Does anyone have a suggestion, using UNIQUE powder? I just received my new (double) LEE #TL452-230 TC bullet mold. This appears to be a pretty slick mold and casts the bullets fairly crisp, using wheel weights. Advertised at 230 gr (nominal weight), they drop out of the mold at 250 gr even.

I started using 4.5 gr and graduated to 5.0 gr. I know that 250 gr is rather on the heavy side, but they cycle through without a hitch and load appears to be a "moderate load". All of my reloading books list 225 lead as tops, at 5.7 gr limit. I would appreciate any suggestions for top load at 250 gr. I don't think that I want to go much higher. Primer used is: CCI #350.

A swaged lead bullet being soft pressures and speeds are held low, but a bullet made from wheel weights will have a Brinell around 18 or even higher if water quenched. The Wheel wieght bullet can be loaded up. I'd say you could work up to 7.5 grains of Unique just fine.

Speer #12 manual shows 5.8 - 6.2gr. of Unique, with their swaged 250gr. bullet, for a velocity of 824 fps. OAL was 1.240" This is for the .45 Auto Rim, not the .45 ACP.

They don't list that bullet with the .45 ACP, but do show the 260gr. JHP from 5.8 to 6.3gr of Unique, velocity of 821fps. OAL 1.200"

Hope that helps. Don't know what pressure that is at, or how much difference a hard cast bullet would make.