.45 Forcing Cone Angles

[Gregg K]

I have a new barrel that I will have to decide what angle to put on the forcing cone. I have read what's available about the Taylor throating but I'm interested to see if anyone has tried the 11 and 5 degree cutters. The 11 seems to be pretty well thought of and I have a 5 degree in one of my .38s that works well. It seems that almost any thing more gradual will lead less.

Has anyone tried the 5 degree cutter in a .45?

[Toolguy]

I use the 11 degree for all my barrels. They all seem to work fine. Most of the time nowdays leading is a result of the bullet makers using the wrong lube. I've cast probably 150,000 bullets and shot 50,000 of them ( there were 3 of us casting together) and could shoot hundreds at

a time with no leading. We were using an Alox type lube - soft and sticky. The commercial guys use Rooster Red or Blue Angel or something

else you have to heat up to get on the bullet. They do that because if they used the Alox type and dumped them in a box, by the time they

arrived, there would be one solid mass of lube and bullets - totally unuseable. For the Alox bullets, you have to pack them in trays all standing

up and orderly. This does not lend itself well to mess production. The solution is to cast your own and lube them yourself. Now there is

White Label brand Carnuba Wax lube for under $2.00 a stick that is low smoke and works the best of anything. Also, If you buy commercially

cast bullets, you can put them in the freezer for a day or 2, until the hard lube gets frozen, then shake them around so that lube falls off and

relube them with Carnuba Wax lube. I tried the copper plated bullets in several guns and calibers and they all shot horrible and leaded like

crazy. Now I only use Jacketed or my own cast bullets. A properly done cast bullet is just as accurate as a jacketed. My bullet hardness runs from

about 11 to 14. These are for light to medium target loads. Sometimes the problem is the gun, but it is often the bullet. With a normal forcing

cone and the right lead bullets, I have gotten very good 50 yard groups for many years.