rustybayonet Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 I am thinking about making 45 auto bullets. I was going to swage 40's the closest drill to .45 is .4531 all the bullets I have seen are .452 on the high side for an auto pistol. I have read some wheel gun shooters use .453 for tighter groups. Could there be a big problem going up as long as it chambers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Youngeyes Posted January 21, 2016 Share Posted January 21, 2016 I don't swage bullets, but I would suggest you get your barrel slugged for the optimal diameter for your gun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bowenbuilt Posted January 23, 2016 Share Posted January 23, 2016 As Youngeyes suggested, slugging your bore goes a long way in trying to figure out the optimal bullet diameter. Revolver sizing is trying to better fit the throats in the cylinder more so that the bore diameter. Pistols on the other hand may not chamber a .453 bullet at all. My guess would be that most anything above a .452 in an auto pistol will be trouble unless you have an unusually large chamber. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noylj Posted January 26, 2016 Share Posted January 26, 2016 Slug your barrel. Jacketed bullets are best if groove diameter or larger and lead are best if at least 0.001" larger. SAAMI specifies 0.452" jacketed and 0.453" lead. I have never tested jacketed over 0.452", since I haven't fired a jacketed bullet in .45 Auto since about 1974. Are you trying to make your own swaging die? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pskys2 Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 There isn't any advantage over .452 for lead. Older 45 colts, not acp, may have larger throats that may work best with larger bullets. But all newer revolvers and all autos will work with 452 lead. They will even work with 451 lead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve RA Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 Load a few samples and see if they pass the plunk test, if so, load a small batch and see how accurate they are for you. Every chamber and barrel is slightly different. What works for one may not work for the next. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Absocold Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 I've found that in almost all cases .451 might work but if too small will cause a lot of problems (poor accuracy, lower than expected velocity, terrible leading, etc) whereas .452 works every time, even in guns that slugging suggests would prefer a .451. This is with cast lead and no funky coatings. Your mileage may vary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noylj Posted February 11, 2016 Share Posted February 11, 2016 You may have total success with 0.451" lead bullets, but SAAMI still specifies groove diameter as 0.450-0.454", so you CAN get a larger groove, and the lead bullet should still be at least 0.001" larger than actual groove diameter. Slugging is always best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrguar Posted April 5, 2016 Share Posted April 5, 2016 I shot .451 in hardcast for years... lot of years.. no accuracy or function issues.. if going with a soft lead head you are probably safe at .452.. for best results.. slug the bore .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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