Mean Gene Posted January 18, 2020 Share Posted January 18, 2020 Just joined minutes ago. Although new to Cowboy shooting I've been an avid shooter including bullet casting for 51 years. I've decided on a .45 Uberti Colt single action "clone" of some type [any advice there would be helpful]. Haven't loaded that caliber and would like to know the groove diameter and recommended molds of different weights. I will be shooting BP and smokeless. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrison Joe, SASS #60708 Posted January 18, 2020 Share Posted January 18, 2020 All of the production .45 Colt guns (including Uberti's) are now made with a groove diameter of 0.452". I size all my .45 Colt, Cowboy .45 Special, even my .45 auto casts bullets to 0.452" and they shoot well and don't lead the barrel. A very common bullet used in the game is the 200 grain RNFP bullet from the Magma mold (commercially cast quite a bit with Magma production equipment). It's a bullet which works well in either revolvers or rifles. Many pards like even a lighter bullet for their revolvers. Like a 180 grain or even 160 grain. Magma has molds for them, too. If you've been a caster for a while, I'm sure you know about the NOE and Accurate molds. They are really nice molds and produced in a lot of varieties of shapes. My favorite 200 grain mold is the Accurate 200 grain Truncated Cone bullet, mold 45-200E. That slug runs well in any .45 pistol caliber application. Accurate also makes a mold of my design - the 45-175B - which drops a 175 grain TC bullet. No, I don't get any royalties But I like that bullet in light revolver loads. I'd suggest when casting for smokeless loads you use a softer alloy than is usually commercially available. A 96-3-1 alloy (which is just about wheel weights as they made now) casts at about 8 Brinnell and is PERFECT for our pressures and velocities in cowboy shooting. This alloy is just the common 92-6-2 alloy diluted with equal weight of soft lead. For BP, you want a mold that will carry a lot of lube. That 175 grain design mentioned above works real with Black Powder, cast at about 6 Brinnell hardness. I'm sure you won't settle in to just one mold. Who can? Good luck, GJ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Original Lumpy Gritz Posted January 18, 2020 Share Posted January 18, 2020 .452 OLG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Choctaw Jack Posted January 18, 2020 Share Posted January 18, 2020 Gene, I use the Lee 6 cavity .452 200 gr.RNFP mold,straight wheel weights,and have had zero problems in casting. I also powder coat my own,using Harbor Freight red powder.For me,red is the only HF powder that gives adequate coverage. I size after coating with a Lee .452 sizing die.Powder coat can add 2 to three thousandths of thickness,so this gets them back to spec. I also shoot 4 Uberti .45 SAA clones,and have no leading problems.This bullet also works well through my '73 short rifle. Hope this gives some useful info,and of course YMMV. Choctaw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mean Gene Posted January 18, 2020 Author Share Posted January 18, 2020 Thanks a ton! I'm going to start ordering. Just ordered a Cimarron P in 45 Colt /45 acp. Going to try a couple of the molds mentioned above. Gene Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackalope Posted January 19, 2020 Share Posted January 19, 2020 FWIW... Generally speaking, if the cast bullet is sized to a tight fit going through the chamber throats in the cylinder, you will probably have the best results. That's assuming the chamber throat is correctly bored slightly larger than the barrel's groove diameter. If the throat is smaller than the bore, the bullet will be sized to the chamber throat as it leaves the cylinder anyway. In that case, it's time for a visit to the gunsmith to get the chamber throats corrected. In any event, a fairly soft bullet will likely work out better than a hard one. Regards, Jackalope Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cholla Hill Tirador Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 Uberti's bore/groove diameter for their .45 caliber cartridge revolvers is .442"/.450" respectively. Uberti knows how to properly dimension their revolvers barrels and chambers. If you want to see that info for yourself, here are a couple of links- Bore Groove Twist - Uberti The Official Uberti USA Rate of Twist Chart The cylinder throats of their .45 caliber revolvers have been .452" in my experience. Since you're obviously an old hand at bullet casting, you'll know what to do with that information! Choice of molds is highly subjective. I hunt with my SA handguns so I prefer good quality molds from RCBS, NOE and Lyman, but if short range CAS is all you plan to do, Lee will be fine. One l thing discovered when I started casting/loading for the 45 Colt is there is typically a great deal of difference in points of impact between the "standard" 250 gr. bullet and lighter ones. So if you go with a really light, slow bullet, be prepared to aim high or take file to your front sight! Good luck, Cholla Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Griff Posted January 20, 2020 Share Posted January 20, 2020 My favorite BP bullet in my 45 Colt rifles is the RCBS 45-225-CAV, a truncated cone and a large grease groove to carry a LOT of lube out the end of my 24" rifles. When I'm shooting BP, is use C&B revolvers, so I don't worry about a pistol bullet. Although that same RCBS mold is still useful. I do have a 160 TC mold from Lee (6-cavity), that is of a Big Lube™ design, that carries a LOT of lube for pistols. And I load those in a Cowboy45Special case (think 45ACP with a 45Colt rim), available from Starline. Most excellent cartridge for this game & BP in 45 Colt handguns. Quite a number of folks have their rifles converted to use the case also. Again, you can play with what you like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.