Accurate Molds 43-208A, 44-40 Heeled Bullet

[Savvy Jack]

Quite a few 44 Accurate Molds have been designed and used. Here is another one added to the list. The 43-208A.

A while back I acquired an early unheadstamped 44 WCF cartridge. I decided to dissect the cartridge and was a bit surprised with what I discovered. After I pulled the bullet, I discovered it was a slightly heeled bullet. I know many hard core and cartridge collectors may argue but it is what it is.
223138
Weight - 200gr
Meplat - .274
Nose radius - as seen in photos
Crimp deformation dia - .417
Dia. of "Flange" - .4225
"Heel" - all driving band dia's - .421
Crimp Band- .060
Grooves - .075 each
Middle Band - .075
Base Band - .050


I got to thinking, how can I justify adding another 44-40 bullet to the Accurate Molds list. Here is what I came up with.

Large driving band to fill up the .429/.430 bores, but a small enough body dia to help keep chamber pressures down on early smaller .425/.427 bore rifles and revolvers.
Smaller body dia to help keep from over working the brass during the resizing process as well as prevent crooked seated bullets that cause a bulge.
Heeled flange to aid in the prevention of telescoping in rifle mag tubes when using pistol powders
Small enough flange as not to be distorted by a crimp die.

This is what I came up with, and Tom's final measurments.
223142

I like using a caseload of Reloder 7 with every bullet design I use for my Marlin 1894C. This extra powder, anything over 23.5gr for a 240gr, can cause higher chamber pressures but are fine for the Category II Rifles as noted in Lyman's handloading manuals. Slightly more for a 200gr should be fine in Category I rifles BUT do so at your own risk as noted by John Kort. HOWEVER, a lesser charge below 23gr (200gr) shouldn't cause the case to over expand in an over sized chamber. My Marlin has a slightly large chamber near the base of the cartridge. After firing, the case will not fit in my revolvers. This means I have to resize whatever case will be used in my revolvers after I use them in my Marlin.

Even though, I don't always have to resize my cases. The 43-208A can be finger seated with a bit of pressure and still be accurate out to 100 yards...thus far tested.

Today I finally got a chance to go test out the new design.

223145
43-208A shows a disticnt driving band when resized with a .429 lube sizer. (Only a tad bit of extra lube gets pushed up when seated due to the .427 body dia.)


223146
43-208A


223147
427098

[Savvy Jack]

223148
LEFT: 43-208A Heeled Bullet

[gpidaho]

I need to look into Accurate's inventory. A healed bullet mould might be just the ticket for those Ruger Vaquero's in 44-40 with the 44mag barrels. I've been making a slightly healed bullet Using a 429421 mould powder coating them to up the size and then leaving the front band at .432 and sizing the base two bands with a NOE bushing making a slightly healed bullet. .430 is the largest the bullet can be and still chamber in the neck area. A mould that would drop a bullet that was .4325 on the nose and .429 on the heal would be ideal in my revolver. Gp

[Outpost75]

For a bit more than the cost of the mold, John Taylor can rechamber your .44-40 Vaquero cylinder to enlarge tbe chamber necks to .447" and the cylinder throats to .4305" to match up well with the Ruger barrel. That's what I did with mine.

[gpidaho]

Thanks Ed, do you think Ruger would install a 44mag cylinder if I sent it back to them? Might be nice to have a convertible and the 44mag-44spl ability. Gp

[Outpost75]

Thanks Ed, do you think Ruger would install a 44mag cylinder if I sent it back to them? Might be nice to have a convertible and the 44mag-44spl ability. Gp


I doubt it. They haven"t made the large frame Vaqueros in a long time and I doubt there are any cylinders left.

[Larry Gibson]

Thanks Ed, do you think Ruger would install a 44mag cylinder if I sent it back to them? Might be nice to have a convertible and the 44mag-44spl ability. Gp

Won't know unless you ask them. The 44 Magnum cylinder out of my 50th Anniversary FTBH fits perfectly in my large frame (original) Vaquero 44-40......shoots quite nicely also.

[Outpost75]

Larry is correct, it can't hurt to ask.

[Savvy Jack]

I loaded up a handful of the 43-208A's to be tested with the Pressuretrace II. I used 39gr of Swiss FFG with a .19" compression. Still room for 40gr with a .21" depending on how the powder is initially settled BUT they wont fit in my tight chambered test barrel due to the compression slightly bulging the case. Using a slight roll crimp from an RCBS Cowboy Die, I crimped below the crimp groove about midway on the forward driving band. This will allow for the 39gr-40gr of powder load with .19"-21" respectively. I will do this again but will use RP brass. RP brass is thicker and doesn't seem bulge...but again, won't fit in the tight chamber of my MGM test barrel. I have yet to shoot these with black powder and will have to revisit the load another time. I don't have a lot of Swiss left so I may have to finish the testings later with Goex FFFG.

231397
39gr of Swiss FFG Unsettled

231398
39gr Swiss FFG tap settled

231399
Powder Compression Die modified from an old 44 expander plug

231400
39gr Swiss FFG Compressed .19" with powder compression die.

231401
Using Winchester brass and WLP's, on right, is a 43-208A that slightly resembles the early unheadstamped Winchester cartridge on the left.

[CamoWhamo]

How do you lube these in a lube sizer without a lot of the lube escaping?

[Savvy Jack]

How do you lube these in a lube sizer without a lot of the lube escaping?
The shank of the bullet is .427 while the flange is .429. My cast's drop at .427 shank and .431 flange. When I use the .429 lube sizer, a very small thin layer of lube remains on the shank but does not come up past the flange. When I seat the bullet, that thin layer can push up out of the crimp groove when the bullet is crimped. I'll take some photos the next time I load some up. Since I lube the cases with the same lube anyway, I just wipe it all off with a rag when I am done.

[Savvy Jack]

Disregard, I just loaded up a short video on youtube. Maybe it is clear enough for you to see.
It will be here when it finished uploading.


https://youtu.be/gNQPPr2qArI