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Posted: 8/28/2010 8:29:33 PM EDT
| So since I'm looking at buying a wheel gun I have also started looking at casting my own bullets mostly for the 40, 45acp and 45LC. The 40 S&W is for a SIG other two for the wheel gun and a XD45. Anyway most of these casts are going to be for the 45LC at first. Are there any dies I should stay away from? Any advice you might want to give? |
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I don't have a 45 Colt, but I do cast bullets for my 45 ACP's.
I was holding off with an answer hoping somebody with both would jump in. With 45 ACP, 230 grs RN is about the max usable weight. 45 Colt can use 300 grs +, and no need for a RN, go with a SWC. So any bullet you use for 45 ACP would make a fine light practice load in the 45 Colt. If you wanted a heavy bullet mold for the 45 Colt, it would not be ideal for the 45 ACP. Get a catalog, or a webpage that has a pic of all the bullet mold and bullet styles, and go from there. This might be what you are looking for, a link to Midway. Click on a mold to get a larger pic. |
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Quoted:
I don't have a 45 Colt, but I do cast bullets for my 45 ACP's. I was holding off with an answer hoping somebody with both would jump in. With 45 ACP, 230 grs RN is about the max usable weight. 45 Colt can use 300 grs +, and no need for a RN, go with a SWC. So any bullet you use for 45 ACP would make a fine light practice load in the 45 Colt. If you wanted a heavy bullet mold for the 45 Colt, it would not be ideal for the 45 ACP. Get a catalog, or a webpage that has a pic of all the bullet mold and bullet styles, and go from there. This might be what you are looking for, a link to Midway. Click on a mold to get a larger pic. Thanks I saw that I could use the 45acp rounds as light rounds for the 45 colt. I guess I should ask in another post about 45 colt rounds. |
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Lots of folks have been dissatisfied with the recent quality of Lyman molds(actually, the lack thereof) and the customer service. The only Lyman mold I have was bought new a few months ago. It's a 429421 4 cavity and it is out of round, undersize, and tapered. I haven't gotten around to sending it back yet.
The Lee molds seem to have problems with the sprue plate screw stripping out, and the setscrew not holding very well. Surf on over to the castboolits forum and you'll probably find way more information than you expect. 
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Quoted:
From some comments on the XD site I noticed a number of folks having problems with a SWC for the XD45. Maybe try some before you invest in a mold. the only jam I've ever had in my XD has been with a SWC, when I cast I use a lee .401 170gr tltc in my 40 and it eats them like a fat kid eats candy. I also use a lee .452 230gr tltc mould for 45acp, have used it in light loaded 45c also and it did alright, but both my 45c like .454 bullets in the 250gr+ better. ETA: with the lee moulds follow the instructions before use, clean them well with solvent, smoke the cavities with a wooden match or candle, and coat the outside of the mould and under the sprue plate on them well with bee's wax, pre heat them before casting, once you get the hang of them you won't throw many with wrinkles, but they do get hot fast and it slows you down waiting for the lead to cool/solidify before dropping the bullets, but they're cheap enough you can afford to buy a couple to rotate them when casting. |
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Join us over at the cast bullet forum
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/ Lots of good people and information. I like the Lee 6 cavity molds, they are of higher quality than the 1 or 2 cavity molds. For the 40, try the Lee 401-175 TC, my 10mm eats them up. For the 45 ACP, try the 452-230TC, my 1911's love them. I have RCBS molds for 45 Colt, but Lee should have a good bullet for you to try. The 452-230TC will work fine in 45 Colt for light to medium loads. You want something with a crimp groove for heavier loads. |
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