Are round nose safe?

[huntnut]

I found someone the had a bunch of 230gr 45 acp .452 cast round nose bullets, non jacketed and I was wondering if they are safe for a lever gun. Most what I have seen guys use are flat nose.

[J Miller]

Yes, they are safe.

I've loaded hundreds of the cast RN and FMJ bullets in .45 Colts and fired them out of my Win 94AE. Some with loads so hot the bullets passed lengthwise through a car body.
Nary a dent in any of the primers.

Joe

[Lobo]

Well, let me cause confusion.....I never load a round nose bullet of any kind in a tubular magazine....thirty years without a problem!

[bcp]

Rem and Win used to make FMJ round nose in 30-30. I've examined the Remingtons. They were fully round-no flat tip.








Bruce

[Scott Young]

i load round nose bullets for tubular magazines they don't make a flat nose 200 grainer for a .35 remington. you can cast your own with a flat tip, but if it wears a jacket you won't find one. i have used round nose in several other bullet as do most factory ammunition makers for use in a leveraction.

[Griff]

There are round noses, and then there are round noses. Those pictured above are of the round nose variety. I wouldn't trust anything less round.

[El Chivo]

I'm using round nose in my quiet silhouette load, it's got low recoil though.

I also used the Remington 35 Rem factory without problems, that had some kick to it. I believe their 30-30 is also round nose.

I think the round nose is more accurate.

[TedH]

I'm sure they would be fine. But if you are concerned take a small file and flatten them just a touch.

[huntnut]

Thanks for the help guys. I figured they would be safe but just wanted to make sure.

[LeverBob]

Just to let some of the younger members know, No. 308291 by Lyman is nearly 100 yrs. old. It is now listed as .311391 & it is a killer... It is a round nose GC bullet originally 165 grs. weight. It was designed for the 30 WCF specifically. I repeat, it is a RNGC. If'n you don't like it, then select .31170. It is probably even better although I can't tell the difference
after over 100 dear alone using these designs.
I learned a half-century ago to seat my primers .003 to .005 deep in the primer pocket. I use an old bonanza coax primer machine that is still available from Forster. It works. I can thank my old Pa for teaching me that in the early 50's.

I have also used various RN's in tubular magazines with no problem. Both Cast & Jacketed, such as the Hornaday 150s. I all depends on the radius of the final profile...select the proper one & you will have no trouble. If your worried about it, them select a FN...there are plenty of cast designs & jacketed designs that should statisfy you needs & allay your fears.

Just my 2c's.

LeverBob

[Cast Bullet Hunter]

People who have never had a problem notwithstanding, this isn't safe. Not theory, but a real experience of a friend several years ago. He had a magazine explosion with just the same bullet as you ask about. It was loaded in a .45 Colt Henry replica. Damaged the magazine and took him weeks to heal from all the fragments in his left forearm!

You might get away with it for years, maybe forever, but you could have the same problem on the first shot with that bullet just as well. His experience occurred the first time he shot any of those bullets in that rifle. It was good it was a Henry with the open slot in the magazine, if it had been a closed tube like every other lever gun it could have been much worse.

Your call, just know IT DOES HAPPEN, in spite of what many may say.

[w30wcf]

A VERY IMPORTANT CONSIDERATION -

.30-30 cartridges line up in the magazine with the bullet noses off center so they do not rest directly on the primer.

Straight walled pistol cartridges do line up with the bullet nose directly in line with the primer. Back in the 70's Ruger cautioned against using .44 Magnum Full Patch round nosed ammo in tubular magazines after a magazine explosion.

I would not take the chance in the .45. Like Joe Miller indicated, probably nothing would ever happen (with mild loads) but I would definitely not chance it with heavy loads.

Stay safe!
w30wcf

[Mike D.]

I have been using Hornady 350 RNs in my .45 caliber Winchesters for years. My loads are at the higher end of the scale and those bullets have never been a problem.

[Nath]

Arrh this old chestnut, I have used a 116grn semi-pointed/round nose with a pinch of 231 and allthough slow because of the fast pwder it does give a little short kick and I noticed some dented primers. I still don't believe that they were subjected to the percussion type of force required to det a primer though. Now my point, I use Speer flat P for my deer load and it has a tiny flat P compared to most but I have never seen any kind of primer denting. I am of the opinion that the full recoil from a slowish powder compresses fully the mag tube spring and hence dampens mag contents but a low recoil may just lift the spring enough to give a little percussion on return. Just my two bits
Nath.

[J Miller]

Here is something I just thought of.
We are discussing tubular magazines here. So consider this. When you have cartridges in the magazine, they are physically touching, and under spring pressure. So when the rifle recoils the entire mass of ammo must move as a mass if it moves at all. What I think is happening is that at some point something causes a round to hang up in the magazine and then under recoil the next round, no longer being under spring pressure makes a run on the round in front. At this point a really hard round (maybe lest round than some) nosed bullet could dent the primer in front, and KABOOM. I can see this happening easily on a Henry. But dirt, debris, a lightened magazine spring, or a jammed follower could allow this to happen.

That's just a theory, I'm not saying it is or is not "the" or "a" cause. Just thinking about it.

The load I used to shoot through the car body was simply a 230gr FMC .45 AUTO bullet loaded over a 2 digit load of UNIQUE. I don't remember the load, and I wouldn't mention it if I did.
But IN THIS CASE, in my Win 94AE Trapper, with the components I used, there wasn't so much as a deformation in any of the primers I checked. And I did check a few just to satisfy my curiosity.

None of the 230gr LRN loads I've shot have been loaded any where near hot. Those I don't even worry about.

Joe

[brucew44guns]

I'm not a reloader, but hope to get started someday. I know very little about custom ammo, or anything much about bullet construction. All I know is, I've always shot Winchester Silver Tips in my .348, in all my .30-.30's, and standard flat nosed ammo in .35 and 45-70's that I have, if I had a .45 lever gun I suppose I would be pleased to use the ton of PMC ammo I have in Flat Point's. Experimentation is something I never want to do and see blood oozing out of me or the guy nearby. I've ate my share of big game as a result of using boring old factory ammo, but I enjoy reading of you guys and your reloading.