Anyone Use Nosler .451 230gr Sporting Handgun Bullets

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Anyone Use Nosler .451 230gr Sporting Handgun Bullets

Postby dogtired » Thu Jun 20, 2019 6:01 pm

Hola,
Curious if anyone has tried the above bullets with any success? Info on the bullet says it's good from 800 fps up to infinity. Wondering if this might be good for deer and plinking.
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Re: Anyone Use Nosler .451 230gr Sporting Handgun Bullets

Postby Hoot » Fri Jun 21, 2019 10:20 pm

Welcome Aboard Dog!

I believe the claim "to infinity" while not serious, is also not what those bullets are designed for. The results of taking them up to 450b speeds could result in them coming apart in flight or even distorting from getting kicked in the butt so hard that they form a concrete anchor and spiking the pressure to where you sheer a bolt or barrel extension lug, or they might fly but not with the greatest degree of accuracy. "To Infinity" might be an appropriate claim when expressed to the greatest extent that a 45 ACP can deliver. I have avoided Sporting Handgun bullets in this caliber despite them being handsomely priced for a shooter on a budget. About the only 230gr 45 ACP bullets that I feel comfortable shooting in the 450b are FMJ's, which don't meet my requirement of 1 MOA 5-shot groups at 100 yds. Plenty of bullets out there that do achieve that including one that is only a few pennies more than a 230 FMJ. That's the Hornady 225gr FTX, which can be found with some searching for 22₵ each and they throw 5-shot 100yd groups like this:

Image

...if you do your part at both the reloading and shooting benches. Hint, they love Lil Gun powder, as do many of the bullets in this caliber.

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Re: Anyone Use Nosler .451 230gr Sporting Handgun Bullets

Postby Texas Sheepdawg » Fri Jun 21, 2019 11:37 pm

I have a 450 Bushmaster Nosler handgun bullet project slated for later this year. I’ll post a range report as soon as I can get caught up with other projects.
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Re: Anyone Use Nosler .451 230gr Sporting Handgun Bullets

Postby dogtired » Mon Jun 24, 2019 9:56 pm

Well, I've no interest in shearing lugs or destroying a build that shoots Hornady Black in right cloverleaves. More interested in finding something cheap and accurate to reload and hunt with. Something I can stock up on for a rainy day. Cast bullets don't seem all that feasible without gas checking. I'll look forward to the range report whenever you're get the chance to complete it! Thanks!
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Re: Anyone Use Nosler .451 230gr Sporting Handgun Bullets

Postby dogtired » Mon Jun 24, 2019 9:58 pm

And that's some pretty nice shootin' Hoot!
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Re: Anyone Use Nosler .451 230gr Sporting Handgun Bullets

Postby Texas Sheepdawg » Mon Jun 24, 2019 10:12 pm

Here’s the actual bullets I’m going to be testing. The jackets look nice and thick just like what Hornady used to make.
1DFF57B8-ADD4-406E-A5C6-DCC7E52D3FA0.jpeg
1DFF57B8-ADD4-406E-A5C6-DCC7E52D3FA0.jpeg (201.94 KiB) Viewed 10223 times
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Re: Anyone Use Nosler .451 230gr Sporting Handgun Bullets

Postby Hoot » Tue Jun 25, 2019 4:15 am

dogtired wrote:And that's some pretty nice shootin' Hoot!


That picture is a little dated. Shot with my original 20". 1:24, Carbine Gas System, Bushmaster upper with its chrome lined chamber and bore. Its chamber was a little loosey goosey but it digested anything your fed it. There were many stones to turn over WRT reloading Range Days. Now its pretty slim pickins finding something new that doesn't break the bank. For whatever reason, I never found a 5-shot, 100yd, MOA producing recipe for the 230gr FMJ's, despite numerous attempts. Finally gave up. Plenty of recipes for "pumpkin bustin" accuracy however. Those 225's were the cat's meow for small groups. Always got oohs and ahs from other shooters on the range when I fetched my targets. Used to be, Midway would have bulk boxes of factry seconds once or twice a year for as low as 12₵ each but you had to have your money ready and pounce quickly when they came around.

Midway's entire philosophy about selling factory seconds has changed. Their sales statistical assessor discovered a new profit center in them. These days, they initially list them for almost the same price as new. They wait and see how many quick mouse clickers they can catch and only when they don't sell them all for a week or two, do they start slowly, incrementally lowering the price until they do. Oh well, it was fun while it lasted... :roll:

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Re: Anyone Use Nosler .451 230gr Sporting Handgun Bullets

Postby Al in Mi » Tue Jun 25, 2019 4:45 am

dogtired wrote:Well, I've no interest in shearing lugs or destroying a build that shoots Hornady Black in right cloverleaves. More interested in finding something cheap and accurate to reload and hunt with. Something I can stock up on for a rainy day. Cast bullets don't seem all that feasible without gas checking. I'll look forward to the range report whenever you're get the chance to complete it! Thanks!


welcome aboard.

first I heard of any lugs being sheared off using Hornady ammo. Have any links to such I'd like to look them over.

I shoot those 230gr FMJ's from my 16" factory upper, most days they stay under 2", really good day 1 1/2", which both are plenty good enough for buddies shooting up my ammo!!!
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Re: Anyone Use Nosler .451 230gr Sporting Handgun Bullets

Postby Hoot » Tue Jun 25, 2019 6:40 am

Al in Mi wrote:first I heard of any lugs being sheared off using Hornady ammo. Have any links to such I'd like to look them over...snip...


Al;
I don't think it was as specific as Hornady ammo causing sheared lugs. More like someone claimed that some (unknown brand) 45 cal bullets designed for lighter duty, as in 45 ACP velocities, will have their flat bases expand from being hit in the butt with the shock wave associated with the more powerful 450b as they run into the rifling. From what I've read and do consider the internet as the source, this makes the bases expand like a concrete anchor, seizing up and causing a massive pressure spike.

That having been parroted. I have not seen the scientifically conducted study or expose or click bait article from which that information came, so I can't speak for its veracity. I tend to err on the side of caution for the sake of newbies, when I parrot such allegations. I personally, after more than 2k reloads of many different bullets, have never seen any indication of such a phenomenon.

WRT the Midway game of Factory Seconds, here's an example. Right now, you can buy their Factory NIB .243, 58gr Vmax for $12.80/100. In the Factory Seconds section, they are going for $12.41/100 in a white low cost box. Their seconds used to at least come in a blue snap-lid box which could be re-purposed. That took a few pennies from their profit margin so now its a flimsy white cardboard box. This game only affects new reloaders who heard that there was money to be saved in buying factory seconds, who run right there and buy without doing any advance recon work and Midway is more than happy to take their uninformed money. :|

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Re: Anyone Use Nosler .451 230gr Sporting Handgun Bullets

Postby dogtired » Tue Jun 25, 2019 8:17 am

Thanks again Hoot, that was what I meant. I don't want to mess around with a potentially problematic load to save money on bullets, when I've got a rifle that shoots prefab ammo amazingly well. Why risk it? While I DO want to find a load that shoots even tighter and costs less than $1-2 a round, I'd rather keep shooting box ammo than risk ruining the gun. Fortunately, there are other options :)

450b is a new beast. I've loaded 44 mag and 45LC for revolver and lever action, but lever guns are a while different ball game than MSRs, and the 450B is even more unique as well. I appreciate any and all feedback :)
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