44 mag ...which cast boolit?

[mozeppa]

seems i read that some cast boolits tend to perform better than others...
i hoping that there's a savvy 44 shooter who can help.

I want to cast my own and powder coat them.
have not slugged the bore yet and will probably have the throats reamed.

read rave reviews on the keith design (what ever that is.)
read how some nose designs are more finicky than other and should be avoided.

i'm a plinker not a killer ...accuracy is a must....but hollow points at 300+grains are not necessary (unless needed for accuracy.)

still the wife and i are plinkers ...and lighter but accurate loads are what we are aiming for. (no pun intended)

now that brings me to the powder charge...i have several books and they are all over the grain map for charges.
anywhere from 3 grains of one powder to 20+ grains of another and must be properly compressed what ever that is.
any one have good load recipes?

we just want to ring gongs at 25 yards with out breaking a wrist.

our gun is the S&W 629 6" barrel.

[mac266]

The short answer to all your questions is, it depends. You can have two of the exact same models of gun and the tolerances will be off by .001" in places, so they will perform slightly differently. The bottom line is, you'll have to experiment to find out what works best. That is what's so fun about casting and reloading, and it's what we mean by "working up a load."

I have a 5" 629 that uses a 240 gr. SWC, gas checked over 9.5 grains of Unique. It works fine; but your gun may be different.

"Keith design" refers to bullets that were designed by Elmer Keith, a gun writer of he 50s, 60s, 70s, and probably 80s. He, in fact, is the "inventor" of the .44 magnum (he essentially saw the potential of the .44 Special and pestered gun and ammo manufacturers to build bigger with more pressure until they caved...voila, .44 magnum).

So, look in your load manuals for bullet weights and designs you'll like. Semi-wadcutters will give you nice holes on paper targets. Round noses will load from a speed loader more easily. Round nose flat points will work in a tubular magazine gun like a lever action. Lighter weight bullets will produce less recoil than their heavier counterparts with the same powder charges.

Once you've picked a bullet, buy some of that bullet and make a bunch of test loads with your favorite powder listed in the manual. I usually make 5 rounds with one powder charge, starting at the bottom, and then make 5 rounds with a bit higher powder charge, etc. until I get close to the top of the chart. For what you're doing, you probably won't go much past the middle of the chart. In fact, the .44 load I listed above isn't even close to the top; it's my plinking load. I have a heavier load for bears in the Colorado mountains.

If you like the bullet's performance, buy the mold to begin making it. It is *imperative* you slug the bore and size the bullets correctly (for lead, usually .001" larger than the actual bore diameter is good).

[mac266]

You also might think about loading .44 Special for that gun. It's the older, shorter, less powerful version of the magnum. I tend to use the longer, magnum, brass because I don't like cleaning that ring out of the cylinders (same reason I shoot .357s in my .357s rather than .38s).

The .44 Special is plenty for self defense; you don't need "the most powerful handgun in the world" to blow someone's head "clean off." Since you're a self-described plinker, I think you'd have a lot of fun with that round.

[youngmman]

I shoot two bullets in the 44mag: the H&G 503 Keith at 255 grains is a real tack driver and the LBT 250 grain WFN, again a real tack driver but for any bullet a load for the particular gun must be developed with different powders and charges.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

The Lee 200gr RF is my fav econo boolit
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/520228/lee-2-cavity-bullet-mold-429-200-rf-44-special-44-remington-magnum-44-40-wcf-429-diameter-200-grain-flat-nose

[sundog]

+1 on the Lee 200 as a plinker -- over a charge of Red Dot or Green Dot.

[ultramag]

The Lee 200gr RF is my fav econo boolit
http://www.midwayusa.com/product/520228/lee-2-cavity-bullet-mold-429-200-rf-44-special-44-remington-magnum-44-40-wcf-429-diameter-200-grain-flat-nose

I'd second this for what you're asking about. I cast this one and tumble lube as cast with 45-45-10 and then load them over 5.0 grains of Clays. It's very accurate, could be shot all day long, and any woman or child with hands big enough to operate the gun would have no problems shooting it.

On edit: Well shoot, I guess I third it then! :bigsmyl2:

[BruceB]

My loads for the .44 also use two bullet designs.

One is the obviously-popular LEE 200 "round/flat" design, cast from a mould given to me years ago by 9.3x62 Al.

The other design is the RCBS 250KT, a plainbase SWC.

The LEE 200 is loaded to about 800 fps, and that is what I call my ".44 LITE" load.

The SWC is used in two different loads, one being ".44-1000" (running at 1000 fps, natch) and the other a max-effort recipe called simply ".44 Magnum".

All these are loaded in .44 Magnum brass, since I have no desire to add further supply complications by using .44 Special cases. Before moving to the US, .44 Special brass was EXTREMELY hard to find in far-Northern Canada, which also contributed to my use of all-Magnum brass.

The LEE-bullet-load is easily identified, of course. The other two recipes are color-coded by modeler's paint on the primers...."hot" colors (red,orange, yellow, pink) for Magnums, "cool" colors (black, blue, green) for .44-1000.

The system has worked well for me for many years to date.

[L Ross]

Another vote for the 200 grain route. Being fortunate enough to have a mastercaster I ordered the 44-200-rf that drops at .433". A couple of friends and I shell them out like peas. As Dean Grenell posited, we melt up anything vaguely plumbous, run them through a Star with a Lathesmith die at .432", lubed with Ben's Red and push them out of the barrel with 6.5 grains of PROMO. Remember, these aren't far off from the 44-40 as far as potency goes so they are nothing to sneeze at either.

[jhalcott]

I had a round nose bullet mold that dropped .44 cal 225 grain bullets. When shot at PAPER targets the holes were about the same SIZE as .22 RF bullet. Flat or round/flat nosed bullets cut a larger hole in the paper. For steel gong shooting at 25 yards, just about any cast bullet should work! Bullets from the 180 grain full wad cutter to 250 grains can be bought or cast at home. Every loading manual I've seen has plenty of load data for you.

[mdi]

Before you start modifying you gun's cylinder, do a lot of measuring first. You need to measure each chamber/throat of the cylinder to see if there is much variation. Pin gauges, in .001" increments is prolly good enough and you should measure each chamber/throat several times. Measure to see if the throats are within spec. and consistent. Also you need to measure the groove diameter of the barrel (mostly to make sure that dimension is smaller than the throat diameters). This also should be done a few times and slugging is the easiest method. Measure the slug with a good micrometer, avoid calipers.

The "classic" bullet for .44 Magnum is the "Kieth style" 250 gr. Semi-wadcutter, plain based. This bullet has proven to be very accurate and has stood the test of time. I shoot a lot of these (Lyman 420421) in my .44 revolvers. Another favorite for me is Ranch Dog's designs, both 240 grain and 265 grain Round Nose Flat Point. Very good accuracy in my Puma (SWC won't feed without some fiddling with OAL and seating depth/case length).

I don't like bullets lighter than 240 grains, mostly because I've not found a load with them that work well in my 5, .44 Magnums...

[DougGuy]

+1 on the 44-200-RF boolit. If you get a mold that drops .432" - .433" so you can size it exactly like you want, this is a very good boolit. Unless you have near perfect cylinder to bore alignment, the driving band on the Keith boolit can get wiped off of one side when it contacts the forcing cone and for this reason I got away from those and gravitated to the smooth sided Lee RF boolits in .44 and .45 calibers. They work VERY WELL with an 11° forcing cone, like they were meant for each other.

For powdercoating, this smooth sided RF boolit would keep the powder in place better than a Keith type.

11° forcing cone, cylinder throats reamed and honed to a light drag fit on your PC'd boolit, you would have a very sweet shooter on your hands. I -just- got finished doing one for a member here that sent a sample of his PC'd 200gr RF boolits and they could be pushed through the throats with light finger pressure when finished.

[Petrol & Powder]

I've been reloading/shooting/collecting, etc. for decades but only casting for a few years, so I'll defer to others on the details of the subject. I will say that on the advice of members of this forum, I selected the RCBS 44-250-K mold as my 44 caliber bullet.
That plain base "Keith" style SWC has proven to be an EXCELLENT all around bullet for me.
Similar to the OP's stated uses, I have no need/desire for super magnum, rock the world loads.
My loads for my 44 magnum are in the category of "warmish" 44 Special velocities (850-950 fps I'm guessing) fired in 44 magnum casings.

I think mdi stated the facts very clearly. Don't start removing metal until you are certain it's necessary. It's very difficult to put metal back on :o ! I also will soundly agree that the "classic" 44 mag (and 44 Special) bullet is the Keith Style 250gr, plain base SWC. That bullet driven between 800-1000 fps will get the job done and, in my experience, is extremely accurate.

[dondiego]

7 to 10 grains of Unique powder under pretty much any boolit has worked well for me for years.

[williamwaco]

Not saying it can't happen but In 60 years of reloading, 55 with the .44 Mag. I have never seen an inaccurate bullet.
Inaccurate loads? Yes.

I believe any bullet, absent casting flaws, can be made to shoot as good as any other.

For your described use, select a bullet of 220 grains or less. Actual Keith design bullets are virtually unavailable but Keith "style" designs are common.
They look like this:

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/219738/lyman-4-cavity-bullet-mold-429421-44-special-44-remington-magnum-430-diameter-245-grain-semi-wadcutter?cm_vc=ProductFinding

Lyman used to make this in a 220 grain version but I can't find it.

I would seriously consider a 200 gr wad cutter for what you are describing.

Find a load with a fast burning powder that produces around 800 fps and you will be delighted with the results.
check these.

http://www.alliantpowder.com/reloaders/recipedetail.aspx?gtypeid=1&weight=200&shellid=32&bulletid=48

PS, You don't need magnum cases for this. .44 Special is fine. This will be a light load in even the .44 Special.
That said, I find once fired magnum cases easier to find than once fired Special cases.

[HeavyMetal]

Lymans 429348 180 grain wadcutter will fill the bill for you! Lymans current book should have both a description of the boolit and loads to chose from.

The Lyman 429421 is the classic Kieth design, if you can find one with the square lube groove instead of the round one. I've had both and can't tell the difference in shooting but the round lube groove design does drop out of the mold a tad easier.

10 grains Unique will be a all day shooter, switch to WW 296 for full house loads.

A caution on the Lyman loading manual: it suggests you load the 429421 in the case and crimp the case mouth over the top of the last driving band. Kieth design this boolit with a crimp groove to allow the firat driving band to actually enter the throat of the cylinder for center the round in the chamber before firing.

Load the 429421 as Kieth designed it and life will be better and more accurate!

[Petrol & Powder]

Having re-read the OP I wish to add that powder selection will be highly dependent on what you have available. I think that decision will be dictated by availability of suitable powder more than anything else.
Staying with the Keith style 250 PB SWC, I would recommend you aim for a loading that puts you in the 800-1000fps range. If you have no needs beyond target shooting, you could go a little bit slower but that big magnum casing is going to be an issue with low charge weights. That flat front SWC bullet is not only very accurate for target shooting but it's a respectable hunting/self defense bullet as well. As others have stated, almost any style bullet will ring a steel gong but I like the idea of a more all-around bullet.
You could use 44 Special brass and take advantage of the efficiency of the smaller case volume. I started down that road with my 44 magnum model 629 but abandoned that course and went with magnum brass for everything. It's just easier in a magnum length cylinder to use magnum brass and get everything dialed in.
Lighter weight bullets conserve lead and can reduce recoil but I prefer standard bullet weights. Before I was casting bullets, I would experiment with different bullet weights but I always ended up settling on bullet weights that were the accepted standards for the caliber. (for example -158gr for 38 Special, 250gr for 44, etc. ) While there are certainly niche uses for light or heavy bullets in any caliber, there's a reason standard bullet weights became the standards and continue to survive the test of time.

[William Yanda]

Speer #10 manual shows .433 round ball for both 44 Special and Magnum. Easy on powder too. For plinking what's not to like?

Just double checked-Speer says accuracy can be very good to 50 feet.

[Blammer]

Of all of these I would recommend the Lyman 429215.
If you don't want a GC bullet, look for the 429667, either will work fine.

Unique will be a good powder for your plinking needs.

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g81/blammer8mm/Cast%20boolits/44list-1.jpg (http://s54.photobucket.com/user/blammer8mm/media/Cast%20boolits/44list-1.jpg.html)

[buckwheatpaul]

I love their 429421 Keith Style bullet (245 gr SWC)....but if you are under 50 yards you might consider a wadcutter style like the 429348 (180 grain). With the 429421 I use 10 gr of Unique.....good luck on your quest.....it is quite an adventure!

[Bigslug]

Keeping things simple, just go with one of the many clones of the 250 grain Keith SWC and load it up or down to your personal comfort level. There are indeed a lot of different profiles and weights for the .44, but that one can, and has done it all. If you want to cover the whole power and capability spectrum of the .44 mag with just one bullet, it is the classic go-to slug.

NOE's clone - a lot of mold for your money. http://noebulletmolds.com/NV/product_info.php?cPath=37&products_id=245

[WALLNUTT]

I can vouch for the NOE clone,best mold I have.

[stubert]

The Lee 430-310 gc is THE most recomended bullet on this board, 20-23 grains of H110 or W 296. Accurate and it will womp anything in the lower 48.

[Petrol & Powder]

The Lee 430-310 gc is THE most recomended bullet on this board, 20-23 grains of H110 or W 296. Accurate and it will womp anything in the lower 48.
I think that is way beyond the velocity the OP is seeking. While H110/ WW296 is a fine powder for magnum loads it doesn't work well at reduced levels and 20+ grains is decidedly NOT what the OP is seeking.

[Artful]

I'd look at the Lee Mold 429-214-SWC (.429 Diameter) 214 Grain Semi-Wadcutter
http://media.midwayusa.com/productimages/880x660/Primary/927/927283.jpg
it will save weight and is an inexpensive way to start
http://www.titanreloading.com/lee-dc-mold-429-214-swc-
- I'd also look into the 6 cavity Lee molds over the 2 cavity
because if your plinking you'll want a lot of bullets.
That said I myself tend to gravitate towards the 240-250 grain SWC's
One of my favorites
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v355/rowdyfisk/FAL/Boolit/th_RCBS44-245-KT2cav_zpsecdfdcfa.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/rowdyfisk/media/FAL/Boolit/RCBS44-245-KT2cav_zpsecdfdcfa.jpg.html)
RCBS 245 KT
This NEI was a nice flat shooter
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v355/rowdyfisk/FAL/Boolit/th_NEI235429GC4cav_zps8961fdff.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/rowdyfisk/media/FAL/Boolit/NEI235429GC4cav_zps8961fdff.jpg.html)

another NEI favorite 240 grain
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v355/rowdyfisk/FAL/Boolit/th_NEI240429SWC4cavbrass_zps474ed091.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/rowdyfisk/media/FAL/Boolit/NEI240429SWC4cavbrass_zps474ed091.jpg.html)

[Animal]

Mozzepa, I would be more than happy to send you a sample of the Lee TL-430-240-SWC to try out. I just made a couple hundred of them last weekend. They were destined for my CA .44 special, so they are cast 50/50, COWW/SOWW with 2%tin in the COWW. I sized them to .432 with a Lee sizing die and tumble lubed with Lee liquid alox.

These boolits are alloyed for a low-pressure .44 special load and performed very well over 5 grains of Red Dot. You can load them in mag or special cases, just keep the W296/H110 and other slow powders away from this boolit. I consider this alloy as a plinker in .44 magnum, but should work as a suitable manstopper in a .44 special. This way you can decide if this type of mold is for you and your magnum. PM me if you are interested. The kind folks on this forum have helped me out the same way.

[Petrol & Powder]

Mozzepa - I'll also be happy to send you a sample of a few RCBS 44-250 SWC bullets to try. Send me a PM if you want them.

[bobthenailer]

I have 4- 44mag bullet moulds ranging from 200 to 250 gr in weight i use the Saeco #420 200gr TC bullet for 99% of my shooting from 800 to 1,250 fps with excellent accuracy from at least 8 different 44 mags.over the years.

[44man]

Been shooting the caliber since 1956 and any Keith or clone has been the most difficult to get the accuracy I want. A RNFP or truncated cone, LBT styles will steer a boolit best in the forcing cone. The RD 265 has proven to be super accurate with a good lube, no mule snot.
But I never shoot 25 yards either. Only a deer at that range.

[mdi]

Speer #10 manual shows .433 round ball for both 44 Special and Magnum. Easy on powder too. For plinking what's not to like?

Just double checked-Speer says accuracy can be very good to 50 feet.

I stumbled on a mold that drops .432" balls (range scrap alloy) and stuffed some over a small load of Unique. I was able to get 2" groups with my Ruger SBH at about 20 yards. Like shooting a .22 short!

[44man]

here are some pictures of what my old SBH does.111998111999
First the RD 265 at 50 and can at 100 yards. I hit the rail with one so I aimed higher for the last shot.
Then my version of the LBT, weighs 330 gr with 21 gr of 296 and a Fed 150 primer. Home made mold. I shot a 1-5/16" group with this boolit at 200 yards once.
Get cone guidance and load at the right spin.

[buckwheatpaul]

Blammer, I love your pictoral presentation of the different 44 bullets.....It will make it simple and yet effective....great job.....

[RED333]

mozeppa, I have a Lee 430-240-SWC(semi wad cutter) mold that I have not used.
It is a tumble lube boolit, if you want to use it for a bit to get the hang
of casting send me a PM.
I use Titegroup and Number 9 powder. Titegroup is real easy to double load with,
Number 9 is a good powder but a bit hot.
The other guys have posted good powder.
If it turns out you like the mold and want to keep it,
well it does still have the factory flag sticker on the handle, so
it is a collectors item.:redneck: We could work a trade after you cast a few.

[44man]

I found a few things out with TL boolits, use Felix lube and make a Keith very hard.112078
This picture might be hard to see. It is the RCBS Keith clone with 231 and Unique using favorite loads posted here. Left is 25 yards "YUCK, hate to shoot that close, hate to shoot mouse fart stuff" and second is 50.
i started with WW's air cooled, then water dropped at 20 BHN, then changed the alloy to give me 28 to 30 BHN water dropped and groups were cut by more then half with each step. It was amazing how harder shot better but the shoulder is not getting wiped off trying to align the cylinder.
The patch shows I had no leading at all. Ask yourself why my 25 yard groups are about what I get at 50 with a RNFP or WLN? Anything I shoot over 1" at 50 is a REJECT!
I have never stopped testing and every single thing ever posted has been tested with about a 98% or greater failure rate.
I will never understand the suggestions to use a Keith style. I loved the man, he was my inspiration to shoot far but he was wrong making a boolit to punch round holes in paper. The shoulder does zero-zip on game too. The meplat was his best idea.
You fellas do not understand I was shooting to almost 600 yards starting in 1956 with the .44 and learned a lot. It WAS Elmer to blame for such stupid stuff so why do guys shoot 20 to 25 yards today.
I still think it is the mean look of the Keith that keeps it going. It is the Ford flat head of boolits. Good engine but do you drive one today?

[srd]

The LEE 240 T/L mold will do everything you are asking for. I water drop mine and powder coat them. Load them up hot with H110 or 296 or tame them down with AA9 or Unique. I have owned this mold since it first came on the market and cast 1,000's of them with barely a hiccup. I carry a 44 Bull Dog everyday and this is whats in it. I own several molds for the 44 but this is my go to mold . Yes I know its a cheap LEE mold but it works !!

[Animal]

mozeppa, I have a Lee 430-240-SWC(semi wad cutter) mold that I have not used.
It is a tumble lube boolit, if you want to use it for a bit to get the hang
of casting send me a PM.
I use Titegroup and Number 9 powder. Titegroup is real easy to double load with,
Number 9 is a good powder but a bit hot.
The other guys have posted good powder.
If it turns out you like the mold and want to keep it,
well it does still have the factory flag sticker on the handle, so
it is a collectors item.:redneck: We could work a trade after you cast a few.

Mozzepa, this is one heck of a deal!!!

[1johnlb]

+2 on the lee 200 RF . I have a pistol and rifle in 44 mag and they both shoot this bullet good. The 6 cavity lee makes CB's fast. I size thru the lee sizer only to keep from over working my brass. Loaded over 4gr of tight group, 1gr under the start load. My 120 lb wife shoots 100 plus of this load and loves it, she's recoil sensitive but love's shooting this in my colt anaconda with 8 inch barrel. I have found it to be very accurate in my win 94 also. Not going to win any long range competitions with it but a excellent plinker and easy on the lead pile .

[DLCTEX]

Another vote for the Lee 200 RF. Shoots very well in a Ruger SBH.

[Newtire]

I'd second this for what you're asking about. I cast this one and tumble lube as cast with 45-45-10 and then load them over 5.0 grains of Clays. It's very accurate, could be shot all day long, and any woman or child with hands big enough to operate the gun would have no problems shooting it.

On edit: Well shoot, I guess I third it then! :bigsmyl2:Hey, no fair Ultramag, exactly the loads I had been shooting last month. I had even better luck with the 429215 gas checked version or plain base from an NOE mould. But for 25 yards and keeping it simple, hard to beat the Lee 200 RF. Someone already mentioned that little Lee 214 grain plain base SWC-a good one also.

[ubetcha]

.

The LEE-bullet-load is easily identified, of course. The other two recipes are color-coded by modeler's paint on the primers...."hot" colors (red,orange, yellow, pink) for Magnums, "cool" colors (black, blue, green) for .44-1000.

The system has worked well for me for many years to date.

Not to steer away from the subject , but to prevent any paint chips from some how getting into the actions, use different colored magic markers to color the primers.

[BruceB]

use different colored magic markers to color the primers.

I have also used the markers, but over many, many thousands of rounds using the paint , no troubles have developed with paint "coming loose" in the guns.

Markers work very well for experimental loads which are only taken from the bench to the range. I often color-code primers on such loads with a matching color-coded label on the box; the label will also carry rudimentary load data for cross-reference to my Bench Diary, along with the marker color.

Markers are far quicker to use than paint, and the fragility of the colors on test rounds doesn't matter. Then, if the box should somehow be spilled, it's short work to get the rounds re-organized....ask me how I found out about the wasted effort of loading the spilled test rounds, BEFORE starting the color-coding.

The marker colors will wear off rapidly if the ammunition is carried, and the colors are not nearly as visible as those of the paint. For rounds that might be on-hand for any length of time (or carried), the paint is far superior.

I must admit that my carry ammunition in the Territories was often carried daily for months at a time, so perhaps my demands were more rigorous than most. Whatever, the paint remains visible and durable for literally years of service if need be.

I place a drop of paint in the groove between primer and case-head, then spread it around the primer's circumference with a toothpick or small nail etc. Just before the paint finishes drying, a quick wipe across all the case heads in the box with some solvent on a rag really neatens-up the appearance.

The paint will be removed along with the primer when it's pushed out by the decapping pin.

[W.R.Buchanan]

I personally think Blammer's pic of his boolit selection should be a sticky. Then any time someone asked for the "Best .44 cal. Boolit" we could just direct them there.

One thing Mozzepa said in the first post was something about "Reaming the Chambers in his S&W M29."

You don't need to do this! Leave the gun alone! [smilie=b: Any gains you might achieve by doing this will never be noticed by you. There is no reason to even think about doing this unless the throats of your chambers are all significantly different sizes, (IE: +/- at least .001 as measured by someone who knows how to measure them and has the tools to do it.) and the groups look like a shotgun pattern. If so send it back to S&W to fix it, as it probably needs a different cylinder if it is that bad!

And even then you won't see any measureable difference in accuracy at 25 yards. Just leave the gun alone and find a boolit that shoots well from it. My personal recommendations are Lyman 429421, H&G503, RCBS .44-250KT, for plain based boolits or Lyman 429244 and Lyman 429215 for gas checked boolits. There are plenty of others as well.

I shot a zillion Lee 429-240's from mine and still have the mould. It would do 1.5" at 25 yards consistently and occasionally a 1" group would show itself. I assure you that the gun had little to do with it, and if it was on it's own it probably would have shot better. My interaction only degraded it's performance, and sooner or later you will find the same thing just as everyone else here has.

Virtually any gun will outshoot the Bozo pulling the trigger!

Your Smith is a pretty well made gun, that's why they cost as much as they do. You will probably need to size your boolits to .430 or .431, to fit the throats of your chambers.

After you have shot this gun about 5000 times with any of the above boolits you should be able to shoot it well enough to tell if you need to modify the gun in any way to increase the accuracy,,, or just shoot more to increase your ability to shoot better.

Most times,,,I have found the gun is not the problem. :mrgreen:

Randy

[1Shirt]

IMO, you go with a Keith plain base, ya can't go wrong.
1Shirt!

[a.squibload]

I'll have to get that Lee 200RF!

The "standard" is 240 gn Keith-style, fast or slow it works real good.
If you get an NOE mold might as well get the RG so you can cast hollowpoint
or solid (2 sets of pins).


My current favorite is an old RCBS 225 gn GC mold, kind of a truncated cone
but has some curve to the nose. Think they still offer it. With or without the
gas check, usually 10 gn Unique around 1000 fps I think, have gone faster & slower.
I like powder coated without the gas check. They swing the steel target pretty good.
And the flat nose would make it suitable for more than target shooting.

+1 on the .433 round ball! Used to shoot them around 200 fps, would not penetrate
a steel beer can but collapsed 'em and sent 'em flying. Like an adult BB gun.
HOWEVER it leaves a ring of shaved lead in the seater die, had to clean it out each session.

Cast a pile of these yesterday & PC'd tonight...
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-_-T6cQVQ_ck/U9siWpWtUSI/AAAAAAAAA7I/KVBxirIeEUk/w640-h480-no/DSCF0023.JPG

[Rock]

So much great info in this thread, thank you to all who shared the data.

Now I'll go back and re-read and try to digest it all :)