the mold, I think the Lyman will hold it's value. On the other hand, the 6 cavity Lee's are reasonably priced and will pay for themselves quickly.

I have two Lee 6 cavity 9mm molds and have cast thousands of bullets through them. Both molds have quite a bit of "wear" on them. In my experience, there's often differences in bullet diameter with the 6 cavitity Lee molds. But, that's why we size. Life got so much easier when I bought the sprue plate lube.

Cloudpeak

[Ricochet]

If you're planning to use 200 grain bullets, it seems sensible to stay with that. Personally I have good results with the 230 grain truncated cone tumble lube boolit. I like the six hole moulds, you can make lots of boolits fast!

[Bloodman14]

I love Lee's 6-cav .45 230 gr. mold. I tend to stick with "as issued" bullet weights. 4.5 gr.s of Tite-group in my RIA .45, and I'm nailing 8" X 8" steel plates at 50 ft.
Gunnerd

Lead Forever!

[35remington]

Let me point out something that's very relevant to a 1911 shooter.

It was designed to run, orginally, with a 230 grain roundnose with a 2 radius ogive.

Several of the suggested bullets above, especially the 200 grain weights, produce a nonstandard bullet that results in a much shorter than standard overall length. These were intended to function in revolvers for cowboy action shooters, not in the 1911.

These may shoot and feed fine. However, then again, they may not.

If you're looking for a bullet to feed, choose a bullet that is most similar to what the gun was designed to feed.

If I had to make a bet, the 1911 you own will be much more likely to shoot with a Lyman 452374 (230 RN, 2 radius) or a Lee 230 - 2R than many of the other suggested designs, which really aren't 1911 bullets.

A thorough discussion would take up too much room, but the 1911 was designed to run better with cartridges in its preferred range as to length. Too many of the suggested designs here get away from that, and may require tweaking and nonstandard magazines to get them to shoot. Nonstandard magazines are in and of themselves a reliability compromise; a double whammy you don't need.

Best advice? Shoot the bullet the gun was designed to run with and play the best odds.

Not to pick on anyone specifically; I'm just going with a design more likely to feed in an untuned 1911, which the OP has.

[sundog]

35Rem, you may be correct, but everything I have ever seen said the 45acp was originally a 200 grain load.

[hedgehorn]

I like the Lyman 452460 as well as the Lee 230 grain truncated cone mold. Both feed well in my Kimber.

[35remington]

Sundog, no argument there (1905 was the 45 ACP's introduction with the 200 grain) but I'm speaking of what the 1911 was designed to use; the military wanted a heavier 230 bullet, and the 1911 was designed to accomodate it well after the cartridge's introduction.

That would be the 230 roundnose rather than the 200 in the 1911, which is the gun the original poster's using. The 230 later became standard because that's what the gun firing it was designed to use.

We got all these various shaped magazines with varied release points and varied shapes when the bullseye shooters wanted to shoot 185 SWC's and tried to make the gun and magazine fit the bullet rather than the other way around.

Complaints about reliability have occurred ever since. 20 different manufacturers producing parts with widely varying specifications hasn't helped either.

[windrider919]

If you look at the FPS and energy of the various 45 cal loads the 185gr seems to be a good choice. However, browse the various sites on TERMINAL ballistics and it is a different story. You might find that the FBI penetration studies showed that the 185 weight bullets had erratic performance and something as simple as a leather coat could cause bullet failure. IE: no penetration and little or no expansion which would not even minimally impair an assailant. Other tests on auto glass or the thin sheetmetal doors caused failure to perform. None of us want a bullet to go through several walls and possibly hit an innocent person but there are scenarios where we might have to shoot through a door jam or piece of furniture. The 200 gr bullets do much better in performance and usually have better accuracy. Personally, all my 45s have feed better with 200s, while the 185s always had a jam at random in 300 or 400 rounds. Pretty low odds but what if it happens in a real defense situation? So I shoot 200gr cast for practice and carry 200gr jacketed for defense. I load my cast bullets medium hot to more closely simulate the recoil and blast of the defense loads.

[Willbird]

Let me point out something that's very relevant to a 1911 shooter.

It was designed to run, orginally, with a 230 grain roundnose with a 2 radius ogive.

Several of the suggested bullets above, especially the 200 grain weights, produce a nonstandard bullet that results in a much shorter than standard overall length. These were intended to function in revolvers for cowboy action shooters, not in the 1911.

These may shoot and feed fine. However, then again, they may not.

If you're looking for a bullet to feed, choose a bullet that is most similar to what the gun was designed to feed.

If I had to make a bet, the 1911 you own will be much more likely to shoot with a Lyman 452374 (230 RN, 2 radius) or a Lee 230 - 2R than many of the other suggested designs, which really aren't 1911 bullets.

A thorough discussion would take up too much room, but the 1911 was designed to run better with cartridges in its preferred range as to length. Too many of the suggested designs here get away from that, and may require tweaking and nonstandard magazines to get them to shoot. Nonstandard magazines are in and of themselves a reliability compromise; a double whammy you don't need.

Best advice? Shoot the bullet the gun was designed to run with and play the best odds.

Not to pick on anyone specifically; I'm just going with a design more likely to feed in an untuned 1911, which the OP has.

The Lee 200Rf seems to be a 230 RN with the end lopped off, I left my bullet seating die exactly the same today between the 200rf and the 230 round nose and it worked out quite well. How the bullet contacts the feed ramp is more important than the OAL. Most modern 1911 are made to run all kinds of different bullet shapes, it has been a long long time since out of the box 1911 were throated strictly for hardball

Bill

[kingstrider]

I really like the Lee 230 grain RN but the 230 grain TC is another good choice. I'd recommend buying the 6-cavity mold of whatever design you settle on. They are better built and you can crank them out faster than the 2-cavity designs.

[Willbird]

I really like the Lee 230 grain RN but the 230 grain TC is another good choice. I'd recommend buying the 6-cavity mold of whatever design you settle on. They are better built and you can crank them out faster than the 2-cavity designs.

I agree, and you can even crank them out a lot faster with a 10lb pot . If your using air cooled bullets you can lube size while the pot melts another batch ...or premelt with another method.