Favorite.45 Colt bullet to be used interchangeably

[Scott Tschirhart]

With the carbine and a sixgun?

As much as I like the RCBS .45 SAA bullet, I have found that it’s a hair too long to feed through a 1873 style levergun. I really don’t want to have anything on the shelf that doesn’t feed or work in one or two particular guns. So I’m willing to compromise…..if I have to.

This bullet is awful close to the RCBS bullet but is just short enough to feed easily through my Winchester 66 and 73 carbines.

[Scott Tschirhart]

The other bullet that I load is the Hornady .454 diameter swaged 255 gr Cowboy bullet.

It doesn’t look like much but I can push it with 8 gr of Unique (certainly not a weak cowboy action load) and it shoots cleanly and accurately in sixguns and leverguns.

[Grizz]

The other bullet that I load is the Hornady .454 diameter swaged 255 gr Cowboy bullet.

It doesn’t look like much but I can push it with 8 gr of Unique (certainly not a weak cowboy action load) and it shoots cleanly and accurately in sixguns and leverguns.

That's about as good a load as it gets for versatility . . .

The 255 Gr hard cast in 45 ACP Super has amazing penetration, it's the one I am focusing on this year. But I don't have a long gun I can shoot it in.

45_255Gr 45 AC; V 44 Spcl.jpg

Long ago I had that Keith bullet loaded in a 4" Smith 357, and had a couple of them glance over a deer scull before I realized I was too close. I never determined if it had anything to do with the bullet shape, but I started using TC bullets in my 45/70s because they feed better in my rifles... and use them in the 44 mag, so I am still stuck with several different loads...

[Scott Tschirhart]

Long ago I had that Keith bullet loaded in a 4" Smith 357, and had a couple of them glance over a deer scull before I realized I was too close.

Too close? Can you elaborate?

[jeepnik]

Many years ago there was a fellow who started a retirement business casting bullets. He had a pretty good selection of off the shelf stuff. But, he could tailor the hardness of any of those designs to your liking. I actually started buying from him because the quality was there and working and raising kids didn’t leave a whole lot of spare time.

Sadly after a couple of years he died suddenly. His wife tried to sell the business but had no takers. In the end she just sold everything off.

She contacted her husband’s customers and let them know first. Now most of his equipment was overkill for a hobbyist but I did buy over 5000 unlubed & unsized bullets. I still have some of those floating around.

I also picked up a couple of his small custom molds. One in particular is a Kieth style that runs about 240 gr with my usual alloy.

Amazingly it’s pretty accurate in both my .45 acp and .45 colt guns (short and long) when sized appropriately to that particular firearm.

I’ve never found another bullet that will do that. Now I’d love to give you the info on it , but I’m pretty sure he made the mold himself. So my suggestion is to look at Keith style. Maybe (gasp) but a few and experiment until you find one thst feeds and is accurate in your guns.

[Sarge]

The Lee 452-255-RF is my favorite all around 45 Colt bullet.

[Twodot]

Many years ago there was a fellow who started a retirement business casting bullets. He had a pretty good selection of off the shelf stuff. But, he could tailor the hardness of any of those designs to your liking. I actually started buying from him because the quality was there and working and raising kids didn’t leave a whole lot of spare time.
Sadly after a couple of years he died suddenly. His wife tried to sell the business but had no takers. In the end she just sold everything off.
She contacted her husband’s customers and let them know first. Now most of his equipment was overkill for a hobbyist but I did buy over 5000 unlubed & unsized bullets. I still have some of those floating around.

I also picked up a couple of his small custom molds. One in particular is a Kieth style that runs about 240 gr with my usual alloy.

Amazingly it’s pretty accurate in both my .45 acp and .45 colt guns (short and long) when sized appropriately to that particular firearm.

I’ve never found another bullet that will do that. Now I’d love to give you the info on it , but I’m pretty sure he made the mold himself. So my suggestion is to look at Keith style. Maybe (gasp) but a few and experiment until you find one thst feeds and is accurate in your guns.

I'll bet that Tom at Accurate Molds could duplicate that bullet mould if he had the measurements.
..

[Scott Tschirhart]

I’m afraid the only .45 ACP I’ve loaded in years has been with a 200 gr H&G 68.

You can push that bullet hard like Jeff Cooper suggested and you can easily kill deer or hogs with it.

I just like a sixgun better these days.

[Grizz]

deleted

[Grizz]

Long ago I had that Keith bullet loaded in a 4" Smith 357, and had a couple of them glance over a deer scull before I realized I was too close.

Too close? Can you elaborate?

I never knew the actual range to a deer, I knew about where the pistol naturally shot to, distance and elevation-wise. But twice when I was less than 10 feet from an animal and trying to make the head shot I forgot to hold Under. One time the 357 with Keiths made a grazing wound through the skin on the skull, and one time, from about 5 feet with the 44, the first shot was a clean miss. The second shot I held under the jaw and made the brain shot.



lots of data points that day

[Scott Tschirhart]

Thanks Grizz! That makes sense.

[Griff]

After the Speer "Flying Ashtray" my favorite 45 bullets are the Lee .452-200RF and .452=250RF. In their 6-gang molds they'll produce a lot of bullets quickly. They have the same nose length & profile; and feed like butter thru both my '73s,1860, 1892 and are equally at home in my SAs. A very similar bullet is available commercially from several suppliers. I favor a 200 grain coated bullet from Missouri Bullet Co, also available as a 250. I've also used the Badman Bullet version of the same bullet. I load all my 45 Colts to a, OAL of 1.577".

[COSteve]

In 255grn bullets, I prefer the X-treme 255grn FP plated as it feeds in both my SAA and both my leverguns smooth as silk and doesn't lead up the barrels whereas the 255grn Keith style lead isn't as smooth feeding in my leverguns and being plain lead, I have to deal with lead deposits.

That said, I got a wild hair a few years back and took out a box of my 200grn plated bullets I got for my 1911 and loaded them up for my leverguns for just plinking and general shooting. Turns out they work very well even out to 200yds, especially in my 24" '73 where I've clocked them as high as 1,320fps with a full load of Unique.

[Walt]

Scott, I don't know if bullets from Lyman molds are generally available from custom casting businesses or if you cast your own but my best answer to your question is that I've found that the Lyman 452664 has almost the same size meplat as the 270SAA, has a very generous grease groove, weighs in at 250 grains and functions through my .45 Colt lever actions and revolvers smoothly. Accuracy is excellent; also, in my molds the diameter as cast is large enough that they can be sized to .454" for use in Colts. The RCBS 270SAA is on the right.

[Bill in Oregon]

Another vote for the Lee 255. But I had that RCBS 270 Keith and it was a daisy as well. Just never tried to feed it through a lever gun.

[Scott Tschirhart]

Scott, I don't know if bullets from Lyman molds are generally available from custom casting businesses or if you cast your own but my best answer to your question is that I've found that the Lyman 452664 has almost the same size meplat as the 270SAA, has a very generous grease groove, weighs in at 250 grains and functions through my .45 Colt lever actions and revolvers smoothly. Accuracy is excellent; also, in my molds the diameter as cast is large enough that they can be sized to .454" for use in Colts. The RCBS 270SAA is on the right.

Thanks Walt! That may be the ticket for casting my own. I definitely need something that can be sized to .454

[ollogger]

I also like the Lee 255 gr. I cast around 5000 bullets with that mold but then it started casting out of round
bullets, no complaint on that kind of sevice for 1 mold! i changed things a bit & went with a Lee 300 gr. gc &
a Lyman 293 gr. 457 191, the Lyman is sized to 454 & works very well in the 454 Alaskan or the Henry 45 Colt
for way out there shooting


Brad

[Walt]

I like using the Lee Factory Crimp Die on most of my pistol calibers but found that it does not work for .45 Colt bullets sized to .454 because the collet is made to crimp no more than .452 diameter. Since I prefer seating and crimping as separate operations, I ordered a new, additional seating/crimping die from RCBS which effectively crimps the cases around the larger bullets.

[Walt]

Scott, you may be aware that Accurate Molds will make up almost any design of bullet mold you want and in whatever dimension you request. Their promise is that the bullets that come out of their molds will be no smaller than your specifications but may be up to .002 larger....they ask you to detail the type of lead you'll be using in order to produce exactly the bullets you want.

I especially appreciate their aluminum mold blocks. Steel 4 cavity molds have just gotten too heavy for extended casting sessions.

[Scott Tschirhart]

I may have found what Im looking for.

Rim Rock 270 SWC sized to .454 and with a huge nose.

But it shoots well at 8 gr Unique and fills the chamers.

[Scott Tschirhart]

And it is just short enough that it feeds well in my 73 Winchester

[Bill in Oregon]

Sure can't argue with those results, Scott.

[piller]

I think you are all going to get me in serious trouble with the finance department. I do not have a .45 Colt carbine. The finance department is probably going to hurt me if I fix the situation. She was better with an M16 than I was.

[Scott Tschirhart]

Sure blasts big holes in cactus.

[samsi]

So it looks like a sort of fattened-up 454423? Interesting. How's the longer range stability?

Also, you'd better hope there's not some kind of militant cactus aficionado group out there. (I say that in jest, but things are so wacky these days it wouldn't surprise me if such a thing actually exists at this point).

[Scott Tschirhart]

So it looks like a sort of fattened-up 454423? Interesting. How's the longer range stability?

I don’t really know. But out to 50 yards it seems to do well

[GunnyMack]

Also, you'd better hope there's not some kind of militant cactus aficionado group out there. (I say that in jest, but things are so wacky these days it wouldn't surprise me if such a thing actually exists at this point).

That cactus was about to charge and it was shot in self defense!

That is an interesting bullet- I like it!

[Scott Tschirhart]

If anyone is a bleeding heart about prickly pear cactus would have a huge problem if they see all the shot up plants on my place

[Grizz]

If anyone is a bleeding heart about prickly pear cactus would have a huge problem if they see all the shot up plants on my place

I thought the prickly pears were there to protect the road signs . . .

[Scott Tschirhart]

270 gr .45 “Keith” next to a .44 authentic Keith bullet.

[Scott Tschirhart]

Shoots ok in the carbine


869 fps from the SAA and 1127 fps from the carbine.

[samsi]

270 gr .45 “Keith” next to a .44 authentic Keith bullet.

That's a serious meplat, think I need to try some of those.

Your ventilated prickly pear pics always crack me up, I think they're a dandy target. Sadly I'd have to hunt them on public land, which would likely upset somebody.

[Griff]

Shoots ok in the carbine
869 fps from the SAA and 1127 fps from the carbine.

Have you chamfered the chamber mouth? My '73s or Henry won't feed a semi-wadcutter. I have to "jiggle" the rifle a little to bounce the cartridge around that sharp edge of the bullet.

[Scott Tschirhart]

Shoots ok in the carbine
869 fps from the SAA and 1127 fps from the carbine.

Have you chamfered the chamber mouth? My '73s or Henry won't feed a semi-wadcutter. I have to "jiggle" the rifle a little to bounce the cartridge around that sharp edge of the bullet.

I haven’t done anything to it. It feeds these bullets as slick as a round nose.