Tell me about 44 mag lead bullets

[gray wolf]

Is seems many folks take as Gospel that a 240 grain lead bullet is an Ideal choice for the 44 Mag. The 240 grain Keith comes to mind.
Now with all the molds we have available along with stronger pistols, I see and read about all the different weight bullets people are using. So my question to the experts is this:
Explain the benefits and any week points of the following weight bullets.
If you choose one over the other, Why ?? Is there one that would be a do all bullet for North America ?
Thank you for your input

Sam

240 grain
250 grain G/C
265 -- 270 grain
300 grain
300 grain +

[felix]

Accuracy + distance = 250GC; 265PB ... felix

[BD]

I have a number of .44 molds, from 180 grains through 320 grains. The one I use 99% of the time is the 265 grain WFN. As it has completely penetrated just about everything I've ever shot with it, I don't see the need for the additional recoil of anything heavier. I've used the 250 grain LFN design as well, and it did fly better at ranges over 100 yards, but it lacked some of the "Thump" of the WFN. The Lee 310 grain design is another great one, and a good choice if you're in the vicinity of the larger bears. IMO the .44s from 320 grains on use too much of the case capacity in a revolver to be really practical.
BD

[randyrat]

Over 300 gr boolits need to go THUMPIN speed to stabilize, therefore fast pistol powders are not a good choice. Riding the danger zone is not good. Seems to me my 315 gr boolit works the best when over 1100-1200 ft/sec. I use H110 and load em hot(NO STARTING LOADS) when i use those heavy thumpin boolits. I just don't enjoy going out and shooting a 100 of them, they hurt after a while and I'd like to save my wrist for retirement.
Now, close range big bear country, for security, 300 plus is my choice.

[Blammer]

240 grain Is good
250 grain G/C is not as good as it wt's 10gr more than the 240gr and has a GC
265 -- 270 grainis not as good as it wt's 25-30gr more than the 240gr
300 grain is not as good as it wt's 60gr more than the 240gr
300 grain + is not as good as it wt's 60+gr or more than the 240gr


there you have it. :)

[km101]

The 240gr bullet is a good all around choice, but it is not perfect for all situations. The perfect bullet depends on the shooter, the gun, and what it is to be used for. And this varies from shooter to shooter. It is a matter of opinion, and we all know about opinions. That is why there is no "do all bullet for North America" as everyone has their own criteria for the perfect bullet.

[Mal Paso]

We don need no estinkin gas checks.

My favorites, The 257g MP Molds 432256 (Keith) and the MP 432640 (RNFP Hollowpoint) which is almost exactly the same weight.

I load the same boolit (Keith) for Bear as for target, just 3 g more 2400. I like to keep the same POI so I know exactly where the boolit will hit. At 1450 fps (1200ftlbs ME) that should make 2 holes in anything. Only 92 ftlbs below Buffalo Bore's 340g +p+ @1308fps from the same gun and it's my weekly shooter.

[firefly1957]

Hard to beat the old Keith design around 250 grs. load it down for plinking and up for hunting.

[runfiverun]

I do it the opposite of felix.
except when I make the 265's without the g/c.[shrug] :lol:

I save the 300-315's for the 445 it can get the velocity easily.

[GaryN]

I have a Mihec 503 cramer mold that I was shooting milk jugs with. With a hollow point and fairly soft boolits, I was shooting through eight milk jugs full of water. I just don't see a need for more penetration. I can cast them with a solid nose if I want. I like the boolits around 240-260. I have always had the best luck with them. The lightweight ones don't ever seem to be as accurate.

[44man]

The .44 is versatile and will shoot about any weight but I stop at 330 gr in mine. My fault my mold came out heavier then I wanted but it shoots too good so I use it most.
I like the heavier for deer but they need to be shot right around 1300 fps so that leaves them out for light loads. I shoot hunting loads all the time, my SBH is heavy, 10" barrel and an Ultra Dot so it is not felt at all.
It will depend on your gun, make and weight. I would not shoot heavy in a S&W.
Maybe the best all around is a 265 gr. My RD will do 1-1/4" at 100 yards and thumps deer just fine. I call it the top weight for a S&W. The best stability for the twist in a S&W seems to be 250 to 265 gr.
The Ruger doesn't seem to care from 240 to over 300. A good all around deer boolit is the Lee 310 gr.
For fun, just use a 240 to 250.
Just shows you need a lot of molds!

[Blammer]

yea LOTS!

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/Cast%20boolits/44list-1.jpg

[Castaholic]

I like the Lee 310 bullet. When I catch little man syndrome for a day I go shoot a couple dozen of those and seeing the big hole in the target and the equally impressive dust cloud behind the target all I can do is :grin:

[Lead Fred]

All them purdy boolits and no ranch dog mold, its the only 44 mold I own

[Ohio Rusty]

Blammer is the '44 God' !!! I really like his collection and the excellent boolits he casts .....
A fine .44 mentor he is !!!!!!! <bg>
Ohio Rusty ><>

[Hardcast416taylor]

I`ve tried different weight boolets in my .44 mags both up and down the weight scale from the "magic 240 weight" I seem to always come back to my RCBS 245 gr. PB SWC mold. I`ve played with a bunch of alloys also, but still come back to either straight WW or a modified 50/50.Robert

[GaryN]

IT'S NOT FAIR!!!!!!!! Blammer is hoarding all the 44 moulds. :kidding:

Nice collection.

[Blammer]

actually, it's missing about 5 others...

[44man]

I always love Blammer's picture. Just shows how great the .44 is.

[gray wolf]

I would have guessed the 265-270 would have a gotten a tiny bit more play.
I guess I was wrong Eh.

[Whiterabbit]

IME:

When folks want a big bullet, they want the biggest that fits and fires in the gun. If not that, then just shoot something economical that gets the job done.

In short, IF 240 works, what can 275 do that 240 can't?

[runfiverun]

the cartridge was designed around a 240 gr bullet weight.
the 44 had to compete weight wise and beat the 45 colt with velocity when it was new, or it wasn't going anywhere, especially after what the 357 had done.
to get both you could only go so far weight wise because of the boolit's length.

[BRobertson]

The 300 gr LBT LFN GC is my favorite in my old trusty Redhawk, for hunting purposes!!

Actually, it is the 320 gr version of Verals LFN, but comes out 300gr with my alloy

It will go side to side through moose shoulders, and length wise through a grizzly!!

Both of which I have done more than once

[dualsport]

Got any pictures? Your post is reassuring to me that my SBH is not too wimpy afterall. No grizz in my neighborhood but it's good to know. With all the super magnum pistolas coming out I was beginning to think the .44 Mag. was a weak sister.

[white eagle]

why on earth would you want only one bullet for all applications?
if and IF I had a 44 or any gun for that matter I would like to have a selection
kinda like a golfer by the way why do they need all those clubs?

[BRobertson]

Got any pictures? Your post is reassuring to me that my SBH is not too wimpy afterall. No grizz in my neighborhood but it's good to know. With all the super magnum pistolas coming out I was beginning to think the .44 Mag. was a weak sister.

My photos are old school slides

I do have a convertor my wife got for me a couple of years ago, for putting them on a disk

, and I keep thinking I should get busy ....

Bob

[44man]

I would have guessed the 265-270 would have a gotten a tiny bit more play.
I guess I was wrong Eh.
Not wrong, a super weight range. They might be the perfect fit for every .44.
I really like the RD boolit with Felix lube and 22 gr of 296 with a Fed 150 primer. It just does not miss. I don't know the velocity, never checked it but it is not unreasonable, just deadly accurate.
I admit I never tried lighter loads so I don't know what it would do.
I am a long range type guy and usually start at 100 yards and I hunt primarily so I don't fool with too much plinking stuff.
If you can just have one mold, get one at that weight.
We did find too heavy like the silly 400 and 405 gr boolits are not stable. I am surprised my 330 gr shoots to tell the truth. It uses 21 gr of 296. It did 34" in wet phone books and paper, nice and straight. The 265 RD did 33".
If I could have just one deer gun, it would be a .44.

[SlippShodd]

I have but 3... 429421, 429360, 429244GC. Yes, there's a common theme there... all Lymans, all in the 240-250 range, though I've been gonna sell off the 360 'cuz it seems redundant :). They're all good, stable boolits in my Redhawk, can be loaded mild-to-wild and still shoot to the sights, use a broad range of alloys without using too much of it. It's quite possible that a load could be developed using whatever powder you might have on hand. I like using the .44 to demonstrate versatility to noobs, starting with 7 or 8 grains of Unique and finishing off with 20 or more grains of 2400... without ever changing boolits. What's not to love?
If I only feel like carrying one gun and can't decide between handgun or rifle, I take the Redhawk. If I encounter a full-grown, enraged bull ground squirrel in full-charge, I want to know I'm prepared.

[runfiverun]

man I hate it when they do that.
I just swaged up some 300 gr half jaxkets [more like big gas checks really] with a lot of pure lead exposed for just that scenario yesterday.
I wonder if I should hollow point them too, just in case I miss.

[big dale]

I am just a rank beginner in the 44 mold collection compared to Blammer as I only have about a dozen. For the past several years most of mine have been cast in either the MiHec 503, the pointy mold or the wadcutter. The sights seem to be pretty close for all these at the ranges that I most often shoot them. I don't do too much long range stuff anymore as I moved away from the sillywet range a couple of decades ago.

Have fun with this stuff.

Big Dale

[archmaker]

For me it really depends, and somewhat depends on what I am doing with it.

The most accurate bullet I have shoot in the 44 was 360gr GC that I have had for over 25yrs, it would touch all shoots at 50yd with Iron Sights (I was a lot younger and could see better than), but the recoil was too much (for competetion, but it always made ME smile :) )

My standard round is a 280gr Keith, for serious work, and for fun I have a 235gr Keith PB.

I used to load things at the Max when I was younger, but found that keeping it around 1100fps for most of my loads is more than enough. My silohette loads was a 255gr Lee at about 1050, and it had enough power to knock over the rams at 200m and was easy to shoot. According to Nosler if you start a 240gr at 1400fps @ 200yds it is doing 991fps, drop it to 1100fps and @ 200yds it is doing 881fps (Which is almost the same as 45ACP at the muzzle for a 230gr boolit), yeah the drop is more with slower load (15" more) but I can adjust for it. Never saw the need to deal with more recoil than needed to do the job.

[BD]

IMO the 240 grain SWCs are sort of the standard plinking, self defense all around boolit in the .44 . The 250s to 270s are what results when you use those same basic designs and add a larger meplat for hunting. It's when you start adding bearing area that pretty quick you're in the 300 grain range. Like 44man mentioned, the 265 grainers do all but everything the 300 grainers do in the real world, so IMO, why use the extra lead and add the extra recoil?
BD