Casting for .45 Colt

[MEHavey]

Here is the traditional mould for 45 Colt; and the one I have found most accurate/feeding reliable in a leveraction:
http://www.lymanproducts.com/lyman/bullet-casting/mould-details.php?entryID=31

The other candidate of similar design (and better for the crimp groove) is:
http://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_detail.php?bullet=45-250Y-D.png

Cast NO HARDER than Lyman #2. In fact wheelweight (BHN~10) is ideal.

 

[styles]

Cases provides structure, transport, and sealing of the chamber they are not magical.

 

[BigBore45]

The 45 colt cases are not designed to handle the high pressure. If you want to run a high pressure round you need to move to the 44 magnum or the 454 casull.
Use the handgun data for developing your loads, what will be happening is due to the lack of the cylinder gap and the longer barrel the velocity from your rifle will be about 150 fps faster using unique and similar powders and 250 fps +- when using bludot,2400 , and as much as 300 fps when using H110, 4198 etc.
But at most you'll only be able to safely get a 250 gr bullet to 1600 fps.. and more loads will run 12-1300.

I call bs on this statement. Um.. How was the .454 casull invented???..... By using the .45 colt in custom 5 shot revolvers, an the .45 colt cases continued to take 50k psi without fail. This weaker brass or case or W/E you call it comes from balloon head cases, not new modern cases. Cut one apart and look at it. Way more brass there then on other high pressure pistol rounds.

Also in the right guns that can take the ruger loads, the 45 colt matches the 44 mag up to 260 grain bullets and out performs it with heavier bullets. All this being done at a lower pressure than the .44 mag. So really if you want power, drop the 44 mag for a 45 colt in a blackhawk or 92'-94' lever gun.

 

[Don McDowell]

Well actually they started the 454 with some triplex loads in 45 colt brass and that sorta worked and sorta didn't. Then they went to using modified 30-40 and sometimes 303 brass.
When they finally got thing figured out and began to offer the 454 commercially, Federal was contracted to make the 454 brass.
But be all that as it may, as I've said before 50 years or loading and shooting the 45 has shown that the constant pounding of the high pressure rounds can be hard on brass, and really doesn't accomplish a whole bunch.
Want to shoot high pressure rounds best to do it with a gun and brass that were designed to take the punishment.
So there ya go , your bs flag is right where you left it.

 

[BigBore45]

Sort of worked and sorta didn't? Lol that's not how it is said by the history of it. It is stated the 45 colt federal brass back in the Taffen- Leninbaugh days were taking 50k loads. That's why when the time came to make a new round/case they went to Federal. Mostly to assure not to let the 454 fit in a 45 colt chamber and second to use small rifle primers to ignite the slow burning powder. I have not had a case let go with heavy loads any sooner than with light loads. Most neck splits at 8-12 loads depending on case brand. My Win 94 has a loose chamber and they sometimes crack the cases length wise but equally with light SAA loads or hot loads. There is a quote a few posts earlier from starline brass that states their 45 colt brass can take 44 mag pressure, but to match the performance of the 44 mag the 45 colt with the same weight bullet at the same velocity runs a lower pressure than the 44 mag.

You can only expand brass as far as the chamber allows, If you go to far they do not extract normally. Who loads that high? If you are truly destroying brass faster at ruger loads either your chambers are over sized or you are not loading correctly and causing hard extraction. That is a typical sign of high pressure, back the load down for that gun(s).

 

[Don McDowell]

Dick Casull and others were developing the 454 casull years before anybody had ever heard of Taffen/Linebaugh. Federal built the brass specifically for the Casull at his request.
I am very glad you haven't had a case let go..
Now at this point I think it fair to say we're going to agree to have differing opinions on the matter, and that's fine by me.
Have a good day.

 

[BigBore45]

I agree I ment to type Richard "Dick" Casull and Elmer Keith. But if you read their writings about the development of the 454 casull the weak part was the cylinders of six guns not the cases used (.45 colt).

But when they realized he could not reach his goal of 250 gr at 2k fps he decided to develop the new cartridge with the new custom gun. Although is is quoted they built a few oversized 5 shot cylinders in 45 colt before development of the .454 casull. Without a case\ brass problem even at the casull pressure level. They started having primer problems with both reliable ignition and flowing\ cratering \ firing pin hole flow. Not case problems.

Last post, we will agree to disagree