Looking for a source for a 250 grain flat-nosed bullet for the 45 ACP.

I'm not sure I can help you with a 250 grain TC, I don't recall seeing one in .45, much less one designed with the .45 acp in mind. I did design a 230 grain RNFP, (sort of an LBT style), for the .45 acp. It's called the BD acp and molds are available from Mountain Molds or as a Lee six cavity custom design from Midsouth Shooters supply. You can also see the drawings and bullet description at either site. As to 250 grainers, i do know a few folks who've used the 250 grain RNFPs designed for the .45 long colt in the acp with good success. The trade off is lower velocity and smaller meplat. Keep in mind that the OAL is limited by functionality in the semi autos so you're squeezing the powder capacity as you go up in bullet weight. BD

Hornady made a 230 gr. TC in .451". Works well in my Combat Commander... Is this what you meant to type?

Way back when handguns were new and we used matches to set them off,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
I bought a single cavity 238 grain SWC mold for my Ruger Blackhawk 45 Colt. It shot real well in the Colt but was excruciatingly slow to cast with, being a single cavity.
When I got a Colt 45 Auto I used that bullet for pin shooting, again very slow, but very accurate. It also worked wonderfully in a 45 Auto Rim.
NEI made a 225 grain TC bullet that worked well in the 45 Auto and weighed around 235 grains made from wheel weights.
A buddy of mine is going to use my 255 grain 45 Colt molds, using 50/50 WW/pure lead to make a bucket full of these for his Kimber. These bullets fall out of the mold at .4545 using WW and a sweetening of a bit of tin. With the oure lead the bullet should fall out of the mold at .453.
You may wish to try using Speer's 250 grain swaged lead bullets. They are dead soft and what ever they hit they will expand!
Jim

BD,

Checked the Mountain Mold website. This may be exactly the service I am looking for. They are out of Pocatello, Idaho. Work has me going through there several times a year. A little different country from East Tennessee.

Thanks.

Alvin

I have used the Lyman 452423 Keith SWC with excellent results in two 45 ACP pistols, but still think that is a little too much weight for the 1911. The BD 45 ACP will be the boolit for my ACP's when we finally get enough orders to have them done. I have tried MANY boolits in the ACP, and this one is the best overall design I have seen. The cast boolit has several advantages over the jacketed - less bore wear, more caster satisfaction, less expense, comparable or better performance, greater loading flexibility, and custom fit to throat. BTW, I have an NEI 45 230 TC mould I am willing to sell for $45 if anyone wants it. Tony

Hobie,

You're right. I failed to specify the bullet to be a hard lead piece in the original post.

John Linebaugh, John Taffin, and others have been running penetration tests over the last several years. They are finding 45 caliber bullets in the 250-350 grain size having a terminal velocity in the 1,200-1,800 f/s window show the highest penetration. NASA has done penetration tests that also show that kinetic energy does not have a direct connection to penetration. Folks in Africa are finding 500+ grain bullets out of 45-70's are out penetrating much higher velocity bullets on Cape Buffalo. Of course, these are not flat shooting fodder, but at close range the effects are interesting.

Using 450SMC brass and heavy recoil springs have fired several thousand rounds of 250 grain bullets at 1,000 f/s with no ill effects on the 1911's.

I had my doubts in the beginning, but tests I have run myself show Linebaugh, Taffin, and several other folks are on to something.

I don't know if they still make them, but NEI made a 230 truncated cone flat nose bullet much like the Hornaday design. I have a three cavity mould, but use it very little as I don't like bevel base bullets. I have never figured out how to lubricate the bullets without getting lub around the bevel base which is a pain to clean.

Chargar,

I let someone else cast, size, lube, etc. Too much trouble and time consuming.