Reeder Custom Guns - I have been casting some Hollow Base Heel Bullets

For the 480 Achilles .. 290 grains.

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I got to thinking about it and decided to size some of them down to .457" and see how they shoot in the Dragoon.

I ran them nose-first through a Lee .457" die.

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I had one unloaded Achilles brass so I loaded one of the .457 bullets in it over 4 gr. of Bullseye.

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The I fired it in my Ruger .45 Colt ... shot into some wadded up rags and recovered the bullet.

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So now I am gonna have to load some for the .45 Colt and see how they shoot as far as accuracy!

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Most factory loaded .45 Colt by Winchester, Remington etc. is 255 gr. RNHB to best of my knowledge. They always shoot good in what I've tried. Your .457 sure bumped up, that is certain. The soft alloy and fast powder did the trick. No reason it won't be very accurate.

Isn't BP good at bumping up soft alloy bullets?

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heeled .321" 120 gr. bullets for my .310 Martini. At the same time I also ordered some 120 gr. FP and 98 gr. HBWC (.312") for my .32 revolvers. I load for .32 S&W Long, .327 Fed. and .32-20. I might carry my little Colt some with the HBWC. I know some load them backward for a nasty HP but I'd rather have it hit point on and make a full caliber impact. The ultimate flat point.

The .32-20 Wadcutters look a bit odd but seem to work as well as anything from the 120 yr. old Colt SA. My sighting with the minuscule sights is the weakest link.

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but yes, by sizing it down it no longer has a heel.

It was oversize for the bore as the Ruger is .452" ... but it worked just fine. I have shot 480 Achilles through it and they size down just fine going through the chamber and barrel throats.

The heel bullet when fired in the 480 Achilles expands really nicely. Here's one I fired years ago compared to an unfired one.
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Black powder works well expanding bullets but I am not sure if it is any better than smokeless. That would have to be tested.

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Did you use a .457 intermediate step? I’ve sized lots of .458” bullets both cast and jacketed to .452 for .45 Colt and .454 use. I have shot some BP muzzleloading projectiles from my .510” platforms with perfect results.

I know Lee makes. HB .458 but I think it’s 405 gr.

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I have been casting some Hollow Base Heel Bullets

So the .457 is simply hollow base, not heeled?

A while back I purchased several hundred

The hollow base is a lot larger than the old 45 colt bullet

I’m following you now! That’s a good swage down.

Yes. .457 .. then .452