44 Special

[WHITETAIL]

What is your best boolet for plunking? I would like a flat base boolet.

[Bass Ackward]

One that 45 2.1 designed for a custom buy. But I doubt that's going to help you much. What kind of gun?

[Lloyd Smale]

421429 lyman. thousands of shooters cant be wrong.

[EMC45]

White tail just read what I said on Handloads forum.

[USARO4]

I use Lee's 6 banger 430-240-SWC TL. I can cast and lube a lot of them quick. I shoot them as cast and lubed with JPW. They are great for plinking.

[9.3X62AL]

I like the Lyman #429421 A LOT in 44 Special loads. The old "Skeeter's Load" using 7.5 grains of Unique gives about 900-950 FPS to the Keith SWC, depending on barrel length. I don't know about using these loads in a Charter Arms or other smaller-framed platform. This load--and the lead boolit "police load" for the 41 Magnum--always struck me as ideal service revolver loads for cop work or personal defense. Yeah, I'm old school.

[S.R.Custom]

Current fave is RCBS #44-250-K (250 gr. Keith style SWC) over 8.5 grs of Herco. It's lively in velocity, deadly accurate, and makes a deep, wide hole in just about anything I pull the trigger at.

[EDK]

I use LYMAN 429666 and 429667 (the COWBOY boolits) most of the time and 429244 with the gas check shank milled off. Powder is TITEGROUP, 4.5 to 5.0 or 6.5 to 7.5 UNIQUE. I hadn't used UNIQUE for years and got back with it after temporarily running out of TITEGROUP. I don't need a gas check or J-WORD for COWBOY SHOOTING or target or woods walking. A 696, 5 inch 629, 6.5 inch 29 and RUGER SUPER BLACKHAWKS, BISLEYS plus ORIGINAL SIZE VAQUEROS--most of them 5.5 inch barrels-- plus a MARLIN COWBOY II 44 rifle.

If you cast, try air cooled wheel weights or alloying to about 10 Brinnell hardness. I'm getting better results with softer alloys in the lower pressure loads. A sooty case mouth means too hard and probable leading issues too. I used 20-to-1 alloy for my BIG 50 SHILOH SHARPS and got good results with it in all the 44s.

There are some good threads on all this on this forum. Do a lot of reading and ask a few questions. I learn something almost everytime I come here and I've had a big bore handgun since 1970.

:castmine: :redneck:

[black44hawk]

I shoot my 44 mag to its potential, but at times a soft recoiling 44 special load is exceedingly pleasant to shoot. I have a Lee 429-200-RN : the bullets can't wait to fall out of the mold. This bullet is accurate with 9 grains of Unique or Trail Boss, though for accuracy Unique has my nod. (Be sure to reference that load for pressure)

[Ricochet]

I've got a mould for Lee's 429-215-1R. It's a dandy. Too bad they discontinued it. I hate they discontinued their wadcutter before I got one, too.

[Larry Gibson]

I use the Lee TL430-240-SWC out of a 6 holer for .44 special loads also. Over 5 gr of Bullseye (5.5 gr in magnum cases) the make a very nice factory duplication .44 Special load. However, I recently picked up a 429421 6 Holer so that may change but I doubt it. It's always nice to have the distinct SWC shaped of the Lyman and Lee bullets to differentiate between Special and magnum loads in the magnum cases. Also between the factory duplicatione loads and the classic Skeeter load (7.5 gr Unique) in the .44 Special cases.

Larry Gibson

[Thin Man]

It usually depends on which 44 Spl I'm enjoying at the time. For plain base loads:
Taurus 431 (3 inch) - Lyman 429348 (180 gr WC) for trying to regulate point of impact with point of aim. So far I am up to 9.5 gr Unique and results are improving rapidly. Charter Arms (3 inch) - Lee 208 gr Wadcutter over various light to moderate charges of Bullseye, Red Dot or Unique. Smith & Wesson M-28 (6 inch, converted by Ron Power) - Lyman 429421 (245 gr SWC) over 7.5 gr Unique, also Lyman 429383 (245 gr RN) over various light to moderate loads.

[WHITETAIL]

Thanks boys and girls, I am leaning towards the Lee SWC 430-240 TL.
And the Lee 429-240-2R.

[Ricochet]

Hard to go wrong there, with either one.

[rroberts]

+1 on the RCBS #44-250-K except it is over 4.8 gr. of Titegroup.

[GLL]

Here are a couple of old photos to compare some of the common SWC bullets I have cast for my .44Special Revolvers. Several of these have been mentioned above. I really like the wadcutters for "plunking" ! :)

Jerry

http://fototime.com/A8441B93102C41C/standard.jpg

[L to R] : Ballisti-Cast #1103, NEI #256, RCBS .44-250K, LYMAN .429-421. RCBS .44-250KT. Lyman .429-336



http://fototime.com/CA31CDAE474CB6D/standard.jpg

[L to R] RCBS 44-245KT, 44-250KT, and again 44-250K

RCBS has unfortunately changed its catalog designations around. Based on the mould boxes:

my 44-245KT is currently called 44-245-SWC #82043

my 44-250KT is currently called 44-250-SWC #82044

my 44-250-K is still 44-250-K #82080

Here are some of the wadcutters cast for .44Special.

http://www.fototime.com/6D3BDA991524608/standard.jpg

[L to R] Ideal 429220, 429348, 429352

The .44-200DEWC designed by 45 2.1 for the Group Buy should be here shortly ! Maybe ???

http://www.fototime.com/FB31B1AAB42F8B8/standard.jpg

This is one of my favorite revolvers to sling these downrange ! :) :) 4th Model S&W .44 Hand Ejector

http://www.fototime.com/05B99C3B5D69FA2/standard.jpg

[WHITETAIL]

GLL, Great pic! I realy like the wad cutter pic. Yesterday I put an order with Mid-Way. The order is 2 Lee moulds,
SWC 430-240-TL
429-240-2R

[Bret4207]

A guy could go broke just buying 44 moulds!

[Hardcast]

Jerry,
Do you have a Balisti-cast #1103 mold ? I am looking for a sample boolet from one to compare with a boolit I have here. I suspect my boolit came from an H&G mold, but I am not sure.

Neal

[9.3X62AL]

GLL--

Absolutely flawless photography, and fine-looking castings as well. Thanks for sharing those.

[GLL]

Neal:

I have the Ballisti-Cast #1103 (H&G #503) and would be happy to send you a handfull !

Drop me a PM with an address and I will get them out to you Friday.

Best Regards,

Jerry