New 45 Caliber Bullet Mold

[Warren Sear]

I bought a 45 caliber 232 grain hollow point bullet mold in early January. I wanted it make bullets for loading 45 Colt ammo, but it works perfectly in 45 ACP also!

The mold is made by NOE. This is the third mold I have purchased from them, and I have been very happy with all of them.

I casted a bunch of bullets from pure lead, then sized and lubed them.

 

[Warren Sear]

My load for this bullet in .45 ACP is 5.0 grains of Bullseye. Its velocity is 855 fps.

My load for this bullet in 45 Colt is 8.6 grains of Unique. Its velocity is 865 fps. This is not a maximum load, and I might try increasing it.

 

[Warren Sear]

I test fired three of the 45 ACP bullets from my Colt Government Model into old telephone books that had been soaked overnight in water.

I am really impressed with how well the bullets expanded. I did not know if they would expand at all from 45 ACP ammo. My backstop was about 11" thick; 2 of the bullets penetrated completely, but the one bullet stopped about 1/2" short, and I was able to recover it. After firing, it weighed 229 grains; it hardly lost any weight at all. The bullet had expanded to .83".

 

[Bakebfr480]

Pure lead is king of soft isn't it? I use pure lead for muzzleloaders only.

 

[daniel lawecki]

What kind of lube and did they lead the barrel?

 

[Warren Sear]

Yes, pure lead is very soft. It is also very maleable, and that is why I use it for hollow point bullets in .38 Special, .357 Magnum, and now in 45 ACP and Colt.

I use my own formula for bullet lube, which I have posted here before. It is a mixture of about 60% bees wax and 40% petroleum jelly (Vaseline) and a very small amount of STP, which is the old Saeco Green bullet lube formula if you add a little green color (a crayon works well for this, but I don't bother with that). I will re-post how I make it if anyone is interested.

No, I don't get any leading, even though the bullets are soft. I size them at .452" (which is the largest size that will still allow the loaded cartridge to chamber easily; I don't care about the bore size . My bullet lube is also very soft (even somewhat sticky), but it does an excellent job of keeping the bore lubed.

I do occasionally get leading with harder bullets and hard commercial bullet lube, but the old trick of a few strands of copper Chore Boy wrapped around an old bore brush cleans it right out. I have a Lewis lead remover, but never use it. The Chore Boy method is much quicker and easier.

 

[Warren Sear]

Here are pictures of .38/.357 caliber bullets I cast. The semi-wad cutters are cast from wheel weights, and the hollow points are cast from pure lead.

Here is also a picture of both bullets as-cast...

 

[Warren Sear]

Here is a comparison photo of both bullets sized, lubed (with my lube) and ready to load...

 

[Warren Sear]

Loaded ammo!

Left to right; .357 Magnum with semi-wad cutter, .357 Magnum with hollow point, and .38 Special with hollow point bullets.

I should have mentioned, both bullets weigh about 160 grains and are cast from Lyman molds. The SWC plain base is #357446 and the HP gas check is #358156.

Using these bullets, my .357 Magnum load FOR N FRAMES ONLY is 15.0 grains of 2400. For K frame guns I use 13.0 grains. I use Unique in my heavy .38 Special loads. I get little or no leading. These loads are maximum and might not be safe in your particular gun, and I provide them here for academic purposes only.

 

[daniel lawecki]

Yes softer bullets obturate to bore diameter forming a better seal. The gas from firing don't blow by and the softer lube gets a chance to work. I've dug commercial bullets with hard lube out of berm lube still in grooves. And they were shoot at or near magnum charge. Get job casting and bullet lube info.

 

[P.44]

Here is out a whole book about bullet casting
From Ingot to Target: A Cast Bullet Guide For Handgunners, Table of Contents - Fryxell/Applegate

P.44

 

[Capt. F.]

Yeow, that’s one gaping hole in the end of those things.
Tried ‘em for expansion yet?

 

[loc n load]

Nice job. I have the same Noe and Lyman molds, those bullets will serve you well. All of your bullets look great. I own a bunch of NOE molds, they are works of metal working art. Been casting on and off all winter, have about 20 coffee cans of bullets from 357 to 50 cal sitting under one of my benches. Will endeavor to deplete that supply in upcoming months. Enjoy your new cast bullets.

 

[Warren Sear]

Yeow, that’s one gaping hole in the end of those things.
Tried ‘em for expansion yet?

Yes; see post #3.

Of course, that was only on wet newspaper, and not necessarily what would happen in real life, but I think it does provide some insight on how they would perform.

 

[Warren Sear]

Here is how I make my bullet lube:

I use my own bullet lube made from the same recipe as Saeco Green, which is the best there is IMHO. Use 1 pound of beeswax, 1/2 pound (more or less) of Vaseline and a few ounces of STP oil treatment. The percent of beeswax/Vaseline/STP can be varied for harder or softer lube, but softer lube really stops the leading in my experience.

I melt the beeswax, Vaseline, and STP in an old (but cleaned, and with the rim removed with a can opener) paint can placed in a sauce pan partially filled with water. Test a small sample by putting a few drops into cold water to see if it has the desired consistency. If too hard, add more STP until the lube is as soft as you want it.

After making a batch, I let the lube harden in the paint can. When I want to add it to my lube/sizer, I just melt the lube by again heating the can in a sauce pan partially filled with water, and then pour the melted lube into the lube/sizer.

This lube works well in all handguns (including full power magnums) with virtually NO leading.

I edited the post to add a picture of the modified paint bucket I used for melting the lube. Note the pouring spout I formed into the lip. For storage I just put it in a plastic bag to keep out the dust.

 

[Warren Sear]

Here is out a whole book about bullet casting
From Ingot to Target: A Cast Bullet Guide For Handgunners, Table of Contents - Fryxell/Applegate

P.44

P.44, that is an EXCELLENT link!!! Thank you for posting it!

 

[moosedog]

I like that huge hollow point. Thanks for posting, I have been meaning to try one of there molds which I often hear about by my muzzle loading friends.

 

[Warren Sear]

Moosedog, the mold came with three sets of pins, so you can make small hollowpoint for high velocity calibers, large hollowpoint (which I used), or no hollowpoint (SWC). I can't say enough good about this bullet mold.

I bought it for use in my Model 625 "Mountain Gun" in 45 Colt caliber, and was later pleasantly surprised to discover that the bullets functioned 100% reliably in my 45 auto, let alone have the kind of bullet performance I got.

 

[daniel lawecki]

I only shoot cast in my revolvers and auto loaders. I'm going to try your lube as it's just simple. Thank you and great job again.

 

[mikld]

What is the actual weight with (near) pure lead? 232 gr?