.452 Cast Bullets for Hunting Recommendation

[ikocher]

Instead of hyjacking the Sixgun Sights thread, I figure I’d just ask. The gun in question is a Pietta made 4.75 inch Single Action; the SA1873. We’re no longer financially in a position for me to pick up a Blackhawk so I’m making do.
My last research for .45 Colt bullets put me toward the lower end of weight (200 grain) for hunting whitetail as I could get the velocities closer to the 1000 fps range where those should actually expand. I have some 225 grain LHP from GT Bullets that might also work but I want to see if anyone had a recommendation for lead expanding bullets for standard pressure 45 Colt?

[JimT]

I mostly stay with the Keith SWC 454424 anymore. You don't need expansion. It starts out as large as the others are trying to reach. At 850 fps it will nearly shoot lengthwise through a deer. Plenty of power for hogs.

[ikocher]

Is there a particular BHN you look for Jim? In GA, we have to use “expanding” bullets for hunting but we seem to have some leeway on what that means.

[JimT]

I like mine around the same hardness as wheelweights. They can be cast softer and if you don't push them hard they will work fine.

[samsi]

Matt's Bullets has a couple of 45 hollow points listed, one more or less standard weight and one heavier.

As Jim said, I wouldn't look for hardness much over 15 bhn. There are folks casting softer hollow points and powder coating, that seems to work well.

I would look for a hollow point version of the Keith bullet to satisfy the legal requirement, run it around 900 fps and not be real concerned about whether it expanded or not.

[Pisgah]

A 255 gr. SWC at 900 fps will go clean through any deer in North America. No expansion required...

[.45colt]

The Lyman/Keith bullet the Jim mentioned is alway a great choice . I cast a whole big coffee can years ago and it's impressive the amount of stuff they will shoot thru. Our member Scott T. wrote about Bear Creek supply bullets a while ago and I think their 230 grain hollow point would do a job on a whitetail . I will be placing and order for some soon.https://www.bearcreeksupplybullets.com/45hphb230

[Malamute]

Matt's Bullets has a couple of 45 hollow points listed, one more or less standard weight and one heavier.

As Jim said, I wouldn't look for hardness much over 15 bhn. There are folks casting softer hollow points and powder coating, that seems to work well.

I would look for a hollow point version of the Keith bullet to satisfy the legal requirement, run it around 900 fps and not be real concerned about whether it expanded or not.

I was going to post exactly this.

Forster used to make a little gadget called a Hollow Pointer, which was a simple machined steel tube that fit the loaded cartridge, and a top piece with a drill bit in it that you hand turned to make a hollowpoint out of a regular bullet. I own one in 44. I recall seeing them mentioned or advertised in the ancient days of yore, but have never seen another one in person. Any home hobbyist machinist could make one fairly easily, even from aluminum. There may be other similar tools today.

[Sarge]

The Lyman/Keith bullet the Jim mentioned is alway a great choice . I cast a whole big coffee can years ago and it's impressive the amount of stuff they will shoot thru. Our member Scott T. wrote about Bear Creek supply bullets a while ago and I think their 230 grain hollow point would do a job on a whitetail . I will be placing and order for some soon.https://www.bearcreeksupplybullets.com/45hphb230

I just ordered 500 of those Bear Creek's 230 grain HBHPs. At 0.660" OAL, it is a looong 230 grain bullet- and 0.400" of that is bearing surface. I've used Bear Creeks 230 flat point 'Cooper' bullet in 45 ACP for years and owing to the slick coating, used 5.4 grains of W231 to get them over 800 fps.

These HBHPs protrude deeper into the ACP case, but the hollow base allows adds a bit of combustion space. I loaded them to 1.200" OAL, looks just like the 45 ACP cartridge shown in Bear Creek's link. I backed down to 5.3 grains of 231 and got 884 and 886 fps respectively, from S&B and Winchester cases. CCI Standard Large Pistol primers used throughout and velocity is from my old Glock 21, temps around 20 degrees. It's too cold and windy here for any real accuracy testing, but it easily hammers the center IDPA silhouette from 100 yards; plenty good for my chore gun.

Another project for these is a 9" Rossi Brawler I picked up last summer. I'm hoping the base expands sufficiently to seal in the oversize 45/410 chamber. I'm going to goose these to about 1100 fps (Tier II 45 Colt) using HS6 and IMR 4227. I believe these are roughly BHN 15, so I'll shoot some into water jugs with a 1" soaked paperback between them. I don't expect that little divot of a HP to expand much, but if it flattens out to 'full wadcutter' I'll be tickled to death.