Can a .45ACP bullet be used with a .410?

Pardon me on two points: 1) I wasn't sure which sub-forum to post this question, 2) I just ordered my Lyman Bullet Casting Handbook, so if my answer is there just tell me what page to look at when the handbook comes in.

I have a Taurus Judge which shoots both .45LC and 2.5" .410 shells. I will be casting and loading my own .45LCs. I will also be casting and loading .45ACPs for a Colt Officers ACP I also own. Since the .410 shells are very expensive, I was planning to get a MEC 600 Jr and begin loading my own. I was wondering if I could use the .45ACP bullets I'll be casting for my Colt instead of the standard 00 or 000 shot for the .410.

As an alternative, I was planning to buy the Lee 00 or 000 shot molds, but I thought it might be easier just to use the same bullets I'll be casting for my Colt.

I searched the forum and came up with two interesting theads which gave me a lot to think about, but did not answer my specific question. The two threads were:
http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?20473-Need-Help-Input-for-Custom-410-Wad-Slug-Mold-Design&p=228333&viewfull=1#post228333

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?158740-Here-s-a-treat-for-410-lovers

My question concerns only the use of these shells as practice rounds. My home defense rounds will be commerically purchased.

Interesting question concerning the judge.

Too much weight to the boolit, and it won't fit in the shell.

I'm sure others will get more advanced in their answers.

"When you can't make them see the light, make them feel the heat." - Ronald Reagan

Maybe I am mis-reading it but why would you want to put some 45 acp bullets in a 410 shell when the gun already takes 45 Colt cartridges?

http://www.whyteleatherworks.com/

so that the boolits don't have to travel about 4 feet before getting to the cylinder throats.
you have to measure stuff to see if it will fit.
measure the gun
the boolits
the brass case thickness.
you will have your answer.

it's all an educated guess,,,, till the trigger is pulled.

the more i find out about shootin boolits, the more it contradicts everything i ever learned about shooting jaxketed.

Maybe I am mis-reading it but why would you want to put some 45 acp bullets in a 410 shell when the gun already takes 45 Colt cartridges?Good question. When I realized how expensive .410 shells were, I decided to load my own. I found that Lee had a mold for #00 and #000 shot, but that the cost of those molds ($63) were 50% higher than the cost of my .45ACP molds ($40). That got me to wondering if I couldn't simply use my .45ACP molds to produce slugs for the 410. I did a little arithmetic and found that the .410 #00 loads were 215 grains which compared nicely to the .45ACP's 230 grain weight. I figured the slightly under powered 230 grain projectile wouldn't cause a safety problem and since I was only planning to use them for range use I thought it worth asking about on the board.

Getting back to your question, though, I don't know. I just figured the .410 load would have a different feel and that I should practice with it as well as with the .45LCs.

so that the boolits don't have to travel about 4 feet before getting to the cylinder throats.
you have to measure stuff to see if it will fit.
measure the gun
the boolits
the brass case thickness.
you will have your answer.I'm still reading, but if I'm not mistaken the same bullets I cast for my .45ACP are used with my .45LC. If that is true, then the width of the bullet won't be a problem for the gun, providing it will fit inside the husk, and provided the loaded husk will fit inside the cylinder.

If this is all true, then I'm left with two remaining issues: shell length and powder charge.

I should be able to measure whether or not the bullet fits inside the standard .410 husk after the powder and wad have been added. It isn't clear to me if I need to be concerned about the crimp style. I read a bit on two posts (http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?158740-Here-s-a-treat-for-410-lovers and http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?20473-Need-Help-Input-for-Custom-410-Wad-Slug-Mold-Design&highlight=410) which make me think it may have an impact.

As for the powder charge, I just planned to stay with the standard #00 load and not worry about figuring out what additional grains I might need to keep the fps up. Since these are for range use I figured I'd just tolerate the slower speed of the 230 grain bullets as compared with the 215 grain shot.

you might be going a different route if the 45 fits the barrel, the wad is gonna be a different complication.
you'll need to think about the 45 boolit as a slug and use a wad column and not a shot type wad.
if you use brass cases you'll need to trick the case into thinking it is the same size as a 45 colt case with a filler of some sort.

like I said sit down and measure.
then think about what you are trying to do here.

it's all an educated guess,,,, till the trigger is pulled.

the more i find out about shootin boolits, the more it contradicts everything i ever learned about shooting jaxketed.

I don't think you will be able to make the 45 boolits work in the 410 hull due to the thickness of the plastic . Brass cases will probably do it, but I would want to know if the result will be the improvement you are looking for before buying too many of them.

I have a Judge and a few years ago I thought about making some long brass cases formed from 444 or maybe it was 460 S&W. I don't remember all of the details now since this was a few years ago and I dropped the project.
What I did discover is the throats of the Judge are long being designed to closer fit the 45 Colt cartridge. A 460 case would not go all the way into the cylinder and bottom out on the throat mouth.
What I also discovered was the bore of the revolver was way oversize. If I remember correctly it was like .010" over what a normal 45 revolver should be which explained why my factory 45 Colt bullets would key hole at 25 yds.
The 410 shells fit inside the throats of the revolver and if I remember correctly, the throats were oversize for a normal sized 45 boolit. Probably designed this way for easier extraction of 410 shot shells.
I am trying to go from memory on all of this and I tend to not remember details years gone by as well as I once did. But I did drop the project due to over size bore. I thought about reaming the cylinder throats out close to the end of the cylinder but the large bore of the barrel and not knowing how this may affect firing shot shells in the revolver after boring caused me to discontinue the project.
My Judge's main job was being my tractor gun that I shot rats with when bush hogging my pastures.

Now, back to your idea. It might work but I would suggest that you slug the bore if you want the 45 boolit to shoot accurate.
I don't think there is going to be enough room for you to put a 45 slug inside a 410 shot shell and have it chamber. As I said, the throats of the Judge are long and I don't think that the nose of the shot shell with a 45 boolit in it will go past the chamber mouth. It would be easy enough to test though but if it does chamber, it will be way undersized for the bore.
If you are just wanting to be able to shoot it such as a buckshot ball, I think you will have to size it way down. I don't remember the dimensions of 00 Buckshot but it's smaller than a 45 slug.

If you do that, you are going to have to have a special wad that would take up the space between the powder charge and the bottom of the boolit that would keep the boolit out to the end of the shot shell case and have enough room to crimp.
A 44 boolit might work.

Just my .02 but good luck.

If ever a time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin.
Samuel Adams

Sam

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Abbreviations used in Reloading
Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt"

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