WIDE meplat .45 colt bullets, 5.5 inch barrel, Ruger BH.

[Changeling]

I am interested in WIDE MEPLAT .45 bullet/molds that have shown unusually great accuracy in your Ruger revolvers in the 1100/1200 fps range or less.

Only interested in bullets in the 280 to 300 gr range (no HP's,WC's), nothing larger. Not really interested in Keith style bullets either.

I would really apprciate the meplat diameter when available or a source for that information if you happen to have it handy.

Pictures would be awesome!

[fredj338]

The Lee 300gr is quite good in my RBH but I keep it around 1000fps max for recoil reasons, it's only a 4 5/8" bbl.

[oldfart1956]

Just starting to fiddle with the Lee 90359 and waiting now for some gas checks from a member here. (thanks dragonrider!) Shot a few dozen un-checked and accuracy was (as expected) modest but not horrible at 50yds. off the bench, Ruger b.h. 7 1/2in bbl. with an UltraDot. Hard to find much loading info on these whoppers and now I'm wondering where I wrote that down. Carp. Anyways, drops at 315gr. un-lubed and un-checked. Meplate measures approx. .400!!!! Just put salve in eyes...not seeing too well so that measurement might be off just a smidge but that makes it...almost a wadcutter. Using Unique but still looking for the data sheet. Gaaahh! Audie...the blind Oldfart..

[Moonie]

I have used the 300 Lee at full power with 22gr of H110/W296 at round 1,200 in my 7 1/2" NMBH and loaded light with 8gr of unique, huge difference in recoil. They are quite stout at the higher load, very accurate too.

[DougGuy]

I don't have the mold but I shoot a lot of WFN boolits out of my Vaquero and the 325gr WFN GC from Beartooth shoots better than any others and I have shot a bunch of different cast boolits. It has dual crimp grooves and the same ojive like the 452-300 Lee.




Over All Length: .855"

Nose To Crimp: NTC1-.305, NTC2-.390

Meplat Diameter: .315"


This boolit loves 22gr of H110, and is most accurate over 20.5gr of LilGun. This is my experience and the best WFN I have found so far.

Also, this Vaquero is dimensionally corrected for .452" boolit diameter, both cylinder reaming to .4525" and Taylor throating. That has a great deal to do with how well it shoots these I am sure.

I am presently looking for some boolits cast bhn 15 from the Lee 452-300 mold, put a few posts up about them but haven't received a positive reply as of today.

[RobS]

Just to clarify a WFN meplat is typically 80-82% of boolit diameter. .452" X 0.8 (80%)= .3616"
A LFN is around 72% of boolit diameter .452" X 0.72 (72%)= .3254"

[DougGuy]

Thank you for that Rob, I was just going by Beartooth's description of what they sell as a WFN.

[Whiterabbit]

I haven't really seen what you are looking for. Only african game bullets in .458 which are too big and too heavy.

But such a design is easily built into a custom mold. I can attest to accuracy, but in a BFR, not a ruger. No reason to think it wouldn't work in a ruger just fine though.

this is the nose profile I have found to work:



Would just need to be shortened to 300 grains, sized to .453, and you'd be good to go. Most of the nose is straight bore ride diameter. The meplat is nearly bore ride diameter.

[DougGuy]

I may be wrong, but I think this is more along the lines of what the OP is looking for. I myself am looking for some of these exact boolits as well.. One forum member sent me a PM so I might be in luck, anxious to see how these perform, should make a right good hunting boolit.

I think the meplat on this boolit is either .385" or .400"

Lee 2-Cavity Bullet Mold C452-300-RF 45 Colt (Long Colt), 454 Casull (452 Diameter) 300 Grain Flat Nose Gas Check

[Whiterabbit]

to be honest, that's the biggest meplat bullet I've ever seen from an easily available mold. I have that mold, and I actually had to buy a new seater plug and turn it open a little bit because the SWC plug flat was too small to sit right on the meplat.

I don't care for crimp grooves personally, but I also like the fact that there's no step or shoulder between the nose and bullet body. I irrationally think stepped bullets get munched in the forcing cone and dont shoot as accurate. I have no proof of this. It's likely psychosomatic.

Anyways, I agree with you Doug. Any bullet that needs a new seater plug is probably exactly where the OP is going with his bullet desire.




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as an aside, I can also shoot these without the gas check through a Handi Rifle using Barnes boat-tail sabots (the yellow ones) at 2000 fps (first shot, shot 2-3 is 1900 fps, shot 4 is 1800 fps....) and off-hand hit whatever animal I could want to hit (short of a cottontail past 50 yards) with 100% ease. It's a good bullet. Even for a S&W X-frame in 460 S&W.

[romance_coffee]

Hi guys! My first post here!
I just had Tom from accurate molds design one for me with a WIDE MEPLAT.
http://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_...=45-290V-D.png
I filed down one of my lbt lfn's down to a .390 meplat to see what nose length would still cycle in my Rossi (Tom's idea). I will also be using it in a 5.5" BH. As soon as I get the mold (just ordered a couple days ago) and get some cast and shot I will let you know how accurate it is for me. Some say 280 will be too stubby to stabilize a .390 meplat but my purpose is minute of deer or hog at less than 100 yards so I'm not too worried. Look at 250 gr 45 wadcutters...? Guess I will find out

[btroj]

Best shooter I have is a group buy mould. Search here for Cayoots kinda heavy 45. Mine goes 295. Shoots great in my BH at 950 and in my Marlin 1804 CB at 1300. Hits hard, big, flat nose.

[DougGuy]

Hi guys! My first post here!
I just had Tom from accurate molds design one for me with a WIDE MEPLAT.
http://www.accuratemolds.com/bullet_...=45-290V-D.png
I filed down one of my lbt lfn's down to a .390 meplat to see what nose length would still cycle in my Rossi (Tom's idea). I will also be using it in a 5.5" BH. As soon as I get the mold (just ordered a couple days ago) and get some cast and shot I will let you know how accurate it is for me. Some say 280 will be too stubby to stabilize a .390 meplat but my purpose is minute of deer or hog at less than 100 yards so I'm not too worried. Look at 250 gr 45 wadcutters...? Guess I will find out

Hey romance coffee welcome to the forum! I'd certainly be game for trying your design, and for the same game and same distance, deer and hog at close range. I have a few good shooting heavy boolit .45 Colt loads but curiosity being what it is decided I ought to post in favor of wanting some to try when you get to casting them just because they are different than the ones I use.

Those boolits would be comparing with:

Beartooth 340gr WFN GC
Beartooth 325gr WFN GC
Beartooth 330gr WFN PB
Lee C 452-300 WFN GC
Speer 300gr JHP Jword

[Changeling]

Thanks Rob.

[GMT210]

Take a look at the Group buy for a Mihec 454-308, it might be close to what your looking for, although it is a semi-Keith.

GMT

[Changeling]

romance_coffee do you know the finalized length of your bullet design ?

What alloy is your design based on?

Really looking forward to how it turns out for you.

[DougGuy]

I may be wrong, but I think this is more along the lines of what the OP is looking for. I myself am looking for some of these exact boolits as well.. One forum member sent me a PM so I might be in luck, anxious to see how these perform, should make a right good hunting boolit.

I think the meplat on this boolit is either .385" or .400"

Lee 2-Cavity Bullet Mold C452-300-RF 45 Colt (Long Colt), 454 Casull (452 Diameter) 300 Grain Flat Nose Gas Check

Finally got some of the boolits from the Lee 2-Cavity Bullet Mold C452-300-RF 45 Colt (Long Colt), 454 Casull (452 Diameter) 300 Grain Flat Nose Gas Check mold. With the gas checks, these weigh in right at 320gr cast from Lyman #2. The meplat measures .385"

I am going to nickname these "Buck Busters"

Changeling, do you think these might work for you? I put up some 5round strings for load development with 2400 and LilGun, range reports when I get out and shoot some. My Ruger has a sweet spot for anything 300gr and over, with a flat nose and long driving bands, they should shoot well.

[romance_coffee]

Changeling, The final length of the bullet will be right about .7" with .32" in the case and .38" nose to crimp. I told Tom my alloy will vary between straight wheel weights and possibly some tin added to the mix. For now, my father in law has all the ingots and we cast together so I use whatever he has mixed up.

DougGuy, I have some 335 WLN, 320 LFN, and those Lee bullets from Montana Bullet Works that I have been using. Those are what inspired me to get a mold made from Accurate Molds and was thinking in the 320gr range... but while talking to Tom, he made a really good point, how often do you hear people having a problem getting full penetration with standard 255gr keiths? So we took the wider meplat into account and decided on 290 grains being sufficient. Time will tell but it saves me lead and leaves more room for powder so I can keep the pressure lower. I will definitely let you know how they shoot and send you some if you want.

[DougGuy]

I will definitely let you know how they shoot and send you some if you want.

Of course..

I thought these were going to be 300gr but in Lyman #2 with the gas checks, they go 320gr. I have some Beartooth 325 WFN GC which are very close except a lot harder and the meplat is smaller. I have some of their 330gr WFN PB as well, again quite hard, and I use their 340gr WFN GC. All of these shoot pretty good and I can get them to punch through each other's holes on paper which is nice since my Vaquero is fixed sights.

For some reason the Vaquero doesn't take as well to LFN designs as it does a shorter flat nose with longer sides/driving bands. Maybe I didn't drive them hard enough to get the optimum spin on them, I dunno.

I was looking for a little bit lighter, a little softer alloy, and a little less velocity, this wasn't to be a maxed out hog load.

[GLL]

The HP is 300 grain when sized 0.454".



It was recently rerun as a Mihec 2-cavity "462 Hammer" Group Buy.

Jerry