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Author Topic: Cast bullets for 1911  (Read 1445 times)

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Offline randy_68

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Cast bullets for 1911
« on: December 05, 2012, 03:45:53 AM »
I was thinking about getting some cast bullets to shoot in my 45acp 1911. What are the pro's and con's of using cast in the 1911 other than possibly leading the barrel? I just use this to plink and target shoot and it seems to me the cast would be a lot cheaper to load and shoot.
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Offline Iowa Fox

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Re: Cast bullets for 1911
« Reply #1 on: December 05, 2012, 06:51:41 AM »
No cons all pros using cast in the 1911. Cast is all that my 1911 has ever had shot thru it. If you are using a bullet of the correct alloy sized for you barrel with good lube you will not get leading. I use a old Lyman 452460 4 cav mold for mine which drops .4535 bullets. Even if you do get leading its much easier to remove than copper fouling.
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Offline JustaShooter

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Re: Cast bullets for 1911
« Reply #2 on: December 05, 2012, 04:18:44 PM »
I'm with Iowa Fox, no cons especially if you use the correct size & alloy.  However, just as with any different shaped bullet profile, it is possible it won't feed properly in your particular  1911 without some work on the feed ramp (or adjustment of the cartridge OAL) as I understand it. 

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Offline Ranger99

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Re: Cast bullets for 1911
« Reply #3 on: December 05, 2012, 04:37:51 PM »
what they said, only i'll add
that all my cast bullets get
liquid alox.
shoot 'em and enjoy
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Offline randy_68

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Re: Cast bullets for 1911
« Reply #4 on: December 06, 2012, 03:24:38 AM »
thanks for the replies. I will be looking to get some in the near future--have to get the holidays out of the way first
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Offline rod251

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Re: Cast bullets for 1911
« Reply #5 on: December 07, 2012, 10:31:54 AM »
I buy wheel weights from my local recycling place for 75 cents a pound. I use the Lee tumble groove 230 grain round nose mold and liquid alox with 4.5 grains of titegroup. My RIA GI eats em up no problem, and I get a lot of bang for my buck with this bullet/powder combo.
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Offline Swampman

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Re: Cast bullets for 1911
« Reply #6 on: December 07, 2012, 10:52:39 AM »
I've been shooting some 200 grain SWCs in my Remington 1911 R1.  They are lubed with Lee Liquid Alox and sized using a Lee .452 sizer.  They shoot nice.  I'm using 5.5 grains of Unique.
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Offline 45-70.gov

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Re: Cast bullets for 1911
« Reply #7 on: December 07, 2012, 11:56:13 AM »
DON'T DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


you will see how good they work
then you will get the idea......''i bet i can make those''


then you will end up shopping for more molds
scavenging for scrap lead and dumpser diving at the tire store...like crack head drug addict
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Offline randy_68

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Re: Cast bullets for 1911
« Reply #8 on: December 09, 2012, 07:28:20 AM »
Haha!  I've already been thinking about that.  My uncle just gave me ten different molds because he said if i didn't take them he was going to throw them away. Unfortunately none are. 45. Mostly round ball for ml and a couple for. 357 which i can use if i decide to start casting
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Offline 45-70.gov

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Re: Cast bullets for 1911
« Reply #9 on: December 10, 2012, 09:54:21 AM »
Quote from: randy_68 on December 09, 2012, 07:28:20 AM
Haha!  I've already been thinking about that.  My uncle just gave me ten different molds because he said if i didn't take them he was going to throw them away. Unfortunately none are. 45. Mostly round ball for ml and a couple for. 357 which i can use if i decide to start casting


mail them to me BEFORE THEY CONTAMINATE YOUR MIND
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when drugs are outlawed only out laws will have drugs
DO WHAT EVER IT TAKES TO STOP A DEMOCRAT
OBAMACARE....the biggest tax hike in the  history of mankind
free choice and equality  can't co-exist
AFTER THE LIBYAN COVER-UP... remind any  democrat voters ''they sat and  watched them die''...they  told help to ''stand down''

many statements made here are fiction and are for entertainment purposes only and are in no way to be construed as a description of actual events.
no one is encouraged to do anything dangerous or break any laws.

Offline mdi

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Re: Cast bullets for 1911
« Reply #10 on: December 10, 2012, 11:12:49 AM »
Well, I prefer lead bullets in most of my guns, 1911 included. I'd suggest you slug your barrel and size/purchase bullets about .001" or .002" larger than the groove diameter of the slugs. I'd also suggest starting with a tried and true bullet, 230 gr. round nose. Whole lots of info available on this bullet and loads for it, here and Lyman's Cast Bullet Handbook...
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Offline josie wales

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Re: Cast bullets for 1911
« Reply #11 on: December 12, 2012, 08:27:19 AM »
I have been shooting cast for over 30 years out of my 1911 A1. Lyman bullet mold 45266. Never had a leading problem,ramp is polished so no jams. Bullet was designed by Alton Dinan and was recomended by him when he worked on my 1911. Easy to cast just cast a few out of pure lead then add tin to bring it down by four grains. Seat bullet with .015 -.025 shoulder exposed. powder is Bulleye,3.6 for 50 yards and 3.2 for 25
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Offline Cheesehead

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Re: Cast bullets for 1911
« Reply #12 on: December 12, 2012, 08:45:16 AM »
+1 on the 230 round nose. I cast and shoot them by the 1000's through my Springfield Long Slide and my Marlin 45 Camp Carbine. These bullets are always powered by 5 grains of Red Dot. I get together with some 45 packing friends of mine and we shoot 100's of rounds in an afternoon. Good Times.

Cheese
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Offline yukondog

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Re: Cast bullets for 1911
« Reply #13 on: December 12, 2012, 09:37:11 AM »
Mine likes a 200 gr. SWC with 7gr. HS-6,been shooting these for many years and no leading yet.
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Offline GSSP

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Re: Cast bullets for 1911
« Reply #14 on: January 20, 2013, 05:27:12 AM »
I started casting pistol/revolver bullets back about 1983.  Love it.  Get free wheel weights from the local tire stores, when they'll give them to me.  I use an LBT 230 gr FN double cavity mold.  In my Ed Brown SF 1911, I shot thousands and thousands of these cast to .453" and sized to .452" with LBT Blue.  5.3 gr of Hodgdon's Universal Clays gets me 750 fps.  With this bullet/pistol I've had exactly one jam and that was my fault because I forgot to swap out the heavy 22 lb recoil spring, after testing heavy loads, when I went back to my standard load.  The slide tried returning to battery before the mag spring could lift the next round in to place.


Alan
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Offline randy_68

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Re: Cast bullets for 1911
« Reply #15 on: January 20, 2013, 10:23:40 AM »
Well, I got my casting equipment and lead then went to work casting some bullets. Shot sveral different loads of Red Dot and settled on 4.2 gr with the Lee 200 SWC. I think my American Classic Commander likes  lead!
I made and loaded up some Lee 200 SWC over Red Dot from 4.0 to 4.8 grains.
  This pic is of a 10 shot group at 15 yards from a bench with 4.2 gr RD. It may not be considered good for some of you, but for me I think it is great with the exception of the one lone high flier. The 4.0 gr shot almost as good but had more l-r in it and any hotter then the groups opened up. I ran 70 rounds total thru it and I did see just a tiny bit of lead streaking just in front of the throat in only one groove. The bullets are tumble lubed with Lee alox and JPW mix and they were only tumbled once after sizing to .452. Maybe I should do it twice. I'll do a little more experimenting with that.
   Anyway after putting ($55.00 worth)100 rounds of Blazers thru it and hardly hitting the target, I was pumped after shooting these lead bullets that I made.
Also I recovered 2 bullets from the dirt.


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Offline JustaShooter

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Re: Cast bullets for 1911
« Reply #16 on: January 20, 2013, 02:47:00 PM »
Nice shooting!  You pull that high flier, or not? I occasionally get those with some of my reloads and haven't narrowed down the cause yet, and I'm a sure as I can be that I'm not pulling the shot...

Just a Shooter
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Offline Lloyd Smale

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Re: Cast bullets for 1911
« Reply #17 on: January 21, 2013, 01:29:08 AM »
only con is it just adds another cast bullet shooter using up the wheelweights that have gotten so hard to find.
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Offline randy_68

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Re: Cast bullets for 1911
« Reply #18 on: January 21, 2013, 03:39:56 AM »
I checked a couple of local tire shops and one wants $100 a bucket. I said no thanks. The other guy gave me a bucket for free and told to come back when I need more. I'll be taking him a case of beer shortly! I have about 60 lbs of ignots ready to go now.
 
 
To Justashooter--I don't recall pulling that high flier and when it happened I thought "what the heck did I do?" :o    Who knows, maybe I did pull it or it was a bad round. It's funny though as out of all 70 rounds of various loadings none went high except that one. I always shoot low with this gun.
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