45 ACP, Lee Truncated Cone , 230 gr. T/L

[Ben]

45 ACP, Lee Truncated Cone , 230 gr. T/L


These certainly shoot well out of my .45 ACP pistols.
If you own a 45 ACP, this one might be a good addition to your mould collection.

These are sized .4515" and then rolled in BLL.
In my opinion, a pretty good choice for self defense also.
I've yet to see a 45 Auto that won't feed and cycle this one.

My 4 5/8" Ruger , 45 ACP, 25 Yards.

 

[Brad]

I have the same mould but with traditional lube grooves. Shoots very well in my 1911. I have largely changed to shooting my MP 68 clone as it uses less lead and with lighter loads gives less recoil. I may be getting soft?

 

[Ben]

I may be getting soft?

Not a single thing wrong with that strategy !

 

[JonB]

Nice looking bullets.
The second mold I got, when I started casting 6 years ago, was this design. I got it in a swap, and was told it was a round nose. I was deeply disappointed when I got it and it wasn't a round nose, it was also all sooty and banged up pretty well. But I'll be danged, it was a dream to cast with, bullets just rained from the 2 cavities and they were .454 weighing 240gr with COWW. Just about perfect for mid-weight loads in 45 colt...or a decent load in 45acp. Back then I had several auto-pistols in 45acp, and functioned in all of them, but I did have some lead fouling issues in a Baby Eagle with polygonal rifling.

 

[Ben]

I could only have one bullet mould for 45 ACP, ( and I was on a tight budget ), this one would be that mould !

 

[KHornet]

Don't own a 45ACP, but do own a 45 Colt Vacaro. Bet it would shoot well in that one!

 

[Ian]

Here's how I do it now.....Kawasaki Green powder coat "Airsoft BB Dry Tumble" method, one coat. Should be about 1100 of them in that box after what I shot yesterday. Sized .4515" (what they come out after going through a .451" push-through die) and seated/crimped to 1.215" they'll chamber in anything, even throat-less modern automatics.

Tumble lubing these gave me a bit of leading in all my different guns, no matter what load or size. I agree they're fantastic bullets for all-around reliability and that TC is probably better than a hollow point. It's not like a .45 needs to expand!

 

[Brad]

Ian, those are factory seconds? They look like home cast to me.

The TC bullets feed like a round nose but sure don't hit like one. They sure throw up dirt on the berm.

 

[Ian]

Don't own a 45ACP, but do own a 45 Colt Vacaro. Bet it would shoot well in that one!

No .45 ACP? That's a bit of a surprise. They do shoot well in a .45 Colt revolver, and in a .45 ACP convertible, and in a Model 25. My Vaquero has a 7.5" barrel and shot quite low with anything less than 255 grain bullets. Just aim at the head of the bowling pin!

 

[gman]

Somebody likes their powder coated bullets lol!

 

[9.3X62AL]

There Lee 45/230/TC bullets have become a fixture inside my ammo cabinet. Mine are of the conventional lube groove variety, and their little brothers in 40 and 9mm caliber also see lots of use.

 

[Ian]

The appeal of the TL version for me is the perfect location of the first micro-groove behind the front driving band: It makes a perfect relief for a good taper crimp and if the die is set up just right the bullet can be seated and crimped in the same step without shaving a speck of lead (or powder coating).

I have the 2C and 6C versions of the regular groove version, but have always found myself steering away from it when I remember how much of a pain it is to keep lube off the bevel when lubing them in a conventional, base-first lube-sizer. Now if a person had a Star, it would be perfect.

 

[Dale53]

I have that mold with conventional lube groove. I also have a Star lube/sizer and in combination with that six cavity mold I can produce a quantity of fine bullets quite quickly.

That TC shape works extremely well in full moon clips for my 625's, also. They are self centering doing a quick reload.

FWIW,
Dale53

 

[Pistolero]

Yes, I can see that these would be slicker than owl snot with full moon clips in a S&W.

Bill

 

[LongPoint]

Dang it, I wish I had seen this thread sooner. Just yesterday I ordered 2 of the Lee 6 bangers with the reg. lube groove. I figured I would try both and if they cast at the proper size, remove the bevel base option and have the 45 acp covered for a long time. I should have ordered one with the tumble lube grooves and one with the reg. lube groove and compared the two designs side by side. Oh well.
I really enjoy the pics you guys post, really nice.

Ian, those are some fine looking Perfecto's and menthol too!

Marvin

 

[Ian]

The TL microbands cast awfully small, around .450", if you're not coating I think you're better off with the standard groove version. I got some leading using regular tumble lubes with these in several different handguns and carbines, but the standard groove version did fine (my six-cavity casts at .455" with clippy wheel weight plus 1.5-2% tin).