.451 vs .452 bullet

[Conservidave]

Hello all, noob here and in the process of learning to reload. i have started collecting a few components, brass, primers etc. and noticed that .45 bullets are available in .451 and .452 diameters. Whats the difference (besides .001) and why would i use one vs the other.

Thanks,

 

[noylj]

Nothing. Generally 0.451" are jacketed and 0.452" are lead. However, if you study you will learn that lead needs to fit your barrel and bullets as large as 0.454" work perfectly well. No matter what the nominal bullet size is, you want a jacketed bullet that is the same as the groove diameter of your barrel (and groove diameters do vary) and lead bullets need to be at least 0.001" larger than groove diameter.
Spend more time reading, please.

 

[buck460XVR]

Jacketed bullets with a diameter of .451 are generally used for .45ACP. Those jacketed bullets with a diameter of .452 are generally used for revolvers in .45 colt, .454 Casull and .460 S&W.

 

[longdayjake]

A jacketed bullet that is .452 will work just fine in 45 acp as well. In fact, as a guy who sells a lot of bullets I can tell you that bullet diameter can vary from lot to lot with almost all manufacturers. Just because a box of 45 acp bullets says .451 doesn't mean all of them will all come out perfectly at .451.

 

[buck460XVR]

A jacketed bullet that is .452 will work just fine in 45 acp as well. In fact, as a guy who sells a lot of bullets I can tell you that bullet diameter can vary from lot to lot with almost all manufacturers. Just because a box of 45 acp bullets says .451 doesn't mean all of them will all come out perfectly at .451.

Yep. But......most .452 jacketed bullets have a cannelure for roll crimping where most .451 bullets do not, allowing for a better taper crimp.

 

[bigdaa]

Ya, no cannelure=ACP=Taper Crimp=seats on case mouth. Check out the "rifle" bullets in 45 caliber. IN my Ruger No.1 Tropical in 458 Win Mag, the bullet diameter is .458!

Also as a strange case in point.....7.62x39 ammo......ComBloc tend to be .310-.312 as our 7.62 is .308. Now that's a big diff comparably.

.44's can be .429 and .430.

People often ask me for "conventions" to the creation of calibers and often, I cannot help them. All I can say is read, read, study and read.

 

[longdayjake]

Yes I know that. What I am saying is that it isn't uncommon to buy a box of bullets labelled .451 that measure out to .452. Or even buy a box labelled .452 that measure out to .451.

 

[buck460XVR]

Yes I know that. What I am saying is that it isn't uncommon to buy a box of bullets labelled .451 that measure out to .452. Or even buy a box labelled .452 that measure out to .451.

Again, Jake, I agree. The OP, as a new reloader, asked what the general differences between the two labeled bullets are. The platforms they are used in and the cannelure is the most common.......even when the box is mislabeled or the bullets are not what they claim. That's all I was sayin'.

 

[LiveLife]

Conservidave, welcome to THR.

longdayjake is correct - He should know as he actually sells Speer GDHP/TMJ, X-Treme and other various jacketed/plated bullets.

While most jacketed bullets are .451" in diameter, various plated bullets (including Speer TMJ) may come sized larger than .451" or be out of round at .452"+ (that's why many plated manufacturers double strike their bullets for better QC/consistency ) - http://www.xtremebullets.com/category-s/48048.htm

I think due to more high pressure gas leakage around the bullet/insufficient chamber pressure build up during their testing for shot group accuracy/consistency, some plated manufacturers like Berry's MFG/X-Treme Bullets offer near/at lead diameter bullets - http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=608920

Jay from Berry's MFG posted last year to clarify that their 9mm bullets are sized to .3555" but they advertise them as .356". IIRC, he confirmed the larger sizing of 40 and 45 caliber bullets as .401"/.452" and their website still shows the same - http://www.berrysmfg.com/products-c58-Berrys_Preferred_Plated_Pistol_Bullets.aspx

Rainier Ballistics lists .355" for 9mm, .400" for 40S&W and .451" for 45ACP - http://www.rainierballistics.com/mainframe.htm

PowerBond lists 40 and 45 caliber bullets as .400", .451" and .355" for 9mm bullets - http://powerbondbullets.com/products.html

X-Treme bullets lists .355" for 9mm 115/124/135 gr bullets, but .356" and .357" for 147 gr bullets. .400" for 40 S&W bullets and 45ACP bullets come in both .451" and .452" sizing

 

[Conservidave]

Thanks all......

 

[LiveLife]

noticed that .45 bullets are available in .451 and .452 diameters. Whats the difference (besides .001) and why would i use one vs the other.

With the current shortage on components, I would just buy the cheapest available bullets you can find.

Later when you get a chance, you could do comparison range testing to see which bullet brand/sizing produces greater accuracy for your pistols/barrels.

It's been my experience the better bullet seals with the barrel to build more consistent chamber pressures, greater the accuracy but there are other factors like core lead alloy hardness/softness under the copper plating, etc.

 

[Conservidave]

Jacketed Hollow points are the only thing i can find on the shelf right now which isnt exactly what i was looking for. They're labeled .451

 

[Springfield0612]

What reloading manuals are you using to reference your data from?

 

[LiveLife]

Jacketed Hollow points are the only thing i can find on the shelf right now which isnt exactly what i was looking for. They're labeled .451

Jacketed 45ACP bullets should be .451" diameter and lead bullets .452" typically.

Plated bullets are sized .451" or .452" depending on the brand.

If they are out of round, bullet diameters could vary by .001"-.002"+ and the use of Lee FCD could "fix" them.

Various 45ACP jacketed/plated bullets have been posted for sale recently but they have been selling out fast - http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=8893438#post8893438

 

[longdayjake]

I have had 45 plated stuff in stock pretty steady for a month now. I'm not really sure how they compare price wise right now because I have only got them priced to what I need in order to make it worth selling. I think they are competitive though. Anyone else done more research than me?

 

[LiveLife]

Jake, I recently needed to buy some jacketed/plated 380Auto, 9mm, 40S&W and 45ACP bullets (12,000+) and noticed the price increases/fluctuations just within a few weeks.

Since most popular calibers/bullet weights "in stock" sold out so fast, it was often a mad dash from website to website (and hence the drive behind the "reloading components/equipment" thread).

Until market conditions improve, I think many looking for bullets will be in "buy what's in stock" first and slight difference in pricing second.

I did pay more than what I usually paid for bullets in the recent past but now I am glad I did as I have not been able to find some of the bullets for sale since my purchases.

 

[LiveLife]

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