.453 cast bullets in a 45 ACP?

rustypigeon · August 29, 2009, 10:32 AM

I have a bunch of 200 grain cast lead bullets I bought years ago but never shot. When I ordered them I seem to remember ordering .452" diameter bullets. Today I opened a box and measured them with calipers and they all measured .453". Are these ok to shoot in a 45 ACP? Am I going to have leading problems? (I plan on shooting them out of a SIG 220)

zxcvbob · August 29, 2009, 10:35 AM

If they feed OK, they'll shoot OK. Oversized bullets don't cause leading, undersized bullets do. (you could also resize them down using a Lee push-thru bullet sizer)

**Unclenick** · August 29, 2009, 10:37 AM

Their fine from a shooting standpoint. Swaging lead 0.002" is no issue at all. It isn't even an issue with jacketed bullets. Some guns actually perform better with 0.002" oversize bullets. The only problem you might encounter is if you have some thicker wall brass you might find they chamber a little too snugly for best feed reliability. If so, get one of the Lee push-through sizers that work on a regular loading press and run them all through that to bring them down to 0.452".

rustypigeon · August 29, 2009, 05:14 PM

Am I going to need to lube the bullets to reduce them by .001" in the lee die? I have never used a bullet sizer.

PBKing · August 29, 2009, 05:28 PM

Quote:

Am I going to need to lube the bullets to reduce them by .001" in the lee die? I have never used a bullet sizer.

NO

Are they lubed? Dont see many commercial lead bullets not lubed but thought I'd ask.

Quote:

The only problem you might encounter is if you have some thicker wall brass you might find they chamber a little too snugly for best feed reliability.

Another good reason to segregate headstamps IMO.

rustypigeon · August 29, 2009, 06:46 PM

My bullets are wax lubed. I just read the directions on the lee die and I thought you had to lube the bullets before running them through the sizer. How do you get the bullets out of the size die after they are sized?

PBKing · August 29, 2009, 06:52 PM

The next bullet pushes it out and they collect in the container provided.

You wont have to lube for .001.

I believe the instructions are for TL. Most of my bullets drop in spec as cast however sometimes I run into some fat ones and lube with dish soap for the sizer. Otherwise TL prior to sizing is messy. I size naked and TL after.

IllinoisCoyoteHunter · August 29, 2009, 06:54 PM

the next bullet pushes the previous one out. They go completly thru the sizer die. In the bottom and out the top. The kit comes with a little jar catcher thing that fits on top of the die that collects the bullets as they are pushed out of the top of the sizer die.

Edward429451 · August 29, 2009, 07:02 PM

You may want to drop a couple tenths or so off the load data a manual gives you if the manuals bullet was smaller sized.

rustypigeon · August 31, 2009, 03:31 PM

Any disadvantage to a larger bullet diameter? Other than higher pressure?

I measured my barrel with a precision internal micrometer and got .4515. The bullets measure .4535.

W. C. Quantrill · September 1, 2009, 07:51 AM

Dont get so excited with the micrometers. The bullets will work fine. You run them through the sizer or you run them up the barrel, no difference. In fact, you may notice, if you have a ransom rest, that you get increased accuracy.

Cast lead is elastic to a certain extent, depending upon the alloy. You are talking a thousandth of an inch here. Take for example, a .45-70 barrel. They have been accused of being variable in bore,,,anywhere from .456 to .463 I have heard. My barrel is .458 as it is supposed to be, however,,,if you fire a .458 bullet in the .456, it comes out of the water tank as .456. If you fire it in a .463, it comes out of the retrieval tank as .463. It will swage down or obiturate up to fit the barrel, and one thousandth of an inch is merely mental masturbation.

Big G · September 1, 2009, 08:14 AM

PBKing, why do you size in the nude ?

Think of an accordian, how it streches out and comes back to its original form. When all that pressure hits the back of the bullet it alongates then comes back(it will size itself). Load just a few and make sure they will chamber. In thick brass the case may bulge enough to give you problems in a tight chamber. Or just send the bullets to me.

August 29, 2009, 10:32 AM	#1
rustypigeon Member Join Date: September 5, 2006 Location: PA Posts: 18	.453 cast bullets in a 45 ACP? I have a bunch of 200 grain cast lead bullets I bought years ago but never shot. When I ordered them I seem to remember ordering .452" diameter bullets. Today I opened a box and measured them with calipers and they all measured .453". Are these ok to shoot in a 45 ACP? Am I going to have leading problems? (I plan on shooting them out of a SIG 220)

August 29, 2009, 10:35 AM	#2
zxcvbob Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2007 Location: S.E. Minnesota Posts: 4,720	If they feed OK, they'll shoot OK. Oversized bullets don't cause leading, undersized bullets do. (you could also resize them down using a Lee push-thru bullet sizer) __________________ "Everything they do is so dramatic and flamboyant. It just makes me want to set myself on fire!" —Lucille Bluth

August 29, 2009, 10:37 AM	#3
Unclenick Staff Join Date: March 4, 2005 Location: Ohio Posts: 21,063	Their fine from a shooting standpoint. Swaging lead 0.002" is no issue at all. It isn't even an issue with jacketed bullets. Some guns actually perform better with 0.002" oversize bullets. The only problem you might encounter is if you have some thicker wall brass you might find they chamber a little too snugly for best feed reliability. If so, get one of the Lee push-through sizers that work on a regular loading press and run them all through that to bring them down to 0.452". __________________ Gunsite Orange Hat Family Member CMP Certified GSM Master Instructor NRA Certified Rifle Instructor NRA Benefactor Member and Golden Eagle

August 29, 2009, 06:52 PM	#7
PBKing Member Join Date: April 21, 2009 Location: Water Winter Wonderland Posts: 49	The next bullet pushes it out and they collect in the container provided. You wont have to lube for .001. I believe the instructions are for TL. Most of my bullets drop in spec as cast however sometimes I run into some fat ones and lube with dish soap for the sizer. Otherwise TL prior to sizing is messy. I size naked and TL after. Last edited by PBKing; August 29, 2009 at 06:58 PM.

August 29, 2009, 06:54 PM	#8
IllinoisCoyoteHunter Senior Member Join Date: December 23, 2008 Location: Southern Illinois Posts: 1,527	the next bullet pushes the previous one out. They go completly thru the sizer die. In the bottom and out the top. The kit comes with a little jar catcher thing that fits on top of the die that collects the bullets as they are pushed out of the top of the sizer die. __________________ ~~IllinoisCoyoteHunter~~ ~NRA LIFE MEMBER~ ~NRA CERTIFIED INSTRUCTOR~

August 29, 2009, 05:14 PM	#4
rustypigeon Member Join Date: September 5, 2006 Location: PA Posts: 18	Am I going to need to lube the bullets to reduce them by .001" in the lee die? I have never used a bullet sizer.

August 29, 2009, 06:46 PM	#6
rustypigeon Member Join Date: September 5, 2006 Location: PA Posts: 18	My bullets are wax lubed. I just read the directions on the lee die and I thought you had to lube the bullets before running them through the sizer. How do you get the bullets out of the size die after they are sized?

August 29, 2009, 07:02 PM	#9
Edward429451 Junior member Join Date: November 12, 2000 Location: Colorado Springs, Colorado Posts: 9,494	You may want to drop a couple tenths or so off the load data a manual gives you if the manuals bullet was smaller sized.

August 31, 2009, 03:31 PM	#10
rustypigeon Member Join Date: September 5, 2006 Location: PA Posts: 18	Any disadvantage to a larger bullet diameter? Other than higher pressure? I measured my barrel with a precision internal micrometer and got .4515. The bullets measure .4535.

September 1, 2009, 07:51 AM	#11
W. C. Quantrill Senior Member Join Date: February 11, 2008 Location: No Man's Land Posts: 354	Dont get so excited with the micrometers. The bullets will work fine. You run them through the sizer or you run them up the barrel, no difference. In fact, you may notice, if you have a ransom rest, that you get increased accuracy. Cast lead is elastic to a certain extent, depending upon the alloy. You are talking a thousandth of an inch here. Take for example, a .45-70 barrel. They have been accused of being variable in bore,,,anywhere from .456 to .463 I have heard. My barrel is .458 as it is supposed to be, however,,,if you fire a .458 bullet in the .456, it comes out of the water tank as .456. If you fire it in a .463, it comes out of the retrieval tank as .463. It will swage down or obiturate up to fit the barrel, and one thousandth of an inch is merely mental masturbation. __________________ NRA Life Whittington Center Life

September 1, 2009, 08:14 AM	#12
Big G Member Join Date: December 6, 2008 Location: ellisville, MS Posts: 49	PBKing, why do you size in the nude ? Think of an accordian, how it streches out and comes back to its original form. When all that pressure hits the back of the bullet it alongates then comes back(it will size itself). Load just a few and make sure they will chamber. In thick brass the case may bulge enough to give you problems in a tight chamber. Or just send the bullets to me. Last edited by Big G; September 1, 2009 at 08:45 AM.