Alloy for 44 Mag

[Alstep]

Going to start casting for the 44 Mag. Ordering a Keith mold, not planning to use max loads. Bore slugs .4295, throat is .4325. Figure I'll size .432.
What alloy are you all using that gives you good results with no leading? I've got plenty of lead & lino, but no WW. What proportion do you suggest? BHN?
Thanks for your suggestions.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

With no other info to go by, I'd say COWW alloy.

this is a good read...or refresher if you've read it before
http://www.lasc.us/CastBulletNotes.htm

[Conditor22]

What are you planning to shoot this in?
The CUP is under 40,000 and FPS under 1200

http://www.lasc.us/Fryxell_Book_Chapter_3_alloySelectionMetallurgy.ht m

Hardness. So we want to make sure that a bullet isn’t too soft, or leading will result through galling and abrasion, and we want to make sure that it isn’t too hard so we don’t lose the beneficial effects of obturation, and fall prey to leading through gas-cutting. Does that mean that we have to hit a very specific hardness for each cast bullet application? Thankfully, the answer to that question is “No”. Rather, there are a range of hardness's that serve very well for each pressure/velocity level.

Useful
Application Hardness Range
Light target loads (<800 fps and 10,000 psi) BHN 6-12
Standard revolver loads (800-1000 fps, 16,000 psi) BHN 8-14
+P revolver loads (1000-1200 fps, 20,000 psi) BHN 10-16
Magnum revolver loads (1200-1500 fps, 35,000 psi) BHN 12-20
454 Casull (1400-1800 fps, 50,000 psi) BHN 16 and up
The lower end of each of these hardness ranges will expand somewhat in each of these applications. Harder bullets can be used, but they won’t obturate meaning that you’ll have to use a lube capable of sealing the system, since the bullet cannot contribute to this critical job. Hard lubes probably won’t work here. Note the recurrence of BHN 12 in many of these ranges, and remember that’s what the Oldtimers used to think of as a hard bullet. We’ll come back to this thought…

I go 12-14 BHN -- COWW + 2% tin or mix or 7# pure 3# linotype -- 12.2 bhn toss in a little more tin if you dont get good fill out

[Alstep]

Ruger Redhawk. Light to medium loads, stressing accuracy. My days of punishing recoil are over. Never loaded for a 44 Mag, this came along, so would like to see what I can do with it. Just need some advise to go in the right direction.
Thanks for your responses JonB & Conditor.

[Bookworm]

I've been using 50/50 alloy, half CWW and half pure, in both a Super Redhawk and a few Super Blackhawks.

Plain base, tumble lubed, and running anywhere from 1000 fps to almost 1300 fps. Accuracy has been good enough for me; the revolvers are probably capable of better accuracy with someone besides me holding them.

[lightman]

A 44 Magnum is easy to load for. There are many powders that will go from mild to wild and the Keith type bullet usually shoots very well. You will enjoy it!

I use straight clip on wheel weights air cooled in all 3 of mine. Probably a BHN of 12 or so. Fit is more important than hardness and your target diameter should work fine. Except that many molds drop their bullets smaller than that. I size .430 and it works in all of mine.

[Arkansas Paul]

I started casting for .44 magnum recently, and so far have only fired a few hundred rounds.
I've used straight COWW alloy and have run both specials and full throttle magnums with no leading issues.
My 2 molds are a Lyman 429421 and a Lee 310 grain RNFP GC.

[Cherokee]

As long as the size fits the throats and is larger than the bore, you don't need "hard" cast. COWW with some tin to help fill out should be fine, especially for your less than Mag loads. My experience, YMMV.

[megasupermagnum]

If using an Elmer Keith bullet, use an Elmer Keith alloy. 16-1 lead to tin.

[huntnman]

I have found that I don't need to push 44 mag to near maximum loads for deer hunting. I have taken more than a half dozen, the farthest at 60-65 yards, have yet to recover a boolit. I've used 3-1 wheel weights to/lead. for magnum. 1-1 for 44 spl. I have even used the 50/50 in some magnum loads, to no ill effects.

[Alstep]

Sounds like I can use the same alloy I use for .38/.357, which is 1WW/1Pb. Except I'm out of WW, which is real scarce anymore around here. Wonder what would be the equivalent mixing Lino & lead?

[kevin c]

COWW are reportedly around 3% Sb and maybe 0.5 to 1% Sn by my reading. Linotype is usually described as 12% Sb and 4% Sn, so a 3:1 mix of pure to COWW should yield a 95-3-1 (Pb-Sb-Sn) alloy (and trace As from the WW).

[Lloyd Smale]

id go 5050 pure/lino. ANY alloy will shoot in a 44 mag and if its a good gun and good lube most wont lead but in my experiences harder is about allways better if your looking for the best accuracy in a good gun.

[ABJ]

Since you have pure lead and lino a semi hard alloy would be 1lb of pure to a .5lb of lino which equals 94.7pb/1.33sn/4.0sb. Good for mid range and full house loads. If you drop the lino to .4lb you get 95.4pb/1.14sn/3.43sb which is pretty close to my "all around general purpose alloy" although I perfer 1.5% sn on both those. You will do fine with what you got until your gun tells you different, then you may have to buy some pure tin from rotometals. That last alloy should give about 13.5 brinell give or take a little as measured on the Lee hardness tester.
Tony

[Larry Gibson]

Going to start casting for the 44 Mag. Ordering a Keith mold, not planning to use max loads. Bore slugs .4295, throat is .4325. Figure I'll size .432.
What alloy are you all using that gives you good results with no leading? I've got plenty of lead & lino, but no WW. What proportion do you suggest? BHN?
Thanks for your suggestions.

I suggest getting some tin (either ordering pure tin or find some solder or pewter locally). Mix the linotype with lead at 35% lino and 65% lead. Then add 2% tin to that. That should give you a close alloy comparable to old COWWs of yester-year. The BHN should be 11 - 13 +/- with cast AC'd and aged at least 10 days bullets. Should be very good with magnum level 44 loads. I suggest an excellent softer lube such as BAC or White Labels NRA 50/50 lube.

If your Keith mould drops bullets at 240 to 255 gr then the classic Keith load of 22 gr 2400 is still an excellent load. For a more pleasant mid range 44 load I use my "Keith" bullets (RCBS 44-250-K) over 8.5 gr of Unique. I use a softer alloy for those. Once you mix the above alloy you can soften it (makes the linotype go farther by getting more bullets per lino used) by mixing that alloy 50/50 with pure tin. Makes a nice softer bullet in the 8 BHN +/- range and is excellent for the mid range load.

Note; The mix above is predicated on new linotype. If the lino you have has been used in a print shop the % or antimony and tin in it will probably be less. If so you can use a larger % of lino but I'd not use more than 50%. Still add the 2% tin. Mix the 1st batch with the % suggested as you can always add a little more lino if needed.

[Green Frog]

^^^^+1 to this. ^^^^

Larry speaks true! In fact, if you want to drop back to 7.5-8.0 gr of Unique, your accuracy should still be pretty good and recoil will be noticeably less than “full house” loads. Adding a bit of tin always helps your bullets fill out, but has minimal effect on hardness (compared to antimony.) Sizing is pretty important though... you want to be about.001” over groove diameter if possible with a good lube such as the old standby, 50:50 Alox and Beeswax.

Froggie

[mdi]

My favorite cartridge is the 44 Magnum and I have cast for it since '90. I haven't had to shoot anything harder than 13-14 BHN, but normally around 11-12 BHN and there is a mix of alloys that I don't know the exact composition but checked hardness with my Lee tester. My cast bullets (from 123 gr. balls to 265 RNFP) rarely lead and I have run some up to 1,200+ fps. I believe I have cast mostly 429421 SWC and a lot of Ranch Dog 265 RNFP bullets and have excellent accuracy with both. I have had no need for any "hard cast" (?) bullets mainly because I size the bullets to the throat diameter and use a decent lube (C-Red, 45-45-10 and Speed Green). I cast/load for 5, 44 Magnums.

When I started casting I had access to a lot of wheel weights and mostly used that for my handgun bullets, Magnums too, and later purchased "range lead". Some of my alloys have become "Mystery Metal" as far as exact content but it averages 11 BHN and works well for everyday handgun bullets, mostly under 1,100 fps. At first I concentrated on bullet sizing and lubes with BHN way down the line for leading and accuracy...

[Tripplebeards]

I’ve been running anywhere from 16:1 pure lead and pewter mix at 7.5 Bh on up in my Ruger 77/44. I’ve been powder coating and gas checking them at a thousands over with no leading. I’ve tried ac COWW, 50/50, and 80/20. I have expansion pictures on my home page from water testing. I think there’s not a wright or wrong alloy for the 44mag as long as they are powder coated and gas checked if really soft alloy is used.

[fredj338]

I run range scrap to about 1200fps with good results. Proper fit rules, make sure your cyl throats are not sizing the bullet down or leading will happen regardless of alloy. If I need a harder alloy to go 1400fps, then I will water drop them.

[trapper9260]

I load for my 44mag RH and what Larry stated for the BHN is about what I shoot in my about 12 BHN. For the mix I use.that tested on my Lee tester. Also use it in my other cals.

[reloader28]

My air cooled clip on WW measure 15-16 bhn and I'm sizing .433. Lube is 350 Alox/beeswax 50/50 then add 10% parafin wax.
Shoots awesome from special to Elmer loads with a 260-265gr Elmer bullet.

[725]

WW's & a touch of pewter.

[Markopolo]

I started casting for .44 magnum recently, and so far have only fired a few hundred rounds.
I've used straight COWW alloy and have run both specials and full throttle magnums with no leading issues.
My 2 molds are a Lyman 429421 and a Lee 310 grain RNFP GC.

If you can only have 2 molds, this is the way to go...

[Budzilla 19]

50/50 ww/ pure, with 2% sn, Lee 310 grain RNFP GC. Powder coated, sized to .430. SHoot accurately enough for me with no leading.

[Static line]

50/50 ww/ pure, with 2% sn, Lee 310 grain RNFP GC. Powder coated, sized to .430. SHoot accurately enough for me with no leading.

Are those air cooled or water quenched?

[tdoor4570]

50/50 ww/ pure, with 2% sn, Lee 310 grain RNFP GC. Powder coated, sized to .430. SHoot accurately enough for me with no leading.

The lee 310 grain RNFP gas checked might be interesting in the 444 Marlin. Is that the C430-310-RF GC 90858 ?

[mdi]

I have been casting for my 44 magnums since '90 r so. I started with straight wheel weights and was very successful. I have found, just like most hobbies, one can get as involved as wanted. I learned a bit about alloying and characteristics of different bullet alloys, but for me I "toned it down" in the last 6-8 years. I know what alloys cast best in my Lee molds and those that work well in my Lyman/Ideal molds, but beyond that, I just check BHN and size the bullets to fit the gun they will be used in. I have about 200-250 lbs of what I call my "mystery metal" that runs about 11 BHN,and it is a mixture of different alloys and scrap (started with an OOPS! and mixed some alloy with an unknown alloy by mistake) which works well in all my guns and casts well in most of my molds...

[44magLeo]

I've used the Lyman 429421 since about 1978. I've used it in my Marlin 1894, a Ruger SBH, a Ruger Redhawk.
I've experimented with alloys from dead soft to Lyno hard. Usually I just use what's in the pot. Mostly COWW Water dropped.
My mold drops boolits at about .432. I tried sizing to several sizes. To simplify my loading I don't size the boolits. I lube with Lee Liquid Alox. No leading as fast as they can shoot.
I standardized on two loads 8.5 grs Unique, 22.5 grs 2400. Shoots through all my guns very well. The two revolvers get less than 2 in groups at 25 yds. If I really bear down, less than an inch. In the marlin the groups aren't quite as small. Run about two inches.
I recently bought the Ranch Dog 265 gr mold. Haven't worked with it much yet so can't report on that one.
With the two loads in the revolvers the light load is pretty much right on at 50 yds, without readjusting the sights the heavy load is about right on at 100.
Leo

[murf205]

Going to start casting for the 44 Mag. Ordering a Keith mold, not planning to use max loads. Bore slugs .4295, throat is .4325. Figure I'll size .432.
What alloy are you all using that gives you good results with no leading? I've got plenty of lead & lino, but no WW. What proportion do you suggest? BHN?
Thanks for your suggestions.

You should do well staying with coww mixtures in that Redhawk. The .4325 throats and boolits sized to .432 will let you seal the .4295 barrel very well. My SRH has the same dimensions and I run .431 boolits with no problems and good accuracy with no leading ever and most of mine were 16-1. IMHO, that is one of the reasons that Redhawks shoot so accurately, cylinder throats are proper size for barrel diameter. Of course the way the cylinder locks up into the frame doesn't hurt either. You will love this gun.

[Alstep]

Thanks everyone for your advise. Much appreciated.

Did a little experimentation, and found that a mix of 5 Pb to 1 Lino gives me about 12.5 BHN, so I'll try that when I get my mold.
Looking forward to playing with this 44.

[Conditor22]

You may want to add .5 to 1 0z of tin/pewter

[Walks]

Back 40+yrs ago for silhouette, I used the Lyman #429244GC cast of 2lbs Linotype to 1lb lead. Lubed with NRA 50/50.

Gave me minimal leading, sized .431dia I got the larger Lube-Sizer die from an old guy at the range. Got a .359dia too. But it didn't give me the accuracy I needed. So I went back to .358dia for all .38/.357 loads. Never looked back. 35,000 rds of #358156GC cast of the 2/1 alloy or straight LINO. Got some gas cutting, between 10,000 to 20,000 rds. But that stopped

Happened to the .44 Super Blawkhawk too, 7 1/2". But I didn't get that in the Stainless 10 1/2" . But I gave up silhouette before I shot more then about 3,000 rds.

No hot loads these days. Arthritis in both hands, wrists and elbows.

Cut that 10 1/2" to 5 1/2". Got a full length ejector rod. Makes a great holster gun for light loads of 8.0grs of TiteGroup & a Keith SWC or RNFP for Cowboy Action Shooting. Cast of COWW/#2, 50/50 & that same NRA 50/50 Lube.
My Chiropractor loves it.

[Blammer]

96/2/2 air cooled works well for me.