Midsouth Shooters Supply is offering the BD acp 230 grain round nose flat point .45 acp bullet design in 6 cavity Lee molds on thier website as a "custom order". Go to the Mid South website, click on "reloading" then "bullet casting" then "custom molds" for more info, (including drawings), and to order. Price is 34.95 for a custom six cavity. This is a deal compared to any custom mold I've ever bought! BD

BD...I've been shooting some of the 230s from the steel mould you sent down. Works great in the Ruger Blackhawk with ACP cylinder. The faster it goes....the more accurate it gets and I haven't topped out yet.

The 200 grainer shoots well in there also but is pretty light for anything but plinking.

I'm enjoying them. Thanks for the extended loan./beagle

Have fun with them beagle! Just be aware that the front drive band is tapered into the nose on those prototype molds so be certain of your crimp if you load any for a shell chucker. Bullet setback on the feed ramp is not a good thing. This of course is a non issue in a revolter. Feel free to play around lapping them out if you want. I have another set of those same molds, identical except that the second set doesn't have that taper into the nose. The 230 grainer is flying good for me as well. My wife even got two off hand out of 8 into a 14x14" egg box at 80 yards on saturday. The difference between that bullet at 100 yards and a SWC is a real eye opener. BD

BD
Your bullet design sounds interesting for use in me S&W Mod. 25 in the 45 Auto Rim case.
I've not had much luck with Lee molds.
I've found them to be overly fragile, made in the cheapest possible manner.
Is there anybody besides Lee that is producing them?
Jim

arkypete...The set BD sent was from Mountain Moulds.

The 200 grainer is made of brass. It seems to hold heat longer than the 230 grainer.

The 230 grainer is in steel and I have no complaints about the way it casts for me.

I don't care for Lee's either. I buy once and expect something to last for a lifetime and steel moulds will if taken care of.

I'm also a big fan of the RCBS 45-230-CM. It will feed in a M1911 but I don't have one. I'm tired of looking for cases on the ground. I've shot this one in a Model 25 Smith 45 ACP in both ACP and AR cases and it's a good bullet in it./beagle

Arky,

The Lee six cavity moulds are far superior to their one and two cavity moulds. The sixers use steel inserts for locating pins and holes and have a camming system for the sprue plate so you don't have to bang with a stick.

I do use Lee single cavities for rifle bullets. Don't shoot nearly as many of those as I do pistol. The useful lifetime of even a Lee single will produce far more bullets than I am likely to be able to shoot.

Additionally, I have been buying two Lee six cavities for the price of one Lyman or RCBS two cavity. If I wear one out, which I haven't yet and I have been using a couple as long as they have been making them, I'll just buy another.

Which brings me to another point, we have all bought moulds for bullets that just did not work out in our guns. You gotta try a bullet to find that out and I'd rather do it on the cheap.

Arkypete, Mountain Molds has them in 200 or 230 grain styles in aluminum, brass or steel, (soon to be available in Magma blocks as well). BD

web page

BD
Thanks while I perusing Mountain molds site I saw a couple of molds from my 45-70 that looks like they will be worth investigating.
I bought one Lee 6 cavity mold. While I was using them the second or third time the wood handle for the sprue cutter disolved, then mold handles fell apart, the final straw was the metal part of the handle sheared off were the screw went through it.
I'm sure Lee would have replaced the molds but why would I want to got through the same process again.
I would guess there is a market for making new mold handles, etc. for the 6 cavity molds. Strip off everything that is not mold cavities/blocks and remake everything else.
Jim

arkypete. I'll agree that the Lee molds are not made to the highest standards. They pretty much all require extensive "LEEmenting" before they're ready for production. But you can't beat the production capabilities of a pair of six bangers at $70 when compared to a good two banger at $80. I used a pair of Lee 6 cavity 230 grain TC molds for the last two years to cast the bulk of my "just shootin" bullets. I can put out about 3,000 in a long afternoon that way. Speed casting a two cavity only nets me 800 to 1,200 in the same amount of time. BD

Jim, I have missed most of those problems. I use RCBS handles on my Lee six cavity blocks for one thing since I had them when Lee introduced the six cavity blocks. I expect to have to replace the wood handles from time to time with any brand of handles.

I can see how you broke the camming piece, but that does not happen if you preheat the mould generously and make certain the camming handle is all the way to the left before you pour. It can be a bear to cut the spues on the first bullets cast in a cold mould and it is very easy to have the sprue plate just a little to the right and lose the camming action.

BD has it about right. Lee moulds often take a little tinkering and some time to learn their quirks, but the price is right and they can really pour out decent bullets.